In this episode of Remaking Normal, Alexander Freeman explores how the way we speak — our voices, accents, and tone — shapes how the world perceives us, and how deeply speech connects to identity and belonging.

Alexander sits down with Ariela Quetant, a Boston-based speech and voice coach and founder of Sound Your Best, a private coaching practice that helps clients refine communication, confidence, and authenticity. Through her work, Ariela provides private instruction in accent modification, gender-affirming voice, and professional speaking skills, blending science and empathy to help individuals align the way they sound with who they truly are.

With a background in Communication Sciences and Disorders and ongoing Vocology studies, Ariela brings both technical expertise and human understanding to the art of communication. Together, she and Alexander dive into how speech influences perception — how a voice can shape someone’s sense of credibility, gender, or even “normalcy” — and how embracing vocal diversity challenges cultural biases about what a “normal” voice should sound like.

https://www.tosoundyourbest.com

Find out about my documentary "My Own Normal" at https://myownnormalmovie.com and consider working with me on a feature film by visiting my production company Outcast Productions LLC at https://www.outcast-productions.com. Subscribe to the Outcast Productions LLC YouTube Channel @OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo and follow @realalexanderfreeman on Instagram.

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In this episode of Remaking Normal, Alexander Freeman sits down with activist, creator, and YouTuber Annie Segarra — known online as Annie Elainey — for a heartfelt and unfiltered conversation about disability, queer identity, love, and the urgent need for authentic representation in media.

Annie, a proud queer disabled woman and one of the most influential voices in online activism, shares her personal journey of navigating intersectional identities in a world that often insists on labels and limits. Together, she and Alexander explore what it means to exist fully — to live at the intersection of disability and queerness — while facing social structures that still define “normal” through exclusion.

Through stories, laughter, and hard truths, they discuss how media and culture shape perceptions of identity, why visibility matters, and how love and self-acceptance become acts of resistance.

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