You're Not Unprofessional. Your Speech Just Wasn't Trained for Australian English.

The Challenge: The 10-Year Glass Ceiling

Despite living in Australia for a decade and working as a UX Designer, Valeria felt a persistent barrier in her professional life. Even with advanced English skills, she struggled with low confidence in her pronunciation, particularly when presenting design projects to colleagues and company leaders.

"I would like to sound more professional at work; I feel mispronouncing creates a barrier when delivering a message. Additionally, I think a clearer pronunciation will boost my confidence when presenting to a bigger audience."

The "Hidden" Pain Points:

• The "Hi" Test: "Normally, I say Hi and that's enough for someone to ask me where I am from."
• Freezing in informal settings: "My brain teases me... I realised that most words have a similar spelling in Spanish."
• Identity vs. Clarity: "I am proud of my accent as it is part of my identity but I would like to soften it a bit to make my daily interactions smoother."

The Diagnosis: Decoding the Spanish-to-Aussie Friction

Valeria completed a detailed accent assessment with the goal of developing a General Australian accent. The assessment revealed specific pronunciation patterns influenced by her Spanish-speaking background:

The Spanish Signature:

• Consonant Drop: "North" becomes "Nort"
• The TH Struggle: "Those" becomes "Dose"
• Trilled R: Strong rolling R in "North"

The Analysis:

• American Influence: Pronouncing 'Bathroom' and 'Last' with flat American vowels
• Syllable Stress: "Succeeded" becomes "SUK-seeded"
• Vowel Confusion: "Quick" becomes "Quilick" (too long)

Based on this, a fully personalised 12-week roadmap was created, targeting the specific sounds and patterns that would make the biggest difference to her clarity and confidence.

The Strategy: A 12-Week Custom Roadmap

Phase 1: Foundations (Weeks 1-4)

• TH Sounds (/θ/ and /ð/) - Fixing the "Teeth Sandwich"
• Vowel Length (/iː/ vs /ɪ/) - The risk: confusing 'Sheet' with 'Shit' in a professional workplace
• The fix: "It should be as quick as the click of a finger"

Phase 2: The Aussie Identity (Weeks 5-8)

• The Schwa (ə) - The secret to natural Australian rhythm
• Non-Rhoticity - Dropping the 'R' at the end of words. 'Car' becomes 'Cah'
• Syllable Stress - Brisbane is 'Briz-ben', not 'Bris-bane'. Tailor is 'Tay-luh'
• The "Hi" Test: Fixing the first impression so listeners focus on the message, not the accent

Phase 3: Advanced Flow (Weeks 9-12)

• Elision and Linking - The art of laziness: dropping /t/ and /d/ in rapid speech
• Linking sounds: 'See it' becomes 'See-yit'
• Intonation - Shadowing characters from the TV show 'Utopia' to master Aussie Question Intonation

The goal was not to change her identity — but to help her feel more confident and more herself when speaking.

Mid-Program: Noticing Real Changes

Halfway through the program, Valeria completed a progress check-in. When asked what she had noticed changing, she wrote:

"More awareness of my own mistakes and when Aussies use the connections I learnt."

She also noticed a difference in how she communicated with colleagues:

"Communication with my non-native English speaker colleagues: both sides bring mispronunciations due to the nature of our own languages; by adjusting at least mine I noticed how our communication improved."

When asked how she felt about her overall progress at that point, she selected:

Very Confident

This was before the program had even finished.

The "Aha" Moments

In her video reflections, Valeria described how she felt before starting the program:

"I felt quite low confidence about my pronunciation. I felt many people around me didn't understand me correctly, even after 10 years of being here in Australia."

She explained that her main motivation was work-related:

"I did this course because I wanted to feel more confident, especially at work, while presenting my job, my designs to my colleagues."

After working on connected speech and pronunciation, she noticed a shift:

"I think I have more awareness about certain sounds and how people pronounce specific sounds… not only in the Australian accent, but also when I watch a movie from the UK, from the US."

One of the biggest breakthroughs for her was connected speech:

"How you connect certain words, how the syllables connect each other and create a different rhythm… those were like aha moments. Saying like, that's why nobody gets it when I pronounce this."

Why It Worked: Empathy + Structure

Valeria highlighted the importance of feeling understood and supported during the process:

"Amanda's experience experiencing immigration... boosted my confidence. She knows how difficult it is to get blended."

