Has anyone noticed Opes’ voice has changed over the years? Now, all of our voices change, just ask Peter Brady. But, Oprah’s voice is interesting to me. If you’re an Opes nerd like me you listen to her Super Soul Sunday and Master Class podcasts. You might even record all of her Super Soul Sunday programs and ugly cry on occasion.
Her voice now is much deeper, more authentic, more purposeful. If you listen to her voice on her old shows, her voice is much higher pitched, with an inflection demanding the listener to “take me seriously.”
This reminds me of when I was younger, in my teens and twenties. I would use big words, insert a California twang into my sentences and try and impress my Ohio friends with my new-found accent. Then, I got a little bit older or just didn’t care anymore. I embraced my Midwest draw, my polyp infused raspy voice and sometimes harsh words. My voice became more authentic, more mine.
When I listen to Oprah’s voice now, it sounds more authentic, more hers. When I listen to her voice from when she was younger on Oprah, it’s higher pitched and her intention sounds different. It seems to run a parallel of the older we get, the more we find our voice. The more we embrace our own voice, the better it feels in our own skin. The older we get, the less we have to “try” to be someone else, or “try” to impress others. The older we get we find our voice. In time, I guess we all try many voices on for size — some work, some don’t. We try to wear the voices of women we think we should be or women our family members were. We try to have the voice of what people expect from us or what we hope we will be. In time, we all become who we are supposed to be and our voice sounds more calm, more our own, more genuine.
I appreciate the change of Oprah’s voice over the years. It’s helped me recall the many voices I’ve had over the years and blissfully relax and rest in my current voice, my current being. I know Oprah’s voice will change again over time, just like mine will. I hope it does. That means we’re one step closer to owning our own voice, words, actions and intentions.