A tea drinking, kimono wearing, podcast obsessed book worm with a Northern Irish accent, dirty laugh, your dad’s taste in music and ferocious appetite for words, voices, stories and human beings.

I have been working as a voice, accent and dialect coach since 2010 and I am proud and delighted that, as a company of one, I have helped hundreds if not thousands get more comfortable and connected to their voices.

Through lecturing at many of the country’s top actor training establishments, including The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama , Bristol Old Vic, East 15 and Arts Ed, as well as coaching on countless film, television and theatre productions, for companies such as the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Cameron Mackintosh and The Donmar, and, of course, my own thriving coaching practice, I empower and motivate folk like you, actors and non actors alike, to get less scared and more curious about voice and accent.

Let's do it

My career so far…

My career so far has brought some rather obvious thrills, like helping Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, BAFTA, Olivier and Tony winning actors prepare for their roles, being on the team of the world’s first fully painted feature film, experiencing one of my projects get both Golden Globe and Oscar nominated and, more recently, a client getting Oscar nominated for a role we worked on together. (You can find out about more of my past projects here.)

But, honestly, the real highs have been your breakthrough moments. I’ve loved seeing the pennies drop, hearing the hard work pay off and watching you communicate with freedom and ease.

I’m much more interested in getting to know you and helping you get to know your voice than disappearing for weeks on end to work on a film.

My life and work has been enriched by my clients.

Over the years you’ve taught me what works and what doesn’t; what’s helpful to know, and what just gets in the way; what helps get you closer to your character or message, and what takes you into your head.

You are constantly challenging and expanding my ideas about the best ways to approach voice, speech and accent, as well as what it means to be vocally connected and free.

I don’t just want to help you nail that audition, create the right sound for that character or perfect the perfect presentation (although, of course, I will), I want to give you the tools you need to take ownership of your voice and accent work and instill an excitement and curiosity that will serve you your entire career.

What story do you wish to tell?

Because that’s what I really do: help people tell stories. Clearly, confidently and truthfully.

Perhaps it’s your own personal story and you want to tell it in a way that feels true to you, in a voice that reflects who you are, where you’ve been and where you’re going?

Or maybe you’re an actor entrusted with the task of giving voice to someone else’s story and want to do so in a way that feels respectful, sensitive and true to character, time and place while still allowing you to get out of your head long enough to give the language the vibrancy, clarity and nuance it deserves?

Is your voice telling the right one?

They say our eyes are the windows to our souls and, if that’s true, I reckon our voices are the front doors.

Yeah, they might be the vehicle we use to tell a lot of our stories but our voices are also stories in their own right. Open your mouth to speak and the sounds that come out will tell a thousand tales of their own.

Let's tell your Story

Whatever story has brought you here, I’ll help you tell it, and tell it well.

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to create a safe environment and encouraging, supportive community where people can get to know their voices, have fun exploring how they work and feel empowered enough to use them to their full potential.

I want to spread the word that voice and accent work can be fun and playful, not just something to be explored out of panic, fear and necessity.

I want to offer more than just quick fixes ahead of a casting or role but rather a lifelong fascination with your voice.

So here I am, armed with a bucket load of passion and driven by the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to know and understand their own voice, no matter their background or learning style, whether ‘trained’ or not.

Every voice deserves to be heard.

Every story deserves to be told,

And told well.

HOW ON EARTH DID I END UP DOING THIS?

I get asked this more than anything! And, if you’ve read this far, you’re probably intrigued, so here goes…

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the human voice and all its potential. Branded the class chatterbox at age five, I was practically singing before I could talk. (Unfortunately the dancing still eludes me and definitely did not come before the walk)

Growing up in Northern Ireland’s answer to the VonTrapp family, with a mother who had five languages and a penchant for character voices and a guitar slinging father whose BFG-bedtime-story-voice could’ve given Rylance a run for his money, my childhood hobbies included hosting neighbourhood talent shows and producing full blown productions of Grease in my back garden. My teenage career dilemma was a toss up between speech therapy and the performing arts. So I guess it’s not that surprising that I’ve ended up where I am, although the Andrew Lloyd Webber spouting seventeen year old would never have predicted it.

Training as an actor at The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), I went on to perform professionally in both the UK and Ireland. My interest in story-telling, writing and directing also led me to co-found the Northern Ireland based Narrow Escape Theatre Company. All these experiences left me yearning for a deeper practical understanding of voice and speech and their connection to the body, mind and performance of the actor.

It was this yearning that led me to the Voice Studies MA at RCSSD where I was lucky enough to study directly with some of the world's leading voice practitioners including the late Cicely Berry, Kristin Linklater, Catherine Fitzmaurice and Barbara Houseman. That was an experience that changed the course of my life forever, marking the start of a lifelong journey to feed an insatiable curiosity for all things voice, speech, accent and the human mind.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. I hope this is just the beginning of our relationship. I’d love to learn more about you. Please get in touch if you would like to learn more about me. The best way to stay connected is to sign up to my Voice-Mail — just enter your name and email.