My Story

I grew up in a large Italian family surrounded by storytellers. They didn’t waste words. They were smart, funny and often irreverent. That’s probably where I first developed my appreciation and fascination with the power of the spoken word.

At 17 I left my small town and headed to the big city, Vancouver BC, where I attended university and graduated with a degree in Psychology. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up but I did know that I was interested in what makes people tick… and I could not get enough of hearing people’s stories. I learned that everyone has a story to tell (even though they don’t always know it themselves).

An unexpected series of events led me to my first job in television. I guess you would say I was discovered. I launched my TV career as the Host and Interviewer on a daily, LIVE talk show called Vancouver Morning. Yep, that’s me. Every day I was able to do the thing I love most - talk with people. All kinds of people. Yes, it was thrilling. But it was also a training ground for me where I honed my skills as a professional interviewer and presenter. That part was humbling. For my first year on-air, after each live show, I would take the show tape into a private screening room and watch myself on camera - critically analyzing every word, every move, every interaction. Over the following decades I would move on to host and produce other TV programs, produce documentaries and design/host large-scale live and virtual events.

I have conducted tens of thousands of interviews for talk shows, documentaries, and live public events. I credit so much of my success to that first year of Live TV ‘boot camp’. Those hours alone in the screening room with a videotape that always tells the truth. I not only learned how to do my job, but I learned a lot about myself - especially how my inner world (my thoughts and emotions) appeared on my face and in my body language. And how that affected my audience.

I came to understand that if I wanted to be an engaging and authentic interviewer and presenter, I not only had to have skills but I also had to be aware of my inner world and to be highly attuned to the inner world of whomever I was speaking with.

Curriculum vitae

When I turned 50 I gave myself a special birthday gift. I went back to graduate school. I wanted to dig deeply into the exciting new discoveries in the science of emotions and relationships. I graduated with a Master’s of Education with a focus on Social & Emotional Learning. During that time I continued hosting and interviewing – but my work expanded to include producing documentaries, and designing/moderating large-scale live events (including hosting Dialogues with the Dalai Lama. The added bonus — and my true passion project —was coaching young people who conducted the first-ever youth dialogue with Dalai Lama.

The common denominator in all of this work is that I was connect people with ideas, and with each other.

My Mission

Now I share with others all that I have learned about how to be an authentic dynamic presenter and a confident highly-attuned interviewer.

I am a Performance Coach.

The people who reach out to me have set a goal to deliver a special speech (like a TED talk or Pecha Kucha), host a podcast, conduct interviews for broadcast, or host and moderate live events. Some are stepping in front of an audience for the first time. Others are seasoned professional who are ready to transform their public presence. They are all ages. No one is too young or too old to be heard.

The one thing my clients all have in common is that they want to discover their authentic voice, get out of their own way and let their passion shine through. They want to say goodbye to self-doubt and anxiety that gets between them and the people they want to reach. They are curious about how their inner world affects how they appear to others. They are in pursuit of excellence, but they believe that being a good presenter takes more than the “outer work” of developing skills and techniques. It takes a courage and commitment to “inner work” (emotional and social intelligence).

They want to speak from the heart.

That’s my specialty. I create a creative and safe space for learning, growth and transformation.

If this describes you - let's connect!