Happy Thanksgiving from DoctorVox

As I sit here cooking Thanksgiving dinner with my wife, I started thinking about all of you. I knew I didn’t want this week’s post going out on Monday. I wanted it to land today on Thanksgiving, because this is the time of year when we slow down, breathe a little deeper, and think about what we’re thankful for. Honestly, I have a lot to be thankful for.

Most of you know my story, but some of you don’t. Eleven years ago I was performing on a television show in Tokyo, shattering wine glasses with my voice. The first glass exploded, and a shard shot straight back into my mouth and lodged itself deep in my throat. That moment changed my entire life.

The shard caused nerve damage and scar tissue, and believe it or not, that piece of glass is still in there today, sitting inside a cyst. I’ve talked to surgeons all over the place, and the consensus is the same: leave it alone. Surgery could make things worse. So I live with pain every single day. Most of the time, it’s a constant, dull ache. But on the bad days the pain spikes like someone sticking a pin straight into my throat, and those are the times my voice gives out. 

But even through that, I’m thankful because when the pain started, I went searching for answers. I dug through the internet looking for doctors, therapy devices, anything that could help me manage what had become a 24/7 battle.

That search led me to Dr. Denizoglu, and to the original glass DoctorVox device. And that device (and that friendship) changed everything.

The original VOX worked, but me being me, I joked that someday I’d probably shatter the glass Vox with my voice, so they’d better make a version out of something safer. Something I could stick in my pocket. Something singers everywhere could use on the go. I even named it: the PocketVox. Within months, they made it. And for that, I’m thankful. 

But I wasn’t done. I told them the PocketVox also needed a bottle, a real bottle that could take a beating, not a flimsy water bottle from a gas station. So they built one.

And then I wanted colors. Blue. Pink. Black. Something fun. Something personal. Something that made singers feel like the device belonged to them. They made those too, and more are coming. For all of that, I am thankful.

And now I get to look at what we’ve built together, me and my partners Brian and Brenden Burkheiser, Dr. Denizoglu and his partner Atilla Ozbilen...and I am blown away. DoctorVox is now one of the fastest-growing companies for singers in the world. Thousands of singers are using these devices every single day. They’re warming up faster, rebalancing their voices, recovering easier, and avoiding the vocal problems that once held them back. For that, I am beyond thankful.

And most of all, I’m thankful to all of you for trusting me. For trusting our tools. For letting us be a part of your vocal journey.

So from all of us here at DoctorVox, we want to wish you a warm, joyful, music-filled Happy Thanksgiving.

Your voice is a gift. Thank you for letting us help you take care of it.

Your Vox coach,

Jaime Vendera