We recently connected with Terry Briscoe and have shared our conversation below.
Terry, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose when Covid really hit the US hard. I was running my Non Emergency Transportation Business which I operate as the sole employee. I lost over $3000 the first month because people were afraid to go to medical facilities and a lot of people cancelled their doctors appointments. I had already overcome the loss of my previous career as a transit bus driver due to a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. When my doctor told me that I had to retire from that job I started my business. Once the Covid crisis came I started thinking of ways to pivot and voiceover immediately came to mind. I had dreamed of being a voice actor my whole life but always had to struggle financially so I never pursued it, but I believed in my ability and gave it a shot. I am now able to use my voice to enrich and inspire the millions of other people that battle with MS every day and show them that we are more than our diagnosis and we can still make our dreams come true.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have the best job in the entire world. I am a voice actor at BriscoeVO. I can be anyone or anything from the comfort of my home studio. I have been lucky enough to do some amazing things in a short period of time. I have been in 4 movies and received a World Music International Film Festival Best Supporting Actor Award, an Inspiration Award from the National MS Society for my charity work on their Pathways to Cures campaign. I have been the voice of a talented non verbal author who hosts a podcast. He communicates what he wants to say to his guests to me and I convey his message via my voice to them. I was also fortunate to be part of an ensemble cast that won a Political Pixie Gold Award for the Proposition 2 campaign in Vermont which helped to get slavery officially abolished from the state constitution in last November’s election. In less than 3 years I have been able to use my voice to make positive change in the world and that is the most exciting thing I can imagine.
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?
1. Belief in myself- If you don’t believe in yourself no one will every truly believe in you either. They may wish for you to succeed if they love and support you but YOU have to be the one to make it happen. 2. Perseverance- It doesn’t usually happen quickly or easily you have to build your success brick by brick through all kinds of adversity but if you persevere you can make great things happen
3. Desire to learn- There is always something to learn. I learn new things about voiceover every single day and try to incorporate that into my business. One of my middle school teachers said that I have a thirst for knowledge and I feel that has served me very well in my endeavors.
I would advise those early in their journeys to seek mentorship. I have had a few people who have shined a light on the path for me including my voiceover coaches. Soaking up the knowledge from someone who has had that experience is invaluable. They can not only tell you what works but just as importantly what does not work.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
Siddhartha has always been a book that speaks to me. It illustrates how important variety is to growth. To become a well rounded person we must have many different types of experiences. It allows us to see the world from another persons viewpoint which really helps us truly understand them. Failure teaches just as much as success and as they say you’ve gotta take the good with the bad. This is what makes us truly human.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.briscoevo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tbriscoevo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terry.briscoe
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briscoevo/
