Vaughnette Bigford on Depression, Petrotrin, Menopause & Finding Her Authentic Voice

Vaughnette Bigford is one of Trinidad & Tobago's most celebrated performers, but behind the sold-out concerts and standing ovations was a deeply personal journey through depression, perimenopause, identity and rebuilding her life. In this powerful conversation, Vaughnette opens up about the hardest year of her life, why she believes more women need to speak openly about menopause, the devastating closure of Petrotrin, building her own brand without waiting for opportunities, and how studying at Berklee changed the way she viewed Caribbean music forever. She also reflects on entrepreneurship, confidence, parenting, community, jazz, calypso and why finding your authentic voice matters more than trying to become someone else. 🎧 SUPPORT THE PODCAST Get early access, exclusive episodes and behind-the-scenes content on Patreon.   / coriesheppardpodcast   📱 FOLLOW CORIE SHEPPARD 📸 Instagram   / coriesheppod   👍 Facebook   / coriesheppardpodcast   🎵 TikTok   / coriesheppardpod   💼 LinkedIn   / coriesheppard   𝕏 X https://x.com/coriesheppard 00:00 Preview 01:03 Welcome Vaughnette Bigford 02:00 Why rest became essential 03:20 Menopause, depression & breaking the silence 10:35 Building Trinidad's most elegant live events 18:20 Why sponsors hesitate to support Afro-themed events 27:10 Leaving Petrotrin and becoming an entrepreneur 31:15 The Petrotrin years and being the first female fire officer 39:55 Grieving the loss of Petrotrin 43:30 From accounting to health & safety 46:10 Falling in love with performing 50:05 School, calypso and discovering confidence 59:00 Growing up without calypso at home 1:01:50 Returning to music after years away 1:03:30 Berklee College of Music changed everything 1:13:20 Finding her authentic Caribbean sound 1:22:20 Building the Vaughnette Bigford brand 1:27:30 Parenting, purpose and raising confident children 1:30:45 How she creates her live performances 1:34:45 Why she performed Lady Lava in jazz form 1:38:50 Life after depression and living intentionally 1:42:25 Final thoughts