FAQ

 
 
 

WHAT CAN WE WORK ON?

What kinds of Public Speaking can we work on?

  • Public speaking can be so much more than a podium and a microphone. In addition to speeches of all kinds, we can work on high-stakes events such as pitches, meetings, panels and Q&A’s, interviews, podcasts and media appearances, press conferences, trials, and more. In addition to focusing on specific events, we can work on building capabilities that apply across various public speaking contexts.

What aspects of Communication do you cover?

  • I help you be real, open-hearted, and effective in professional and personal settings (in both prepared and spontaneous contexts). That can include content prep and delivery as well as spontaneously thinking on your feet. I also work on specific areas of communication like telling stories and addressing (and when relevant, resolving) conflict.

What aspects of Voice do you address?

  • I work with the literal voice, yes, but also your metaphorical voice: finding, exploring, connecting, deepening, expanding, healing, expressing, communicating…

  • Breathing and embodiment can also be fundamental aspects of exploring voice. 

What do you mean by Presence and can it be learned?

  • Presence can seem elusive, but then someone walks into the room who is vibrant and magnetic, and yet somehow relaxed. You know it when you see it, and you feel it, because their presence affects you. It’s an inner state, a physical state, and something conveyed to others, all at once.

  • Presence can be intentionally developed over time, and it can be supported in the moment by great preparation and by learning to warm up.

  • Sometimes presence more easily develops in the wake of nervous system regulation, learning what self care is for you, or leaning toward what you enjoy, what you’re passionate about, what you love, what is meaningful and nourishing for you.  

What's the difference between Voice Coaching, Public Speaking Coaching, and Presence Coaching?

  • Voice coaching focuses on the literal and metaphorical voice — becoming more easily expressive; working with a voice that is hoarse, tight, unclear, or soft; finding depth or expanding range; and finding a deeper connection to your voice, your being, your core. Voice is also intertwined with breathing, so freeing the breathing can be foundational voicework.

  • Public speaking coaching focuses on content, delivery, and effectiveness: preparing for a talk of some kind, engaging an audience, and working with nerves and other feelings. I also work with contexts that are more spontaneous and many of other aspects of communication.

  • Presence coaching is the foundation of the other two — developing a grounded, vibrant, receptive way of being. This might, for example, involve working with your nervous system, posture and embodiment, listening and perception skills, freeing your breathing, and clarifying what matters to you, what is meaningful to you.

  • In practice these three kinds of coaching overlap, and some of the work I do can touch all of them at once.

Can you help with anxiety or fear in public speaking, in social settings, and in more intimate conversations? What about anxiety or shame related to my voice or presence?

  • Yes. While public speaking is a common context, anxiety and fear related to communication, voice, and presence show up in many forms, and working with this is a core aspect of what I offer.

  • I also support people who experience shame, doubt, and other challenging emotions related to communication, voice, and presence.

Do you help people prepare for TED Talks?

  • I love working with people preparing for TED Talks. Depending on what’s needed, I help clients create or edit content, prepare for delivery, work with any nerves or uncertainty that emerges for them, and process what they learned when the experience is done.

Do you offer executive presence coaching?

  • Yes, I offer executive presence coaching. A significant portion of my clients are executives and business leaders working on presence — how they show up and occupy a room, how their voice and body convey confidence and receptivity, and how they communicate effectively in various situations. I don't offer executive presence coaching as a predetermined program — what I focus on depends entirely on the person in front of me.

How is voice coaching different from speech therapy?

  • Speech therapy is a medical intervention provided by a licensed speech-language pathologist for diagnosing and treating conditions affecting voice and speech (and adjacent areas) — nodules and muscle tension dysphonia, for instance. When something seems like a medical problem, I'd recommend seeing an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) first to get a diagnosis. Voice coaching is what happens once medical issues have been clarified: developing a voice that's more expressive, free, and able to convey what you actually mean. The two can work well together, and I've worked alongside speech pathologists for clients who needed both.

Do you help people prepare for job interviews?

  • Yes. Interview preparation is a specific and practical form of high-stakes communication coaching — we can work on how you prepare, how in the moment you are present and focused on what matters, how you handle pressure and uncertainty, and how you can be (and also come across as) genuinely yourself rather than an overly rehearsed or “correct” version of yourself.

Can you help me become more comfortable on camera?

