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

Maria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I came up with my business idea as an extension of teaching singing. I wanted to expand my work beyond just teaching singing and discover what I was doing on a higher level. I realised it was all about creating confidence in people and bringing out their presence. I was visualising – How do you bring this to people who may not want to sing or have no desire to sing? I thought that public speakers shared their message and that the message was about influencing an audience, just as a singer would like to influence an audience. The speaker feels the same way.

I started working with marketing specialists to try to find the approach that I needed, and what I discovered was that credibility and professionalism were more important to leaders, business leaders, and speakers. They also desired to have the ability to influence and impact audiences. They wanted to be heard, and I discovered that these were the most important aspects. I wasn’t just offering voice coaching or vocal coaching. It was more about their mindset and the way they would be thinking.

This is where I applied my coaching skills. And human psychology and human potential to help people believe in or clarify their message, and they are committed to their message. Then I help them as well. I discovered I needed to help them in finding their message. For example, what is their message? But who was going to listen, and what were the audience’s needs? I started taking a lot of public speaking classes myself and saw my business as adding value to the business community by helping them feel confident to speak.

What I did was spend time developing this idea by reading a lot of articles and talking to people who were already doing this work to get a sense of where they were coming from. Then I gathered a lot of links to research and evidence about nonverbal communication and tonality. My primary topic was tonality. Choosing the appropriate tone for your message. In other words, the message and the tone with which you express it, as well as the nonverbal aspects of speaking in the appropriate tone, as well as using appropriate body language and gestures. What the message was attempting to say, and I felt that this was a space in which a lot of people were not working, and that even if they did, that is to assist and point it out, they would need to be a specialist such as a voice coach or a body language specialist. That’s what I thought I was doing when I was in that space, because working with singers was all about voice techniques for improving voice quality, as well as performance techniques for expressing yourself and connecting with your audience.

I thought I had a specialty in that area and could broaden it. As a result, I became an expert. In the business world, I was the voice, the business voice coach, or the public speaker trainer. And it has now evolved into a communication expert. I assist people in communicating. Also, it’s been evolving, and I’m just reacting to what people say. They ask for what they need, and I use my knowledge and skills in counseling, coaching, and mindfulness to help people evolve and become more critical and credible. My distinct approach is to provide voice coaching. Singing and performance training for the business community was the logic behind how I felt I could add to what I was doing rather than take away from it.

Initially, this business took time for me. In 2015, I began to enquire as to how or if this was something I could do. And it was around 2016 that I launched my first website. I really took my time deciding whether I wanted to go up this path. I didn’t want to lose my first business – teaching singers – but I wanted to expand and express myself more. I took my time and worked with a lot of marketing specialists.

There were a lot of doubts in the beginning. I asked people who didn’t think it was a business to be a business voice coach. They thought, no, that is not a business, and what they were trying to say was that ‘voice coaching’ is not a business, but assisting people in becoming credible is. So, I had to change my language in order to solve the problem. I was a credibility coach rather than a voice coach. That’s what I discovered when I put it that way. So, whenever I worked with marketing specialists, they would ask me, “What is the problem you’re attempting to solve?” Because that is precisely what you should be selling.

Another thing I discovered was that I shouldn’t have put the word, vocal coach, that I should have put voice coach, that a lot of people in the business community who want to speak and be and be leaders weren’t looking for vocal coaches. They were on the lookout for voice coaches. Then I remembered the word tonality. I thought the word tonality would make me stand out, which I believe it has, and it’s really about communication, with a lot of tone being about your heart and how you express yourself, about yourself and how dedicated you are to your message. You understand your target audience.

Maria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

People who haven’t heard of me before would only find me if they were looking for a business voice coach or communication skills. Mostly through voice coaching, because the people who approach me understand that their current communication style is not working. I provide one-on-one training. I provide online programs, as well as a YouTube channel and a podcast.

I got into this industry by teaching singers how to sing and perform, as well as by reading body language and sensing the singer’s energy. And reading the room, feeling the energy in the room, coaching through it, and assisting the singer in becoming authentic, powerful, and relevant to the audience. And I’ve been doing it for over 25 years, not only teaching voice technique but also focusing on the end product, which is the performance side. Which is the mode of delivery.

And the problems I solve for my clients are to help them become credible, to have the presence of a leader and an influential leader, and to have people want to listen to them. My experience and background set me apart. The fact that I’m combining knowledge, skills, and experience in coaching human potential – ‘Where are you now?’ or ‘What do you want to be?’ – and Counseling – ‘Where are you now?’ or ‘What happened and how did it impact your life?’ Sometimes, I also blend in mindfulness, so combine all three. I use techniques as well as emotional intelligence tools. And personality profiling tools like the Enneagram. Examining your personalities, strengths, weaknesses, addictions, and areas for growth will be beneficial. Expand who you are, so that the message can pass through you. As a result, it reaches your intended audience.

