Barbara McAfee is a master voice coach, author, keynote speaker and singer-songwriter who helps people communicate with clarity, confidence and authentic presence. Drawing on 12 years in organizational development and more than 30 years of vocal coaching and performance, she brings a rare blend of strategic insight and embodied wisdom to the art of communication.

Barbara is the bestselling author of Full Voice for Leaders: Cultivating Vitality, Presence and Impact in a Changing World, a foundational work on vocal presence and expression that has supported leaders, professionals, educators and creatives in finding their voice—whatever that means in the context of their lives and work. Her newest book, Vocal Intelligence: Leading with Vitality, Presence, and Impact, was released as an audiobook in 2025, with the paperback edition forthcoming in spring 2026. Together, these works offer practical, transformative approaches to using the voice as an instrument of leadership, connection and impact. She shares some of these tips on this episode.

Since 2013, Barbara has certified Full Voice coaches around the world, extending her commitment to what she calls “midwifing voices into full expression.” Her five-element approach consistently creates lasting shifts—not only in how people speak, but in how they listen, relate and lead.

Her TEDx talk on Full Voice has received more than 100,000 views. In addition to her teaching and speaking, Barbara has produced nine recordings of mostly original music and is the founder of the Morning Star Singers, a volunteer hospice choir in the Twin Cities, where singing becomes an act of service and care. While they were singing, they have had people in comas wake up, as well as nonverbal people with Alzheimers start speaking. She believes in the medicinal qualities of song. She also helped birth singing as a form of nonviolent protest and community solidarity in Minneapolis, particularly against ICE operations and authoritarian practices, which has spread around the world.

She lives near the wild and scenic St. Croix River in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. Her work continues to be shaped by water, song and silence.

Learn more:

Website: https://www.barbaramcafee.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mcafeemusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.mcafee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbaramcafeesings/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaramcafee/

TEDx talks:

Bringing Your Full Voice to Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze763kgrWGg

How Oral Tradition Singing Helps Us Work & Live Better Together:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrRQulQnaoQ

Audiobooks:

Full Voice for Leaders: Cultivating Vitality, Presence, and Impact in a Changing World

https://www.audible.com/pd/Full-Voice-for-Leaders-Audiobook/B0FPPDSP8S

Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence, 2011

https://www.audible.com/pd/Full-Voice-Audiobook/B008S06VR0

Paperbacks:

Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence

https://www.amazon.com/Full-Voice-Practice-Presence-Business/dp/1605099228

Vocal Intelligence: Leading with Vitality, Presence, and Impact

Bandcamp: A catalogue of Barbara’s original music

https://barbaramcafee.bandcamp.com/