Season 03 Ep 04: The Magic of Voice Transitioning with Nicole Gress

Written By Mackenzie Dunham
episode header image with quote: The gender identity and gender exploration that happens through voice happens in a really magical way.

Have you ever had the experience where you open your mouth to speak, and the voice that comes out of your mouth is barely recognizable?

Or have you ever heard yourself on a recording and thought, “Whoa! Is that what I sound like?!” 

These experiences aren’t exactly the same as the gender dysphoria many trans people experience in their lives, but they are as close as I can get to helping you connect to the feeling of vocal gender dysphoria.  

So what do we do about it? How do we help a girl whose voice has dropped? Or a boy who is the only one of his friends whose voice hasn’t changed at all? Vocal Coaching. 

Vocal coaching isn’t a quick fix. It takes diligence, time, practice and more practice to transition a voice. The traditional medical model of weekly visits with a Speech Language Pathologist can take up to three years to complete the transition. 

So thank goodness there is more than one model to transition a voice. Today’s campfire guest is Nicole Gress, MS, CCC-SLP.  Nicole is white and uses she/they pronouns. They are the queer, trans founder and CEO of Undead Voice. Undead Voice is an online platform empowering and educating trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse folks to create a voice that aligns with their identity. Undead Voice's mission is to increase access to trans healthcare by making voice transition resources affordable, accessible, and affirming.  

Nicole’s model for vocal transition is innovative, and creative - and does my favorite thing - creates community for those who participate.

Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.

Check out the full episode to hear about:

  • Where the traditional model of voice transition falls short

  • Why access, affordability, and community were Nicole’s main goals when developing Undead Voice Lab

  • Why Nicole uses non-gendered language when talking about voices and voice goals

  • Why they say it’s important for people to continue to be able to access their full vocal range

  • How the program addresses the emotional and mental components of voice transition to help people achieve their goals

Find out more about Nicole Gress, MS, CCC-SLP:

Find out more about Mackenzie Dunham:

Mackenzie Dunham
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Season 03 Ep 05: Growing Alongside Your Kiddo
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Season 03 Ep 03: Creating Communities of Support For Gender Expansive Kiddos with Shannon Collins