Professional public speaking coaches.

FOUNDER

Aged five, Michael’s family moved from Russia to Spain. Not able to speak Spanish and experiencing culture shock, he became introverted and terrified to talk because of his accent. This led to a total avoidance of public speaking at school, university and work and in 2012, Michael was fired from his job for a lack of communication and team involvement.

This was a major turning point. Michael decided that he needed to take action to conquer the fear that was diminishing, not only his professional life, but also his psychological well being. He began attending public speaking workshops and realised that rather than training him to become a more confident version of himself, they were teaching him to wear a mask.

In 2014, he founded School of Connection, running workshops that promoted an unconventional approach that wasn’t about ‘faking it till you make it’. That year, he also began training as a professional theatre actor to deepen his understanding of oratory skills, stage presence, voice technique and emotions.

Since then, Michael has developed a deep interest in psychology, exploring meditation and mindfulness practices in India, and seeking psychoanalytic supervision with a commitment to five sessions a week.

Today, as the founder and CEO of the School Of Connection, Michael dedicates his life to helping others work through fear, communicate with authenticity and express themselves honestly.

TRAINER

Adam has always struggled with social anxiety, something that has had a significant impact on his personal life and career. Unable to do presentations, speak in meetings, attend job interviews or even make phone calls at times, his crippling anxiety saw him wrecked with fear at the thought of going to work each day, seriously stunting his professional progression.

After years of not really addressing the problem, Adam made a commitment to his self-development, undergoing cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), training in improv acting and attending public speaking workshops. It was on this journey that he met School of Connection founder Michael. Resonating with his unique approach on how to build confidence, Adam completed both the Level 1 and Level 2 courses with him and soon after began learning how to teach these methods to others.

He brings his fascination for human psychology and understanding people’s relationships to themselves, to help students learn to express themselves fully.

TRAINER

Rupal is a teacher, entrepreneur and a senior trainer at The School of Connection! She studied Drama and Theatre at University and qualified as an Early Years Primary Teacher in 2014.

Rupal was always a confident speaker and enjoyed performing and speaking in front of large groups of people. However a bad experience with public speaking left her scarred and she began to withdraw from speaking opportunities and even became isolated in her social interactions and communication.

During this period, she missed out on so many opportunities. Opportunities, she knew she was capable of. She decided to invest in herself and work on her fear.

Rupal went on to complete Level 1 and Level 2 courses at the School of Connection and has since come on board as a trainer! Since completing the course, Rupal has helped 1000’s of students overcome their fear of Public Speaking. She has gone on to perform at the West End, gained over 15k followers on social media for her comedy skits and delivered speeches internationally.

TRAINER

Suzie graduated from Bristol University with a BA in Drama before going on train at the acclaimed Drama Studio in London.

She is a bestselling author (A Girl’s Guide to Being Fearless, Wiley 2020), mum, trainer, MC and keynote speaker. She delivers a range of programmes, teaching in business, public and education sectors, and coaches all ages in the art of public speaking.

Suzie loves to grow people's self esteem and help them see how far they can stretch their potential.

She brings her decade-plus experience in drama, acting, coaching and public speaking into our corporate training at the School of Connection.

TRAINER

Laila was a very shy and nervous child who over the years developed a persona, or mask, that disguised those vulnerabilities and portrayed a false version of herself, one that was confident yet detached. This mask took it’s toll heavely in university when she began skipping group presentations and ultimately missing out on important grades because she couldn’t face presenting herself to a group.

Laila went on to work in very small teams professionally where she felt protected but ultimately unseen.

After staring a new job in 2021 Laila found herself in an organisation and job she loved but was faced with a predicament. She was now responsible for delivering training, facilitating workshops and speaking at organisation-wide events, all of which was extremely scary. Laila had two choices, finally address this underlying fear of being seen, or go back to completing work that was unfulfilling and dissatisfying.

After months of battling public speaking anxiety and imposter syndrome within her new role Laila came across School Of Connection.

Drawn to the energy and rawness of the course she completed both the level 1 and level 2 courses and saw tremendous professional and personal growth, particularly in her self-awareness, communication and ability to create meaningful connections.

Through learning to nurture her own vulnerabilities and unmask herself she has also become a coach to others and provides a learning environment that is nurturing, inclusive and challenging.