Getting to the Heart of Stage Fright

BREAKING NEWS!

The "Empower Your Voice" West Coast Tour Just Became INTERNATIONAL!

Cape Town, South America, and Vancouver, Canada are now confirmed stops in the Empower Your Voice Tour!

I'll be doing workshops, talks, and book signings. And the most exciting part - I'll be interviewing people all along the way about what it took for them to live into their purpose and empower their voices!

Know somebody I should talk to? Reply to this email to let me know, or DM me on social media.

Today's newsletter tackles two big topics around fear:

• The Heart of Stage Fright (check out the article below)
• How to Tap Into Spiritual Solutions for Unwanted Fear (link to my YouTube interview with Anna Sun Choi at the end)

Thank you for choosing to include this newsletter as part of your journey towards empowering your voice. Enjoy and keep up the great work!

The Heart of Stage Fright

by Nancy Bos

As I stepped up for my solo, my heart pounded, my palms were sweating, and my mind was racing with a million thoughts. I felt like everyone was staring at me, judging my every move and waiting for me to mess up. I struggled to catch my breath and my body trembled with anxiety. The anticipation of performing in front of an audience felt suffocating and I wished I could run away. It was a horrible feeling that took over my body and made me feel powerless.

I've experienced performance anxiety, and I know firsthand that it can be debilitating. It can hinder creativity in performance, cause resistance to progress, and ultimately affect the trajectory of a career. In fact, mine was so bad I had to switch my degree from Music Performance to Arts Administration so that I could still work in the field I love but avoid being in the spotlight.

Years later, I realized that at the heart of stage fright is our own personal narratives, or stories from our past that subconsciously feed into our fear. Everyone has experienced small or large traumas in their lives that our subconscious can hold onto as personal narratives. These can hold us back mentally and even stop us in our tracks.

Some of these traumas might be "little t traumas" that we don't even realize are affecting us, such as a negative judgement that had a lasting impact, or a subtle message from our culture that we're wrong to pursue our passions. Other traumas might be "big T traumas" that are unrelated to singing but manifest as stage fright, such as a deeply disturbing, life-threatening event or situation.

I struggled with performance anxiety brought on by unsuspected “little t traumas” until I was 34 years old. At that point, I decided that enough was enough and sought help through hypnotherapy, which turned out to be one of the most efficient and effective methods for analyzing and reframing personal stories. Through hypnotherapy, I was able to uncover the personal narratives that were at the root of my fear, including being negatively judged when practicing piano as a kid, and an unfortunate flute competition in eighth grade.

Personal narratives can come from how we've internalized messages from: other people, organizations we're a part of, our community, our ancestry, and even from within ourselves when we choose between fear and anger, or love and courage.

Understanding and reframing these narratives is key to overcoming performance anxiety in the long term. While the work can be hard and vulnerable, seeking help from a skilled coach or therapist trained in fields such as hypnotherapy, peak performance, cognitive behavioral therapy, or narrative exposure therapy, can make all the difference. Meditation and journaling can also be helpful tools in the process.

Ultimately, I recommend listening to the stories from your spirit, trusting what you feel and hear from within yourself - the voice of a higher calling.

If you're interested in learning more about reframing personal narratives to overcome performance anxiety, I invite you to watch my TEDx talk where I share my journey of discovery and introduce ways to begin reframing these stories.

Overcoming Fear: Trusting Your Body with Anna Sun Choi

In this fascinating episode, Anna shares:

• Facing fears and myths of high performance
• How to trust your body
• Soul and the Ego

And how to allow what’s inside to shine. Inspiring!

I’m Nancy Bos, a vocologist, speaker, and recipient of the International Impact Author award. I help people live their best lives. 

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If you want to share the empowerment you are experiencing with your organization or company, let them know about my expertise on the empowering your voice, as well as menopause and voice. Visit my Speakers Page to learn more. I’m proud to say others have described me as “very inspiring and entertaining.”

The Empower Your Voice podcast and YouTube channel will help you reach new heights as well - Enjoy!

I hope you find them to be inspiring and give you new insights. 

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Thank you!!

Nancy