NeurodiVoice with Laura Hill

08/08/2022

My new creation ❤️

Spread the word if you know anyone with young children in Renfrewshire or surrounding 🙏🏻

More info at www.neurodivoice.com/mothervoices

17/02/2022

"We’ve spent a lifetime trying to figure ourselves out, often misdiagnosed with mental health issues and desperate for answers. We’ve become accidental experts in that respect.”

This is a really interesting article about autistic health professionals and their superpowers.

I discovered I was neurodivergent while working for the NHS, eventually specialising in autism. I didn't disclose it at the time, even though I felt my close colleagues would be understanding.

The wider culture was as described in the article:

“Neurotypical mental health practitioners aren’t any different from the general public when it comes to understanding autism: that is, they have a negative perception,” he says. “This is exacerbated by the fact that as mental health specialists, the only openly autistic people they are likely to see are patients in crisis. This will inevitably lead them to link autism with an inability to function."

I now see that the only way to change this culture is for more people to be open about our brilliantly different minds. Then, society will see what we *can* do so well, and will be more willing to adapt to support our needs.

Therapists, psychologists and nurses who are autistic say it has made them better at their jobs, but that misconceptions about the condition are forcing them to keep their diagnosis a secret

15/02/2022

Things Neurodivergent people might have been called as children (or at other stages of life)…

💙Weird
💙Dreamy
💙Disruptive
💙Hyperactive
💙Behavioural problems
💙Demotivated
💙Not living up to potential
💙Away with the fairies
💙On another planet
💙No common sense
💙Awkward
💙Quirky
💙Eccentric
💙Rude
💙Misfit
💙Disorganised
💙Too sensitive
💙”A bit OCD”…

…the list could go on…

So You Think You're Neurodivergent? (...What Now?), this Friday at 1pm

Join my group to watch (link below). No one else need know you’re watching… ❤️

📸 Belinda Fewlings, Unsplash

13/02/2022

Discovering you’re Neurodivergent as an adult often involves veering between two extremes of the same pole, that sound something like this…

1. “Well yes, I might well be, but what difference would it actually make to know that? I’d still live in a world where everyone’s expected to keep up with the pace, so life would still be the same old struggle. I just need to suck it up and get on with it.”

2. “Being Neurodivergent means I can’t do xyz. I find it hard to try new things/meet people. I’m going to make my life small so I don’t have to deal with failure. I’m staying here until the world changes.”

I know these voices well, as I’ve heard both myself and from my clients 💜

The problems with these two extremes are:

1. Ending up overwhelmed, in burnout, self-critical for not being “like everyone else”.

2. Missing out on connection, fulfilment, pleasure, life. (And the self-criticism’s probably still going on under the surface too).

Both extremes are also just different ways to hide who we really are.

🦋What if there’s a third way…

🦋A sweet spot in the middle of these two poles…

🦋Where we can honour our differences while still edging gradually beyond our comfort zones… Discovering our gifts in the process?

So You Think You're Neurodivergent? (...What Now?), this Friday at 1pm in my VoiceFinders group. Link to join group in comments 👇

📸 Taras Chernus, Unsplash

08/02/2022

Have you always felt different?

Wondered why things that seemed easy for other people were hard for you?

Felt like there was some kind of rule book to life that you hadn’t been given?

Ever considered that you could be:

🔶Autistic
🔷ADHD
🔶Highly Sensitive
🔷Any of the conditions beginning with Dys-
(Dyslexic, dyspraxic, etc.)

Neurodivergent is a term that encompasses all of the above.

Maybe you already know you’re Neurodivergent, but you’re not sure what it means for you ❤️

In this free interactive workshop, I’ll be guiding you through what it means to be Neurodivergent. Both in general terms and for you personally.

Having this knowledge about ourselves can open the door to:

☺️A life that doesn’t feel like it’s all uphill;
☺️Greater self-acceptance;
☺️Work and home life that feels aligned with who we really are;
☺️Letting go of the need to pretend to be someone else;
☺️More authentic relationships;
☺️More energy and enthusiasm for life.

The Details:

Friday 18th February at 1pm
Facebook Live in my VoiceFinders group.

You’ll need to be a member of the group to watch. Link to join in comments 👇🏻

03/02/2022

I’ve always felt that I’m here to help others who feel like they don’t fit in.

And I’ve realised part of my purpose is to share with others how our physical voice can be a portal to getting to know our true selves.

As Neurodivergent people, we learned pretty early on that our real voice wasn’t acceptable. We learned to:

😷 Mask it;

🤐 Dumb it down, or “smarten it up”;

🙊 Hide it behind a voice that wasn’t our own.

I’ve only come to realise fairly recently how universal this theme is. And that THAT’S why I’ve been so obsessed with the voice my whole life.

Find Your NeurodiVoice is the programme I wish I’d had available when I started to suspect I might be Neurodivergent.

