YOUR GUIDES

Jorge loves to travel especially internationally. Originally from Panama, he has lived all over the U.S. and is based out of Atlanta, where our US Headquarters are located. Additionally, he has taught numerous yearly assignments, out of our European Headquarters in Amsterdam. Working out and hiking balance his delight in eating out. Speakeasy is a natural home for Jorge who is a firm believer in ongoing personal and professional development. With Jorge you know you’ve found someone with your best interest at heart. Your gain is his gain. Jorge has had the opportunity, via Speakeasy, to interact with a multitude of people, from many diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. He has traveled from Amsterdam throughout Europe, to Brazil, to Johannesburg and Morocco in Africa, and to City of Victoria in Hong Kong, teaching our curriculum. He has also taught in Latin America, including Mexico City, Mexico, and Bogota, Colombia, where the client requested for the classes to be taught in Spanish, his native language.

Jorge focuses on the style-impact side of our work. He arrived in the United States, via a Fulbright Scholarship, which allowed him to further explore his passion for the area of global business. He holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Louisville and then earned his M.B.A., in International Business, with concentration in Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism, from Bellarmine University.

Sandra has delivers all of Speakeasy’s programs and has been conducting seminars and making presentations for the company since 1989. While Sandra has been with Speakeasy for almost 27 years, the special qualities she brings to our clients were already evident at the beginning of her career. After completing her graduate program at Columbia, she worked as an educator with students in Harlem. She thrived on challenge. She still does.

Sandra thrives on the challenge of helping Speakeasy clients meet their communication goals. She listens carefully to what you want to accomplish, and she remembers. So just when your energy flags, or your commitment waivers, she steps right in — reminding you, encouraging you, or suggesting an alternate route. That’s the kind of support you’ll get from Sandra. Her Speakeasy colleagues also experience it. As one observes, “She’s consistent and determined. She shoots straight, working hard to be sure I accomplish what I’ve told her I want to do. She stays with me until I get where I need to go.”

Doug insures that our communication and physical environment accurately reflect our corporate image and values. He also provides instruction, private coaching, and design and consulting services to Speakeasy’s clients on presentation content and visual support issues, and heads all design efforts delivered through our Visual Communication Group. He brings to this multi-faceted role a background in graphic, advertising, architectural and interior design. The processes he uses in working with Speakeasy’s clients are derived from almost forty years of experience in developing communication through all of these mediums. With Doug as your guide, you feel equipped for your own exploration

To his colleagues Doug has another title: adventurer – curious about cultures and creatures, especially marine creatures. Doug received a dual Bachelors of Environmental Design and Architecture from Auburn University. He serves as Chair for our Core Curriculum Committee and has been working with Speakeasy on communication and content planning issues for almost 35 years.

Helen takes great satisfaction in empowering clients to create transformational change in their communication. Because she appreciates the demands on busy working professionals, she focuses tirelessly on ensuring their time with Speakeasy is well spent. For the last twenty years, Helen has helped individuals and executives better present, lead, manage and connect with others. Helen brings years of experience to her coaching work. As a member of many regional theater companies, including several Shakespeare festivals, she’s acted on stages from Manhattan to Zurich and is a member of Actors Equity Association and Screen Actors Guild.

Helen lives in Manhattan with her husband and two sons. Among her interests outside her professional life, she is an active book club member, a determined beginner tennis player and an avid skier.

Helen graduated magna cum laude with an M.F.A from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama. She earned a B.A. in Marketing and Communications from Jacksonville University. She was awarded the bronze medal by the National Society of Arts and Letters.

When Victoria says she loves competition, she isn’t talking about taking a place in the stands; she’s talking about taking her place on the field or the course and playing the game. An avid golfer, ex-polo and former collegiate volleyball player, she says, “I like adrenaline-driven sports.  I enjoy the competition and I like the beauty of athleticism.” She also enjoys running and though only slightly less active, is a busy mother to three hounds – two bassets and a bloodhound.

Clients find this high achiever a thoroughly empathetic and encouraging instructor. Before joining Speakeasy, Victoria was a consultant for the military in a psychological outreach program. What drew her to Speakeasy was this observation: “Speakeasy gives people the opportunity to open doors for themselves.”

Victoria was a key member of several elite litigation trial teams including select AMLAW 100 firms prior to joining the faculty of Speakeasy ten years ago.  She likes helping people overcome their fear of public speaking and believes that the Speakeasy experience “can enrich their lives and open up different dimensions of their personalities – professionally and personally.”

She is based out of Speakeasy’s Atlanta offices, currently resides in Palm Beach Gardens in Florida and. delivers private coaching services as well as all of Speakeasy’s Core Style-Impact Programs.

Paula takes a very active approach to life. When something interests her, she finds a way to try it. When Paula guides you, you know you have her full attention. She is on your side one hundred percent and her patience is unlimited. Her background has given her special expertise in speech and voice – she is a clinically certified speech pathologist – and has a special appreciation for the demands of the business world. She has had extensive experience in banking, telecommunications and IT.

