Today we’d like to introduce you to Kennedy Hibbert.
Hi Kennedy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in California but grew up in a small town in Arizona called Flagstaff. I have one sister and four brothers – two of which are my biological cousins that my family inherited after a tragedy caused by mental illness. Truth is, my family has had a long line of mental health issues that have deeply impacted my life. I was four when I went to my first funeral, twelve when I encountered my first suicide, and sixteen when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, leading to my diagnosis of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
My mom’s battle with breast cancer was a particularly difficult time for me. I remember feeling incredibly alone. I didn’t know how to reach out about my mental health and I felt that my peers didn’t know how to talk about it either. Through this isolation, I found connection and joy through video games, movies, and animation. Not only was I able to find an escape through these stories, but they also taught me so much about mental health and what it means to be vulnerable.
Video games and media became my biggest passion and lit a spark in me that carried on well beyond the depression. When I was eighteen, I skipped college and moved out on my own to California to pursue my dreams. After a quick two-year detour through dolphin training, I dove into voice acting for video games, anime, and animation as a career.
I’ve been in LA for almost two years now, and while I’m loving every minute of what the life has to offer, my challenges with mental health still come up now and then, and I see others going through it too. Even all these years later, I realized that people still don’t know how to open up and talk about mental health. So, using the knowledge, empathy, and strength that I gained from my childhood experiences, as well as the community I’ve fostered through my work, I created a space where voiceover and vulnerability come together: The VOlnerable Podcast!
On this podcast, I interview voice actors from the most beloved video games, anime, and cartoons to talk about their own mental health experiences and how they overcame trials in their lives. My hope is that fans of these works who might be struggling, like my sixteen-year-old self, can see that it’s ok to talk about mental health and share with those around you. As our motto says, “VOlnerability is something to be proud of!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge through this podcast has and always will be acceptance of myself. I had a lot of imposter syndrome starting it – Am I qualified to talk about mental health even in a casual way? Who am I as a voice actor? Do I need a lot of roles and credits? Is the tone too sad and serious? Is it too lighthearted? Do I stutter too much? Am I good enough? These are questions that still ring in my head.
I’m edit my own podcast so it would be super easy for me to cut out my stumbles, my admittance of nervousness, or any part of me that I want to hide. But it’s only through making this podcast that I’ve learned what true vulnerability means to me. It’s about showing all parts of myself without guilt or shame – or maybe there is some shame in there sometimes. But even if there is, the most important thing is pressing the upload button no matter what because I am good enough no matter what.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m lucky enough to have lent my voice to some incredible projects (Path to Nowhere, Reverse: 1999, Guardian Tales), but what I really take pride in is the way I’ve been able to bring the voiceover community closer together. I think my podcast has been able to open up the conversation surrounding mental health with my peers, allowing for more vulnerable conversations and therefor deeper connections. It also makes my heart soar to see messages from voiceover fans who I don’t know sharing how they’ve been inspired as well.
Despite my mental health history, I am and have always been an extremely positive, energetic, and social person (earning me the nickname “The Exclamation Point”). Another way I’ve been able to bring my community together is by planning monthly hikes in the mountains as a way to stimulate our minds, exercise our bodies, and create friendships in the real world.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is making sure that nobody will have to suffer in the way that I did when I was younger. No one deserves to deal with mental health alone, but that can be so difficult because not everyone knows how to be vulnerable and reach out when they’re struggling. Similarly, not everyone knows how to spot the signs of a struggling person or how to help them. It’s because of issues like these that we’ve seen suicide rates go up over the years, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to help in whatever way I can. After all, I’ve been on that ledge before and I know how hard it can be. I would be wasting my childhood experiences if I didn’t use them to try and help other people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kennedyhibbert.com/thevolnerable
- Instagram: @kenn.hib @thevolnerable
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennedy-hibbert
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVOlnerable
