Last weekend I got an email from a former student of Pronunciation Pro. It was the kind of email I LOVE receiving.
It was an update on his success since taking my course.
His name is Koji (from Brazil) and he was a Premier member who worked 1:1 with our American Trainers.
At the time he worked for Google in the San Francisco Bay Area in the US. Now he is the Head of Design at Lyft Business.
Koji is from Brazil and (like many of you) has an incredibly inspiring story as a Latino Immigrant here in the US.
He courageously shared his story here.
In it he shares some powerful insight that I hope you will reflect on. I know as you do it’ll lead you to greater confidence. Here’s part of his story…
“With the support of my manager I took accent reduction classes, this class was a game-changer to me.
With a reduced — not eliminated — accent, I not only felt that people would understand me better, but it helped to feel way more confident, and reduce that eloquence gap against my primary language.
With better communication, at some point, I felt I was missing somehow my identity.
I was trying too hard to match my colleagues that grew up in the Valley, or had English as their first language.
This was painful, as I didn’t have the same path as they had.
My solution was to focus on being myself instead and at getting better at being me everyday.
I couldn’t shy away from my story anymore. Hiding my story from myself and others was a mistake.
What makes my story hard is actually what makes me a unique person.
And as many immigrant stories, we have a long journey just to be here in the US.
This was maybe the most important learning during my journey: never feel ashamed of who you are and never hide yourself.” – Koji Pereira
As you work to improve your spoken English I encourage you to follow Koji’s example and also do the work of self-acceptance.
To own your story, who you are, and where you came from.
The combination of improved English communication skills and self-acceptance…
Now that’s where you’ll find your greatest power and confidence!
Not sure how to do this? Join Pronunciation Pro and I’ll show you how.
