Our Team
Susannah Lathlean
Founder
M.A. Vocal Pedagogy, B. Counselling,
Hi there! I'm so excited to welcome you to a journey towards vocal freedom and personal connection through a unique style of vocal coaching. Over the years, I've had the privilege of guiding hundreds of people to be more authentically themselves by unlocking their voice.
Whether you're aiming to speak confidently, express yourself fully or learn to sing, the Free Voice vocal coaching approach integrates voice work with tailored counselling techniques to meet your specific needs.
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Susannah's Story
Embracing the stage from the age of 5 provided me with a sanctuary—an outlet where I could express myself freely, away from the shadows of my early trauma. My deep desire to sing remained hidden for many years.
(I was the one told to mouth the words in the school choir). The journey to finally allow my voice to shine was one of vulnerability and personal growth—a path where I had to rediscover and embrace my own worth and inner connection to find vocal freedom.
As I immersed myself in show bands, musical duo’s and as a soloist I often found myself crippled by anxiety with a very loud and harsh inner critic. Even though I had many years of experience in the world of acting and teaching theatre, as a singer I felt a different kind of exposure and vulnerability. I knew if I was to keep performing I had to journey inwards.
Through the teachings of many wonderful, therapists, teachers and healers I used the challenges of vocal discovery and the vulnerability that comes with vocal performance as a way to help me reconnect with an embodied sense of safety. It was through this inner felt safety I found a deep and evolving sense of self-compassion and vocal freedom.
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Today, as a professional counsellor with a Master's in Vocal Pedagogy, I integrate my personal and professional journey of healing and self-discovery into my work. My approach is deeply rooted in trauma healing, somatic therapy, emotional intelligence, voice training, and therapeutic voice work. This journey has led me to develop Free Voice —a transformative process aimed at offering tools and support to liberate voices, while facilitating participants to discover vocal freedom, self- awareness, self-connection and strength in vulnerability.
Feeling Safe in Vulnerability
My Authentic Voice
Chantelle Smith
M.A. Vocal Pedagogy & B.Mus
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Our imperfections are the key to embracing our authentic sound.
I believe that music is a wonderful way to express your true emotions and deeply connect with ourselves and others.
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Music has always been one of my great loves. I began taking singing lessons at around age 8, and I’ve never looked back. As a child, the purest joy I found was in singing around the house just for myself. Performing for others wasn’t on my radar; in fact, I dreaded it. However, feeling that it was expected of me as a singer, I pushed myself to perform to please others. By doing this I lost my connection with my sense of self.
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Over time, perfection became my focus, my joy came from hitting the perfect note. This lead to a disconnect and a lack of genuine emotion in my performances. It wasn’t until I completed my undergraduate degree that I began to question this emotional detachment, sparking a journey
of self-discovery.
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My personal journey has reshaped my understanding of the voice and my teaching approach. I emphasise the importance
of embracing imperfections and use them to discover genuine expression.
It is so exciting to be a part of Free Voice, a place that values creating a safe space for people to rediscover self-connection
and expression.