Best David H Lawrence XVII Podcasts (2025)

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13250: The Doubly Wonderful Week Of Ms. Karen Merritt 17:22

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6h ago17:22

17:22

Hey there, hero! If you don’t know by now, one of my favorite hobbies is to brag on my VOHeroes Pro clients. (Given how real the struggle is to be a professional performer, and how we constantly have to manage our mindset when we inevitably don’t get the gig, each win is a savory morsel of delight.) Everytime that happens, I get a little giddy. I c…

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13249: How Hard Can This Be? 5:35

6d ago5:35

5:35

Hey there, hero! Ever notice how some people look at acting, voice over or writing and think it’s a snap… …and not that hard to do? I had an aunt that would make snide comments like “Oh, I could do that. Who would think that’s so difficult?” She would say that phrase to make others feel small. And, likely, to try and make herself feel better about …

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13248: The One Car You Cannot Learn To Drive In 4:46

6h ago4:46

4:46

Hey there, hero! To get from here to there, to move forward (or even, sometimes, backwards), we need to be in a state of motion. Not standing still, but rather moving toward our goal. That sometimes takes bravery. Like when you were first behind the wheel in driver’s ed class (for those of you who grew up in NYC, you’re excused - we’ll see you next…

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13247: André De Shields: Three Rules Of Life 3:55

7d ago3:55

3:55

Hey there, hero! The Broadway actor André De Shields has quietly made a stunning career out of performing on one of the most exclusive sets of stages in the world, and although he’s a Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony-award winning actor, he’s not a household name… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_De_Shields …but De Shields’ recently-publicized three rule…

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13246: Hat, Haircut Or Tattoo? 5:05

20d ago5:05

5:05

Hey there, hero! Permanence. Import. Outcomes. Results. We make lots of decisions, and we talk a lot about the size of those small, medium and large decisions - but another way of looking at them is…permanence. The long lasting results of all those decisions, if any. The effectiveness of a decision that makes for real change. But instead of size, w…

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13245: A 45 Minute 10K Takes You Just As Far As A 90 Minute 10K Does 4:36

21d ago4:36

4:36

Hey there, hero! Math. Some people love it, and some people scratch their head over it. But this particular math concept is simple: distance is distance, no matter how much time it takes. In a race, the fastest contestants usually win. But the work we pursue and reach for? It’s not a race. So there’s no medal for getting there faster. In fact, it m…

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13244: What’s The One Rookie Mistake You Wish You Hadn’t Made? 5:01

1M ago5:01

5:01

Hey there, hero! Looking back at when you were just starting out with something can be heartwarming and lovely as you reflect on how far you’ve come. Or, it can be regretful and cringeworthy, as you think about the rookie mistakes you might have made. My answer was a simple one - I spent too much on very expensive potential solutions: on gear, soft…

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13243: Trevor Says There’s Nothing Quite As Satisfying As This 4:07

2M ago4:07

4:07

Hey there, hero! Sometimes, the most casual comments can be the most powerful. The moments of conversation that are the least charged can sometimes be monumental. I had one of those moments in a recent co-working session with Coach Trevor Algatt (long time collab and member of the VOHeroes and Narrate Your Own Book coaching squad). And I have a sne…

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13242: Survey: How Is AI Actually Affecting You? 3:40

2M ago3:40

3:40

Hey there, hero! We’re a few years in on the AI onslaught. No doubt, you have had thoughts on this, both as an artist and as a lover of art. And, I’d be surprised if your thoughts haven’t changed and become more informed and nuanced over the years. I’d love to know what those thoughts currently are. Scroll down and let me know how you currently vie…

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13241: Acceptable Excuses 4:32

2M ago4:32

4:32

Hey there, hero! So there’s that thing you don’t want to do. That task that seems insurmountable, that conversation that seems uncomfortable, that project that seems confusing and messy. So you put it off. What do you tell yourself to justify your procrastination? It’s OK…sometimes there’s a really good reason to delay things. And sometimes…there’s…

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13240: The View Changes Once You Start Walking 4:04

2M ago4:04

4:04

Hey there, hero! Along the lines of what I've mentioned in the past, the rules change as our journey progresses, a hiker once said a version of the title of this episode. The scenery is going to be different as you move through your trek. The same thing happens for us as writers, actors and voice talent. You start off with a set of rules and scener…

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13239: Just Pick One. 3:44

3M ago3:44

3:44

Hey there, hero! Sometimes, it’s not just A or B, one or the other. You can often be presented with and virtually frozen in place by a stunning and varied array of options in life, and if you’re confused by all the choices, that overwhelm can be paralyzing. We can spend so much time trying to be safe…to be correct…to make no mistakes. And that can …

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13238: What Meditation, Driving and Task Management Have In Common 7:38

