Abe’s Honest Voice – How Daniel Day Lewis Captured Lincoln’s Voice

No one knows how Abraham Lincoln sounded. But history has it that his voice was high-pitched and nasal. While it was not pleasant to listen to, his sound was able to cut through the noise of large crowds. It has been said that his voice floated over the crowds which would have made him an… Read more

Famous vs Great

Martin Luther King Jr. was quoted as saying, “Not everyone can be famous, but everyone can be great because greatness is determined by service.” Does it seem to you that many of us in America are struggling with a misplaced desire to be famous? Do you harbor a secret wish to have your name in… Read more

Acting for Non-Actors

I have been dreaming about teaching acting for some reason.  I taught acting for about 30 years and thought I had had my fill of it.  But last week, in a dream, I seemed to be auditioning to teach acting. Strange!  Some rather  arrogant acting teachers were complaining how hard it is to train beginning actors.… Read more

Presence & Grounding for Performance: Exciting Your Audience

Presence happens when you are so deeply relaxed into yourself and accepting of yourself that you feel free to be genuine.  The secret to presence is to be fully grounded in your body so that you have a full-body sense of awareness.  When you are grounded and present, you experience sensation and awareness in every… Read more

Authenticity & Imperfection: Brene Brown’s PBS Show

University of Houston professor,  Dr. Brene Brown debutes The Gifts of Imperfection: Living with Courage, Compassion & Connection on Houstons PBS TV station Channel 8 Monday night November 29th at 7 and 8:30 PM. I hope that Dr. Brown will do for authenticity what Dr. John Bradshaw  did for family systems theory when he aired his PBS programs.  He… Read more

Make Full Connection to Enhance Communication

Underneath the words, intentions and body expressions, communication is a dance of being with another person.  In communication, making connection is often more important that the actual words spoken.  We don’t have to be perfect wordsmiths to be good communicators if we can learn to engage in full connection with others. Full connection is an… Read more

Transforming Negativity into Joy!

Things quiet down at the beginning of the summer.  So, I have been taking more time for introspection.  Doing some deep inner focusing to see if I can get inspired to create some new classes.  I ask myself, “What is it that I have really learned to do in my lifetime?  What have I conquered… Read more

Expressing Genuine Warmth

 A wonderful new client gave voice to her goal of expressing more warmth.  I think this is a great goal for everyone! Warmth is an emotion, so it can’t be simply acted out.  You can’t behave like you are warm because others will sense you lack of real warmth. You can’t DO warmth, you must… Read more

Changing Your Life Story with Acting

  My webmaster Kenan Branam happens to be a thought leader about the internet and the future of humanity.  He is always trying to make sense of the world and how we humans live in it.  This cold drizzly Houston morning in December we chatted about a new program I am creating called Your Life… Read more

What Acting Classes Can Do for You

This week, Tuesday night, marks the re-emergence of my acting classes at Self-Expression Center. Acting as an art form, for its own sake, has long since lost its luster and attraction for me. I am after much more important results from acting! I think all the art forms are really for the purpose of healing… Read more