Before I became an American Accent Coach, I was a language learner, wanting to improve my accent in another language.

Even though I grew up in a monolingual household where only English was spoken, today I speak three languages:

1. English (native language)
2. European Spanish (second language)
3. Italian (third language)

1. Speak it so well that native speakers would ask me which part of Spain I'm from, not which part of the U.S.
2. Have enough confidence to sound like I had been speaking it my whole life.

I set high standards for myself because I wanted to build deeper social connections with Hispanic people, potentially live in a Spanish-speaking country, and work with Spanish speakers in my career.

To thrive in a Spanish-speaking environment, I knew I needed to focus on accent work. 

So, I dedicated all my free time to researching the accent, making conscious changes in my speech, and seeking feedback until people started asking if I was from Spain.

Today, I am applying the same dedication to learning an Italian accent, taking Italian accent classes four times a week and making conscious changes to my speech habits.  

My experience learning both accents has taught me that getting a near-native accent in another language is possible even as an adult, but it requires more than learning individual sounds.

What ultimately gave native Spanish speakers the impression that I was from Spain was that I had completely changed the way I move my mouth muscles during speech. From scratch!

When I speak English, my entire vocal tract (including various muscles in my tongue, lips, and back of mouth) takes on a particular shape all throughout speech. This unique shape is important, because it is what makes all my consonants and vowels sound American.

And when I begin speaking in Spanish, it completely reshapes itself to create the right environment for me to articulate Spanish sounds, and the same for Italian.

The specific tongue muscles I use, the style and shape of tongue movement, the space in the back of my mouth, and the general resting position of my tongue all change with each language or accent.

Only once these muscle habits are relearned from the beginning can a non-native speaker give the impression of being a native speaker or produce sounds that are close to a native speaker's. 

Now, I speak both languages with an authentic accent, which has opened a lot of doors for me. 

Not only am I easily understood by native Spanish and Italian speakers, but knowing I sound more like them when I speak their languages gives me the confidence I need to interact fluently with them and show my personality the way I do when I speak English.

If I have to film myself speaking in one of the languages for my online video content, I feel relaxed about it because I'm confident that I'm pronouncing the words correctly and my speech flows well.

Finally, and most importantly to me, speaking both languages with a near-native accent has helped me better connect with Hispanic and Italian people. I love seeing people's faces light up when they hear me speak to them in their language with a more native-like accent. They appreciate knowing that I put so much effort into the way I speak their language, and it helps me relate to them better.