Voice Dysphoria: The Piece of Gender-Affirming Care That Parents of LGBTQ Teens Often Overlook

SPECIAL GUEST EPISODE!

Contact Nicole and learn more about Undead Voice

Voice is more than sound.

It’s identity.

It’s safety.

It’s confidence.

It’s how we take up space in the world.

And yet voice dysphoria is one of the most overlooked and misunderstood parts of gender-affirming care.

In this episode, Heather sits down with Nicole Gress (she/they), licensed speech-language pathologist and founder of Undead Voice, the leading voice transition training company serving trans and gender-diverse individuals worldwide.

Nicole shares:

1. Why traditional medical voice models often fail trans people
2. How gender is actually perceived in the voice (hint: it’s not just pitch)
3. What voice dysphoria can look like in youth
4. The psychological impact of selective mutism and social withdrawal
5. Why early voice training access can be life-changing
6. What parents can say if they notice their child becoming quieter

Nicole also explains their groundbreaking Five Pillars of Voice method, a curriculum designed specifically for trans people, and how centering community transforms outcomes.

If you are:

1. A parent or caregiver wanting to better understand your child’s experience
2. An ally trying to support someone navigating voice transition
3. Someone on your own voice journey
4. Or simply curious about the intersection of identity, autonomy, and expression

This conversation will expand your awareness — and offer practical next steps.

Nicole’s free three-week beginner voice training program, Jumpstart, is accessible in all 50 states and globally, and runs throughout the year.

You can learn more and enroll here:

👉 https://www.undeadvoice.com/joinjumpstart

This program is open to trans and gender-diverse individuals of all ages and provides both skill-building and community support.

🎧 Listen to the episode

🔗 Share it with a parent, educator, or ally

📌 Bookmark Jumpstart for someone who may need it

Your voice deserves to feel like home.

And when we create safety for people to use their voice fully, everything changes.

Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!

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This is a place to feel messy while you're figuring it out.

At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and grow their capacity for courageous connection.

For parents, allies, and those pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heartwarming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.

Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in, I see you. And I’m so glad you’re on this journey with me.

More Human. More Kind. formerly Just Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen is a safe and supportive podcast in a heartfelt and empowering space where a mom and advocate offers the wisdom of lived experience and practical guidance and education to parents and allies, teaching empathy, kindness, love, and strong boundaries while supporting LGBTQ teens and the diverse LGBTQ community, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, transgender, and queer individuals, through conversations about mental health, grief, gender identity, sexual orientation, human rights, social justice, parenting, parent support, and meaningful LGBTQ allyship and allyship in action.