Meet Ferdelle Capistrano

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ferdelle Capistrano a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ferdelle, 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.

I name the beast!

Imposter syndrome is such a strange beast because it wears so many layers and stands front and center, demanding to be confronted. Luckily, I’ve always had enough fearlessness to face challenges head-on, to look this “beast” in the eye and ask: “What do you want, why are you here, and how can I help you?” I didn’t even know the term “imposter syndrome” existed until I was older, but looking back, I recognized that feeling—like a distant acquaintance or relative you see occasionally at awkward gatherings but always feel strangely uncomfortable talking to.

When I started performing at a young age, I was fueled by innocent passion and curiosity (with a baseline desire to “do good,” please my parents, and hope I wouldn’t black out during the next round of applause and validation). Yet, beneath that surface was self-consciousness, uncertainty, an ego screaming to be “good enough,” and a discomfort born from not feeling seen or represented. I’d step into creative spaces and think, Are you sure? Me?

Over time, opportunities allowed me to deepen my craft, and I began surrounding myself with brilliantly creative people who inspired me in ways that felt authentic to me. That’s when I started peeling back the layers of imposter syndrome. I realized one of its core truths: I’ve never been here before. This moment is new and unprecedented—of course it feels strange!

Eventually, I experienced moments of flow where the external world fell away, and the joy of the work itself took over. Imposter syndrome started to dissolve because I wasn’t focused on proving my worth but on doing what made me happy.

For me, overcoming imposter syndrome has been a process of shedding layers to uncover the truth: I belong here because something inside me was called to these spaces. By stepping into them, I hope to make them feel familiar and accessible to others who might have once felt the way I did. I can’t say I’ve vanquished the beast—it’s become more of a companion that calls shotgun every time there’s a new opportunity, evolving alongside me and showing up in new forms as I grow. I’ve accepted that it’s meant to ride along, nudging me into unfamiliar spaces where I can continue to grow and succeed.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a multi-award winning Audiobook Narrator. This past year I beat Meryl Streep in the Audiobook World’s version of the Oscars, called the Audies. Currently, I am nominated as part of Best Audiobook Ensemble for a book written by musical artists Teghan and Sarah called Junior High for the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS). Being Filipino-Canadian living in California, I also narrate for some amazing FilAm authors. Their stories have actually helped me discover my own identity. I have several audiobooks that will be available on Audible, or whereever audiobooks are available, releasing next year. Middle grade is a big genre I narrate in and I also coach beginner voice overs and audiobook narration privately.

I’m also training to become a helicopter pilot! I have so many hours left but being from somewhere that doesn’t have as many fires as California does, I was just deeply driven by wanting to help fight fires, do rescue and eventually do film aviation.

In terms of film, we are in post-production for a short film that I co-wrote and produced with my husband, and was proud to direct and co-star in. I look forward to more opportunities to direct, write and produce!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

One was my unwavering sense of what I wanted. I moved from Toronto to California and left everything I had and knew behind, but if you ask anyone I grew up with, California was something I had set my sights on. There’s a lot of faith and luck tied into that, but my father once told me, “As long as you’re a ship in the ocean, pointed in the direction you want to go in, you can never get lost at sea.” Simply, if you have a desire to do something, just go for it. Even just a taste to fill your soul. So many good things will come out of it.

Staying curious. I am a mix of a philomath (“lover of learning”) and an autodidact (Someone who is self-taught and learns independently.) I’ve been so lucky to have had so many amazing teachers, coaches, mentors, friends and colleagues that have I attest any and all of my success to. Study, train, research, expose yourself. We have so much access nowadays! If you don’t know where to start, ask someone you trust. Heck, ask me! People who strive to elevate others will always be endless sources of help and assistance.

Take care of your instrument. I have Ehlers-Danlo, a genetic connective tissue disorder that means I just have to be a little more careful than others and I’m sensitive to most things that can affect my skin or my gut. This has been both a curse and a blessing but mostly a blessing because I was already predisposed to taking care of myself really well. If you want to be a voice performer or an actor, you really have to take care of yourself, mind, body and spirit.

Bonus tip: Your unique, authentic self is your most powerful and valuable ticket. When I first started narrating audiobooks, I would listen to other award winning narrators and try to “do what they did” because, clearly, it worked for them! Once I started leaning into what made me ME, truly just being myself, and immersing myself in that relationship with my work, did things really start working out!

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am a big fan of collaboration. Why else are we on this planet with so many people if not to grow and create with! Since my expertise span the written word (I consider myself a writer first, I was a recording artist, and professional singer and songwriter in Toronto and started when I was 7 and I also sound engineer, but I cannot produce as excellently as most of my colleagues), as well as elevating and bringing justice to words as a voice actor, and also an on-screen performer. My brain goes on overdrive when mixing all of the creative talents I’ve been lovingly endowed it. If anyone needs comedic levity or heartbreaking drama on camera, or eyes on a script, I am extremely good at recognizing when dialogue and characters need to have more intention, more meaning and need to be grounded in something realistic. I’m always happy to narrate and provide a voice of hope, levity and effervescence. I recently sung on a friend’s composition for a feature film and that was such a beautiful experience. We’re looking to do more orchestrations so, live musicians, I beckon thee! I am a big fan of strings and horns. Honestly, I am all over the place, but I trust that if something within you vibes with any of my overly caffeinated words, we should definitely become friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ferdellecapistrano.com
• Instagram: @ferdellecapistrano

Image Credits

Photo taken by James Pratt