Phillip’s Voice | Preaching Again in His Own Voice

ElevenLabs| 00:05:51|Mar 22, 2026

Chapters6

Introduces his role at Bloomberg and his daily work, and notes his aim to decouple serialization from usage.

Phillip’s journey from ALS-induced speech loss to a restored, authentic voice thanks to ElevenLabs, and how faith, family, and technology intersect in his story.

Summary

Phillip shares a candid, heartfelt account of life before and after his ALS diagnosis, detailing his work at Bloomberg and his passion for teaching and family. ElevenLabs’ technology becomes a lifeline, allowing him to speak again by building a synthetic voice from old sermons recorded during lockdown. He reflects on the emotional impact of hearing a voice that sounds like his own, with pauses, humor, and cadence that feel unmistakably Phil. The piece interweaves family memories—drives with his dad, chess with his daughter Ella, and the role of support from his wife Louise—with a larger message of gratitude and resilience. He recalls a church sermon from early 2021 that didn’t go well and contrasts it with the relief and connection he experiences now. The narrative emphasizes how life with ALS has deepened empathy and shifted perspective, underscoring faith and daily gratitude as guiding forces. Throughout, Phillip emphasizes being blessed, staying productive, and trusting that God can use this experience to help others. The mood remains intimate and hopeful, with a clear focus on personal connection, community, and the power of voice to keep that connection alive.

Key Takeaways

ElevenLabs helped Phillip regain his authentic voice by using recordings from lockdown sermons to recreate his speech, bringing back his natural cadence and pauses.
Phillip highlights the emotional impact of hearing a voice that sounds like his own, noting it felt personal and transformative.
He attributes much of his resilience to family support, especially his wife Louise, and to his father’s inspirational influence on his career in engineering.
The video underscores the role of faith and gratitude, framing the diagnosis as a catalyst for deeper empathy and a renewed perspective on life.
Phillip’s earlier online sermon in early 2021 that “didn't go well” contrasts with the restored voice moment, illustrating progress and recovery through technology.
The narrative suggests that technology can preserve identity and enable meaningful communication for people with neurodegenerative conditions like ALS.
Ella’s chess moments and their shared conversations symbolize the ongoing personal connections that remain vital despite physical challenges.

Who Is This For?

Essential viewing for creators and healthcare advocates interested in assistive technology and its impact on personal identity, speech, and spiritual life. Also valuable for families supporting someone with ALS who want real-world examples of tech-enabled communication.

Notable Quotes

"“We were able to use old sermons I recorded in lockdown to create my 11 Labs voice.”"

—Phillip explains how the voice was built from prior recordings to suit his current needs.

"“It was totally Phil in the way he pauses, in the way, his humor, everything.”"

—A listener describes how authentic the recreated voice felt.

"“When we heard it for the first time, we burst into tears as we felt that my voice was finally back.”"

—Emphasizes the emotional impact of hearing a familiar voice again.

"“Life with M andd has been a journey. I'm grateful for life.”"

—Philosophical reflection on living with ALS and gratitude.

"“I think he's definitely been a huge inspiration for like why I do the things I do.”"

—Philip reflects on his father’s influence on his career and life path.

Questions This Video Answers

How can voice synthesis help people with ALS communicate more effectively at home?
What is ElevenLabs voice technology and how does it create a personalized voice from recordings?
What role does family support play in coping with ALS and maintaining communication?
Can voice recreation preserve individuality and emotion in spoken communication for chronic illnesses?
What are best practices for using synthetic voices in church or public speaking contexts?

ElevenLabs ALSMNDVoice SynthesisAssistive TechnologyChurch SermonFamily NarrativeSpeech Rehabilitation

Full Transcript

The idea is that oh it's you know it's advertised a lot as as if it is like My name is Phil and I work for Bloomberg as I have done for the last 19 years doing many roles such as manager and team leader. Currently I am a software developer in an application infrastructure team. I'm trying to decouple the serialization from the usage. Yeah, [music] I find work is a blessing. Documentation. My team are amazing. I don't know. [music] I feel like I really I really like it for everything else. It's great to keep being productive. I noticed something funny. August 2020, [music] something very slight. I did an online sermon at church in January or February [music] 2021 that didn't go well. I sounded drunk. I was diagnosed [music] with MND called ALS in America [music] in August 2021 when my speech started to slur. I can't speak anymore and I've lost my ability to walk or move my [music] limbs and hands. I am blessed to have a great wife, Louise, and a wonderful family with three grown-up children. My daughter, [music] Ella, started playing chess with me recently. We enjoy it when she beats me. It's your move. Kill your [music] rook with my bishop. I mean, me and my dad, I remember the drives we would go together. So, [music] kind of we would go on like little road trips, maybe just like half an hour around um just the local area [music] just to chat. That was kind of our like one of the ways we would hang out and we would [music] put like a Cold Play album on or like a Radio Head album. And I remember he would just kind of explain different things to me. Like I remember asking him how Bluetooth worked and he [music] spent like the entire drive explaining it to me, how electricity worked and all these things. And I think it was actually because of him that I went on to study engineering cuz that's what he did. [music] I think he's definitely been a huge inspiration for like why I do the things I do and [music] kind of who I am. And I think we're very similar. I'm used to [music] seeing things from above. You can take the move back. I'll allow it. That means you have to let me take a move back when I make a mistake. This is the time when we take the communion. Since my diagnosis, I have used other kinds of voice technology to lead Bible talks in my home and do public speaking in church. That was an emotional experience. But that voice still sounded a bit synthetic and unclear. [music] We were able to use old sermons I recorded in lockdown to create my 11 Labs voice. This time we're going to be looking at some scriptures together. You know, gratitude is an incredibly important quality. When we heard it for the first time, we burst into tears as we felt that my voice was finally back. I was blown away. It is clear [music] with all the emotion that my voice had before, it sounds just like me. [music] It was totally Phil in the way he pauses, in the way, his humor, [music] everything. It was totally him. And for me, that was incredibly special [music] because he was able to talk to me with his own voice, not just a voice. It was it [music] was him. It was personal. I'm so glad he has the voice cuz otherwise I'm I'm [music] scared I wouldn't remember what he sounded like but instead like he has kind of this untouchable part of him still. Life with M [music] andd has been a journey. I'm grateful for life. I realize how precious life is as I've seen people in my condition [music] who are not here anymore. I have also seen my inability to do things [music] bring out the best in people around me. I'm really grateful for my wife as she has been incredible caring for [music] me and meeting my needs. It's been tough on my family and uh we have grown to be more [music] open about our feelings. They responded in different [music] ways to my diagnosis. In time, we have come to grips more with this, but it's still hard. We just try to take [music] each day as it comes and make the most of the time we have. It's certainly [music] a learning process and uh I believe overall I'm blessed. I think that God will use this experience to help people. I was very active before and couldn't truly understand what it [music] meant to be sick. But this experience has deepened my empathy for others [music] and given me a greater perspective of life. [music]