Over 4 weeks together, we’ll be exploring:

💙 What it means to be Neurodivergent, merging medical understanding with lived experience of the Neurodivergent community;

💙 What it might mean for you personally, in the context of the “real world” and the life you’ve created;

💙 Key themes such as special interests, stimming, masking, sensory issues, executive function and social interaction;

💙 How your physical voice can have an important role to play in understanding and expressing who you really are.

I'd love for you to join! More information in comments 😘

24/01/2022

01/11/2021

When and why did you stop singing…?

VoiceBuilders is a 7-week group programme involving singing songs. But it’s not your ordinary singing group.

Sure, there will be some hints and tips about how to build your singing technique and connect with your true singing voice.

However, the main focus of VoiceBuilders will be the healing power of using the voice in this way. How singing can help us to connect with who we really are, beneath all of the stories.

I’m Laura Hill, a voice/communication coach and mentor for people who are neurodivergent, highly sensitive, or have just always had a feeling they were “different” (all of these categories apply to me).

Working with clients over the years, I began to notice a pattern. Often fear of singing in public goes hand in hand with a fear of being the full expression of ourselves in the world.

Holding back other parts of our true self that we think others might perceive as “too much”.

As a lifelong lover of singing, I’ve seen first-hand how using my voice in this way can help me to express myself when I’m feeling like I don’t fit.

I feel like I’m here to share this feeling with others, and that the most powerful way of doing this is in a group setting.

Here’s what’s included:

🌈7 weekly Zoom sessions, on Tuesdays from November 9th-December 21st at 7.30-9pm UTC;
🌈A private Facebook group to connect with each other and keep singing between sessions;
🌈A virtual sing together (video) at the end of the programme.

Each session will include:

✨Meditation/relaxation;
✨Journalling;
✨Moving the body;
✨Voice Exercises;
✨Singing songs that inspire reflection;
✨Using each area of the body to build voice technique.

£167. Payment plans available.

PM me to sign up, or to chat further ❤️

26/06/2021

DO YOU FEEL BLOCKED FROM SAYING WHAT YOU MEAN?

Like, it’s in there, but won’t come out of your mouth?

Maybe you feel the words don’t come in the moment but after the event when it’s too late.

If you can’t say what you want, you’ll get what you don’t want.

My throat used to tighten up whenever I was in uncomfortable situations. The words physically wouldn’t come out. Or sometimes the words in my head were on the money but what came out of my mouth was a jumbled mess.

I tried to get around this by acting like someone else. But then the words that came out wouldn’t be mine. I’d over-analyse afterwards, feeling icky and inauthentic.

Then I’d wonder why people didn’t get me. Or why they were doing things I didn’t like. Or why I didn’t get what I wanted.

The more I connect with my authentic voice, the words just flow more. That annoying voice in my head is quieter. I find I’m getting more of what I want. As if by magic…

How do I begin to say what I want to, I hear you ask? Here’s what has helped me and my clients do exactly that...

🔵 Re-connecting with what lights us up and makes us feel comfortable;

🔷 Recognising when our bodies are under stress and how that affects our communication;

💙 Understanding the difference between pretending to be someone else and stepping into a more articulate version of ourselves;

🔹 Opening up the throat with singing and other voice exercises.

I’ll be going deeper into this in my FREE 3-part training, Say What You Want, coming soon!

You'll need to join the VoiceFinders FB group to join in if you're not already a member... Link in comments 😘

18/05/2021

07/12/2020

The LongNoteBuilder 3-Day Singing Challenge starts tomorrow 😀

Make sure you’ve joined my group if you’d like to take part! You won’t have to go on camera 😉

https://www.facebook.com/groups/311752843359822/?ref=share

03/12/2020

LONGNOTEBUILDER: A 3-DAY SINGING CHALLENGE 🙂

Tuesday 8th-Thursday 10th December in Voicefinders FB Group🎙

I'll be going Live on video at 2pm each of the 3 days for training and pep-talks 👍🏻

It’s a pain when you’re singing a song really well but can’t quite hold that long note! 😩

Maybe you find that the more you focus on it, the more you start to panic and believe you won’t be able to hold it long enough; that your voice will crackle and you’ll mess up the whole song. 😕

Then maybe the rest of the song doesn’t sound as good as you know you can because you’re too busy worrying about the dreaded long note? 👎🏻

So, how can you go for long notes and be confident you'll be able to hold it for as long as the song demands? 👇

Join me for the Longnotebuilder Challenge next Tuesday-Thursday, where I’ll demonstrate:

🧘‍♀️ Using your whole body to build the note from the bottom up

💨 Taking in enough breath to sustain the note and make it last the distance

👄 How small adjustments of your mouth can make all the difference

🤐 How not to believe that inner voice that tells you you’ll never hold it that long...

ARE YOU READY FOR THE CHALLENGE? 💪🏻

All you need to do is join this group...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/311752843359822 😘

24/11/2020

Christmas Gift Vouchers now available! 🎄

These can be used for 1:1 voice coaching sessions as well as my upcoming group programme (more details coming soon) 😀