Florie Gounelle’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We recently had the chance to connect with Florie Gounelle and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Florie, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Who are you learning from right now?
Right now, I’m reading wonderful work from academics who inspire me a lot. Dr. Elisa Monti explores how psychological trauma affects the voice. Her research is fascinating and incredibly human. I’m also learning from Dr. Heidi Moss Erickson, whose work focuses on how the brain processes singing and vocal learning.
In that same spirit, I have been experimenting with how emotions shape both the speaking and singing voice. I love understanding why a voice moves us, and how our stories, memories, and inner world show up in sound!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Florie Gounelle. I am a voice teacher and vocal coach at my studio, Howling Birds, and I also help artists build confidence in their art and creative identity. My work is very centered on the person in front of me: I love creating spaces where someone’s personality, learning style, and interests shape the way we work together. Every new student or client feels like a new little adventure!
I also work on a more behind-the-scenes project where I help actors build the voice of a character. It has to be a voice that feels lived-in, grounded, and emotionally true. It’s a different side of what I do, but it’s connected to the same idea: helping people trust their voice, inside and out.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
My voice teachers taught me the most, mainly because they were all so different from each other. Each of them opened a door into another way of thinking about the voice. Thanks to them, I learned that vocal knowledge is always evolving, and that you need to stay curious if you want to teach well.
They taught me that you can’t hold on to what you know as if it’s fixed. It grows, it changes, and you grow with it. I think that mindset has shaped most of the way I work today.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
Super obvious answer: I listened to music! The same songs on repeat next to my CD or cassette player. It helped me understand what I was feeling without needing to put anything into words.

Even today, I think music can be a really gentle way to check in with ourselves. Choosing songs that mirror your mood can help you process it, and choosing songs that shift the mood can help you move through it. Research often shows that music supports emotional regulation, but honestly, even without studies, I think most of us can feel that it does something to us. It helps us breathe a little better.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I deeply believe that using your voice doesn’t have to look or sound “perfect.” We often see singing or speaking as a performance, but the voice can also just be for ourselves. The vibrations of the voice in the body can do so much good, emotionally, physically, even mentally.

So if someone sings or speaks “badly,” what does it really matter? If it’s not an unhealthy use of the voice, who cares? Most of the time we’re much better than we think, and even a simple breath or sound can bring us back to ourselves. I’d love to help more people reconnect with their voice in that way: not for The Voice or Shark Tank, but for their own wellbeing. It’s a superpower we already have.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m absolutely doing what I believe I was born to do. My work combines my strengths and my flaws in a way that feels almost strange, like everything fits! I feel very lucky to do this every day.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.howlingbirds.com
• Instagram: @howlingbirds
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/floriegounelle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howlingbirds

Image Credits
Marc Ginot
Petr Ganaj