She also noted:

"Connection... create a different rhythm... those were aha moments. That's why nobody gets it when I pronounce this."

This wasn't just about content — it was about the empathy of working with someone who understood the immigrant experience. She felt safe to make mistakes and seen as a professional whose only barrier was a few technical sound placements.

Program Completion: Technical Mastery Achieved

At the end of the 12-week personalised program, Valeria had:

• Consonants: Mastered /θ/ and /ð/ (TH sounds)
• The Aussie R: Achieved the non-rhotic /r/ pattern
• Vowel Contrasts: Distinguishing /æ/ vs /ɑ/, /ɪ/ vs /iː/
• Connected Speech: Proficient in linking and elision
• Improved clarity and smoother pronunciation
• Stronger connected speech and rhythm
• Greater awareness of her own speech patterns
• Increased confidence in professional and social situations
• The ability to self-correct naturally

Outcome: Noticeable improvements in clarity, fluency, and confidence.

Four Months Later: The Ultimate Validation

Four months after completing the program, Valeria sent a WhatsApp message with an update. She had started a new job, introduced herself to her new team, and mentioned she was originally from Argentina but chose Australia as home.

Later that day, one of her teammates (who was also from Latin America) messaged her in Spanish, saying:

"I didn't know you were Latin American because your accent is quite polished."

Valeria wrote:

"And I thought oh myyyy Amanda would be so proud of me!!!"

That moment summed up the transformation perfectly — not just clearer speech, but lasting confidence that allowed her to blend in professionally while retaining her identity.

Valeria's Result

Valeria didn't lose her accent.
She didn't change who she was.

She learned how to speak with clarity, confidence, and ease — and to feel proud of her voice in Australian English.

The Invisible Ceiling: The Cost of a "Careful" Accent

Before joining the program, Poorni was caught in a cycle of high technical competence but low communication confidence. Despite her seniority, she felt her delivery held her back from the recognition she deserved.

Her inner dialogue before speaking:

"Am I going to be okay or not? Will I be able to deliver the speech? Will they be able to understand me? Will I get stuck? Will I be judged?"

And the frustration afterwards:

"Some people who had no contribution to the project were able to shine and get all the praise and credit just because they can talk well and they can make anything sound so brilliant. Wish I had that skill."

This wasn't about intelligence or experience. It was about confidence, clarity, and trust in her own voice.

The Diagnosis: Identifying the "Friction"

The initial accent assessment identified specific phonetic "roadblocks" that made Poorni's speech sound "choppy" or inconsistent to the Australian ear.

The assessment findings:

• V/W Contrast: Pronouncing "where" as "vere"
• Mouth Movement: Shortening diphthongs (e.g., "sofa" as "soffa"), which disrupted the natural Australian rhythm
• Hard American 'R's: Strong rhoticity in words like "Four"
• TH Sounds: Mispronounced as 'F' or 'D' (e.g., "Mudder" instead of "Mother")
• Internal Voice: A tendency to choose silence in meetings rather than risk mispronunciation

The assessment showed strong overall intonation and speech flow, with clear potential for natural Australian rhythm — but specific pronunciation patterns influenced by her first language were holding her back.

The Strategy: The 12-Week Accent Clarity Roadmap

We didn't just "practise English" — we re-engineered her speech patterns through a 12-week targeted roadmap.

Phase 1: The Mechanics (Weeks 1-4)

• Targeting "teeth sandwich" placement for TH sounds
• Softening final 'R's (non-rhotic Australian pattern)
• V/W distinction and workplace vocabulary

Phase 2: The Music (Weeks 5-8)

• Mastering the "lazy" schwa /ə/ — the secret to natural Australian rhythm
• Vowel glides and diphthongs (AY sounds, O-diphthong)
• Creating that authentic Australian "music"

Phase 3: The Flow (Weeks 9-12)

• Connected speech: linking, elision, and intrusion
• The "secret sauce" to sounding effortless rather than rehearsed
• Real workplace communication tasks

The goal was never to "sound perfect" — it was to sound clear, natural, and confident.

The Turning Point: Mid-Program Shift

Halfway through, Poorni stopped trying to speak perfectly and started noticing how speech actually works.

Mid-program check-in:

"I am starting to feel confident when I speak. I pay attention to how certain words are pronounced when I am listening to native speakers. This really helps me to improve."