3M ago7:38

7:38

Hey there, hero! “Return to the breath.” It’s a common phrase that helps you get back to your center when you’re meditating or doing any sort of calming technique. We self correct when driving as well - watching the wheel, making gentle movements on the wheel to stay in our lane. And we can use this minor adjustment technique in other areas in life…

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13237: Thank You For Letting Me Help You Tell Stories 3:36

3M ago3:36

3:36

Hey there, hero! I just want to take a moment to tell you how grateful I am to be a part of your journey, and to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your storytelling support crew. That’s pretty much it. I’m just thankful. And here’s a link to Kindra Hall’s Stories That Stick (I highly recommend this audiobook - she’s amazing …

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13236: A Bias For Action? Or A Knee-Jerk Reaction? 5:26

3M ago5:26

5:26

Hey there, hero! There can be a big difference between taking action, and hurting yourself by jumping to a reaction without really thinking it through. And there’s a difference between rushing to some action…any action…and taking just a moment to consider your options. Delta and AMEX and a couple who couldn’t wait to post with righteous indignation…

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13235: A Simple Shift (Key) To Make Perfectly Square Images 4:31

4M ago4:31

4:31

Hey there, hero! Ever been asked to upload a perfectly square image as your profile pic? Sure you have, if you’ve created your profile on, say, ACX.com. The problem is that you’re usually working from a portrait-shaped headshot, that is usually taller than it is wide…definitely NOT square. So, you have to crop a section of just your face. And if yo…

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13234: What Would "Winning" Even Look Like? 5:09

4M ago5:09

5:09

Hey there, hero! Unless you count the awards shows and box office (unfairly) as some sort of barometer of our success (please don’t), there really isn’t any sort of leaderboard or all-star ladder for creatives. Even best-seller lists only judge what’s selling well, not what’s the highest artistic quality. It’s not a race, right? We tell ourselves (…

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13233: How Much Do You Want To Know? 4:04

4M ago4:04

4:04

Hey there, hero! Sometimes I feel like my cup overfloweth. There’s no end to what you can learn about our business, and our world, and life. And there’s more knowledge flowing in all the time. Do you have the energy to stay on top of things? Or are you good? Is your bandwidth stretched to the limit? Where are you on the “new knowledge” scale? Are y…

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13232: Nobody Forced You To Face These Challenges 5:11

4M ago5:11

5:11

Hey there, hero! The story of life is filled with dependencies, with our journey being affected by the challenges in our lives. And when we think about how our situation might be better if we weren’t this or that or the other thing (the grass is always greener, isn’t it?), we can make arbitrary assumptions about how our challenges are so…challengin…

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13231: One Simple Way To Ease Anxiety 6:46

4M ago6:46

6:46

Hey there, hero! As if we don’t have enough things in the world today, helping us move toward the anxious end of the scale, and away from the calm end, right? Here’s a simple way to combat that. I was reminded of this approach by the teachers of The Anxiety Toolkit, a free course I’m currently taking that is offered by The Entertainment Community F…

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13230: The Moving Target Of AI 4:43

5M ago4:43

4:43

Hey there, hero! Every new advance (decline?) in the development of new AI tools can lead to more and more anxiety for performers. It can also lead to more options for our performance careers. This episode is designed to take a look at both the threat and the promise of AI and synthetic voices and faces in 2025. (If you’re watching this episode jus…

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13229: True Or False: Non-Fiction Is Easier To Narrate Than Fiction? 4:46

5M ago4:46

4:46

Hey there, hero! Characters. That word can strike fear in the hearts of narrators that feel that fiction is a whole ‘nother level of effort when it comes to audiobooks. Same thing when the content involves accents or dialects. It’s not necessarily true that non-fiction is easier (you might take on some scientific terms or geographic locations to se…

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13228: Is It Easier To Book An Audiobook Job Than Other Acting Gigs? 6:22

5M ago6:22

6:22

Hey there, hero! If you’re a professional, acting can take all kinds of forms. TV. Film. Stage. Commercials. Digital. VO. Audiobooks. And so much more. But the rarity of on-camera work is even more pronounced now than it has been in the past. The numbers are very different in some categories than in others. Like, say, audiobooks. Lots more opportun…

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13227: I Feel Seen And Heard…By James Clear 5:16

5M ago5:16

5:16

Hey there, hero! So there I am, minding my own business, checking my email after submitting an on-camera audition (I didn’t even change out of my scrubs for this episode), and I see the latest edition of the author of Atomic Habits ( paperback | audiobook ), James Clear’s weekly 3-2-1 newsletter ( subscribe here ). #3 in the third of his gems stopp…

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13226: Narrating Audiobooks? Don't Forget The Acting Part 8:18

