Brendan Houdek

MA CCC-SLP, Senior Instructor and Head of Corporate Training

Brendan’s deepest satisfaction comes from his work leading group and private sessions across the corporate world, where he enables companies and individuals to transform communication from being a liability to among their greatest assets.

Brendan’s coaching combines an intricate knowledge of anatomy and physiology with a background in philosophy. He is passionate about teaching effective business communication, executive presence, and vocal production, equipping clients with control and flexibility to present themselves professionally and authentically. His training covers not only the technical aspects of speech production, but also presentational performance and perspective work.

In addition to his work as a speech coach, Brendan is a NYS-licensed and ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist, specializing in voice and fluency disorders. He holds a Masters of Arts from Hofstra University and Bachelor’s in Philosophy / Religious studies from St. Joseph’s.

Brendan specializes in corporate training with an emphasis on fundraising, pitch decks, sales calls, presentation delivery, and negotiation & persuasion tactics. His clients come from Google, Disney, Forbes, Nasdaq, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Capital One, MetLife, and Amazon, among others.

Using his voice across multiple mediums, Brendan is also a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and voice impressionist, hosting the show Voice Breakdown on YouTube. While entertaining, his impersonation skills also provide valuable insight into speech and vocal production, fostering both precise and intuitive instruction.

Caleb Shomaker

Associate Instructor, Head of Instructor Management Team and Education

With a background in science education, Caleb brings an inductive and analytic perspective to helping students improve their speech and effectively calibrate their mindset. His coaching is characterized by patience and enthusiasm, as he distills complex ideas in straightforward ways for clients of all backgrounds. His teaching methods incorporate business communication strategies, anatomical understanding, and humanistic psychology, which he grounds in practical exercises that allow his clients to understand their relevance and application.

Caleb holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre and Mathematics from New York University and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, where he studied and later taught vocal performance and textual interpretation. Prior to his work with New York Speech Coaching, Caleb served as the Resident Vocal Director for Shakespeare in the Square for several years, providing vocal and dialect coaching for dozens of performances.

Caleb specializes in confidence in presentations, vocal depth and strength, leadership in speech, and accent acquisition, Caleb has coached professionals from Uber, Google, Unilever, Shearman & Sterling, the Department of Education, and the Swedish-American Chamber of Congress, among others. His clients attest to his infectious enthusiasm and passion for speech, offering a balance of playfulness and rigor during sessions.

With intelligent humor, an eye for detail (Caleb serves as New York Speech Coaching’s resident spreadsheet wizard), and clear directions, Caleb empowers his clients to achieve their goals with assurance and enjoyment.

Tricia Veldman

MS CCC-SLP, Associate Instructor, and Head of Company Communication

Having been described by others in a former life as “timid” and “soft-spoken,” Tricia is no stranger to the fear of public speaking. After embarking on her personal speech quest, Tricia learned to trust and celebrate her own voice. Amazed by its impact on her daily life, she now combines experiential and scholastic knowledge to empower others to do the same.

Tricia loves using voice, speech, and physical presentation as a means to identify the blindspots that prevent speakers from stepping into their personal power. Having lived abroad and speaking a non-native language (Italian), Tricia understands the frustrations that come with being poorly understood. She believes few things make life more satisfying than witnessing someone embody their fullest expression of self - the ultimate goal for her clients.

Currently residing in Savannah, GA, Tricia is an associate speech coach, able to reach clients virtually all over the world, and Head of Georgia Speech Coaching. She is a certified bilingual speech-language pathologist with a Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (Bilingual Extension in Italian) from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Health Science from the University of Florida.

Tricia’s specialties include public speaking, fluency, presentation preparation, bilingual populations, voiceover training, accent modification, and adolescent social skills training. She works with clients from companies including Conde Nast, Reddit, Equinox, the United Nations, Ernst & Young, Equiteq, LinkedIn, Gulfstream, Uber, Disney, and more.

Emphasizing empathy and pulling from first-hand experience, Tricia provides an encouraging environment for clients to develop the bravest versions of themselves while providing practical and individualized strategies.

Find Tricia on The Lost Art of Communication podcast.

Courtney Armstrong

Associate Instructor

Courtney Armstrong (MS, CCC-SLP) is a speech-language pathologist with extensive experience in accent modification training and public speaking. Her technical degree and research background combine with her love of interpersonal connection to provide holistic client-centered therapy. She believes empowering others with efficient communication is fundamental to living an authentic life.

Currently in the Washington D.C. area, she completed her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, as well as two minors in Spanish and Cross-Cultural Communications at Duquesne University. Courtney completed a master’s thesis focused on accent work, which earned her the opportunity to present nationally at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention in 2018 and be published internationally in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine in 2020.

Courtney’s clients include those working as international liaisons, au pairs, doctors, teachers, and in the hospitality business. She’s also spent time collaborating closely with organizations that provide English language training to marginalized populations because she is passionate about making sure all individuals have the skills needed to reach their fullest potential.

As a former Miss America Organization titleholder, Courtney knows first-hand what it means to present with poise and conviction, no matter the stakes. Her experience doing so enables her to empathize with clients as they develop their own speaking style and confidence.