When asked what felt easier, she wrote: "casual work conversations"

At that point — halfway through — she described her overall progress as Very Confident.

She also noted that she was becoming more aware of pronunciation patterns in other people's speech — a key sign of long-term improvement and independence.

Real-Life Wins During the Program

As the weeks progressed, confidence started showing up outside of lessons.

August Progress Notes:

"20 August 2025 - I felt good at work today. Some conversations went really well and I felt I could deliver the message I wanted to and the person I was talking to. He was engaging and interested in my idea."

A few days later:

"28-Aug 2025 - I was on the phone with my sales agent at M*. I really felt comfortable talking to her. I am feeling more confident now."

These moments weren't rehearsed or planned. They were everyday conversations — and that's where the real shift happened.

The realisation: Self-correction became automatic (e.g., catching V/W slips without prompting).

End of the Program: Hearing the Difference

At the end of the program, Poorni compared her first and final recordings.

After listening to her earlier recording, she said:

• "It didn't feel natural."
• "The words... Like, grilled, thought, it's a bit strong."
• "I feel like I really struggled, like, didn't really... flow well."

After listening to her final recording, her reaction changed:

"Wow, a massive improvement."
"That's fantastic."
"Yeah, every single day, I'm getting more confident."

She also reflected on how her confidence was continuing to grow:

"I think I still can do, better than that also."

The Quantifiable Shift: Before vs. After

Vowel Accuracy: Significant growth in /eɪ/ (day) and /oʊ/ (go) sounds

Beyond Pronunciation: Professional Authority

"I feel like I can express myself better now... everyone follows me."

Authority: Transitioned from "avoiding meetings" to leading them with "calm assurance"

The Result: A "15 out of 10" Transformation

15/10

Poorni's satisfaction score when asked about her overall experience

"Really, really good. Really like how organised you are and how structured is this program."

"I feel like the conversations... flows more natural, and I'm more confident. I feel like delivering my message is what I wanted to, discuss or present. It just... A lot more easier now."

"Knowing myself and having them confident, and... that's a big win for me."

The Verdict: Poorni's Advice

For professionals who feel their accent is a barrier to their next leadership role, Poorni's advice is simple:

"Oh my god, join right now, make the decision, pay, and... anyone, I would highly, highly recommend your course... I feel like if you have made the decision to live in this country, you need to... you know, put a bit of effort to sort of understand them and connect them, and that's gonna give you, open the doors for you, more opportunities."

The Challenge: When Results Aren't Enough

E. was a high achiever by any measure. As a Territory Manager for a multinational company, she was already ranked third in her country for sales performance. She held an MBA. She had eleven years of professional experience across multiple countries.

And yet, every time she opened her mouth in a corporate meeting, she felt like an outsider.

"I'm a high achiever... I want to be part of the group. I don't want to feel like I speak a different language."

In one-on-one client calls, she was confident. But high-pressure boardroom environments were different. She found herself speaking quietly, losing her train of thought mid-sentence as her brain cycled through Arabic and French simultaneously. And then it would happen: a colleague would jump in, finish her idea, and take the credit for a thought she had started.

E. wasn't struggling with English. She was struggling to reclaim her voice in it.

The Diagnosis: Decoding the Arabic-French-English Friction

The initial accent assessment identified the specific patterns from E.'s Arabic and French background that were creating friction in Australian corporate settings.

Key findings from the assessment:

• The Rolled R: A strong trilled /r/ influenced by both Arabic and French, immediately signalling "non-Australian" to listeners
• Vowel Patterns: The "OH" vowel (as in "cold," "home," "order") was produced without the full Australian diphthong glide, giving speech a flatter, more mechanical quality
• Pacing: Speech rhythm felt deliberate and careful rather than natural and flowing — a pattern common when someone is mentally translating as they speak
• Workplace Vocabulary: Key professional terms like "report," "order," and "customer" were being pronounced in ways that drew listener attention to the accent rather than the message

The result was that E.'s content was strong, but the delivery created subtle friction — enough to make listeners focus on how she was speaking rather than what she was saying.

The Strategy: A Roadmap Built Around Her World

Rather than generic pronunciation drills, the 12-week program was built directly around E.'s professional life.