One of the things I’m most proud of is that the people I work with feel empowered and achieve their goals, which is to speak up, develop confidence, and I’m able to confirm where they are and where they could be. When we finish our sessions, most of the time, even after four sessions, the client has gained confidence.

I also have a book that a lot of people talk about because it’s very easy to read and gives them a real sense of ‘I know my message, and I need to be committed to it, and I need to be passionate about it, and then I need to know what problem I’m solving’. What I’ve gone through is what I teach my clients to go through, and that is what your service to others is. What do you want to do for others, and what fits with your personality? So, expanding on what you are and then presenting it as a solution to a problem that people literally have and then working backwards to provide the solution. Making use of what you have because of who you are.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the lessons I had to unlearn was seeing myself solely as a singing teacher, and the reason for this is that I was stuck in that mindset, and I wanted to break free because I was interested in human potential. I was interested in assisting people in believing in themselves and stepping up confidently with a strong message, as well as assisting people in becoming less self conscious and more conscious of others. In order for that to happen, I had to let go of a lot of really tight, restrictive thinking that was keeping me limited in terms of thinking patterns that were about keeping me small, humble, and limited and learning to express myself. In a selfless way, it was about assisting others in reaching their full potential.

Being a business leader used to be seen as a bit of a show off or being ambitious, which I was taught was wrong and that I had to learn to let go of that and use the ambition and leadership. Being content with earning money. Making money in business was taught to me as selfish. There weren’t many people doing successful business around me in the 1970s, so I had to unlearn that because being successful in business means you’re leading, being influential, and people are paying you for services. So it’s fine to work around that. As a result, I had to let go. It was about a business, and a business would be on providing a solution to something that people are willing to buy. I’m creating value, and they’re providing me with value, so it’s a value exchange.

I had to unlearn how to expand from just being a singing teacher to being a communication leader who instills presence and confidence in others while also pricing that effectively. And I’m not afraid of the price. So I had to unlearn a lot of things about money and greediness and money that weren’t true in my case, because I wasn’t greedy. I was simply researching the value and the standard. That meant money. And I discovered this. My relationship with money is a reflection of my relationship with myself. And that I shouldn’t be concerned in order to charge. As a result, I kept raising my price.

If I think back to the 1970s, my first singing lesson would have cost about $15 for half an hour, and now it’s only about $60.00, and times have changed, but that requires confidence, and I still know people who are. My old colleagues are still charging $20.00 for half an hour, and I wonder what kind of value they are providing. As a result, I had to learn about business, money, and value. And I had to learn about having the courage to start a business and believing that a business’s success is due to the value you provide.

I’m also willing to pay myself a lot of money for great teachers, and I’m not afraid of charging for what I do. I expose myself to the best education possible and am willing to pay for it. Because I value value, and that is what I had to unlearn growing up and it hung in the background where you know you always want to get a good deal or pay low prices. I simply had to unlearn that.

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

Some of the greatest books I’ve read include the first book I ever read, A Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankel, which was great because it taught me that nothing has meaning except the meaning I have and the meaning I assign to things. There is a space between the trigger and the response, and when I realised that, I thought, Oh my goodness, that’s up to me now to choose.

Another is Wayne Dyer’s you’ll see it when you believe it. I love the nonviolent communication book – That is an excellent book. Scott Peck’s The Road Less Travelled. After that, I read a lot of spiritual books about letting go. Daniel Goldman’s emotional intelligence is based on the work of David R Hawkins. I learned from great teachers such as Rupert Spira. Almost every day, I listened to him. I listened to Michael Singer’s untethered soul podcast. I kind of listened to John C Maxwell’s leadership training. I also like the Sedona method. Meditation on mindfulness: An in-depth guide by Ian and Paul Bedson, Ian Gawler, and Paul Betson are the authors.

And so many more, such as Matt Church’s thought leadership. Simon Sinek’s video, ‘Just One Second’, on how great leaders inspire action – That is an excellent video. Then there’s Dan Siegel’s excellent book on brain rewiring. I enjoy listening to Ken Wilbur’s work – Integral Life – and Father Richard Rohr’s work, What is Stillness? Richard Rohr’s the Universal Christ because I believe that spirituality – not religion, but spirituality – underpins our message, purpose, and heart to impact audiences and solve problems.

Byron Katie’s work is fantastic. That is, one belief at a time – Judge your neighbour. This helps you stay focused on your business and release judgements, whether of yourself or others, in order to clear the slate. Any of the work done by Byron, Katie, or Byron Katie’s three businesses.

Two leadership videos that are well worth watching – The Simon Senik video demonstrates how great leaders motivate others to take action, and Heroes Journey by Joseph Campbell, an American author is really good. So it’s known as “finding Joe”. That is a film. I wanted to give you one more thing to think about. Act like the leader you want to be by Richard Cox. This is more about executive presence and body language. I think this is extremely powerful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mariapellicano.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariapellicano_coaching
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.pellicano.31
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapellicano
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariapellicano
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/mariapellicano

Image Credits
Susan Bradfield Photography (Image 3, 5 & 6)