  • Yes. Being on camera is its own context and skill, distinct from speaking in person. I work on this directly with actors preparing for roles and professionals doing media appearances, filming videos, and participating in video calls. Part of the work is practical, and part is developing enough ease with being seen that the camera stops feeling like an obstacle and begins to feel like an ally or fades into the background.

  • Another key aspect of this is how you connect with people.

  • We can also get curious about what kind of warm up or other preparation best suits you.

Can you help me with my podcast or my podcast appearance?

  • Yes, and the podcast might involve video or be audio only.

  • Like camera work, it often revolves around preparing effectively and relating well with people.

I have real problems. Can you help me?

  • If we're a good fit. Even if we are a good fit, you may need additional support beyond me, and I may suggest seeing someone else while continuing to work with me. Depending on what's needed, this might mean a referral to a therapist, a body worker, an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT), or another kind of provider.

Do I need to have a specific problem, or can I work with you just to develop or explore?

  • You don’t need to have a problem to work with me. Some people come because they sense there's more available to them than what they’re currently accessing, and they want to discover what that ‘more’ is. Some people also come only out of the desire to explore and play.

WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH?

How are you different from other coaches?

  • The hallmark of my work is having access to a wide variety of principles and approaches along with a deep curiosity about what really supports you. I’m willing to fail with you in a particular moment of exploration — with a good spirit — in order to discover what really helps you (rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach).

Can you make me sound confident?

  • I’m not interested in just making you sound confident (because that doesn’t lead to great results). I am more interested in helping you become confident (the root of the word confidence means trust), and then helping you reveal that confidence in the circumstances you are in.

What is Fitzmaurice Voicework®, and how is it different from typical voice lessons?

  • Fitzmaurice Voicework® was developed by my mother, Catherine Fitzmaurice, and is now taught at Yale, Harvard, NYU, and hundreds of other programs worldwide. Rather than building technique on top of existing habits, it begins by releasing habits of rigidity in the body, breathing, voice, and awareness that have built up over time. Once your breathing is freer, your voice tends to follow, and what comes through is more of you.

What is Somatic Experiencing®, and how do you bring it into your coaching?

  • Somatic Experiencing® is a body-based approach to working with stress and trauma, developed by Peter Levine. Rather than focusing entirely on thoughts or narrative, it works with what's happening in the nervous system in the moment — helping people move through patterns of hyper-activation or shutdown that may have gotten stuck and become habitual after difficult past experiences. 

  • In my coaching, I draw on Somatic Experiencing® when I notice that what's getting in someone's way isn't a lack of skill or knowledge — it's a nervous system response that keeps happening when it’s not relevant. That might look like freezing under pressure or freezing with certain people, having a voice that tightens no matter how much you practice, or experiencing anxiety that doesn't respond to conventional preparation. Working at this level can support transformation that technique alone doesn't reach.

  • In case it’s helpful for you to know, I completed the Somatic Experiencing® three-year professional training program and received my SEP (Somatic Experiencing Practitioner) designation.

Can you help me conquer my fear of public speaking?

  • I approach anxiety and fear as natural and common experiences that need to be worked with skillfully rather than obliterated. Trying to conquer fear is like trying to conquer your arm — ”conquering” isn’t so helpful because it’s a natural part of you. I, for example, still feel anxious before I speak in front of a group of people I don’t know, but I can experience that anxiety as supportive rather than detrimental — the anxiety is still there but my relationship to it has changed. Fear, worked with skillfully and in a friendly way, can help you communicate more effectively. Many people’s challenge with fear is fear of fear itself (which creates an unhelpful feedback loop), and our work may lessen your fear or help you realize it’s in fact truly manageable. This could apply to stage fright, fear of public speaking, fear of high stakes conversations, fear of spontaneous interactions, social anxiety, and fear of intimate conversations. See my article on fear of public speaking and performance anxiety.

Do you teach embodiment/somatic practices, or are you more conceptually based?

  • The work is experiential and practical first. Concepts really matter — how you understand something affects how you do it — but understanding alone doesn't usually create lasting change. Most of what we do together involves direct experience in the body — breath, movement, sensation, presence — and practical experience. I draw on Fitzmaurice Voicework®, Somatic Experiencing®, and Castellino Foundation work, among other somatically-oriented approaches.

What do you mean by open-heartedness, and how do you bring it into your coaching?