Phase 1: The Quick Win (Weeks 1-4)

• Targeting the rolled /r/ first — the single sound most likely to be noticed immediately by Australian listeners
• Replacing it with the soft, non-rhotic Australian pattern: "cah," "ordah," "customah"
• Using workplace vocabulary ("report," "territory," "customer") as the practice material from Week 1

Phase 2: Corporate Clarity (Weeks 5-8)

• Mastering the Australian "OH" diphthong — the glide that gives Australian English its characteristic warmth
• Schwa sounds and unstressed syllables — the secret to sounding natural rather than rehearsed
• Integrating newly learned sounds into real work presentations and meeting scenarios

Phase 3: The Aussie Rhythm (Weeks 9-12)

• T-flaps and connected speech — the patterns that make Australian English sound effortless
• Intonation for authority: using pitch to signal confidence and command attention
• Full boardroom simulation: presenting, responding to questions, holding the floor

The Turning Point: A Moment That Said Everything

Halfway through the program, E. had a conversation that changed how she saw herself.

She was in a meeting with a seasoned professional who had been in Australia for thirty years. E. was discussing her work using her new non-rhotic /r/ and measured pacing — skills she'd been quietly practising for weeks.

The professional stopped mid-conversation and asked: "When did you come to Australia?"

When E. replied "2022," he was genuinely surprised.

She wasn't just fitting in. She was standing out for the right reasons.

That moment wasn't about sounding Australian. It was about something more important: she sounded credible. She sounded present. She sounded like someone worth listening to — and the content of what she was saying finally had the chance to land.

The Transformation: From "Baby Talk" to "Distinguished"

At the end of the 12 weeks, E. listened back to her Week 1 recording. Her response said everything:

She described it as "baby talk."

Not because her English had been poor — it hadn't been. But because her self-awareness had grown so significantly that she could now hear exactly what had been creating friction, and exactly what had changed.

Technical achievements by Week 12:

• The Rolled R: Fully eliminated. Non-rhotic Australian pattern now consistent across casual and high-pressure speech
• The OH Vowel: Mastered the full Australian diphthong in "cold," "home," "go," "order"
• Intonation: Now using pitch variation to signal authority and hold attention in group settings
• Pacing: Speech flows naturally — no longer sounds careful or deliberate

Psychological shift:

• From "shy" and "frustrated" to "comfortable" and "unique"
• From speaking softly to avoid judgement to holding the floor with confidence
• From feeling like an outsider to owning her voice as something distinctive

E.'s Result

"I feel like, for me, it's better.
I'm enjoying it... I feel unique, distinguished."

That word — distinguished — is the one that matters. Not "better English." Not "less of an accent." Distinguished. It's the word that signals she'd moved from trying to blend in to standing out in the way she'd always wanted to.

E. is currently working with a career coach to move into a senior leadership role in Australia — with her new voice leading the way.

The Challenge: The "Advanced" Speaker's Trap

Lucie had nine years of English education behind her and tested at an advanced proficiency level. People understood her. By most measures, she was doing fine.

But Lucie knew something was off. Her German sentence structure and accent made her feel less natural — and that feeling had quietly shaped her behaviour in ways she hadn't fully admitted to herself.

"Before, I was searching for words and overthinking. Now, it's just in the flow."

The private habits nobody talks about:

• The supermarket test: She actively chose checkouts staffed by non-native speakers to avoid the stress of spontaneous interaction with Australians
• The social noise barrier: Group conversations and noisy lunch rooms required such intense concentration that she'd often go quiet rather than try to keep up
• The spontaneity gap: In meetings, she'd overthink her phrasing until the moment had passed and someone else had moved on
• The ChatGPT crutch: She was asking ChatGPT how to phrase things before sending professional messages — just to make sure they sounded natural

She wasn't struggling with English. She was struggling with the gap between how she thought in German and how she needed to communicate in Australian English.

The Diagnosis: German Meets Australian English

The initial accent assessment identified the specific phonetic patterns from Lucie's German background that were creating friction with Australian listeners.

