Private Coaching: Fully customized to your voice, your situations, your expertise
Your sounding board and thought partner as you build sustainable speaking confidence.
You used to speak with more ease. But something shifted—a promotion, life transitions, a new role—and now your voice disappears in rooms where it matters most.
You're 100% confident with your team or outside of work. But when you're put on the spot under pressure? Your performance becomes unpredictable.
The inconsistency makes every speaking moment exhausting because you never know which version of yourself will show up.
You've tried:
Over-preparing (scripting everything for hours)
Traditional executive presence training
Recording yourself
Beta blockers
But the harder you try, the worse it gets.
What if this isn't about communication at all?
When your voice disappears, it's not because you don't know what to say.
It's because your attention splits—between what you want to say and how you think you're being perceived.
Your brain fog, your lost train of thought, your voice fluctuation, speaking too fast, the sweating, the blushing, the stomach distress, the shortness of breath—these aren't communication problems.
This is a focus issue. And focus is a muscle you can strengthen.
(yes, even if you learn differently—it’s all about honoring your own voice and building your own framework!)
Watch Lee’s TEDx talk about this work:
In private coaching, we build a framework of tools customized for your voice
An alternative to traditional "executive presence" training, which asks you to perform confidence and dominate rooms.
This isn't about becoming someone you're not. It's about accessing who you already are—even when your attention wants to splinter.
In private coaching, I custom-build tools for you that tend to fit into three focus areas:
EMBODY
Grounded Presence & Managing Nerves
Get out of your head and into the present.
Regulate your nervous system instead of fighting it.
Anchor your attention so you can think under pressure.
Stop trying to be polished/professional/precise/perfect.
Start being present.
“Lee personalizes the learning plan based on your unique skills and challenges and iterate to adapt as you grow.”
— UX Director Salesforce
EXPERT
Accessing Your Expertise Without Over-Preparing
Stop scripting everything. Learn to organize your thinking on the go.
Find the "10th floor" instead of starting in the details.
Trust what you know in the moment and that over-preparation perpetuates the cycle.
"I appreciate Lee's individualized, tailored approach to helping me improve my comfort and confidence in effectively communicating in various settings.”— Makeba Williams, MD
EMPATHY
Connection Without Collapse
Stop absorbing everyone's anxiety (and preserve your own).
Use your empathy strategically—as a focusing tool, not a distraction.
Re-center your audience without losing your center.
“Lee helped me acknowledge the deeper issues underneath my speaking anxiety while also offering easy and actionable tips to speak with more confidence and clarity.”
— Susanna, Product Manager
I created this work because I needed it.
And because I kept meeting brilliant people who were considering leaving careers they loved because of speaking anxiety.
I believe speaking anxiety is a rational response to hierarchical power structures—not a personal failing.
My approach is all about presence, not perfection. Because I believe you're confident when you're comfortable.
AS SEEN IN
This isn't a program you follow. It's fully customized to:
Your specific triggers (senior leaders? groups? investors? conflict?)
Your leadership stage (first-time manager? director? VP? entrepreneur?)
Your actual speaking situations (presentations, meetings, pitches, interviews)
Your unique fulcrum point (what got you here won't get you there)
How it Works
We work together 1:1 over 3- or 6-month increments.
We build your personal Presence Playbook—structure you can access under any pressure
“The single best professional development training I have taken part in.”
— Zachary Rosen, CEO at Pantheon
Immediately:
You have tools to manage your nervous system before important moments
You know how to respond when put on the spot (even when you're not "ready")
You prepare efficiently instead of obsessively
You understand what's actually happening (not a communication problem, a focus issue)
What Changes
Over time:
You access your authority consistently (not just when comfortable)
You speak up in rooms where your voice used to disappear
You influence with intention using your empathy as a strength
You express yourself fully and freely—even under pressure
You make the fulcrum shift: from deferential → creating clarity, from thorough → concise, from forceful → magnetic
“Lee has changed how I approach casual conversations, and how I feel about them. My coworkers have noticed my increased confidence, and more importantly, I feel it.”
— Erin, Veterinarian
Each private coaching process includes:
Bi-weekly 1:1 Zoom sessions where we work on your real situations
Unlimited asynchronous support on Signal
Monthly Presence Labs to practice in a group
I'm your thought partner as you prepare for important moments
I help you see patterns you can't see yourself
Investment
$1850/month for 3-months
$1750/month for 6-months
Limited spots available
Interested in this work? Schedule a call with me and we can get to know each other.
I reserve discounts for people working in non-profits, teaching, and government and limited pay-what-you-wish spots for those working in social justice or who have lost their livelihood in this moment.
This work is different:
It’s not about fixing you →
There's nothing wrong with you.
You're responding rationally to oppressive hierarchies and alpha-dominant cultures.
“I appreciate how you customize tools on the fly. Knowing which tools I should focus on first has been helpful in allowing me to continuously improve without the pressure of implementing them all at once.”
— Engineering Leader
It’s not about performing confidence →
You don't need to become someone else. You need structure to find yourself under pressure.
Combining proven frameworks with your unique voice for sustainable confidence.
“It’s really amazing how far I’ve come, how much growth there’s been and how different I feel from 3 months ago. I feel like I can talk to anyone now.”
— Project Manager
It’s not about memorizing scripts →
Over-preparation perpetuates the problem.
Learn how to organize your thoughts on the go and prepare the right amount (for both spontaneous and public speaking!)
“I stopped over-preparing for presentations and everything feels easier now. This work is strengthening the muscle of being myself."
— VP in Financial Services
What questions are coming up?
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I work with people across industries and seniority levels who want to leverage empathy to make an impact. I’ve worked with many physicians, software engineers, product managers, data science leaders, tech executives, nonprofit leaders, activists, engineering leaders, CEOs, and sales leaders.
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Schedule a call above.
After signing up, you’ll complete an intake form to help me design our process to meet your goals.
We meet every other week for a 75-minute private coaching session on Zoom.
After each session, I email you a recap and personalized plan so you have full clarity of what to work on between now and next time.
You’re encouraged to be in touch with me between our sessions so I can support you in real-time as you encounter roadblocks or questions.
A few times a month, you’re invited to come and practice our work in an intimate, confidential group space with my other clients. Think of this as public speaking exposure therapy as you build muscle memory to bring this work into some of your more challenging rooms and Zooms.
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This work is personalized for your voice and daily moments. We build tools based on what already works for you, so it folds naturally into your communication. It works because it's yours.
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This will save you time. Instead of hours spent over-preparing, you'll have frameworks you can access in the moment.
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Our sessions go beyond theoretical. In each session, we are practicing and implementing tools so you feel prepared to bring this work into your biggest moments. Our sessions focus on getting you to your goals, whether we’re practicing tools for when you’re put on the spot or preparing for presentations or speaking engagements.
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Public speaking anxiety isn't just nerves. It's often status anxiety. You're confident in your expertise, but around senior leaders or dominant personalities, you get quiet.
The physical symptoms are real: heart racing, chest tightness, difficulty breathing. Your body responds to the threat of dominance in the room.
The struggle isn't your voice. It's situational, systemic. You need personal, practical tools to help you regulate your nervous system and anchor your attention in the present moment.
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Yes, I work with corporate teams and occasionally launch my own group coaching programs:
Group Coaching: Click here to explore current group programs
Corporate Training: I design and facilitate custom workshops virtually or in-person which can be adapted for any size group. Click here to learn more.
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This work opens opportunities for advancement and recognition. Most clients find it pays for itself through career growth.
I reserve limited pay-what-you-wish spots, with priority given to people working for social justice.
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Your empathy is your strength. The tools we use work with your brain, not against it. We focus on consolidating your attention in the present moment.
I’ve supported many neuro-diverse clients in private coaching. Anxiety and attention can manifest in similar ays so our focusing work is all about finding the right tools that work for your voice.
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In our sessions, we build a foundation to support you across all of your communication, so it doesn’t matter if you don’t have specific speaking opportunities coming up.
We want to begin using the tools in spaces where you’re more comfortable so you can build your confidence. I simulate the intensity of putting you on the spot in our sessions (and our group space is a great place to practice these tools).
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Executive presence is usually code for performing dominance. It's about projecting authority, commanding rooms, looking polished.
That's not what the world needs.
We don't need more dominant, disconnected leaders who struggle with actual connection. We need Empathetic Presence: people who can speak truth clearly, who use their empathy as a focusing tool, who align their voices with their values.
Empathetic Presence means you stop performing confidence and start embodying it. You stop deferring to authority and start trusting your expertise. You get out of your head and into the present moment.
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The fear isn't the problem. The fear makes sense. You've been in rooms where dominant voices get heard and depth gets ignored. Your body is responding to that.
Overcoming fear isn't about "getting over it" or building false confidence. It's about building tools that help you stay present even when the fear shows up. Tools that replace over-preparation with focused presence. Tools that help you stop performing and start speaking like yourself. Item description
