Confidence doesn't come before you use your voice. It comes from using it.

Kiyoshi was a shy, Bible-reading teenager writing what he calls "little corny raps." Today he's the MC who jumps off the stage and into the crowd. In this conversation from the archives, we talk about how belief gets built one rep at a time, why so many of us stop singing after one careless comment, and what it takes to create a room where people feel safe enough to be heard.

🎧 In this episode

• Belief in yourself often shows up after the practice, not before it. The more Kiyoshi honed his craft, the more he believed he had a place to speak.
• You don't have to become a different person to own the stage. Kiyoshi is "more reserved and chill" offstage and still steps into what he calls a "superhero version" of himself when he performs.
• One "don't ever sing" can quiet someone for twenty years, and a supportive, encouraging room can help bring that voice back.
• Stretching into something hard (fast verses, endless punch-ins, recording yourself) is where real growth and respect for the craft come from.

About Kiyoshi

Kiyoshi is a voice empowerment coach, MC, vocalist, musician and songwriter whose upbeat, conscious hip-hop blends rhythm, poetry and soul. He grew up in a musical household in Michigan, cut his teeth on poetry slams and open mics, and built his community in San Diego. In this 2022 conversation, he was coaching people through his 8-week online course Expand Your Expression, using poetry, "flowetry" and rap to help them break through fears and blocks.

Moments worth your time

• 01:13 — The church service where he jumped off the stage into the crowd
• 04:43 — From a music teacher's house in Michigan to the poetry slam stage
• 10:59 — How a shy kid became a dynamic showman
• 13:45 — Rap coaching and the vulnerability of Expand Your Expression
• 16:24 — Why so many kids stop singing, and how they find their voice again
• 25:37 — Building the "David Goggins" track one punch-in at a time
• 31:25 — A rapper's new respect for singers in the recording booth

"the more I was able to really believe that I did have a place to speak and, and that we're all worthy of sharing our thoughts and, and our voice and our skills." — Kiyoshi

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