  • By open-heartedness, I mean a quality of genuine receptivity — to yourself, to the people you're speaking with, to the environment you’re in, and to whatever is actually happening in the moment. It's not sentimentality; it's more like a willingness to be present with what's real, or even a welcoming of what’s real. I try to invite this into sessions by creating an environment where there's room to explore, take risks, make mistakes, and discover what is really enjoyable and valuable — rather than just teaching you to execute a technique correctly.

Do you use mindfulness or meditation techniques?

  • I do. I have an experiential and academic background in Buddhist studies, and when appropriate, mindfulness and meditation techniques can be helpful tools.

Will you be able to teach me a few steps to make me great?

  • Commitment can lead someone to being good. Passion and curiosity can lead to more. I wish I could teach these, but it's your responsibility to bring these to our work.

Is touch necessary?

  • Touch is not necessary. My priority is listening to your needs and boundaries. For some people touch can be very helpful, and for some it’s not helpful. I offer touch when I sense it might help you feel more safe, more supported, more grounded, or more embodied. That said, whether you receive touch is always up to you. Consent is a foundation of my work, and there will never be a touch requirement.

Do you give homework or exercises between sessions?

  • Yes, so long as a client is open to doing the work. When that’s the case, I give homework at the end of each session — in ways that are tailored to each individual.

WHO DO YOU WORK WITH?

Do you work with people in specific professional industries (like tech, creative, legal, education, wellness, hospitality, etc.)?

  • Yes — I work with people across all of these fields and many others, including founders pitching to investors and learning to manage challenging dynamics, lawyers preparing for trials, tech and creative CEO’s learning to communicate more effectively and develop their executive presence, doctors and scientists presenting research and learning to regulate their nervous systems, educators developing their speaking presence and responsiveness, and artists finding and using their voice. Whether you're in one of these fields or another one, the work we do is adapted to your specific context.

Do you offer coaching for groups, teams, and organizations?

  • Yes. I work with organizations on communication, presentation skills, executive presence, and related areas — both in workshops and in ongoing consulting. I also lead a team of coaches for larger organizational engagements. For more information or to discuss your organization's specific needs, please reach out directly on my Contact page.

Do you work with actors? Do you offer acting or audition coaching, and in what ways?

  • Yes, many of my clients are actors. What I offer isn't audition coaching in a conventional sense, and I don't do scene study or give line readings. What I work on is embodiment, voice, presence, and connection — to yourself, to the material, to the reader, camera, or audience — applied directly to what you're working with. That often means helping you feel more grounded and free on camera or in person, bringing more of yourself to your work, and finding ways to work well with nerves. If you're looking for scene analysis or audition strategy, I'm happy to refer you to excellent teachers. If a role is calling you toward something deeper in your being, your voice, or your body — or toward connecting with others or the camera — that's the kind of work I do. 

  • I also help actors (and other performers) learn to regulate their nervous systems. This can apply to the prep process, the actual audition, and after the audition. Sometimes this means finding more calm, sometimes it means being able to safely invite in more range or intensity in fluid and relevant ways. 

Do you work with singers? Do you help singers prepare songs for auditions?

  • I’m not a singing teacher, but I work with singers on areas like breathing, connecting more deeply to their material, vocal support, working with nerves, and stage presence. For technical vocal training, I can refer you to excellent teachers.

  • I sometimes help singers prepare for auditions. We can use your own backing tracks, you can accompany yourself, or you can sing a cappella. I can't help if you need me to accompany you, or if you need ear training, music theory, or technical singing training in specific styles. In those cases, ask me for a great referral.

Do you work with clients with disabilities?

  • Yes. I work with people with a large range of abilities and disabilities. My studio is partially accessible, and I’m happy to work with you to try to meet your needs.

Do you work with neurodivergent clients? (ADHD and Autism Spectrum)

  • Yes. I have worked with many neurodivergent clients (some who are diagnosed and some who are not).

Do you work with children?

  • I sometimes work with children, but only rarely. Here's why:

  • Much of my work depends upon my clients having access to what's genuinely true for them or at least wanting that access — to their own impulses and their own sense of what matters. Many children, understandably, are still more focused on fitting in with or responding to the adults around them, and their own deeper impulses don't yet come clearly into awareness. When that's the case, the kind of transformative work I do is hard to reach.

