For Julie Valentine, studying at Salford was never just about performance. It was about finding her voice, something she now helps others to do.

From her early days on the BA in Media & Performance to returning later for an MA in Music Performance, Salford became a space to explore something deeper. That idea of voice has stayed with her ever since.

Now based in Dubai, Julie is the founder of TheVocalPod, supporting people across different industries to build confidence in public speaking and develop a stronger sense of how they express themselves.

What made you choose the University of Salford, and what stands out most about your time as a student?

I chose Salford because it felt like a place where performance connected to the real world. It wasn’t just something you studied, but something you actually lived and applied, and that really stayed with me.

What stands out most is the people. The lecturers, especially Philip Brissenden, Steve Dixon and Paul McDonald, created an environment where you were encouraged to explore, think for yourself and develop your own sense of identity within your work. I learned how to understand my voice.

There was also a real balance between structure and freedom, which meant I could grow in a way that felt natural, not just as a performer, but as someone starting to understand identity through creative expression.

Looking back now, that foundation has stayed with me long after my time at Salford.

Tell us about your journey since graduating

My journey since graduating has evolved in ways I couldn’t have fully predicted at the time. While performance was my foundation, my work gradually expanded into voice as a broader concept.

I’m now based in Dubai, where I founded TheVocalPod, which started out as an online platform and has grown into a way of helping people to develop confidence in their voice, whether public speaking or just gaining clarity in how they communicate. I work across classrooms, corporate environments and creative spaces, supporting clients to develop presence and confidence in their voice.

Alongside this, I created THEGENSHIFT, a series exploring music, identity and generational perspectives through conversation and performance. More recently, this journey has been captured in my first book, Beyond Being Heard, which reflects on voice as a space of connection and meaning.

I’ve found that each step has built on the last, and allowed me to move from performance into creating spaces where others can find and understand their own voice.

Julie Valentine

What’s a moment you’ve felt proud of since leaving Salford?

TheVocalPod has grown from an online platform into something much broader. It now brings together THEGENSHIFT and The Voice Lab, supporting dialogue across cultural, intergenerational and creative environments on a global scale, and combines all my endeavours and interests into one passion and business.

Seeing that growth, and the impact it’s having, has been something I’m really proud of.

What do you do now, and what do you enjoy most about it?

Through TheVocalPod, I design and deliver coaching programmes that support people in developing confidence in public speaking and how they communicate.

What I enjoy most is seeing the shift that happens when someone starts to understand their voice, not just technically, but personally. There’s a moment where communication becomes more than delivery. It becomes authentic.

My work has also evolved into creating frameworks like THEGENSHIFT, where dialogue across generations can take place through music and shared experience. What continues to inspire me is the human element, and creating environments where people feel safe enough to express themselves fully.

How did your time at Salford help shape where you are now?

My time at Salford laid the foundation for how I approach my work today. It encouraged me to think beyond performance as an isolated skill and instead consider the wider context of identity and connection.

The confidence I gained was about understanding my presence and how I communicate in different spaces, including on stage. That has directly influenced the direction of my work.

Salford also gave me a sense of independence and curiosity, which has allowed me to evolve my practice over time. The move from performer to educator and cultural practitioner has been informed by those early experiences of being encouraged to explore and define my own path.

What advice would you give to current students and recent graduates?

Your voice isn’t something you find overnight. It’s something you come to understand over time.

There can be a lot of pressure to figure everything out quickly, but in my experience, it doesn’t really work like that. Growth isn’t always a straight line. The things you experience shape you in ways you don’t always recognise straight away.

Stay open to evolving. Try different directions, even if they don’t all make sense at first, and trust that each step is building towards something.

Most importantly, don’t just focus on being heard. Take time to understand what you actually want to say, and why it matters to you.

Looking back

Looking back, I see my time at Salford as the beginning of a much larger journey. One that has moved across countries, industries and creative spaces, but has always stayed rooted in the idea of voice.

What started as performance has evolved into helping people feel seen, heard and understood. Whether through education, cultural dialogue or writing, that intention has stayed the same.

Publishing my book, Beyond Being Heard, feels like a continuation of that journey, sharing my life’s experience in a way that I hope inspires others.

Thank you to Julie for sharing her story! If you’d like to share your Salford story, we’d love to hear from you – get in touch at alumni@salford.ac.uk.