Sarah Rocha Coelho is a British native English speaker and an English Coach. She helps international professionals learn to feel calm and confident speaking English in the moments that matter. For over twenty years, she has been helping people uplevel their fluency so that they can use their English to help them thrive in their personal and professional lives. Personally, she knows what it is like to take big leaps and to navigate change as she has lived and worked in five different countries. She knows that confidence is something that can be consciously created. It’s challenging but oh so worth it!
Tell us about your life before the venture/ leading up to your venture?
In my own life, I have taken big risks and been brave and bold. I’ve lived and worked in five different countries and volunteered as a teacher in Ghana with the Help a School project.
Moving to my husband’s country of Brazil was my biggest leap because it took a lot to leave Canada after living there for 15 years.
It took a lot of work and courage to run a business in my second language (Brazilian Portuguese) while also becoming a mother for the first time and dealing with culture shock… not to mention trying to navigate simple day-to-day challenges such as trying to adjust to the humid air that comes with the heat of Brazilians summers! During the years in Brazil, I spent a lot of time exclaiming that there was “no air in the air” and asking if it would get any hotter. 🙂
Tell us something about your organization. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?
I have a monthly membership called LEAP which is effectively both a speaking club and also a group coaching programme. It is different from all the speaking clubs out there where you could find yourself wasting time doing a lot of listening, only briefly speaking about a few random questions and never really gaining more confidence.
LEAP focuses on using a group coaching model to deeply shift your mindset, motivation and mastery of English as well as helping you maximise your self-study routines so you can make the most progress in the least amount of time possible.
What has been the response of the consumers towards your venture?
It’s been an absolute delight to see members achieve their goals and step out of their comfort zone. Many who are in employment have found themselves better able to facilitate and lead. Those with businesses have surprised themselves at how they have transformed their visibility. For example, mastering Facebook lives and starting their own online communities – all things that rely on a strong foundation of speaking confidence.
How has your life changed because of your venture?
It’s been a dream come true to finally be able to bridge the gap that I have always known existed between English fluency training and native speaker public speaking training. It’s a joy to be doing the work that I love to do and to see how truly transformative it is for others.
Give a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
Your level of confidence in yourself and your ability to speak with the kind of influence and impact that truly serves others is something you can choose to build. It starts with connecting with yourself and your sense of calm within and making a commitment to be true to your own word so that you can grow your sense of feeling willing, worthy and capable.
