Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nadia Marshall. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Nadia, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

One of the kindest things that was given to me was an introduction to this career. I met a woman, Sumaira, while we were both in an opera chorus for Carmen when I was still in high school. She told me that she was a voice actor and we had kept in touch over the years. Fast forward to 4 years later after I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree and she reached out. She told me that I should consider voiceover as a potential career. I still felt lost after graduating and not knowing how to make consistent money.

I went over to her house and she was kind enough to show me her set up, where she found auditions, how she auditioned, and gave me some of her old equipment as a way to get started.
Later that evening, I signed up for some of the sites where she would find opportunities and ended up booking my first job 2 months later.

If it wasn’t for her kindness and generosity, I wouldn’t be a full-time voice actor today. She introduced me to this incredible career.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My business, Voices by Nadia, offers voice acting, singing, and performing services. I work full-time as an opera singer and voice actor and have a professional broadcast quality home studio.

Some of the problems I solve for clients include: providing a global voice that can reach more people, making highly jargon-heavy copy be engaging for training and educational content, bringing characters to life in animation and videogames, and elevating the personality of the words for commercials, narration, etc.

What sets me apart from others is my vocal training background in opera, my language training background, and my heritage which offers a global sound.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Absolutely! I would say that the books that significantly informed my entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy were:

-Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is revered for a reason! It really provides actionable ways for you to establish good habits and break bad ones that might be keeping you from achieving your goals and aspirations.

-The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. This book may seem like a short read, but it’s filled with stories that really make you think deeper about money affects our personal and business thinking. A highly recommended read.

-You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the original book, but this one was a great fit. It changed my relationship with money in a positive way by making me analyze how I viewed it due to societal expectations, growing up, etc.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

The idea that creatives have to be starving artists. It saddens me when I hear people (who I’m sure mean this in a caring way) ask me what my “day-job” is. Or they ask me, “How do you actually make money??” Current systems are in place in this country where the arts are not as revered. It is more of “a god given talent” rather than a relationship that needs to be nurtured and cultivated. There is less and less funding for the arts nowadays, less after school program initiatives for the arts because, “That’s not how you will make money!”

Lots of creatives who don’t have a correlating business model have to resort to side-hustles or other jobs that make take away freedom to cultivate their creative business.

I am extremely thankful that I am able to maintain that balance with voice acting and opera singing/performing. That I am able to make money being creative and can now approach singing from a creative place of joy and love rather than feeling burnt out.

There needs to be more open discussions amongst non-creatives (but who are creative supporters!) and creatives on how there can be more collaboration or acceptance of knowing that money can be made doing art!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.voicesbynadia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voicesbynadia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voicesbynadiallc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/voicesbynadia/
• Twitter: https://x.com/voicesbynadia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@voicesbynadia
• Other: www.nadiamarshall.com (Singing Website)

Image Credits

Minh Insixiangmy
Jams Photography
Ivan Seligman