6M ago8:18

8:18

Hey there, hero! So you have an audiobook to narrate. Compared to a lot of other acting jobs, it’s a much bigger job - sometimes exponentially larger. And it’s such a big event that it causes us to sometimes assign an outsized scope of the undertaking, and misplace what’s important for success. Yes, you have a lot of tech and process details to dea…

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13225: Remember This One Thing About Aiming For Perfection 6:15

6M ago6:15

6:15

Hey there, hero! How many times in our lives have we been presented with the reminder that we are human? That we are messy? That we’re struggling? That we are anything but perfect? And how most of our pursuits simply can’t ever be totally perfect, no matter how much improvement we achieve, and are not life and death situations anyway, so... Do you …

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13224: You Are Absolutely Capable Of The Life You Imagine 5:20

6M ago5:20

5:20

Hey there, hero! There is a difference between the capability of doing something…and the actual execution/achievement of that something. It's a subtle distinction. Sometimes we doubt that we are capable of something. Actually achieving whatever that something is may require some additional skills. But…the doubt that creeps into our minds about whet…

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13223: Don’t Ever Use This Creepy Descript Feature On-Camera 7:05

6M ago7:05

7:05

Hey there, hero! WARNING: This episode contains brief NSFW language. I don’t know what software you use to edit your video stuff, but if it happens to be Descript… …there was a post in a group I’m a member of that was…cringey: “I'm trying to make live presentations more engaging, and I’m curious if there is a feature that makes it look like the pre…

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13222: How Will You Know If You Don’t Give It A Shot? 4:43

7M ago4:43

4:43

Hey there, hero! Life is filled with opportunities, but some of them are scary. And it’s natural to try and limit the risk, especially if you need to put a lot at risk to attempt something new. You might be tempted to take every opportunity to fail-safe the situation. To not go all in for fear of massive defeat. Welp, you’ll never know… …until you …

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13221: Fighting The Old Or Building The New? 4:11

7M ago4:11

4:11

Hey there, hero! Some people worry and fret about what has happened in their past, especially when that past is less than bountiful. They look at failures and past mistakes as things that are regretful, hinder their progress and just can’t be forgotten. And it can really weigh on their mental health to continually live in what was before now. Maybe…

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13220: Science Proves Me Right (And Wrong) About Failure's Value 4:57

7M ago4:57

4:57

Hey there, hero! I often encourage you to embrace failure: we learn from it, we get better because of it and we identify those things that help us do less of what doesn't work. And that means you can achieve success through failure. Pithy, David. But what does the actual science say? Just like many research projects end up determining...it depends.…

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13219: The Competition and Randomness Of Art And Money 5:32

7M ago5:32

5:32

Hey there, hero! Most of the decisions that are made in the professional world revolve around money, and they are never on schedule. (Thanks to EM Forster for this episode's thought starter.) Much of what happens is random, unpredictable and not based in the arts, but rather in the commerce. And you need to be OK with that. I hope that money isn't …

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13218: Casting Calculus: Yep. Sometimes Casting Only Needs 4 Seconds. 11:48

7M ago11:48

11:48

Hey there, hero! This episode revolves around that Deadline article, tough love, math, logic and being careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. And you also might get some unexpected consequences you might be facing. And we need to understand that potential work is at the pleasure of the partners we seek: the people with whom we wa…

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13217: Amateur? Professional? Being Both Might Be Best. 4:10

8M ago4:10

4:10

Hey there, hero! It's a lovely day when you're recognized as a professional at what you do. You likely get paid. You get respect from your peers. You feel accomplished. But moving from amateur to pro can feel like you're leaving something behind. It just might be...love. I think I can help you bridge the gap between what you gain and what you lose …

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13216: Are You Still Trying Desperately To Make Sense Of It All? 3:49

8M ago3:49

3:49

Hey there, hero! Ever since we've been humans, from the very beginning of time, we've tried to make sense of the world around us. And among the hardest things to make sense of is the creative arts...and the choice to become a creative artist. The randomness alone is mind-boggling. If you try to make sense of it, you'll fail. Especially if you try l…

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13215: Hey, You Chose This. Why Be Righteously Indignant? 8:34

8M ago8:34

8:34

Hey there, hero! A bit of a rant this episode...about the choices we make in life, and then being upset about those choices. And creative types have enough harsh judgement being leveled at them by critics without adding to what some perceive to be a sense of entitlement. We are privileged to work in this business. No doubt. We're not privileged to …

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13214: Felt Any AI Guilt Yet? 4:45

8M ago4:45

4:45

Hey there, hero! AI in general, and synthetic voice and image generators in particular have led to a lot of FUD in our industry. FUD? It's an acronym that means Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. We fear being replaced by AI-generated models that would lead not just to the loss of jobs, but the possible deletion of the human contribution to creative work…

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13213: A Bigger Fear Than That Of Failure 3:29

