We just held our first graduation of the Speak for Success Women's Leadership Institute here in San Diego!

150 people heard stories from our graduates of their struggles and victory over domestic violence, homelessness, or addiction. Our graduates were inspiring speakers as they stood at the front of the room - looked at audience members in their eyes and powerfully and truthfully told their stories.

Here's a little background:

The Speak for Success Women's Leadership Institute's purpose is to help women build self-confidence by finding and using their voices for positive change in their lives and their communities.

My vision for the program is to expand into a national program to empower more women to reach their potential to become powerful role models and leaders.

It's hard to say who has benefited most from the program - the participants, or myself and my team of instructors. Our graduates are extraordinary women who have inspired us with their courage and strength. Everyone involved in the project has fallen in love with them and has been deeply touched by their stories and their successes.

I plan to use my Blog to chronicle the program and our graduates. I hope that you will stay tuned!

How is your voice today? I know this is not a common question and that most of us take our voice and vocal health for granted. If you've had singing or acting lessons, you know that it's important to build your vocal capacity by doing vocal exercises.

If you are called upon to speak, even occasionally, I want to encourage you to start taking care of your voice. To help you do this, please visit the Vocal Academy, a really great website that has been designed by smart people at the University of Iowa.

The Vocal Academy was designed to help teachers keep their voices. Studies show that teachers are 32 times more likely than people in other professions to have voice disorders.

This clever site is set up like a school with the nurse's office, classrooms, gym and even the auditorium. I suggest that you visit the auditorium to participate in short vocal exercise videos taught by an acting teacher. When you are ready to explore other parts of the site, grab a hall pass and be on your way!