Episode Details

What happens when you stop using your voice?

For Tania de Jong, our voice is far more than a way to communicate. It is connected to courage, creativity, self-expression, connection, and what makes us human.

In this episode of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel Wood sits down with Tania de Jong — singer, speaker, social entrepreneur, and founder of multiple organizations and charities — for a powerful conversation about finding your voice and having the courage to use it.

Tania shares why so many people learn to silence themselves, how childhood comments can stay with us for decades, and why singing, humming, breathing, dancing, storytelling, curiosity, silence, and community can help us reconnect with parts of ourselves we've pushed aside.

She also challenges a growing problem in an increasingly AI-driven world: Are we outsourcing so much of ourselves to screens, algorithms, and machines that we're losing some of the qualities that make us human?

You'll hear practical ways to begin using your voice again, even if you've spent years believing you can't sing or you're afraid to speak in front of other people.

Daniel and Tania also discuss asking for help, building stronger communities, music education, creativity, service, generosity, and Tania's work with Mind Medicine Australia and psychedelic-assisted therapies in regulated clinical settings.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why your voice is connected to courage and self-expression
• How to practice speaking up little by little
• Why breathing, humming, singing, and vocal exercises can help you become more comfortable using your voice
• Why so many adults believe they cannot sing
• How childhood comments can become limiting beliefs
• Why asking for help can make individuals and teams stronger
• The meaning behind WAIT: “Why Am I Talking?”
• Why curiosity matters more than pretending to know everything
• What singing, dancing, stories, silence, and community can give us
• How inclusive community choirs help people begin singing without previous training
• Why Tania believes technology can distance us from parts of our humanity
• How The Song Room brought music and arts education to Australian children
• How Creativity Australia and With One Voice use community singing to connect people
• Tania's work with Mind Medicine Australia
• The role of regulated psychedelic-assisted therapies discussed in the episode
• Why wealth means far more than money
• How service, generosity, creativity, health, meaning, and connection contribute to a rich life

Five Takeaways From the Conversation

1. Your voice is part of who you are.

Your voice isn't simply a tool for speaking. Tania sees it as an expression of your presence, courage, creativity, and humanity. When you constantly silence yourself, you may be holding back something you could contribute.

2. Speaking up requires practice and courage.

There is a practical side: breathing, humming, singing, vocalizing, and becoming comfortable making sound.

Then there is the emotional side: deciding that you have something worth contributing and giving yourself permission to say it.

3. Ask for help faster.

People can waste enormous amounts of time trying to prove they can solve everything alone. Asking someone who has already faced the same problem can save time, create stronger teams, and deepen relationships.

4. Reclaim the human practices that bring us together.

Sing. Dance. Tell stories. Spend time in silence. Gather with other people.

Human beings have used these practices for generations to create connection and community. As more of life moves onto screens, intentionally making room for real human interaction matters.

5. Wealth is bigger than money.

Money matters, but it is one part of a much larger picture.