My story

Early in my career, I spent six months touring with an opera company, never in one place for more than two nights. Behind the scenes, I was being bullied by the music director. Every time I tried to speak, to anyone, I was talked over and hounded. It's a strange thing when you take away the voice of someone who identifies as a voice user. The panic attacks began.

When that contract ended, I moved abroad into a job with immense pressure and no support. My personal life was in turmoil and I felt completely lost. The panic attacks gave way to nosebleeds that came out of nowhere.

Here's the remarkable part: for a whole year, my singing voice sounded untouched. My body was screaming at me, and I wasn't listening. Only then did I notice a slight pain on one side of my larynx. A scope showed swelling, and that was finally the push I needed to stop.

I took two months off, went home to my mum, and had a few lessons with my old singing teacher from college, who told me there was nothing wrong with my singing. I just needed a break.