Today we’d like to introduce you to Yolanda Spearman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve never believed we have to choose between being practical and pursuing our dreams. I think we’re capable of doing both.
For more than 30 years, I’ve had the privilege of building a career that I genuinely love. As a senior sales executive with Harley-Davidson Financial Services, I’ve been fortunate to lead incredible teams, develop leaders, solve complex business challenges, and help drive meaningful results. Leadership has never been just about numbers for me. It’s about people. I’ve always believed that when people feel valued, challenged, and supported, extraordinary things happen.
But there has always been another part of me—the storyteller.
That passion led me to build a second professional career as a SAG-AFTRA voice actor. Every audition, every coaching session, and every role has reminded me that growth never stops if you’re willing to stay curious and keep learning.
What surprises people most isn’t that I have two careers. It’s that I chose to begin something completely new after already experiencing success. At a time when many people are thinking about slowing down, I found myself speeding up. I wasn’t looking to leave one career behind—I was inspired to expand the life I had already built.
I’ve learned that excellence isn’t something you achieve once. It’s a mindset you bring to everything you do. Whether I’m leading a business meeting, stepping into a recording booth, walking onto an acting set, writing a children’s book, or speaking to an audience, my goal is always the same: to help people feel seen, heard, understood, and inspired.
I’m still writing my story, and I hope I always will be. Because I’ve come to believe that the joy of life isn’t found in reaching a destination—it’s found in having something meaningful to look forward to.
“The joy of living is found in the expectation of what’s next.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Not even close.
The biggest struggle hasn’t been learning the craft. It’s been balancing family, business travel, aging parents, children in sports, and a husband who needs a wife… (at least sometimes). And somewhere in between all of that, I still need to find the time to pursue this dream… and have the money to live while I’m doing it.
One time I had a big voiceover job come through and I was on a work trip for Harley-Davidson. But I timed it so I would be home in time to do the session the next morning.
BUT A STORM HAPPENED.
All flights grounded…
My next flight would be landing just 30 minutes before my session… and I live 40 minutes away from the airport.
If you know anything about casting directors… they do not like last-minute changes.
But I had to do this one…
So I didn’t cancel the session…
I delayed it 20 minutes.
(Cutting it close, right?)
OMG!
We landed…
…they couldn’t get the landing gear to the plane.
Cutting into my small 15-minute buffer…
Then the door wouldn’t open…
10-minute buffer…
Got my car.
Now I’m on the freeway…
Beep.
Gas light.
I forgot to get gas.
Only 11 miles to empty…
…and I have 14 miles to go…
I call my husband (who is a mechanic).
He says, “You should make it… just slow down…”
5-minute buffer…
…and the risk of running out of gas.
I made it.
Ran into my studio…
Clicked everything on…
Grabbed my day-old water…
Took a deep breath…
Held in the pee that was begging for release…
Closed my eyes and said…
I LOVE MY JOB.
1-minute buffer…
…and action.
Yes… that pretty much sums up my life and the obstacles along the way.
And honestly…
I love every stressful minute.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
“Mama, wake up! we’re running late. You have to get up so you can get me to Miss Sharon’s house so she can take me to work… and you can get back home so you can take Brother to camp.”
That’s a normal day in my life.
And then, after the chaos… when the quiet finally comes…
The phone rings.
“Hey, Yolanda… can you give me some advice? Can you help me with this problem?”
Then my email dings.
“Hi, we have an audition we think is perfect for you. Can you send us a few reads?”
Then another email.
“Actually… can you get it done right now?”
Then I look at my calendar…
…and I have a meeting.
Right now.
In the middle of all that chaos is what I specialize in.
I specialize in connection.
I specialize in helping people feel heard, seen, and valued.
Helping leaders find their voice.
Helping stories find their audience.
Helping dreams become reality.
That’s what I do as a leader at Harley-Davidson Financial Services.
That’s what I do as speaker.
That’s what I do as a voice actor.
That’s what I do as an author.
People often ask me how all those things fit together.
To me, they aren’t different careers at all.
They all use the same instrument.
My voice is the vehicle by which I’m able to make it all happen.
It’s not easy.
It’s not for the faint of heart.
And I can honestly say… it’s probably not how I imagined my life 25 years ago.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Dreamers….dream and doers…do. Dare to dream but please also do”
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
You may not know this story.
In fact, most people don’t.
Walk with me…
I graduated with my undergraduate degree from Oral Roberts University, and I couldn’t find a job.
So I landed in a classroom.
A first-grade classroom.
With eager eyes looking up at me…
Big smiles…
Runny noses…
Little hands…
A lot of kids.
Thirty-three, to be exact.
I stood in front of that classroom with expectation in front of me…
…and my mom and my aunt behind me.
They told me I could do this.
How in the world was I going to do this?
Teach first grade?
These kids knew absolutely nothing.
No numbers.
No letters.
No words.
They came to me from the poor inner city…
…and they were all mine.
AND I HAD A STAGE IN MY CLASSROOM.
I HAD A STAGE IN MY CLASSROOM!
That is where it all began.
On that stage, I had those children dancing…
Singing…
Jumping…
Running…
And at the end of that year…
They could read.
They could write.
They knew their numbers.
They knew their letters.
I had even taught some of their mothers how to read.
I tasted food from other countries because my classroom was incredibly diverse.
I had children who came to school hungry…
So I started having snacks.
They came to school sleepy…
So I had a short nap time.
They came to school dirty…
So I brought washcloths and soap, and we would sing…
“Clean up, clean up… everybody everywhere… and show your family that you care.”
That is where my story really began.
And it’s also a story that most people don’t know.
It began as a first-grade teacher at Priest Elementary in the inner city on the southwest side of Detroit, Michigan.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yolandavo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yolandaspearman
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolandaspearman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YolandaSpearman
Image Credits
personal pictures
