Alright, folks, we're diving in.

Let's chat about the voice heard 'round the world – Elizabeth Holmes'. Hi, I’m Renée, your go-to gender-affirming voice teacher. In 2022, Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars through her company, Theranos. Yet, amidst all the scandals, what does everyone harp on? Her voice.

As someone who’s dedicated to helping trans folks find a voice that brings them safety and comfort, the media frenzy around Holmes’ voice has always rubbed me the wrong way. It’s as if altering your voice is inherently suspicious. Right up front: It is not!

But let’s unpack this.

Many claim her deep voice was part of her grand scheme to deceive. Others argue it reflects the hoops women in business jump through to be taken seriously.

In a New York Times piece, Amy Chozick nails it:

"If you hate Elizabeth Holmes, you probably think her feigned perma-hoarseness was part of an elaborate scheme to defraud investors. If you are a person who is sympathetic to Ms. Holmes, then the James Earl Jones inflection was a sign of the impossible gymnastics that female founders must perform to be taken seriously."

The truth likely lies somewhere in between. But let me ask you, does it really matter? People tweak their voices for all sorts of innocent reasons. I bet you don’t talk to your dog the same way you talk to your boss.

Let’s be clear about intentionally altering the speaking voice. I know this sounds like an SAT logic problem, but stick with me. Just because A implies B, doesn’t mean B implies A. Just because the sky is blue, doesn’t mean all blue things are the sky.

So, just because Holmes’ voice alteration might have been intended to deceive doesn’t mean all voice alteration is deceitful. Can we agree on this? Holmes went to prison for lying about her company’s capabilities, not for changing her voice.

Voice alteration can be totally neutral. Want some examples? Check out my last voice case study on Paris Hilton and her “baby” voice. It’s fascinating. And if we’re talking about women creating deeper voices, look no further than newscasters! (Check out the video below for some examples.)

One of my goals is to create a world where it’s safe and normal to change your speaking voice. I won't lie—Elizabeth Holmes has made that work a bit challenging.

We all love a villain of the day, but I hope this post has made you consider the collateral damage trans people experience when we vilify Holmes more for her voice alteration than for her actual crimes.

So, that's my take on Elizabeth Holmes' voice. If you enjoyed this and want more voice case studies, let me know in the comments! Let's keep the conversation going.