“My husband calls me from the drama school where he was teaching “have you heard the news” with an apocalypse sound in his voice and my immediate response was “no and don’t tell me”. This was the day we will never forget. This was 9/11 2001 My bed at the hospital happened to be in the room just opposite the tv-room where everybody gathered to look at the television streaming life images from NY with the airplanes flying into the World Trade Centre building.

I had just given birth to a child into a world that was collapsing. Nobody knew what was going to happen, if world war III had just started or what. I only knew I didn’t want to hear any of this. I needed to protect myself and be there for my baby. I needed all my strength to take care of my child.” I would love to have had the opportunity  to talk about this experience with my grandmother, Svava Gísladóttir, (11.9.1922-16.12.1997)  who would have celebrated her 99th birthday today. 

My grandparents Svava and Geiri with their first children, my mother Sólrún and her brother Gísli Thor.

Svava “amma” was fortunate enough not to live through this day of horror. She on the other hand had the  traumatic experience of giving birth to a still born child. I never heard my grandmother speak about this, ever.  My mother told me the story as I grew up, of her mother coming back from the hospital, having gone from home fully pregnant to give birth to a new sister or brother. But my grandmother returned home alone and none of the children at home got any explanation about what happened. My mother was around 10 years old.  My mother later found out the back story from her aunt. My grandmother had been infected by rubella (rauðir hundar) in her eight month of pregnancy and the baby didn’t survive. Probably it wasn’t clear until when she gave birth, since there were no sonars or equipment to really make sure.  This was never spoken about at home when my mother was growing up. I can’t imagine how it was to deal with this in the times you just had to bury your grief deep down and live with it. 

My mother Sólrún, my grandmother Svava, and my great grandmother Magðalena Lára have all been called home.  Today I wish that I could sit down with them both and enjoy a good talk over a good coffee. Listen to their words, their story coming from them and how this event affected their life and their relationships. 

Four generations on my mothers side at my christening.

Then I would create safe space for us and offer them some of the healing tools that have helped me through difficult times. Tools that are accessible for me as a woman today that our ancestors did not have access to and I am so grateful for. Then after that we would have some tea and talk about that experience and have a good laugh and maybe some good cry on the way. 

I am grateful for the fact that today I will have a session with my Shamanic group. Maybe they will be with us in spirit. I will send them good thoughts.  Today it is also the first session with my group “The Magic of Gratitude” and I am really looking forward to that journey with the amazing healer Jóhanna jónasdóttir: Link

Thank you for reading.
I wish you a wonderful day.
Full of gratitude for all the little things in your life that one day your realize were big.

Love Thorey

Featured image is of me and my daughter Hera and my son Oddur Sigthor, born 7.9.2001

Enjoy my free guided meditation for connecting your voice and body: Link

Sign here for participating in my free masterclass “Discover 3 secrets to capture and hold audience attention” Link

I am Thorey Sigthorsdottir (yes from Iceland daughter of Sigthor) Many of you here that have worked with me before know who I am and what I do but for you that have just dropped in I want to give you a brief introduction. I am blogging from the camping site Kjarnaskógur, Akureyri in the north (see photo). 

I have inspired creative introverts to present their projects, I have guided business owners to master their skills in online speaking and I have supported academics to find their authentic voice to stand out from the crowd. Me? You could say I am an introverted extrovert that used to get the behavior grades in school as a kid “Excellent – but talks too much”.  Becoming a teenager I became really shy since I used to blush all the time! So I took all the courses I could to improve my skills in communication.

All my life I loved role playing and theatre so I became an actress, graduated from the Icelandic Drama School after four years of studying, in 1991. I wouldn’t have dreamed of that as a kid growing up in a little village in the west-fjords of Iceland but today I make my living from speaking and acting and helping others to practice doing the same! 

I love my job. I also love traveling so every now and then I jump on a tour with people visiting Iceland. I became a professional tour-guide in 2000 and I am always inspired by nature and  by the many interesting people I meet and for the actor in me, a part of my work is to study human behaviour and stories of people.  We all have many stories to share and it is important that people listen. One of the best presents you can give to people is actually really listening. The other side of that coin is to have a voice. To have a voice in your life and have the courage to use it. That is why I find my job supporting people, especially women, to find their voice and empower themself in life, so rewarding. 

I have just written a part of my story in a book 

Women Like Me: A Tribute to the Brave and Wise

How does that link to what I do? Well everything we go through reflects in  our voice or somehow is mirrored in it. I wrote it to inspire people to realise what healing tool they can find in their voice. The voice is with you all the time. It reflects your soul and presence.  The voice can surely be a magical tool for you both professionally in public speaking but also as a great tool for successful communication in all parts of your life. I encourage you to have a look, I would be interested to hear your feedback. 

This is all from me for now…

Have a wonderful day!

Love

Thorey

Like my page and follow me here: www.facebook.com/Thorey-Sigthorsdottir-actor-director-and-voice-coach

My website: thoreysigthors.com

Do you want an analysing of your voice? Answer this short quiz and you are in the poll.