Key findings:

• The Hard R: German uses a strong uvular /r/ — completely different from the soft, non-rhotic Australian pattern. Every word ending in R was a giveaway
• TH Sounds: /θ/ and /ð/ don't exist in German, so "think" and "this" were being approximated with similar but noticeably different sounds
• Flat Delivery: German is a syllable-timed language — every syllable carries similar weight. Australian English is stress-timed, with strong peaks and heavily reduced unstressed syllables. Lucie's speech sounded even and measured where Australian ears expected rhythm and flow
• Vowel Contrasts: Key pairs like "seat" vs "sit" were too close together, occasionally causing miscommunication in professional contexts

The assessment also revealed a strong foundation: Lucie's grammar was excellent, her vocabulary was wide, and she had a good ear. The work wasn't starting from scratch — it was targeted refinement.

The Strategy: Three Pillars Over 12 Weeks

Rather than generic English practice, the program was built around three focused pillars tailored to Lucie's specific German-to-Australian friction points.

Pillar 1: Technical Precision (Weeks 1-4)

• The soft Australian /r/ — replacing the German uvular R with the relaxed non-rhotic pattern
• TH sounds (/θ/ and /ð/) using the "teeth sandwich" technique, applied to her research vocabulary immediately
• Vowel contrasts: "seat" vs "sit," "bad" vs "bed" — the pairs most likely to cause confusion in academic settings

Pillar 2: The Aussie Rhythm (Weeks 5-8)

• Schwa awareness — recognising and producing the unstressed /ə/ that gives Australian English its relaxed, flowing quality
• Linking and reductions — how Australians connect words in natural speech ("gonna," "wanna," "shoulda")
• Moving from flat, even-stressed delivery to the peaks and valleys of stress-timed English

Pillar 3: Listening Discrimination (Weeks 9-12)

• Focused ear training using Australian media — specifically Utopia and The Project
• Learning to hear the details of native speech rather than processing it as a blur
• Applying new sounds in real-time conversations without overthinking

The Journey: Two Breakthroughs That Changed Everything

Week 4 — The Self-Correction Shift

By Week 4, something had quietly changed. Lucie wasn't just producing new sounds in practice — she was catching her own errors mid-conversation and correcting them in real time. She'd developed the internal monitor that separates someone who's been taught to speak differently from someone who genuinely hears differently.

This is the shift that makes progress last. Once you can hear your own mistakes, you don't need a teacher in the room anymore.

Week 8 — The Schwa Breakthrough

Week 8 brought what Lucie described as a sudden click. Once the schwa /ə/ became natural — once she stopped giving equal weight to every syllable — the flatness in her delivery vanished almost overnight.

Her fluency lifted instantly. Not because she'd learned more words. Because the rhythm had finally clicked.

The Germany Factor

Lucie achieved this entire transformation while still based in Germany — before her Melbourne research stay had even begun. She proved that you don't need to be surrounded by Australians to sound Australian. You need the right tools, the right feedback, and the right structure.

The Results: Melbourne, Round Two

When Lucie returned to Melbourne for her second research stay, the difference was immediate and visible to everyone around her.

Colleague recognition: Her Australian colleagues noticed straight away. They described her speech as having "excellent clarity" and said she was significantly easier to understand than before.

The New Year's Day restaurant test: Lucie's real confidence moment came at a crowded Vietnamese restaurant on New Year's Day. She initiated and held a full one-hour conversation with a family of native Australian strangers — spontaneously, without preparation, without notes.

Six months earlier, she'd been choosing self-checkouts to avoid exactly this kind of interaction.

Professional ease: The ChatGPT crutch was gone. She began expressing her PhD research — complex, technical, nuanced — with natural Australian pacing and a clarity that matched her actual expertise.

Lucie's Result

Lucie didn't lose her accent.
She didn't change who she was.

She stopped overthinking and started speaking — and the difference was immediate to everyone around her.

"Before, I was searching for words and overthinking. Now, it's just in the flow. The assessment alone gave me so much clarity... it's worth every single dollar."

— Lucie Schmidt, Research Associate & PhD Candidate

The Challenge: When Language Was Once a Weapon

Yuliia had spent her career as a lawyer in Ukraine — a profession where precise, authoritative language is everything. She described it simply: "I used language as a weapon."

Then she moved to Sydney as an AI and Machine Learning Engineer. And overnight, that weapon was gone.

"I used to use language as a weapon. I was really good at it. And now I can't speak properly."

Despite her high-level technical expertise, her daily life in Australia was defined by one frustrating pattern: the Repeating Game.