Paula earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro and a Masters in Communication Disorders from North Carolina Central University. She spent five years as a speech pathologist in the public school system working with the secondary student population. She is a clinically certified member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and of the Georgia Speech and Hearing Association. She has licensure as a speech pathologist in two states – California and Georgia. Paula serves as Speakeasy’s SVP of Faculty and Dean of Curriculum.

Alex Cohen knew he wanted to be involved with something different – a group that bridged the power of the spoken word with personal development in the business world.  His search – and his hope of finding a career that combined two of his passions  – eventually led him to Speakeasy!

Alex Cohen has a breathtaking array of accomplishments. He’s bilingual. English is his first language; Spanish is the language he taught himself. He worked for five years in both languages as a Speech-Language Pathologist with the Dignity Health Medical Group. Alex holds a Masters of Arts in Communication Disorders and Sciences from San Jose University. He’s traveled extensively in Central and South America, and, also, in Europe and Asia. In fact, he’s lived in ten different cities and traveled to over forty countries. He holds a sky-diving license, enjoys bungee jumping, snowboarding, scuba diving, surfing and camping.

Tim takes great pride in helping people discover their unique powers of communication. He exudes enthusiasm, discipline, and the joy of discovering and connecting with others in all of his endeavors. This is abundantly present in his coaching style with Speakeasy clients. Tim has spent a significant portion of his career teaching and leading the development of others. He began teaching at Cornell University in the 1990s and went on to teach at Willamette University. He spent 20 years teaching private classes and workshops throughout the west coast.

Tim grew up in Oregon and spent much of his adult life in Los Angeles. He now lives with his wife and cats in the Netherlands. In his free time, he loves to travel and hike with his wife, catch up with his writer-son Walker, and decompress with a good book and his cats.

Tim attended Southern Oregon University and Graduate School at the University of Alabama where he earned his M.F.A. He is a Co-Founder of Third Rail Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon.

Ed has 25 years of experience handling public relations, media relations, analyst relations, and crisis management for major brands that include: LexisNexis Risk Solutions, McKesson, State Farm Insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Advocate Health Care. As a corporate spokesperson, Ed has been quoted in major media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA TODAY, The Associated Press, and numerous business trade publications.

He has taught “Business Communication & Professional Development” to business school students at Georgia State University. Ed earned a B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. degree from the University of Toledo College of Law.

Ed knew at an early age that he wanted to work in communications. While still only a senior in high school, he interned at a local television station where he learned how to shoot, write, and edit news stories for broadcast. With about 10 years of TV news production “insider” experience, Ed changed course slightly and moved from the news side to the corporate communications side.

Nick Jermyn was born in Horsham, England and grew up in what he describes as “the wilds of Surrey” near the small town of Dorking. He joined the Royal Marines Reserves as a Marine at 17, and the regular Royal Marines Commandos as an Officer at 23, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel 18 years later. When asked what he values about his Marine years, he says, “The comradeship, the quality of the people, the leadership and life, the travel – to 60 different countries – and the opportunity to help and serve others – but most of all the comradeship.”

Nick was stationed in war zones in both Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, became a Jungle Warfare instructor and taught Leadership at the UK Defense Academy.

Since his retirement, Nick has acquired significant experience in executive coaching and leadership development, serving as a Principal Consultant with McKinney Rogers. Not one to do things by halves, he spent two years studying method acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles and qualified last year as a Mindfulness Instructor. His acting led to work in film, television, narration and voice-over. He’s made ten audiobooks – the latest is titled “Horde” a comedic fantasy novel with an Orc as the hero. For fun he enjoys reading fantasy novels, skiing and rugby. As a fan, he’s followed the British Lions rugby club to South Africa and Australia – and, seeing how this man follows his passions, you might not be surprised to learn he’s a qualified coach of coaches!

What appealed most to Nick when he learned about Speakeasy? “I love the emphasis on unleashing a person’s true potential, rather than just telling people what to do.”

After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Masters program in 2012, Ryan began working in the acute care medical field. On moving to Atlanta, he returned to patient care as an SLP with Northside Hospital. As much as he liked the work, he found himself checking out alternative careers in speech pathology. He found what he was looking for on the Web at Speakeasy where the emphasis was on mastering interpersonal communication in everyday life. “At Speakeasy,” he says, “I really enjoy seeing personal growth and when I see people becoming aware of their progress, I see a ‘spark’ that makes me happy.”

Originally from Chattanooga, TN, Ryan loves travel. In his free time, it should be easy to find him with his friends at music or food festivals. He also spends a significant amount of time in the gym and in physical fitness activities which he uses for a meditation space – a place where he can develop a sense of centered-self when stressed.

Ryan, although a nutritional health nut, admits to having “the biggest sweet tooth.” But you can’t bribe him with chocolate. It takes gummy bears and sour patch kids!