I’ve always enjoyed Patsy Rodenburg’s books.   Her book, “The Right to Speak” was integral to my decision to explore and work as a Voice Coach.  Her writing style is immediate, full of verbal illustrations of events that inspired her to write the books.  The Woman’s Voice is a fine example of her ability to write an absorbing and inspiring book about voice and female voices. 

Unlike Patsy, I trained as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.  The College where Patsy worked as a voice coach.  Huge changes have taken place in gender equality since my time as a student at the Guildhall, but as Patsy Rodenburg’s, The Woman’s Voice shows, equality for many, many women in the workplace still does not exist.  It’s particularly interesting for me, to read her experiences of working in the private sector, particularly banking.  She gives examples of how women can be undermined – deliberately in some cases, by the comments of their male colleagues.  Extraordinary that this was deemed to be an accepted source of entertainment a decade or so ago.   When you’re working with people’s voices and it’s a group workshop, perhaps a voice and presentation workshop, it is a good way of dispelling fears and building confidence for all genders LGBTQ.  I certainly found issues regarding female inequality, within banking groups in the UK at the end of the 2010s, which is ironic considering the female CEOs in the banking world.  I found that women had more equality and consequently, stronger voices in other parts of Europe, India or China.

When Patsy Rodenburg began to give women only voice workshops she describes the experience of the women as: “They could find their power with their vulnerability – the highest display of authority any leader shows.”