Conversations with Allyson Ryan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allyson Ryan.

Hi Allyson , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been a professional audiobook narrator for close to 19 years. I have loved acting since I was a very small child. After getting my BA in theatre in NY, I spent few years in NYC, honing my acting skills through various theatrical schools, and finally moved to Los Angeles a week before my 30th birthday to pursue work in film and television. As an aspiring actor is wont to do, I got a job working for a catering staff company while I went on auditions. I ended up working at the Penguin Random House Audio holiday party where I got to meet the head of the company. I hadn’t heard aboutaudiobooks!. I already knew I wanted to do some type of voiceover so I asked if I could send in a demo, and when I was called in to audition, I was incredibly nervous. I read four pages of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers and landed my first book, Short Change by Patricia Smiley, a mystery with over thirty characters! I got a great review in Audiofile Magazine and so began my audiobook narration career. For many years, my narration work ran parallel to on-camera commercial work, and film and television roles. I was also a part-time massage therapist , but when the audiobook industry really took off, my dream to be a full time actor was realized, and I Ieft massage therapy for good. I have recorded over 350 audiobooks, I work with all of the Big 5 publishing houses, and most days I work from my home studio. And, recently I have begun to direct audiobooks! I also do dubbing and looping work on tv shows and films and book the occasional voiceover commercial and video game. Upcoming audiobooks in 2026 include the thriller All The Little Houses by May Cobb with Malin Akerman from the TV show, Hunting Wives for Sourcebooks Audio and The New Rules of Women’s Health by Meghan Rabbitt for Penguin Random House Audio.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being an actor is never a smooth road! Some years you are working all the time, other times there are gaps in the work flow. But that’s ok, because that’s when everything ELSE gets done. Your marketing. Your networking. Nurturing relationships. Your research. The time and energy to clean out that closet you’ve been putting off. I used to feel that if every moment wasn’t spending doing the job or working towards getting the job, I failed somehow. It’s no wonder that I had a few health challenges in the last 9 years. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and then again in 2021. While living through treatment I had the privilege to narrate Tallu Schuyler Quinn’s memoir, What We Wish Were True: Reflections on Nurturing Life and Facing Death. Tallu passed away from brain cancer in 2022 at the age of 42, and narrating her experience while going through my own cancer journey was cathartic and inspired perseverance. Over the years I’ve had to take work/life balance seriously. I was so used to hustling for work that it took me long time to operate from an abundance mindset instead of a lack mindset, and to make my personal life and health a priority. Another challenge is marrying the creativity of being an actor with running the business of, well, me. This is where having a business mentor or coach is key. I would never be able to achieve what I have if I didn’t have someone who helps me see my career objectively and makes me “do the thing that I should be doing to do the thing!” It is also incredibly important to be a part of a community, a place where you can be inspired by other people’s journey, pool resources, find support, or just a place to vent.
Another challenge is keeping my voice healthy. I work out regularly, I make sure to get to laryngeal massage from my ENT, that opens up the throat and facial muscles, and do a vocal warmup and cooldown after long recording sessions. I also invest in many immune boosting practices, like compression boots, red light therapy, and supplements to stave off sickness, because one little sniffle can derail my schedule!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in audiobook narration and commercial voiceover work and voiceover dubbing and looping for TV and film. I am proud of the audiobook of Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Long Bright River by Liz Moore, Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson, Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothschild, and the Library Lovers Mystery Series by Jenn McKinlay. I also had two national commercials that made it into the zeitgeist: Duracell/Brickhouse Locator Security commercial from 2008 and Hyundai Santa Fe/Don’t Tell Mom in 2012. You can find both commercials on YouTube.
I have two Earphones Awards from Audiofile Magazine for Brave Enough, a memoir by Olympic Gold Medalist Jessie Diggins and The Divinity of Second Chances by Kaya Mclaren. I was a Society of Voice Arts Nominee for the non-fiction title Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek.
What sets me apart is my perseverance. It has been a long road, but I just keep on trucking! I’ve have many paths that I nurture, and when one goal seems to be losing steam, I give another one some more love. If I’m not booking enough in one book genre, I learn how to narrate in another one. I’m just always adding to my VO toolbox. I spent a lot of time nurturing my relationships because I truly enjoy being a part of the voiceover community, and if I can be of service to anyone starting out, I take it very seriously. I volunteer with the Audio Publishers Association as a mentor, and I also provide private coaching.  You can contact me through my website at www.allysonryan.com.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Fun fact: I was born in Bronx, NY and had a heavy Bronx accent until I was 9 years old, when we left New York City! And, unrelated, but if you would like to learn more about my cancer journey, you can find me on Medium.com under Allyson Lambert.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allysonryan.com
• Instagram: @allysonryanvo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@allysonryan5376
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2431630/?ref_=fn_t_1