Short Explanation

Fixing any problems requires awareness, not just endlessly repeating the same mistakes. If you don't know what you're doing wrong, how could you possibly fix it?

Longer explanation

I don't entirely disagree that speaking more is important. It is.

It's just that in the context of changing our strong foreign accents, this alone will not get you a lot of results. Unless you have acquired knowledge, skills and habits first.

Why do I say that?

After all, even Americans will sometimes say (or rather claim in most cases) that they traveled to Australia, for example, and they "totally picked up the accent". Can't us foreigners do the same thing?

I mean, in theory, maybe?

In my experience, having had clients that moved to the U.S. at as young as 4 years old (!!), just being here and speaking isn't enough. Even for children.

I've also worked with lots of people that didn't move here as kids but they have lived in the U.S. for over twenty years and they still have a very strong accent.

There are outliers that will just soak up the American accent like a sponge. Unfortunately, you are probably not one of them.

I wasn't either if that makes you feel any better.

I was really good at English in school (meaning at grammar and vocabulary). When I came to the U.S., I thought I had a pretty good, clear, neutral accent.

Boy was I wrong. I still remember how frustrating that felt.

And back then, if all I had done was just live in the U.S. and just speak to Americans all day, my accent would have improved slightly. Or worse, I would have simply continued speaking the same way.

Why? Because I simply had no idea what I was doing wrong.

My teachers in high school never taught me anything about proper sound mechanics, rhythm, intonation, linking, proper sound mechanics, etc.

Speaking isn't a fix because it doesn't address the root of the problem: Not knowing what you're doing wrong.

I break my method down into three steps: UDS - Understand - Drill - Simulate

If you're reading this, you need the U step: understand

Because if you don't know what you're doing wrong... how could you possibly fix it?

Okay. So we're on the same page now. You need to understand.

How do you do that? And then how do you actually manage to apply that knowledge to change your accent?

Well, you have these 3 options:

• Try to figure that out yourself by watching lots of videos on YouTube

• Use an AI app to give you feedback

• Hire a professional

(Some people will ask their American friends/colleagues for feedback. I do not recommend this. Native speakers are not aware of how they are speaking. They will (for the most part) give you useless answers. At least, that was my own personal experience when I was reducing my own accent.)

Here are my thoughts on these 3 options:

Figure it out yourself

Pros:

✅ Technically free (no direct cost)
✅ Flexible schedule — learn at your own pace
✅ Great for self-starters who enjoy independent problem-solving

Cons:

❌ Slowest route — can take years of trial and error
❌ Risk of fossilizing errors — if you repeat mistakes, they become habits
❌ Your ear isn't trained — hard to self-correct without a trained listener
❌ Low accountability — nobody tracks your progress
❌ No feedback loop — you don’t know what’s working
❌ No community — learning alone makes consistency harder
❌ Information overload — hard to know what to focus on or who to trust
❌ May still require a coach later — once you hit a plateau

AI Apps

Pros:

✅ Affordable (lower upfront cost than private coaching)
✅ Some feedback is better than none
✅ Convenient — practice on your own time
✅ Gamified apps can help maintain short-term motivation

Cons:

❌ Inaccurate feedback — AI misfires, especially on nuance (prosody, rhythm, placement)
❌ No emotional intelligence — AI doesn’t understand frustration or overwhelm
❌ No structured curriculum — no clear learning arc or system
❌ No human ears = no real conversation skills
❌ No accountability or support — same problem as learning solo
❌ Limited personalization — same drills for everyone, regardless of level or native language
❌ Most clients plateau after initial gains — you’ll likely need human guidance eventually

Hire a professional

Pros:

✅ Fastest, most effective route
✅ Live feedback — identify and fix problems in real time
✅ Tailored strategy — based on your voice, goals, and native language
✅ Accountability — regular check-ins ensure consistency
✅ You save time and frustration
✅ Better ROI — less time = faster transformation = sooner results

Specifically when working with me in my Accent Change Program:

✅ Learn from someone who’s walked the path — I'm an immigrant just like yourself and I know what it takes to change your accent first-hand.
✅ Community — Gives social motivation + peer learning, gamification, and accountability.
✅ Practice under pressure — simulations that draw on my acting training to build real-world confidence and pressure test the skills and habits we're building.

Cons:

❌ Higher cost upfront

When I was working on my own strong foreign accent, I had the luck of being enrolled in acting school. We got to work with coaches both in 1-on-1 classes and in group classes. I was told exactly what I was doing wrong which gave me the jumping off point that I needed to change my accent.

If you let me, I'll do the same for you.

I'm currently offering free accent assessments for new clients that want to change their accent and overcome what I call the "accent barrier" (as opposed to the language barrier).

All you have to do is fill out a quick application (takes about 3mins) to make sure we're a good fit.

➡️ Click Here to Apply for your Free Accent Assessment ⬅️

(Value: $200)