Featuring Bruce Nix
O TERI CLEARY
I come from poverty, disability, and an undignified past... but I've never let any of it define me. I've poured everything I have into cultivating my talent as an actor and voiceover artist. It's not just about work- it's about worth. I continue to rise, not because it's easy, but because I know this passion was placed inside me for a reason. And I refuse to let the past steal the future I'm building, one audition, one breath, one brave step at a time.
What got you into a career in voice-overs?
Voiceover found me when I was at my lowest-recovering from a broken heart, silent from an abusive relationship, and living with a body changed by years of disability. I've had Rheumatoid Arthritis for over a decade. I've had both knees replaced twice. There were days my body couldn't move the way I needed it to-but my mind was still alive with stories, emo- tions, and longing to create.
What life experience was most helpful to you in becoming a voice actor?
Voiceover and acting didn't just give me a career-they gave me back my voice. They became the lifeline that pulled me from si- lence and reminded me who I am: strong, eloquent, and worthy of being heard. What began as a way to empower myself has become a calling to empower others too.
Surviving. That's the truest answer I can give. I've lived through abuse, disability, poverty, chronic illness, and years of being silenced emotionally, creatively, and physically. I know what it means to feel invisible. And I also know how sacred it is when someone finally hears you.
Talk about the challenges you face in voice-over and how do you overcome them?
Those life experiences-every heartbreak, every health battle, every quiet scream- have given me an emotional depth that can't be taught. When I approach a script, I don't just read the words. I feel them. I understand longing, joy, grief, resilience. That's what I bring to every role. Not just a voice, but lived truth.
One of the greatest challenges has been getting my name out there without representation-navigating this industry as a freelance artist with limited finan- cial resources and no safety net. Every investment, from coaching to equipment to demo reels, comes from deep sacrifice. There's no fallback, only faith.
Voiceover gave me back my voice-but surviving gave me the soul that fills it.