Today I’m chatting to Edie, and never have two such quiet people spoken on a podcast! No big radio voices here today. We get to be our lovely quiet selves and that’s completely okay. Edie is Kathy Stowell’s daughter. I spoke to Kathy in our last episode and I thought it would be a nice idea to chat to Edie, in person.

So, Edie, tell us something about yourself

“I’m 14 and uh, I don’t know. I like doing Taekwondo and I also dance. I live in British Colombia with my family.”

I’m so amazed that you do 2 of the scariest things, we’re shy but we love doing combat sports. Why do you think we like it?

Taekwondo is good exercise. We do a lot of sparring, which is like just you have like a minute and we have to fight kind of. And you get points if you kick the padding. It hurts sometimes, but not really. I guess this sport makes me feel a little strong.

You also do something that I find scary, you’re an actor as well right?

I’m an actor as well. I was in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. It was really fun. Well we kind of had to do it for school, but I wanted to do it.

What does it feel when you’re on the stage and people are looking at you?

I don’t really mind people looking at me when I’m on stage because I can’t really see them or I don’t know. It’s like you’re acting so it’s not really you.

Sometimes, when you’re on the stage do you feel afraid or nervous?

I’m not afraid. Sometimes I kind of get nervous when I start but it’s fine afterwards.

Does your shyness affect you at school?

At school, I have some really close friends, and I’m not shy around them. Sometimes I just don’t really know what to say and yeah, I don’t know. It’s easy when I’m with my friends if they’re just talking to someone.

What situations you think that it’s hard being shy?

I guess when I have to like start a conversation it’s kind of hard cause I don’t really know what to say.

What it’s like at school if you need to participate?

I don’t really mind; Sometimes I just don’t know how loud I’m talking. I guess sometimes I worry about the volume of my voice.

Have you ever done any voice training to try and project your voice?

I do a lot of voice training. We’re doing it cause I’m in a drama school and when I used to be in like a drama thing after school, we get a lot of that like you have to speak to the back of the wall.

Do you think there’s enough support and help at school for quiet people?

At school, sometimes they’re like, Oh, you have to go with someone you don’t know. Oh, I don’t know if they put them like with someone you don’t know, but also with people they do know then it will be probably easier. I think they’re trying to teach people to be brave but they’re putting them outside their comfort zone.

Do you think your mom has helped you a lot with your self-confidence?

She encouraged me to act. She watches me when I perform and she was really proud when she saw me at stage.”