DIALECT COACH
The Most Common Question:
How in the world did you become a dialect coach?
Originally from rural Kansas, I am a third generation teacher and musician. Writing, reading, speechmaking, singing, improvising, and dancing were all major elements of my childhood.
I earned a BFA in Acting from Oklahoma City University while running the university’s tutoring center, teaching ESL to international graduate students.
Like the generations before me, I found myself falling in love with both performing and teaching. I dreamed of finding a corner of the world that combined my two passions.
Everything shifted after a Russian doctor reached out because his patients couldn’t understand him, I stumbled upon a well of inspiration that's been fueling me for the past 12 years: teaching American accents to professionals & actors.
Coaching performers through lived experience
When I first started my business, I split my time between acting and accent coaching. After a few years, I chose to forego performance and focus fully on my students.
I was a good coach but I noticed I was becoming distanced from being able to relate to the intense performance pressure my clients were under.
So in 2022 I started a second career as a jazz singer in New Orleans.
Actively performing again has allowed me to viscerally stay connected to the challenges a performer or presenter faces. Remembering lines, blocking, being present, emoting--especially if it's in a new accent--is incredibly difficult.
Yes, I may put on fancy dresses on the weekend and sing sultry jazz, but don't be fooled: at heart I’m an obsessive language nerd who is thrilled to be involved in your growth.
Thriving in the limelight is a practicable skill
Working with celebrities, studios and corporations, I have taught people from 70+ countries, helping actors and productions earn 13 major awards and 15 nominations.
Ultimately, clients come to me when the stakes are high. Most notably, I helped Daniel Kaluuya win an Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, NAACP, and SAG Award in 2021, performing as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.
It's not all celebrities. I help actors with big auditions and accents in roles, professionals in new positions and preparing for intimidating presentations, and many others with the subtle art of making heads turn when walking into a room.
Voice work is not just enunciation, it's learning how to sound alive
Storytelling on the highest platforms possible is about learning to transcend.
Finding your flow.
Leading with presence, power, openness, and conviction.
Whether I’m coaching you for a Marvel series or a business meeting, together we can find a way through your blocks — not just to master an accent, but to unlock the confident human behind the voice.
If this is the level you're ready to work at, I’d love to hear from you.