• Phone calls: Simple tasks like sorting a bill became "endless mumbling" and being asked to repeat herself over and over
• Social avoidance: She stopped trying to socialise because conversations felt like they'd fall apart mid-way through
• Professional procrastination: She'd been putting off accent work for years, "uncomfortable" that she couldn't express herself properly
• The stress response: English caused "instant stress" — she'd prepare written notes for every single interaction just to get through it

The Diagnosis: Syllable-Timed vs. Stress-Timed Speech

The initial assessment identified the root of the friction: Ukrainian and Russian are syllable-timed languages, where every syllable gets roughly equal weight. Australian English is stress-timed — some syllables are emphasised and stretched, others are reduced almost to nothing.

Key patterns identified:

• TH Substitution: Replacing /θ/ and /ð/ with "s" or "d" — "this" became "dis," "think" became "sink"
• Equal Syllable Weight: Giving every syllable the same stress, creating a mechanical, choppy rhythm that Australian ears find hard to follow
• Vowel Reduction: Not reducing unstressed syllables to the schwa /ə/, making speech sound over-precise and foreign
• Word Stress Errors: Stressing the wrong syllable in multi-syllable words, which caused more confusion than any individual sound

The assessment also revealed something important: Yuliia had strong phonetic awareness and an excellent ear. Once she understood the system, she'd be able to self-correct independently — a key factor in her eventual speed of progress.

The Strategy: A Roadmap Built for an AI Engineer

The 12-week program was designed specifically around Yuliia's world — technical vocabulary, professional networking, and the social situations she'd been avoiding.

Phase 1: The Mechanics (Weeks 1-4)

• Week 1 priority: TH sounds (/θ/ and /ð/) — the "teeth sandwich" technique, applied immediately to her technical vocabulary
• Introduction to word stress — which syllables carry weight in Australian English and which collapse to schwa
• Practice material drawn from AI and machine learning terminology she used daily

Phase 2: The Rhythm (Weeks 5-8)

• Week 5 focus: the schwa /ə/ — once this clicked, her rhythm lifted immediately
• Vowel reduction in unstressed syllables — the key to sounding relaxed rather than mechanical
• Connected speech: linking words naturally rather than speaking in isolated chunks

Phase 3: The Flow (Weeks 9-12)

• T-flaps, elision, and the patterns of casual Australian speech
• Intonation for confidence — how pitch signals authority in professional settings
• Real-world scenarios: networking conversations, technical presentations, small talk

The Turning Points: Three Moments That Marked the Shift

1. The One-Minute Phone Call

Within weeks of starting the program, Yuliia called a service provider to resolve an issue. She was understood on the first try. She was so surprised she called back a second time — not because she needed to, but just to confirm it had actually happened.

"I called back just to double-check. I couldn't believe how easy it was."

2. The 5am Running Club

A few months earlier, a social running club would have been her nightmare. By Week 4, she was joining them four to five times a week before dawn — chatting freely while running, without planning what to say in advance.

3. The AI Meetup

No longer needing prepared scripts or Google-translated notes, Yuliia registered for a technical AI networking event — looking forward to it rather than dreading it. For a former lawyer who'd felt silenced by her own voice, that was everything.

The Shift Nobody Talks About: Self-Correction

One of the clearest signs of genuine progress in pronunciation work isn't that someone stops making errors — it's that they start catching them themselves.

By Week 4, Yuliia was doing exactly that. She wasn't waiting for feedback in sessions; she was monitoring and correcting herself in real time during everyday conversations.

"I started hearing things differently. In cafes. On the street. I'd notice exactly what native speakers were doing — and occasionally catch them making slips too."

This auditory shift — moving from hearing speech as a blur to hearing its components — is what makes progress last beyond the program. It's the difference between someone who's been taught to speak differently and someone who genuinely hears differently.

Yuliia had developed the ear of a linguist. She just needed the program to unlock it.

The Results: Practical Wins and Emotional Freedom

By the end of 12 weeks, the changes were visible across every area of Yuliia's life.

Technical mastery: /θ/ and /ð/ sounds, schwa reduction, word stress, connected speech.

Yuliia's Result

Yuliia didn't lose her accent.
She didn't change who she was.

She reclaimed her voice — and with it, the freedom she'd been missing since the day she landed in Australia.

"It's freedom. I do not feel like overthinking, concerning about my speaking abilities anymore... English no longer causes instant stress."