Host Tessa welcomes singing teacher, swing band leader, and hypnotherapist Katie Crooks, who says singers’ technique may be strong but subconscious beliefs and unprocessed emotions can still block the voice, showing up as issues like jaw tension or difficulty accessing mix.
Katie explains she noticed students’ persistent fear of using their voice early in her teaching career and connects vocal function to emotional expression, including crying and suppression learned in childhood.
She offers a practical starting point: don’t feed the story of why you’re stuck; instead witness sensations and thoughts as a short “biochemical flush” that typically lasts about 90 seconds unless reinforced by rumination.
She discusses easing into believable affirmations, playing a positive “what if” game, and teaching by starting with what’s working rather than deficit-focused critique.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
02:05 The Big Question
02:15 Technique vs Subconscious Blocks
03:09 Katie’s Origin Story
07:33 Biochemical Flush Explained
10:15 Feel It Don’t Feed It
14:14 Affirmations That Stick
19:03 The What If Game
19:48 Teaching Without Deficit Focus
21:36 Hypnotherapist Questions for Lessons
22:59 Wrap Up and Where to Find Katie
FIND KATIE:
Katie Crooks - The Voice Witch - is an expert in helping artistic souls navigate their own subconscious minds to heal old patterns and limiting beliefs, so they can unlock their true creative voice, get boldly visible, and step into their full, majestic potential.
A certified hypnotherapist with 20 years experience teaching pro level singing & spoken voice to thousands of artists and performers, Katie also has years of experience being on stage myself in venues across London and Europe.
She has a BA and two Masters degrees in music, performance and voice training, plus certifications in Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression and Life Between Lives.
Listeners can find her at katiecrooks.com for resources and hypnosis freebies.
The Singer's Guide is hosted by Tessa Smith. www.tessasmith.com
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