American English Foundation Courses

"This course has so many great nuggets of wisdom!"

"I’ve crammed down the first four and a half chapters of the Master the American English Vowels for Spanish Speakers course. This course has so many great nuggets of wisdom! I’m sure other Spanish speakers will love it, too. So far, the part that I love the most is the reduced vowels in sentences as I know it makes such a big difference in speech. And having the chance to repeat each sentence as many times as I want in normal and slower pace is just brilliant!" — Rocio P., Software Engineer, Spanish

"Take the leap to reach your English goals!"

"I recently finished a 10 sessions program with Julie and I am completely satisfied with the results. Since the first class, it was clear that she was an expert on the subject and created a safe space to practice and ask. The program is completely structured to your needs and based on an initial feedback on your English level, which is probably affected by your mother tongue. It was quite helpful to know the aspects that I needed to improve, but at the same time to be versatile enough to focus on the points you feel less confident. Julie is very organized, so you are aware beforehand of how the class will be, together with feedback of your assignments. I totally recommend Julie if you are looking for a coach that helps you improve those details of your accent that limit your communication or make you feel less confident. My best piece of advice is take the leap to reach your English goals!"  — Juan V., PhD student, Spanish

"I feel others can understand me better."

"Julie provided key information on American English pronunciation. Before I attended her 4-week seminar, I thought my pronunciation was pretty good. After the first class, I realized that there are still many things I can improve on. She provided information and feedback on how I can improve my pronunciation skills. I liked very much her practice in the class. The information I learned in her classes helped me to hear and understand better what others are saying. And with practice, I can feel others can understand me better as well. Julie has a great way of helping me to realize how the muscles in my mouth can move in a way to fulfill the need for the word at hand. This is exactly what I need to improve."  — Hong, Senior Scientist, Mandarin

"This course gave me a jump start on becoming a better story teller."

"Working with Julie was awesome! She helped customize the syllabus as per the feedback from my initial performance review, which helped me focus on my weak areas such as understanding intonation, consonants, and American English pronunciation. The course gave me a jump start on becoming a better story teller."  — Sunit V., Electrical Engineer, Hindi

"So thankful for Julie! She is an outstanding instructor; organized, flexible, knowledgeable, dependable, objective, honest, and committed to help her students succeed. Despite being unable to complete the 16 lesson course due to other commitments. I was able to improve my pronunciation during our 9 sessions, and most importantly, increase my awareness of speech patterns that as an ESL student was not familiar with. Working with Julie has significantly improved my overall confidence in speaking the English language. I particularly appreciate her honest feedback, and all the resources provided during our sessions. I highly recommend working with Julie for anybody wanting to improve their pronunciation and understanding of American speech patterns. So worth it!"  — Lupita H., Registered Nurse, Spanish

"Before I worked with Julie, I had trouble pronouncing words with vowel sounds - I’d either carry over a sound to another word or swap the starting sounds of two consecutive words. This made me a little conscious and I asked her for help. She broke down the pronunciations and word linkings over a few video sessions, and helped me master the pronunciations. As a result, I became proficient at pronouncing sounds I previously had trouble with, and now I’m much more confident while speaking. I’ve also gained more awareness of my pronunciation. Julie is an excellent and a patient communication coach, and I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to work on their pronunciation and accent reduction."  — S.J., Tamil

"I have renewed confidence in my accent capability."

"I had the pleasure of working with Julie on my standard American accent. Her knowledge and supportive instruction style made the experience truly enjoyable and worthwhile. Her professional yet easy going manner made me feel comfortable from the outset. Julie was encouraging, enthusiastic and most of all patient. I have renewed confidence in my accent capability and I have her to thank for it."  — Stephen L., Voice Over Actor, South African English

"I was always able to see improvement after each class."

"I am a college student and have taken Julie's classes for over six months. Julie fixed my Chinese accent and improved my speech skills. She is one of the most responsible teachers I have ever had. Julie is VERY ORGANIZED. She would make a plan every time before class and give good feedback after. Julie would always upload helpful practices in Google Drive with an organized format. I also had a practice sheet that tracked my practice time. All of these small details made me study and make progress spontaneously. Julie is also extremely precise and experienced. I had a Chinese accent and she was able to find my minor flaws and give me efficient ways to fix them. I was always able to see my improvement after each class. I am very fortunate to learn from Julie. If you want to fix your accent precisely and efficiently, Julie will be your best choice."  — Aaron Z., Student, Mandarin

"Julie increased my awareness of how to speak like a native speaker."

"I have worked with Julie for 8 months to improve my accent. She is an incredible teacher. I like how quickly she could diagnose my pronunciation issues, in particular my tongue placements. She increased my awareness of how to speak like a native speaker. She also gave me drills to improve my speech, some of which are quite innovative such as using a metronome. Julie is very patient and compassionate and fun to work with. I highly recommend her for her skills, caliber, and approaches to quickly move you forward.” — Joan Y., Life Coach, Mandarin