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Jaylan Salah is a poet, a self-described wild woman, and an incredible film critic for InSession Film and Geek Vibes Nation. She also hosts her own podcast, which you can find on YouTube called The JayDays — and if you caught the interview she did with me recently, you’ll know she has the biggest heart.

We’re both big Austin Butler fans, which is honestly where all of this started… but today, we’re going a little deeper. We’re talking about film, performance, creativity — and how our voices shape the way we communicate, connect, and express ourselves.

Jaylan kindly helped me raise awareness for voice disorders in the UK on her platform, and I’m grateful to have her here continuing that conversation on mine. So settle in — this one is warm, insightful, and full of love for stories, cinema, and the power of voice.

Jaylan's YouTube channel is called The JayDays

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In this episode, I’m joined by Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Tor Spence, Clinical Director at VoiceFit, to explore two often-overlooked areas: children’s voice disorders and occupational voice users. We discuss why young voices matter, how vocal challenges can affect learning, confidence, and social life, and what parents and teachers can do to help. Tor also sheds light on the hidden risks faced by professionals who rely on their voices daily, the importance of prevention and therapy, and why greater awareness and support are vital across both groups.

Links:

British Voice Association: ⁠https://britishvoiceassociation.org.uk⁠Vocal Health Education: ⁠https://vocalhealth.co.uk⁠

VoiceFit:

Web: ⁠www.voicefit.co.uk⁠

Email: ⁠torspence@voicefit.co.uk⁠

Appointment bookings: ⁠https://voicefit.selectandbook.com⁠

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Today’s episode is especially close to home. I’m joined by someone who plays a pivotal role in my own voice journey—my ENT surgeon, Professor Sadie Khwaja.

Ms Khwaja is a Consultant ENT Surgeon and Laryngologist based in Manchester. She specialises in voice disorders, with particular expertise in diagnosing and treating conditions such as Spasmodic Dysphonia and Muscle Tension Dysphonia. Her work combines surgical care, Botox treatment, and close collaboration with voice therapists. She is passionate about helping patients reclaim not just their voice, but also their quality of life.

For over eight years, Ms Khwaja has been part of the Manchester Voice Team, treating the full spectrum of benign and pre-malignant laryngeal conditions—from diagnosis through to therapy, Botox clinics, office-based procedures, and advanced laryngeal surgery. She also runs dedicated dysphagia clinics and is an active member of the complex adult airway multidisciplinary team.

In this episode, we sit down as patient and surgeon for an honest conversation about the complexity, treatment, and emotional impact of voice disorders—particularly the ones I live with, Muscle Tension Dysphonia and Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia and If you or someone you know is navigating a voice disorder, this episode is for you.