Need help mining your stories and developing your message?
Want to kick your presentation prowess up a notch?
Long to be free and natural when filming for video?
Desire a trusted partner to pull your best performances out of you?
I love working with Kristin. She's a great thought leader and was instrumental in helping me deliver my message to both internal and external audiences. She pushed me to be better at what I do. I learned a lot from the work we did together on my presentations - both on stage and video. She was patient while at the same time held me accountable.
— Stephen Frieder, President of the Americas, Adobe.
Kristin is a smart, skilled and resourceful coach and consultant. I had the opportunity to work with Kristin in leadership communication programs at Stand & Deliver. She has an ability to assess needs and pick the right tool to move the person or group forward. And she makes it look so easy. I highly recommend Kristin for any opportunity where you need a strong team player who is committed to personal growth.
— William Hall, Senior Director, Stand and Deliver
It is rare to find an exceptional coach like Kristin. I first hired Kristin as a life coach, and was so impressed with her skills that I subsequently hired her as a presentation coach. She prepared me for a critical presentation to our board of directors which garnered rave reviews from the board and CEO. Her unique talent lies in helping people to authentically communicate – whether with themselves or an external audience. Her experience as an actor, expertise working with senior executives and formal coaching training are a unique set of skills. People are naturally drawn to Kristin, and I could not be happier with what she has helped me accomplish.
— Genelle Heim, VP Marketing, Xilinx
Kristin provided outstanding communications support for me while I was CIO at Sun Microsystems. She transformed my monthly CIO Newsletter into a highly-valued marketing and sales tool. Published to over a million subscribers, it focused on leadership topics that were relevant to the industry. Her passion for the work, her collaborative work ethic and her eloquent writing style gave Inner Circle a tone unique in the industry. Customers worldwide regularly commented on the value they derived from our newsletter and I owe much of that to Kristin for her dedication to proper due diligence and research, and her professionalism. She was a joy to work with.
— Robert Worrall, SVP and CIO, Juniper Networks
In a fast-paced, dynamic environment, Kristin was a constant, calm and strategic partner. She supported the president of Adobe's Americas organization, and did so with a great deal of comfort and competency. She crafted a compelling narrative focused on strong storytelling, and was at ease providing feedback and coaching that upped his game and delivered strong results.
— John Cristofano, Director of Field Communications, Adobe.
"Kristin is a delight to work with, an asset to any production, and a wonderful personality to have in the rehearsal room. She is fearless and will try anything to ensure that a scene or a moment is landing with maximum impact. Her discipline is extraordinary, her unflagging good humor is infectious, and she is quite simply stunning on stage."
— Kit Wilder, Director of Hamlet, City Lights Theatre Company
"Kristin is brilliant: a grounded and nuanced actor with chops, charisma, and the bravery needed to leave safety behind and trudge into dangerous territory. She asks the questions you want an actor to ask – she pushes – drives – tries whatever is thrown her way.”
— Daniel Wilson, Director of Harold and Maude, Los Altos Stage
Speakers are storytellers. Whether communicating 1:1, in a group of seven, or to a room of 2,500, you are storytelling. And storytelling is now a strategic imperative of business.
A good presentation is like a well-baked cake, with the cake being the content and the icing being your delivery of that content. Cake without icing is well, blah. And icing without cake? All sweetness and no substance.
Through my 1:1 coaching, I help you to streamline (or create) content, and deliver your message in a rich, compelling way. I combine over two decades of corporate content creation, executive communications/coaching, and stage acting to provide rich, dynamic and highly-customized programs that enable you to take your public speaking to the next level.
Offerings
Content, narrative and story development
Writing and crafting of message
Clarification of audience, their needs, and your objectives in reaching them
Rehearsal and preparation for your event
Emergency prep sessions
Ongoing in-person or video sessions
Feedback and coaching on delivery for stage or video
Trouble-shooting vocal issues
Day-of, onsite coaching during events and video shoots
I’ve worked in corporate and executive communications in Silicon Valley for over two decades with an emphasis on executive coaching, messaging, onstage content and delivery, and video storytelling. I’ve worked with industry luminaries including Adobe, Apple, Applied Materials, BILL, BlueScope, Cemex, NetApp, PepsiCo, Robert Half, ServiceNow, Teva, Twilio and Vertex. My core competency is mining and developing story arcs with my executive clients and bringing them to life authentically through vocal and physical delivery. I also work with mid-level managers in sales, technical, and operations roles, who are not accustomed to being on stage or video, by creating an unintimidating, playful atmosphere that focuses on removing barriers to clear, authentic message delivery.
My first-hand understanding of the pressures and challenges facing business executives, combined with my acting work, create a unique grounding for speaker performance coaching.
I have studied with the renowned Kristin Linklater and hold an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University, a B.S. in Journalism from Cal Poly, S.L.O. and am a Certified Martha Beck Life Coach.
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
