Ep. 78: Am I really a "vocal athlete"? with Maurice Goodwin M.S., CCC-SLP

Are you booking more gigs lately? First—congratulations! It’s exciting to see your hard work paying off. But you may also notice your voice feels…different. Maybe you’re more tired after a weekend of shows. Maybe recovery takes longer. If you’re using the same old warmup and rest routines you did when you were singing once a week, it might be time to rethink how you care for your voice.

I sat down with licensed speech-language pathologist, voice teacher, and all-around vocal geek Maurice Goodwin. Maurice knows the science behind vocal athleticism—and he’s lived it. He’s the founder of Goodwin Voice and Speech, co-founder of Voice Pro Ed, and teaches adjunct at two universities. But he’s also a performer and songwriter who practices what he preaches.

Your Voice Is a Living Instrument

Maurice and I share Puerto Rican roots and grew up leading music in Spanish-speaking Pentecostal churches. We agreed: calling the voice an “instrument” is tricky. It isn’t a guitar you tuck back into a case. Your body, your mood, and even your mental health shape how you sound. Maurice and I use the phrase “living instrument”—because your body is the case, the strings, and the amplifier, all at once.

And just like athletes, singers need to train, recover, and adapt. “Good singers don’t run into problems because they can’t sing,” Maurice said. “They run into problems because their bodies are trying to figure out how to keep up with what they’re asking them to do.”

Vocal Fatigue Isn’t Failure

Feeling tired after a show isn’t proof you’ve damaged your voice. It’s the same as sore legs after a good workout. Maurice explained (and also reminded me), “A concert is tiring. A long day of rehearsal plus a lesson plus worship practice is tiring. Fatigue is normal—you just need to manage it.”

The goal isn’t avoiding fatigue at all costs—it’s managing your vocal load so you can recover and keep performing.

Resting Your Voice Is More Than Staying Silent

Silence alone isn’t always “rest.” Picture yourself gripping the steering wheel in rush-hour traffic, shoulders tight, jaw clenched. Even if you’re not talking, your larynx is under tension. Maurice calls this passive rest—and says singers need active rest:

• Reset your posture: Release your jaw, unclench your tongue, drop your shoulders.

• Breathe deeply: Long exhales help your hips and ribs relax, which supports breath flow.

• Use kinesthetic cues: Maurice simply touches his jaw to remind his body to release.
  

This quick check-in can restore balance faster than silence alone.

Smarter Warmups (and Cool Downs)

If you’re driving 45 minutes to a gig, don’t sing scales the whole way. Alternate:

• Gentle lip trills or humming for a few minutes.

• Quiet listening (without singing) to reduce vocal load.

• A quick stretch or posture check at a stoplight.
  

After the show, do the opposite of your performance load:

• Belted high notes all night? Cool down with low, gentle hums.

• Lots of speaking in noisy environments? Reset with mid-range glides or straw phonation.

Build Body Intuition

The big takeaway? Learn what your voice and body need. Maurice compared singers to athletes in different sports: “Caitlin Clark and James Harden both play basketball, but their training is different. As singers, we each need our own strategy.”

That means experimenting, observing, and working with a coach who helps you discover—not dictate—what works for you. As Maurice put it, “My job isn’t to tell someone how to take care of their voice—it’s to show them they can.”

Final Thoughts

When you’re #bookedandblessed, more effort isn’t always the answer. Sometimes the smartest move is a reset—a touch to your jaw, a deep exhale, or a shorter warmup. Treat your voice like an athlete’s body: train it, rest it, and listen to it. That’s how you keep performing with passion, power, and longevity.

Want more practical tips for singers on the go? Listen to the full episode of the Passionate Performer Podcast with Maurice Goodwin wherever you get your podcasts. And get customized coaching for ALL of your performances when you join the Passionate Performer Program! CLICK HERE to learn more.