9M ago3:29

3:29

Hey there, hero! Is it possible that in addition to all of the other things you're concerned with when it comes to your performance career, that actually having a bit of success might be more daunting? More daunting than the possibility of...failure? Because then, the rules have to change. You have to start living by the rules of success, not failu…

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13212: Deal With Criticism Just Like Joe 6:41

9M ago6:41

6:41

Hey there, hero! Putting your creations out there for the world to see can feel like an act of bravery, and some people get ready for a bit of criticism. And they might be looking for a way to deal with that criticism. I say, be like Joe. Joseph Brodsky the writer/poet, that is. After a recent video I released was posted about creating my Narrate Y…

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13211: Saying Goodbye To A Project You Love 5:26

9M ago5:26

5:26

Hey there, hero! Far more often than not, the projects I create and undertake tend to "stick." Rarely do I shut something down before it has run its course. And most go on for a long, long time. In this episode, I take a look at the decision making and the grief (yep!) around the choice to end a project I love (which I recently did). Part of that i…

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13210: Your 14,787-Step Plan For Success 3:28

9M ago3:28

3:28

Hey there, hero! Listen or watch this episode for an actual ONE step plan to avoid oversimplifying the clickbait options you find online on your way to success: Don't be sucked into the apparent secret sauce of a overly simple plan to ultimate success. I try not to make the "overpromise/underdeliver" mistake when I share things with you, but I can'…

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13209: How Legendary Authors Deal With The Rejection We Never Hear About 8:14

10M ago8:14

8:14

Hey there, hero! We're all on a pursuit. A pursuit of the performance arts career we want: acting, VO, writing and more. And we often look to those who have "made it" for guidance. How did they get success? Great question. But I think a better question would be about how they handled rejection. That skill can be really useful, as rejection is inevi…

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13208: Your Personal Order Of Execution 3:41

10M ago3:41

3:41

Hey there, hero! As we look at things we need to get done, we get an idea WHEN we need to get those things done, what we need to prepare... ...and when we aren't ready yet to do anything just yet. And a simple shift in your activity timeline can be really effective. Your assumption as to when to do something might be just perfect. And it also might…

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13207: "Every Thing Is Everything." Wait, Wait...What? 3:33

10M ago3:33

3:33

Hey there, hero! Sometimes, words come together to describe things that you don't expect. In a recent session with a coaching peer, she declared: "Every thing is everything." I tried to process that, and she gave me some assistance. What she meant was that as creatives, every thing we learn as performers in ANY category of work helps to build every…

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13206: What's The Right Size For Your [Show] Business? 6:01

10M ago6:01

6:01

Hey there, hero! Do you get the number of auditions you want? On-camera, VO, whatever. You good? Or do you constantly pursue more? Is growing your audition stream an endless pursuit? The highest priority? I think everyone is different. And there's a trend in business that informs this. It's variously called "10X-ing," "adding zeroes," and "blowing …

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13205: Is It Ever Too Late To Promote Something You've Created In The Past? 3:31

11M ago3:31

3:31

Hey there, hero! We work really hard to create stuff. Really great stuff. And after a while, we tend to forget just how valuable that stuff is. And...in addition...how valuable our superpower, creating great stuff, actually is. This episode is dedicated to reminding you that your output is your product. Your books, your TV shows, your podcast episo…

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13204: Scary Versus Exciting 5:52

11M ago5:52

5:52

Hey there, hero! When you get ready to do something new, what wells up inside you emotionally? Is there fear? Being scared? Or is there electricity? Being excited? And how does that affect how you approach it? The two will likely co-exist in a sweet spot: instead of being so scared that I am immobilized, I'm...cautious. And instead of being so exci…

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13203: "Listen" Is "Silent" Spelled Sideways 3:59

11M ago3:59

3:59

Hey there, hero! I'm well aware of at least one thing: I talk too much. Believe me, it's a challenge I've faced all my life. And I actively want to listen better. Listen actively. Not just wait for others to stop talking so I can start. I look for non-verbal clues to remind myself to listen...rather than talk. And to listen is to be open to hearing…

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13202: Don't Let Your Theories Become "Facts" 7:03

11M ago7:03

7:03

Hey there, hero! When things don't pan out for us, we want to know why. And sometimes, we simply tell ourselves stories...when we usually shouldn't. We want to have things make sense, and so if we don't know exactly why something happens, good or bad, we might make things up. Especially when we don't "get the gig." As humans, we want - no, NEED - t…

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13201: You Don't Yell At A Bud Because It Isn't A Flower...Yet 2:56

11M ago2:56

2:56

Hey there, hero! Ever get frustrated when you first start learning something and it's touch to get the hang of it? You know, you want to gain a skill and it's just not coming and you start to lose patience? How about when you're showing someone else how to do something and they just aren't grasping the fundamentals? Do you get a little annoyed? I s…