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What if a dance company could speak for its community without saying a word? We sit down with Carolyn Rose Ramsey—international dancer turned artistic director—to explore how movement becomes language, why curiosity beats certainty, and how a small island built a world-class stage from a potato shed and a big idea.

Carolyn opens the studio doors on her process: curating choreographers, shaping programmes around living themes, and letting Jersey’s landscape and stories seep into the work. We talk about the tightrope between accessibility and ambition, and why confusion and challenge do not have to mean alienation. You’ll hear candid reflections on privilege and responsibility in the arts, how excellence is sustained, and what it took to grow Ballet D Jèrriais from some very challenging beginnings to the Opera House while keeping its edge.

We also dig into performance psychology: perfectionism’s upside and pitfalls, pre-show rituals, and the craft of giving feedback that is honest, specific, and kind. From injury stigma to holistic training, we look at how dancers stay healthy through cross-training, smarter systems, and leadership that pairs high standards with psychological safety. Carolyn’s childhood memory of Swan Lake reminds us why nonverbal storytelling can be the most direct route to truth—felt first, understood later.

Looking ahead, we ask how ballet can hold a mirror to the here and now—raising questions about today’s issues without preaching. If you care about dance, voice, community, or the work of turning creativity into belonging, this conversation offers clarity, warmth, and a few brave invitations to go deeper.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more curious listeners find us.

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We explore how Acceptance and Commitment Coaching helps performers and leaders work with anxiety rather than fight it, building psychological flexibility through mindfulness, 'cognitive defusion', values and committed action. Clinical psychologist Dr Dave Juncos, shares research, metaphors and tools that reduce struggle and increase choice under pressure.

• Defining ACT and why acceptance beats control
• The core processes and skills
• Defusion techniques that unhook sticky thoughts
• Values‑led committed action on stage and at work
• Metaphors that make complex ideas usable
• Coaching versus therapy: boundaries and referrals
• Maladaptive perfectionism and the shame loop
• Self as context and identity beyond outcomes
• New research linking flexibility and higher grades
• Practical prep for non‑performers facing high stakes
• The choice point for daily toward moves
• Normalising anxiety across the arts

Drop us a line, be in touch, and until we meet again, I hope that your voice finds the space it needs to be really heard

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We explore how a coroner balances rigorous fact-finding with compassion, and how sexual assault services restore control, belief, and choice. Dr Deryn Evans explains survival responses, the “golden minute,” and why flipping the investigative lens from victim to suspect strengthens justice.

• coronial duty to find who, when, where, how and why
• preventing future deaths through patterns and learning
• impartial investigation without blame while holding candour
• objectivity alongside humane care in sensitive cases
• the role of SARCs in belief, choice and stored forensics
• confirmation bias and compassion fatigue in policing
• the golden minute, clear language and rapport
• survival responses explaining lack of injuries
• national operating model focusing on suspect behaviour
• leadership culture, burnout and safeguarding teams
• communication support via intermediaries for fairness
• compassion for suspects, context and neurodifference

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I'm inviting you to join me in a reflection on listening. This is a meander through the topic of hearing, listening, and truly understanding the people around you. There is some philosophical and spiritual leaning here, but ultimately there's practical advice about how to stay calm and use listening skills in moments of conflict or confrontation. There's advice here around negotiation and how listening and truly respecting another person's space can bring you to a better understanding with others. There's also some reference to Eastern philosophy, and spiritual and religious traditions, and to modern psychology. But it lives in the practical, ultimately.

If you enjoy the listening and you would like to find out more, please visit my Substack at https://substack.com/@khpc? , where, in the coming days, you will find the article that this reflection is taken from. There you will find the references to studies and sources, so that you can delve a little deeper yourself!

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Former prison governor Susie Richardson shares her journey from advocating for prisoners to leading Jersey Cares, revealing how personal voice loss transformed her understanding of what it means to be truly heard.

• Susie's 20-year career in prisons and transition to advocacy work with Jersey Cares
• The importance of building trust and empowering individuals to advocate for themselves
• How Jersey Cares takes on the role of a "loving, committed, courageous parent" for those without advocates
• The connection between prison work and advocacy - seeing the human being behind stereotypes
• Susie's personal experience with voice loss following surgery and how it changed her perspective
• The profound impact of not being heard, particularly in medical settings
• Creating psychologically safe organizational cultures where feedback is welcomed
• The challenge of transparency in Jersey's culture and the cost of prioritizing reputation over openness
• How vocal health relates to advocacy - the physical voice and the metaphorical voice
• The importance of exercising and maintaining our voices as we age

If you've been inspired by Susie's story or want to learn more about finding and using your voice, visit Jersey Cares or connect with Nicki Kennedy for voice coaching and vocal health advice.

Vocal Health Disclaimer: I am trained and qualified in vocal rehabilitation for professional voice-users, or people who need to enhance their speaking or singing capabilities, helping them to use their voice more efficiently after injury or vocal compromise. I have a clear scope of practice. I am not a clinical practitioner, and I am not a speech and language pathologist or therapist. I work offering further support to individuals who have already had diagnosis and input from clinicians, or who are waiting for that support, helping them to use their voice well, and encouraging and educating them about good vocal health and hygiene. Most of all I listen and hold a space for the whole picture of the person in front of me, so that they really feel heard and understood, and can move forwards.

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What does it really mean to have a voice? In this short, introductory premiere episode, I introduce Voicecast—a podcast born from years of working with voice in its many forms. I also introduce my very first guest who will appear in the next episode.

As an executive coach, I help people find authentic expression and hone their listening to others in the workplaces where they spend so much of their lives.

As a classical singer and vocal rehabilitation specialist, I've witnessed first hand how vocal challenges often reveal complex stories beyond mere physical symptoms.

Voice connects to everything—our identity, our relationships, how we listen and how we are heard, whether in board meetings or family gatherings. I share how our vocal development is shaped by our upbringing, family background and most of all our confidence. Our early experiences profoundly influence how we express ourselves throughout life. Finding our own voice matters deeply, but I am just as interested in the power of listening, truly listening, to make sure that everybody can find the space for their voice to land.

The episode offers a glimpse into upcoming conversations, beginning with former prison governor Susie Richardson. After experiencing nerve damage affecting her own voice, Susie brings unique insight to her advocacy work for those without a voice—people who've experienced the care system, addiction, or interrupted childhoods. Her story exemplifies how voice transcends physical sound to become presence, identity, and the power to create change.

Whether you're working on leadership skills, wanting to speak with more confidence at work, recovering from a vocal setback, or wanting to move through the world with more presence and confidence, Voicecast invites you to explore what having a voice really means.

Vocal Health Disclaimer: I am trained and qualified in vocal rehabilitation for professional voice-users, or people who need to enhance their speaking or singing capabilities, helping them to use their voice more efficiently after injury or vocal compromise. I have a clear scope of practice. I am not a clinical practitioner, and I am not a speech and language pathologist or therapist. I work offering further support to individuals who have already had diagnosis and input from clinicians, or who are waiting for that support, helping them to use their voice well, and encouraging and educating them about good vocal health and hygiene. Most of all I listen and hold a space for the whole picture of the person in front of me, so that they really feel heard and understood, and can move forwards.

Find me on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/nkvoiceworks/

LinkedIn

https://je.linkedin.com/in/nkvoiceworks