In reading some of the posts in this thread, there is one point I'd like to mention, something which has been stated many, many, times. The best way to train your voice, something which has helped almost everyone, is once the basics have been developed, go full time. NOTHING works as well as going full time to train your voice.
I used to speak with a male voice in a somewhat higher pitch, but once I went full time, I developed MY voice, totally female, with female resonance, pitch, inflection, vocabulary, and everything else that makes a truly female voice. By being with people who do not know me or my personal history, not my friends who would tell me how great I sounded, I became very aware of people's reactions to my speaking voice, and I paid great attention to how I was speaking and what I was saying. I paid attention to my speaking voice, my vocabulary, and how I interacted with people. This is also how confidence is truly developed.
Practice at home was a start, but once I went full time, progress was made rapidly and my female voice became my ONLY voice. Part time just wasn't the way to fulfill my potential.
I do not have a typical female voice in many ways. I do not have a sweet, soft, female voice. What I have, is a voice which is true to myself which is totally female, with a regional accent, and ideosyncracies that are part of me. My niece said I sound like my mother! I never wanted to develop a "female" voice, I wanted to develop MY female voice. Developing a voice that was real, and true to who I am was very important, and I don't know if I could have done it as completely as I've done if I used a model to practice my speech with. Going full time helped me to reach my goals.
