What if it was possible to feel confident and powerful and fully yourself speaking English WITHOUT changing your language skills at all?
Hello there! I’m Rhiannon
I’m a language coach for Advanced English learners.
My mission is help you know - I mean, really really know - how important and valid your voice is in English.
I know that this is different to what you’re used to…
...but is what you’re used to working for you at the moment?
So much of your journey to being an Advanced English user so far has been driven by a drive to know as much language as possible. And that’s been so great for you - you love learning new things and it’s motivating to know that there’s so much of it out there!
But recently you’ve started noticing a downside of this drive.
You’ve even found yourself wondering what the point is: if you’re never going to feel in control, maybe it’s best to just give up?
I hear you - and so do the folk I work with - you’re tired and frustrated and angry that you’ve made so much progress and learned so much and mastered linguistic skills you never thought possible but, when it comes to the moment of using it, there’s this doubt in your mind:
“Is that the right word?”
“Which tense should I use?”
“Which preposition works best?”
And if it were just about language, you might be able to cope but it’s bigger than that:
“If they hear my accent, they’ll think I’m just another foreigner and not take me seriously.”
“If I can’t express myself clearly, why should I have this job when someone else could do it in perfect English?”
It’s not all bad, though - there are great days, too!
Days when all that work seems to mean something - you are thrust into a tricky situation and you handle it like a pro; you sit up and realise you’ve been laughing along to that YouTube video and hardly even noticing it was in English; you solve a problem for your client and they are so grateful and you feel on top of the world.
But then… the doubt comes back and you sit silently in meetings when you know exactly what you want to say, or you miss something in the middle of a conversation and your whole head fills with white noise and you can’t concentrate on anything else they’re saying, or your chest feels tight and anxious when you’re just having coffee with a friend for God’s sake… and the thoughts come back:
“I need to fix my pronunciation.”
“If I just knew more phrasal verbs…”
“Maybe once I pass my CPE…”
“Maybe I should just give up.”
Can I tell you what I think?
I think it’s none of that.
More vocabulary isn’t going to solve your problem.
More grammar isn’t going to solve your problem.
Changing your accent isn’t going to solve your problem.
Because none of that needs to change.
You’ve learned a flipping second language! (And for all I know you have a third and fourth as well). To an Advanced level! You are a machine. You are incredible.
You understand and can be understood in a language you didn’t speak growing up.
What kind of sorcery is that!? Think of all the things that you can do now because of your English. (Seriously, write them down - this shit’s powerful!) All the things you can read and watch and listen to. All the people you’ve spoken to. Not the mention the pleasure of learning, of unlocking the code, of things clicking into place.
All that’s happened is that, along the way, you’ve picked up some unhelpful beliefs and standards about English, about language learning, and about what it means to be fluent.
And you’re holding yourself to these standards.
And, unsurprisingly, you’re failing.
And you want to know the best best best part of all of this? You want to know what happens when you know - really really know - how powerful your English is?
That’s right - you become free.
Nothing can stop you now!
Does feeling confident mean you’ll never learn another word because you “know enough”?
Of course not.
Does feeling confident mean you’ll never understand any more than right now?
Of course not.
Does feeling confident mean you’ll start getting worse because you get complacent and stop paying attention?
Not even a little bit.
Because knowing how far you’ve come and appreciating everything you can do is the best possible position to learn from.
It takes the pressure off which means you can be curious again.
You’re never going to stop improving because you believe improving is important. It’s just that at the moment, this pressure of perfection is silencing you and stressing you out and making you feel like this whole bloody journey has been a waste of time.
But you can change that. You can love you’re English - just as it is right now - AND be excited to keep improving.
Take the first step with me today.
Book your place in a group coaching session and I promise that we will lift some of that fear and exhaustion and frustration you’re feeling about English.
With a maximum group size of just 10 members, we’ll work together to share our experiences of English and learn how to become more calm and in control when using it.
We’ll uncover the fears and worries that cause so much of your anxiety, forgetfulness and panic when it comes to speaking English.
We’ll learn how to see English differently so that it stops being a skill to be achieved once and for all (with all the tightly gripped fists and frustration that that idea brings) and instead becomes a journey to be enjoyed for the rest of your life.
The sessions will take place on the 28th and 29th October and there’s even an option for language teachers who not only want to build their own confidence, but learn how to share this confidence with their students.
Regular Coaching Workshop
£28
28th October, 10am UK
Teacher Coaching Workshop
£38
28th October, 5:30pm UK
Regular Coaching Workshop
£28
29th October, 10am UK
CLOSES 6PM UK FRIDAY 28TH
So…is this a webinar or what?
This is a workshop, meaning you will be asked to contribute and share. Much of our time will be spent with you doing the talking - not just me. It’s my job to challenge you and question you and push you gently towards a new perspective, but I have no power over whether you take that step, which is why I’ll give you lots of space to work through the things we talk about.
Do I need to be Advanced to join this?
This coaching is aimed at people who have already reached a B2 (minimum) level of English. If that isn’t you yet, I’m sorry. The reason I do this is two-fold: 1) The language required simply to participate is about this level - you’ll be doing lots of talking and listening and it will help if you’re able to grasp the main ideas of what people are saying without too much difficulty; 2) My coaching is based on the idea that ‘you already have enough English’ and, honestly, before B2 it’s likely that you don’t yet! That’s not always true, of course, it depends on what you need English for. But the B2/C1 line is usually where most learners have the skills to handle themselves.
I’m in high school and I find your Instagram really helpful - can I join?
This coaching is exclusively for adults (18 years old+) My language gets sweary sometimes and I wouldn’t want a parent getting angry with me! There are also some legal requirements for working with under-18s and, since I don’t work with them, I don’t have them! So, adults only, please!
I look forward to meeting you in a workshop!