I’m relieved that the show The Voice has ended. Actually, I will fess up: I’ve been slightly obsessed with it, and in particular, Michelle Chamuel. Which is odd for somebody who doesn’t watch much, if any, TV. On the surface, this makes some sense: she and her band were one of my favorites when they played frequently in the Midwest a couple of years ago, and it’s great to see her get national visibility. You might think my obsession had to do with, say… singing. But you’d be wrong – the show just as much about confidence, authenticity, and grit as it is about singing.
Here are the lessons I’ve taken from watching Michelle:
1. Authenticity matters. Showing up as who you are – nothing more, nothing less, MATTERS. Here’s one reason why: it gives people permission to do it themselves. If Michelle Chamuel can be unapologetically who she is… can everyone? You can see this play out in the show: Usher looks like he’s rediscovering a part of himself that hasn’t gotten to be as authentic as he might like. He looks like a kid in a candy store. This represents what happens when you show up as you: the vulnerable, awkward, scared, passionate you.
Usher saw what Michelle symbolized: a person who could represent everyone who has ever felt they didn’t have a voice; who has ever not fit in. He said: “She’s a winner, whether win or lose here because she has overcome every obstacle. I feel like she is medicine for our country; for our world.”
2. Listen to your gut. Michelle picked Usher to be her coach, citing a ‘gut feeling,’ If she had not, my guess is that she wouldn’t be on the show now. On the surface, this choice made no sense. Usher was the initially the least enthusiastic of the three coaches about working with her, and for many reasons the other two coaches might have been better choices. But gut feelings/intuition often don’t make logical sense. They just don’t. Trust them anyways.
Michelle tried out THREE times for the Voice. The third time she made it. She clearly felt that she was supposed to be on this show, and no doubt there were people in her life who said “A third time??” Following your gut matters – even when you can’t make intellectual sense of the messages it is giving you.
Who knew all of this could come from a TV show?
