We recently connected with Charles H. Coats II and have shared our conversation below.
Charles H. , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome can strike anyone in any aspect of your life, whether it’s at your job, among the public, and even in your own mind. I would have to say the fear of being labeled “a fraud” or a feeling of not being good enough can halt people in their tracks, and many times be the catalyst of dropping out or quitting something.
I found that the term “fake it till you make it” is more powerful than one may think. When you are “faking it” you are practicing that thing that you are fearful of failing at. The more you fake it ( i.e. practice) you start getting better at it. You put effort into that thing and start becoming proficient. You learn more about it, practice more, and eventually you are now that thing. You have become the person that can speak with an accent, you are now that Professional Voice actor, you have transformed into the strong, confident person that you once thought that you were not.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am focused day in and day out on growing my Voiceover Business and Voice Acting talent. I started with a blanket over my head, recording into a cheap mic, and reading scripts off of my iphone. I have now been the voice of major national commercial campaigns, Product Explainers, TV Trailers, IVR’s, Video Game Characters, hundreds of E-learnings, and list goes on and on.
I feel voice acting is special to me because i have learned from the way way ups, and the way way downs of owning a small business. I understand that hard work that you love with a passion, has the greatest rewards. You learn what you are made of, understand the importance of organization, coaching, and investing back into your own business for growth.
I love connecting with studios, casting directors and people from all over the world and deliver exactly the emotion, tone, feeling that they were looking for for their project. It’s a great feeling to do the thing you love and get paid for it! 🙂
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three things that are key to me and being successful, is understanding that in a get rich quick society that In my journey I had to understand that this will take some time, and that I would have to keep that in mind as I grow my business.
Another thing is that There are so many other talented people that have been on this same journey and its ok to ask them questions and reach out for mentorship and coaching. Be kind, respectful of their time, and most likely they will be more than happy to chat with you and help you understand and recognize the pitfalls they went through so that you do not make the same mistakes.
And finally to set goals, 5 years, 1 year, 6 months, monthly, weekly and daily. This will keep you on track and also motivate you to do the little things every day that will help you grow and be successful in your business.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed, I go over my goals for that day. Did I do the things I had written down? Did I have the right things written down. Many time when feeling overwhelmed I find that I have strayed off of the goals I had set for that day/week.
Another thing, is to tell yourself that its ok to step away from work for 30 mins, or an hour. I take the dog on a walk, tootle around the garden, make tiktok or instagram videos for fun, and sometimes take a 30 min power nap. Then I come back refreshed and my mind decluttered, I focus on my goals set for the day and jump back in ready to go, and then GET IT DONE.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Charlesthevoice.com
- Instagram: charles_the_voice
- Facebook: Charles Thevoice
- Linkedin: Charles ( Charles the Voice) Coats
