Pre-therapy:
Post-therapy:
TLDR; Celia helped me to find my voice and live every day as the woman I hoped I could be, I couldn’t have asked for more!
I started taking lessons with Celia around 6 months prior to my social transition. Although I hadn’t yet transitioned, Celia called me by my chosen name from the outset and, seeing that I wasn’t the most confident person, encouraged me to use my voice to its fullest at every lesson. She is highly skilled and experienced in the field of voice therapy, and I felt very comfortable with Celia from the first lesson. The lessons are a real workout for your voice, and so is each practice session, but knowing that each one was getting me closer to my goal kept me going.
6 months later I moved house, changed my job, and socially transitioned. Celia’s lessons and training schedule were invaluable to the start of my transition – I felt more confident in myself than I thought I would ever feel and I instantly settled into my new role as the real me. I had a handful more lessons with Celia to continue with my training, and she kindly gave me some tips on how to sound more feminine in everyday life. She encouraged me when I needed a push and reined me in when I was getting too eager! Given that I worked full time, sometimes unpredictable hours or with the occasional conference away from home, she was very understanding and gave me timeslots that suited me.
Even though I didn’t feel entirely confident with my voice, Celia suggested that I practice on my own for a while and start using my voice full time. We had a follow up lesson some weeks later and it was clear to her that I didn’t need further lessons. Although I was surprised, I trusted her knowledge and expertise and haven’t looked back since.
I will always be indebted to Celia for her guidance and training; she helped me to find my voice and be the woman I hoped I could be. I now live every day with more self confidence than I’ve ever had before, and a good part of that is finding my real voice.
Is it hard work? Sometimes, especially in the middle of the course as progress sometimes seemed slow. Was it worth the hard work? Most definitely. Stick with it and trust the process.
Thank you Celia for your support, your guidance, and a voice that gives me confidence to be me every day.