Breath, Listening, and Raising Confident Communicators: A Conversation with Leigh Folta

Host Margaret interviews Leigh Folta, a former professional choral and opera singer with vocal performance degrees. Leigh now works in arts administration running a discount ticketing program in greater Boston. Leigh traces her path from teaching lessons in Los Angeles to ticketing at Lyric Opera of Chicago, a brief move into development managing a board, and back to ticketing and organizational partnerships.

They compare communication demands across customer service and board work, emphasizing listening, translating ideas into action, and adjusting to differing motivations and expectations.

The conversation explores how posture and breath affect speaking, how breath functions as “punctuation,” and how low, supported breathing can help parents stay calm and model regulation and clear communication for children. Leigh describes intentionally speaking to her children using adult language and tone to build confidence and self-advocacy.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

01:07 From Teaching to Ticketing

03:19 Customer Service vs Board Work

06:30 Nuance and Vocal Storytelling

09:59 How Voice Shifts by Situation

12:34 Motherhood and Speaking Style

15:07 Breathwork for Calm and Control

19:03 Breath as Punctuation in Speech

21:50 Reading Aloud and Voice Modeling

23:36 Voices And Inflection

24:32 Default Voices In Daily Life

26:17 Talking To Kids Like Adults

29:42 Baby Voice And Authority

31:34 Voice As A Physical Skill

35:16 Alexander Technique And Adaptability

40:15 Communication Skills For Any Career

41:24 Favorite Voice Anika Noni Rose

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