  • This is often bound up with a child's relationship to their parents' expectations. When a child doesn't yet have much access to what's true for them, real learning of this kind is difficult — and the coaching relationship itself asks something of a child they may not yet be able to do: to notice when something isn't right for them and to say so to an adult who's teaching them. That discernment is part of what makes the work safe and effective, and it's often still developing in childhood.

  • So while I do work with some children, it's rare, and I approach this with care. Before beginning, I talk with both the child and the parent(s), so all of us can sense together whether there’s a good fit.

Do you help with accent reduction or dialects?

  • I don't, but I know excellent coaches who I can put you in touch with. Ask me.

  • On the subject of accent reduction, I also have a strong point of view: the idea of accent reduction is not nearly as helpful for most people as accent acquisition — rather than making it your goal to reduce or eliminate your accent, make it your goal to acquire a clear American accent (if that’s the accent you’re wanting). This way you become more, not less, of yourself; and you can embody more possibilities of who you are, not fewer. Later in your development, this distinction can make a big difference not only to your voice but also to your sense of self. 

WHAT ARE THE PRACTICAL DETAILS?

How do I start working with you?

  • Fill out the form on my Contact page, and you’ll hear back within one to two business days.

What should I expect in a first private session?

  • The first session is a little longer than a standard session (it’s usually 90 minutes but billed as one hour). We’ll talk, I’ll ask you a lot of questions. My goal will be for both of us to have a sense of whether we’re a good fit, and for you to have a sense of what our work will be and how it can help you. If you want more detailed information, you can request an Info Sheet with all the basic details (see my Contact page).

Where are you located?

  • West Hollywood, CA / Los Angeles, CA (USA). I also travel to work with clients. For more information, request an Info Sheet.

What areas do in-person clients commute to you from?

  • Clients come to me from areas in and around Los Angeles, including Atwater Village, Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Burbank, Culver City, DTLA, Eagle Rock, Echo Park, Glendale, Highland Park, Hollywood, Inglewood, Larchmont, Los Feliz, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, North Hollywood, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Silver Lake, Studio City, Thousand Oaks, Venice, West Hollywood, Westwood, and many others in Southern California.

Do you offer remote sessions for public speaking, voice, communication, or presence?

  • Yes, I teach using Zoom and other services (Teams, etc.). Online sessions can work remarkably well and for some people have obvious advantages over in-person sessions. That said, if you are able to work in person at some point, that’s also worth trying in order to discover what helps you.

How long are individual sessions?

  • The majority of my clients meet for 1-hour sessions, though some prefer to meet for 2 or more hours at a time.

How often do clients meet with you?

  • Most clients work with me on a weekly basis. However, depending on what’s needed and realistic for both of us, I sometimes work 2 - 5 times per week with people, or as little as once every two weeks or once per month. After we’ve learned how to work together, some clients work only on an as-needed basis. Our initial schedule depends on your needs and is usually clarified in our first session.

How many sessions do people typically do?

  • Some clients work with me for just a few sessions, and they get what they need. Some work for a number of months. Some clients work with me for many years and continue to work for as long as we both sense the work is developing and has real value. 

How long does it typically take to begin to see results?

  • Some clients experience results from the very first session. Most will at least sense the possibility of specific results in their first session. Some will have a trust that emerges in the first session that our work will be valuable, but not actually experience results until later.

What are your rates?

How do your rates compare with other coaches?

  • My regular rates are competitive with other quality coaches. My discounted rates make it possible for more people to work with me. There are great coaches who charge less than I do. If I'm too expensive, I’m happy to give you excellent referrals.

Do you offer a free first session or consultation?

  • I don’t offer free first sessions. We begin working as soon as we meet, and I give you 100% of my attention. Before committing to a session, however, if you want to talk on the phone or over Zoom for fifteen minutes to ask questions, share something about your specific context, or hear my voice, I’m glad to do that.

If I need your sliding scale, do I really choose how much to pay you?

  • It’s on the honor system based on your ability to pay, and I rely on you to determine the maximum amount you are able to pay within my sliding scale (without harming yourself). If you need to be on the sliding scale, and you prefer that I set the price for you, let me know your general financial circumstances, and I will suggest an amount to pay.

Are the sessions with you confidential? 

  • Yes, what we talk about stays between us. You are of course free to talk about the work we do together with anyone.
     

WHO ARE YOU?

See the Who I Am section of the website for more information.