Daniel Reece

Associate Instructor

Daniel Reece is a speech instructor with over ten years of experience in education. With a background in performance, Daniel fosters authenticity in his approach to voice and speech. He works with clients to explore their instrument with curiosity and guides them toward a visceral, full-body consciousness of their range and power. Daniel aims to share his understanding gleaned from over fifteen years on stage and screen of what the body experiences when one is speaking in public. He gives his clients agency to trust in their ability to harness that energy and speak with clarity, confidence, and ease.

After receiving his MFA from the Yale School of Drama, Daniel has been working in New York City as a speech coach, voiceover artist, and professional actor. Additionally, Daniel works as a drama-based learning facilitator, helping businesses around the globe develop behavioral skills in the workplace through customized role-play scenarios and independent communication coaching. He has worked with organizations such as Johnson & Johnson, Visa, and Goldman Sachs, among others.

Prior to his coaching work in New York, Daniel was the theatre department head and public speaking instructor at a private school in Connecticut. He has worked across the country at theaters including The Public Theatre, The Prototype Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and The Old Globe. On screen, Daniel has appeared on television shows including Modern Love, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Elementary, Public Morals, and Bluff City Law.

Joel Rainwater

Associate Instructor

Joel Rainwater comes to New York Speech Coaching after previously working with The Promentum Group as a speech coach, delivery consultant, and speech content creator for former professional athletes, CEOs, and keynote speakers.

Clients at New York Speech Coaching include those from Amazon, Nasdaq, Deutsche Bank, Google, Pinterest, Spotify, Spiegelworld, Morgan Stanley, and E*TRADE, as well as in fields ranging from private equity, technology, advertising, medicine, law, media, publishing, education, research, entertainment, clergy, journalism, and funeral directing.

Joel coaches speakers in proven physical and practical public speaking techniques which improve composure, articulation, and vocal projection. He also guides his clients toward significantly reducing the compulsive verbal and physical habits that compromise effective communication. This approach gives his clients confidence in themselves and credibility with the listener, whether it's a single interviewer or an audience of hundreds.

Joel is a seasoned Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater performer. He received his BFA in theater performance from the University of Evansville in Indiana, and his MFA in acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Joel is also a Harlaxton College presidential essayist. He specializes in executive presence, speech clarity, vocal production, presentation skills, interview technique, audition preparation, and accent reduction.

Joti Patel

Associate Instructor

Joti Patel is an Executive Coach with a multifaceted career in business and the arts with communication as the common thread. Her unique skill set has served as an ideal foundation for providing high-value communication for global organizations across legal, finance, retail, tech, health, and service sectors.

Joti has played a pivotal role within Leadership Management programs for clients such as Bloomberg, Microsoft, PwC, HSBC, DLA Piper, Osborne Clarke, Baker McKenzie, Deloitte, Standard Chartered, UBS, Norton Rose, Sky Media, Nestle, Allen & Overy, IMI, British Gas, Novartis, Hogan Lovell, Korn Ferry, BDO, Dentons, Howard Kennedy, IHG, Equinox, and others.

As a British post-graduate in psychology, Joti has recently moved to New York to continue to pursue her creative endeavors as a trained actress, presenter, and voice artist. Her clients benefit from her own direct experience in front of the camera. Joti has hosted live events and corporate videos, worked as a guest presenter on live TV, and acted in TV, film, and theatre projects. She also works as a professional Matchmaker for a high-end dating agency where she offers “date coaching” to aid clients wanting to develop social skills and the art of conversation.

Through personalized coaching, content, and care, clients can expect an experience aligned to a high-performance culture and business strategy. Joti’s mission is to contribute to the transformational growth of her clients in their businesses, careers, and lives.

Brontë England-Nelson

Pilot Instructor

Brontë is invested in helping clients develop a sense of authenticity, generosity, and confidence in their communication. As someone who was forced onto the speech team her freshman year, she has a deep understanding of what it is to traverse loathing this activity, to relishing it. Thus, at the core of her coaching is a focus on transforming the dread of public speaking into a pleasure – through truthful investigation, technical precision, and a sense of play.

Brontë holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a BA in Theater Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz. In addition to her private speech coaching work, she is an instructor at the Summer Conservatory for Actors at Yale University and has taught speech and debate to 4th-12th graders for over 10 years. She is also a professional actor, performing at theaters in NY and throughout the country including Broadway’s Golden Theater, The Public Theater, La MaMa, Rattlestick, The Yale Repertory Theater, Arena Stage, ArtsEmerson, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Her on-screen credits include Blindspot and Law and Order: SVU, along with numerous independent films.

Her primary interests are anatomical voice and speech work, impromptu speaking, interpersonal communication, presentation skills, executive presence, psychophysical anxiety, mindset adjustment, and public speaking in all its myriad of forms.

Brontë develops a highly-tailored program for each client and believes that increased proficiency in one area of communication can transform the others. With this holistic perspective, rigorous attention to detail, and a buoyant sense of humor, she holds space for her clients to experience personal transformation in whatever ways they desire.

Xavier Clark

Pilot Instructor

Xavier Clark (he/him/his) is a bilingual speech teacher, accent/dialect coach, and public speaking coach currently living in Los Angeles, CA. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California San Diego, where he taught Public Speaking to STEM students and specialized in Edith Skinner Speech Technique, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where he currently is on faculty through the Stella Adler Studio of Acting as a Voice and Speech instructor.