You want that American English
confidence, connection, & influence.

AND YOU’VE LIVED HERE FOR YEARS BUT YOU’RE STILL FEELING STUCK.

YOU DON’T SPEAK UP ENOUGH

You stress about your pronunciation.

You feel a disconnect.

You know your professional ambitions are suffering.

And you have put in a good faith effort already.

You tried working with an accent coach, and you were told to expect microscopically small changes in 7 years (I’m not making a joke- I’ve had many clients share something similar with me).

And when you tried to implement what you were learning, you felt unnatural and had to expend so much energy to keep your new accent “on”.

Deep & lasting change requires neuroplastic change — at the level of your brain!

And you wonder… why is this SO HARD?

Fact One

Changing your speaking patterns in a second language is not a superficial process- it needs to become wired in your brain to be reflexive, natural, and effortless.

Fact Two

It requires a much deeper dive than learning about the tongue placement for the TH or R sounds. Or the “speaking lazy” technique. Or exaggerating the facial movements of a native speaker.

Fact Three

Transformation requires a bird’s eye view of all of the elements involved, all of the saboteurs, all of the potential barriers: a cohesive framework.

Fact Four

Leveraging the combination of neurobiology & neuroplasticity principles, cognitive restructuring, second language acquisition, and, of course, American accent and culture is where the magic happens.

Discovering the Magic of Neuroplasticity

Back in 2010, fresh out of graduate school with my Master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Columbia University, I was thrilled to get a job in neurorehabilitation.

My role was to help individuals who had suffered a brain injury with speech and cognitive communication skills- including attention, memory & problem solving skills.

Eager to make a great impression as a new graduate, I delved into the research about how to make the most meaningful and rapid progress with my patients. The solution was to use the principles of neuroplasticity- the brain’s ability to change and make new connections.

I took a very deep dive into neuroplasticity, and applied it to each and every one of my treatment sessions. While I was at it, I obtained my Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) designation from the BIAA.

The fruit of the deep dive was nothing less than life-changing. I was able to facilitate progress in some individuals who had been at a standstill for twenty and even thirty years!

My Journey:

Then came the paradigm shift.

i thought...

If patients with severe brain injuries from 30 years ago could make meaningful improvements with their communication skills, then those without a brain injury should be able to leverage these skills much more easily, right?

Absolutely!

Laying the Groundwork for Accentography

It was with this inspired & outside-the-box thinking that I began working with non-native English speaking professionals a decade ago. Really ambitious, talented leaders across various industries who were struggling to own their voice because of their accent.

I applied everything I knew from the world of brain injury rehabilitation, with neuroplasticity as my starting point. Some of my clients achieved incredible results right from the start. Others, however, had more going on.

Challenges that we may need to address

SELF-SABOTAGING ACTIONS.

SELF-LIMITING BELIEFS.

NERVOUS SYSTEM DYSREGULATION.

IDENTITY CRISES.

LACK OF DISCIPLINE.

TIGHT MUSCLES.

CULTURAL BIASES.

POOR PRACTICE HABITS.

PERFECTIONISM.

negative thinking.

AUDITORY PROCESSING ISSUES.

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Reason 1: My Own Immigrant Experience

I’m a first generation immigrant, and I have lived the experience of feeling different, culturally misaligned and not belonging.

Even though I sounded North American (since I moved to Canada when I was young), I didn’t feel that I owned my voice until my 20s. My English voice, that is- each language has its own story ;-)

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Reason 2: My Experience with Multilingualism

I speak four languages to varying degrees, the other three being Polish, French, and Greek. My background certainly primed my interest in questions of language, culture, identity, and communication.

I’ve experienced speaking stress, self-consciousness, perfectionism, and eventually, progress and confidence, in each of these languages, at different points in life and in different situations.

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Reason 3: My Mother’s Struggle

The catalyst that drew me to this niche was seeing my brilliant mother struggle the majority of her adult life due to her accent in English. I witnessed her feelings of uncertainty, unworthiness & unbelonging.

Being told she sounded “cute” rather than competent. Her lack of spoken confidence. Her embarrassment. All while having so much to offer and share with the world. She was silenced, and that deeply affected me.

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Reason 4: My Passion for Empowering Voices

My mom often says that she wishes she could turn back the clock by 30 years and learn American English at a time when it mattered to her (she’s retired now and her priorities are family & feeding everyone).

And while I can’t time travel to help my mother, I can help you, right now, reach your highest level of spoken confidence and professional success.

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