Back when I finished London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, I needed a way to bring the pennies in between acting jobs. But when my lovebite-laden Job Centre Advisor told me my benefits would stop unless I took some dismal double glazing job, the only option was to set up my own business.

It was a blessing in disguise. I used my business loan to launch a children’s drama school. And as luck would have it, teaching kids how to act is the easiest job I’ve ever done. They’re fearless, full of confidence and don’t care what other people think.

The parents though? Different species. They’re so focused on getting the best for their kids that their own needs take a back seat. But when they saw how I’d transformed their kids’ confidence, a few of them begged me to help them with theirs.

Not wanting to get stuck in a rut myself, I sold my drama school and spent the next few years travelling the world, working in theatres, teaching drama, writing books and at one point, directing the presenters of the Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul. That was an experience.

When London called, I came home, set up my own coaching company, teaching anyone and everyone how to be better public speakers, get their points across confidently, become better managers and more.

One day I could be teaching interview skills to a guy just out of prison, the next, showing CEOs how to be more assertive. It can be tough when people are struggling with confidence or think they’re better than they really are, but as a natural truth-teller, I say it as it is, and they always listen.

And the acting? That’s still going strong: I’ve won awards for the comedies I’ve produced, bounced around in comedy improv and slid on to TV.

Finding your true voice isn’t just about the way you speak. It’s about body language, non-verbal communication and even understanding other people’s personalities.

I roll all the techniques I’ve learned from theatre, improv and writing into one, and combine them with my training in psychology and NLP (the language of the mind), for fun and interactive courses that make a huge difference.

It’s why organisations of all sizes keep coming back to me for training.