Professional public speaking coaches.
About our Trainers.
We’re all human, and being human means we have all experienced anxiety at some point in our lives. Our professional public speaking coaches are no different. They’ve all stood in front of audiences and felt the crippling nerves that lead many of us to stumble. Now, having put the School of Connection’s method into practice, they’ve discovered how to work through their fears and are dedicating their lives to helping others do the same.
With a wide range of backgrounds including professionally trained theatre actors and improv performers, to experienced mindfulness practitioners and psychology buffs, each one of our public speaking coaches brings their knowledge, skills and experience to create a truly unique and holistic offering.
Michael Sokolin
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.
Adam Hanim
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.
Rupal Maru
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 deliver speeches internationally, she is getting back into theatre and comedy and she now has the courage to say YES to opportunities that scare her.
Matt Ainsley
Matt grew up feeling a quiet ‘misfit’. Scared to speak up at school, for fear of being bullied, criticised or laughed at.
Creativity became the way to express himself, to overcome his vulnerability, and break down his ‘protective walls’.
A few years ago he did Mike's (founder of School of Connection) course and faced his last remaining fear, public speaking. Although one of the hardest things he’s ever done, the confidence it brought has been life-changing.
Matt’s career has seen him work with brands to communicate their message through visual merchandising, store experience, photoshoots, PR, marketing events and shows.
Later qualifying as a Transformational Coach, Matt’s worked with clients in biotech, political science, beauty and finance, to achieve their professional goals. Being clear and confident with their message, they got promotions, delivered speeches and won international contracts.
He now brings his coaching knowledge into his training at School of Connection.
His belief - “When you clearly express what you want to say, it brings confidence, freedom and success, and helping our students achieve this is why I love what I do.”
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Alexander Jeremy
TRAINER
An accomplished actor, writer and director, Alexander has appeared in multiple films and productions and is the founder of the acclaimed improv troupe ‘Shoot From The Hip’. He brings his depth of performance experience into the classroom to help students reach their next level of confidence and delivery.
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Dewi Huges
TRAINER
Dewi has been helping actors develop strong and connected voices for more than 10 years. He holds an MA in Voice Studies from Royal Central School of Speech & Drama and has worked at LAMDA, Drama Centre London and Birmingham Theatre School.
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