If your voice feels a little drier, a little less powerful, or just different since perimenopause or menopause, maybe there is a reason. Voice coach Jessica Hansen, a former staff coach at NPR, joins The Uplifters Podcast to talk about midlife voice changes, vocal fatigue, and why so many women over 40 are done sounding like what the room expects.
You will hear simple, practical ways to care for your voice in midlife, from hydration and yawning to softening your tongue and dropping your shoulders. Jessica also explains how tension, stress, and a rough night of sleep show up in how you sound.
Jessica's own midlife reinvention began with a layoff after eight and a half years at NPR. She let herself rest, then started writing two books and singing with a jazz combo. Her story is a reminder that none of your past is wasted, and that confidence after 40 is built by doing, not by waiting to feel ready.
What You'll Learn:
-Why your voice may feel different in midlife, and why a check-in with your doctor belongs on the list.
- Why "trying" gets in the way of sounding like yourself.
-Yawning, lip flutters, humming, and a quick tongue tension check.
- What Jessica did in her first weeks, and why she let the dust settle.
-Why capacity grows through action, not before it.
-How a voice coach became a novelist in progress and a jazz singer.
- Why women trained not to need anything get stronger by practicing it.
Key Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 6:09 Life after NPR and the layoff 16:25 Two books: the Shakespeare heroines novels and a voice guidebook 23:18 Why trying to fit in holds us back 38:03 Menopause, hydration, and your voice 42:36 Yawning, tongue release, and floor work 53:10 Why asking for help is the hardest practice
Resources and Links:
FB: facebook.com/JHanArtist IG - performer: @jessacts IG - voice coach: @at_home_in_your_voice LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hansen-voice/
About Jessica Hansen: Jessica Hansen is a nationally recognized voice coach, award-winning actor, and founder of Signature Sound. A former staff coach at NPR and a 20+ year member of SAG-AFTRA, she helps leaders and media professionals build a resilient, authentic voice, and she is on a mission to help every woman feel At Home in Her Voice in midlife and beyond. She is based in Washington, DC.
About Your Host: Aransas Savas is a wellbeing and leadership coach specializing in helping women over 40 navigate midlife transitions, career changes, and second-act reinvention. With 20+ years of behavioral research experience partnering with companies like Disney, Weight Watchers, and Best Buy, she hosts The Uplifters Podcast, featuring women doing big, brave things in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital, midlife reinvention, and building meaningful second acts.
Connect with Aransas:
Instagram: @aransas_savas
Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast
TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast
Facebook: Aransas Savas
Website: theuplifterspodcast.com
YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast
LinkedIn: Aransas Savas
Keywords: perimenopause voice changes, menopause and your voice, women over 40, midlife reinvention, voice coach for women, vocal fatigue, building confidence after 40, starting over at 40, second act career women, midlife transition women, women changing careers 40s, second half of life women, midlife dreams women, courage capital, midlife voice, how to find your voice after 40
