Warming up your voice doesn’t have to be a big production—and it definitely doesn’t require an hour, a piano, or a mirror. In this episode, Kristi shares how to weave professional-grade vocal warmups into your real life using one of the simplest (and most effective) tools around: humming.

Learn how to habit-stack vocal prep into your daily routine so your voice stays healthy, responsive, and strong—even on the busiest days in trial.

LISTEN HERE:

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why vocal warmups are more important now than ever (especially as you get older)

2. What humming does for your voice, nervous system, and mental focus

3. How to habit-stack vocal prep into things you already do—like walking, waiting, or pouring coffee

4. Why humming is a professional-level warm-up (not a shortcut!)

5. How to expand your warmup with glides, range extension, and yawn-sighs

6. A few simple places you can start today—without changing your schedule

Key Takeaway:

You don’t need more time—you need more intention. Your voice deserves care and prep, and with the right tools, you can give it both without missing a beat.

Favorite Moment:

“You’re not adding time. You’re adding intention.”

Links & Resources:

The 6 Ingredients of a Perfect Vocal Warm-up: https://www.fostervoicestudio.com/warmup

Warm up with me: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIbYmOPho6Z/

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If this episode helped you think differently about warming up, send it to a colleague or leave a quick review. That simple act helps more trial attorneys discover how to protect their voice—and foster their leadership presence—every single day.

TRANSCRIPT:

Helloooo! Hello Foster Fam! I hope you're staying cool in these summer temps and are managing to get a little time away from your desk, adventuring, relaxing, and spending time with loved ones.

When I'm recording this, it's still the middle of July, but seriously...IT'S THE MIDDLE OF JULY! We just passed the half-way point of the year.

When this episode comes out, the Tour de France will be over. You should probably check on me because I'll be in full recovery mode and will hardly know what to do with myself until football season starts.

So, to wrap up my series on how the Tour de France is very much like civil litigation (that you let me thrust upon you. thanks for that), I give you the final two comparisons.

To review:

1. It’s a Sport of Attrition

2. Team Sport with an Individual Leader

3. Everyone Has a Critical Role

4. Strategy > Brute Strength

5. It Requires Mental and Emotional Stamina

6. Success is Born Out of Repetition and Training

And our last two:

7. One Bad Day Can Cost Everything

1. Tour de France: A crash or poorly timed effort on a single mountain stage can end a rider’s bid for the top spot, the yellow jersey. Even the best of the best can bonk.

2. Litigation: A single moment of disconnection—a tone-deaf witness prep, an ungrounded objection, a flat closing—can lose juror trust.

8. The Final Victory Isn’t Just Physical—It’s Psychological

1. Tour de France: Winning riders often speak of mental clarity—the mindset that pushes them past pain and distraction. There was one rider, that had the phrase "SHUT UP LEGS" on his cross bar. It's mind over matter.

2. Litigation: The same applies. Mindset, emotional regulation, and being grounded in purpose often separate great trial lawyers from merely competent ones.

I hope this comparative journey has at least been a little interesting to you. It certainly enhanced MY experience watching the tour this year. So, thanks for coming along for ride, so to speak.

—BREAK—

If you’ve ever thought, “I know I should warm up my voice, but seriously… when?! and HOW?” —then this episode is for you.

So, let’s rewind for a sec.

Back in college, I was a vocal performance major.

Which meant that practicing voice was basically a part-time job.

I spent at least 14 hours a week in the rehearsal rooms—grabbing them whenever I could, which was competitive. Sometimes at all hours of the night. Standing by a piano, music everywhere, staring into a full-length mirror, fine-tuning every breath, every phrase.

That was just normal life.

It was what we all did. It was expected.

And honestly? That was the minimum.

But here’s the thing…

I don’t have time for that anymore. And I know you don’t either.

You’re running a practice. Managing a docket. Possibly parenting, traveling, strategizing, trying to stay on top of your inbox and sleep more than five hours.

And me? I’m running a business, podcasting, creating content, coaching clients...

So no—none of us have 14 hours a week to spend warming up, working on vocal technique.

But—and hear me now—warming up hasn’t become less important just because it’s less convenient.

If anything, it’s become more important.

Because we’re older. We have more vocal demands. And we have less margin for injury or burnout.

Let me put it like this:

You wouldn’t run a marathon without training.

You wouldn’t walk up to the start line without warming up your muscles, activating your breath, and preparing your nervous system for what’s about to be asked of it.

Speaking is no different.

Your vocal cords are muscles.

They need to work with the breath, and both need to respond to signals your brain is sending in real time. That’s coordination. That’s responsiveness. That’s stamina.

So yes—you need to warm up.

But it doesn’t have to be a thing.

The trick is to weave voice work into what you're already doing.

This is where I borrow from James Clear, and his book Atomic Habits.

He teaches a strategy called habit stacking—which means linking a new habit to something you already do regularly.

Here’s what that could look like:

Walking from your car to your office?

That’s your cue. Hum.

Just hum. Gently. Not tunefully—this isn’t a concert. Just let your voice ride on the breath and feel the gentle buzz. Let that warm air move into the resonating chambers of your face and chest.

No pressure. No perfection. Just connection.

And here’s the great news:

Humming is one of the easiest and safest vocal exercises out there.

You can’t really do it wrong.

(Unless you’re trying to hum an actual melody… in which case… quality may vary. 😂)

But just humming?

That’s accessible to everyone.

It naturally connects breath to voice. It activates the nervous system.

And it warms up your vocal folds without strain.

And this isn't a "dumbing it down" exercise. No! This is a legit professional level warm-up. Because it's good. And it works.

So where else can you sneak it in?

1. While you’re filling up your water bottle

2. Buckling your seatbelt

3. Waiting for a file to download

4. Powering up or shutting down your computer

Or, like me...when I'm riding the elevator to go get my coffee and then again as I'm coming back to my apartment. I've got some instagram reels of me doing exactly that and you can watch and warm up with me.

All of those are moments you’re already living.

Now they’re also micro warm-ups.

You’re not adding time.

You’re adding intention.

Once you’ve built some consistency and awareness, you can expand.

➡️ Take your hum higher into your range.

➡️ Open up into your head voice. (You could even give a little demo here.)

➡️ Then slide through your range with a gentle scoop or glissando.

And here’s the kicker:

When you connect humming through your range with the yawn-sigh technique we talked about in the last episode?

You’ve got yourself a full-body, full-voice warm-up that takes almost zero extra time.

You’re protecting your voice.

You’re boosting longevity, agility, and vocal sustainability.

And all of it fits seamlessly into your already full life.

So listen—warming up your voice doesn’t require a music stand or a grand piano or a mirror in a tiny soundproof box. It just requires mindfulness.

Start small.

Hum while you move.

Build awareness.

Then build range.

Then build connection.

You’ll sound better.

You’ll feel better. Because guess what...? This is an awesome bonus: Humming tones your vagus nerve, which is responsible for your body's relaxation response.

Your voice, your brain, your whole body will thank you.

No hour-long vocal drills required.

So hum your way to court.

Stretch your range while you're living out all your normal, everyday, transitional moments.

One breath, one buzz, one stacked habit at a time.

Now, if you want to learn more about How to Create the Perfect Vocal Warm-up, I have a free guide that you can get at fostervoicestudio.com/warmup. Guess what it starts with? Breathing and humming. But it adds in a few additional steps if you want to create a more complete warm up to do before presentations and extra long days of speaking. Check it out.

Until next time...keep fostering your voice.