Stress Simplified

Speak with the Natural Rhythm and Melody of English
Through Word and Sentence Stress and Thought Groups

You want to finally speak up in conversations in English without worrying about having to repeat yourself.

Stress Simplified will teach you how to speak clearly and confidently so people understand (and listen to) your meaning and your message.

You'll master American word and sentence stress patterns and discover how to break up your ideas
so that people can easily follow what you're saying.

Remember this:
You have the power to improve how you sound when you speak.

You’ve been speaking English for years.

You probably even live and work in the United States or Canada already.

Your language skills are good, even excellent. You're not worried about your vocabulary or your fluency.

But you find yourself asking these questions over and over again:

“Why do people always ask me to repeat myself? Am I speaking clearly?"
“Why does my voice sound so flat while other English speakers sound so expressive and interesting?”
“Why don’t people understand me? Is it my words or my accent?”
“I feel like I’ve been working on my pronunciation for so long. Will I ever feel confident speaking up in conversations, meetings or discussions?”

I get it...

You’re tired of being asked to repeat yourself.

You want to feel confident that people will be listening to your words, not your accent.

At work, you are constantly presenting your ideas.

Meetings, conference calls, lectures, workshops, networking events, even happy hour on Zoom - you want to be sure you're speaking clearly.

You want to feel confident that other people understand you, and that they hear what you have to say.

You want to improve how you sound. I'll help you get there.

Let's talk about why stress matters.

Chances are you've spent plenty of time and energy troubleshooting your accent and your voice over the years.

With so many resources out there, you're already aware of how you want to sound and have a vague idea of how to get there.

Here’s the thing:

Most accent advice focuses on fixing the way you pronounce consonant and vowel sounds.

But how you say certain sounds is only one part of a natural-sounding accent (and it’s not the most important one).

If you want to find your flow when speaking English, you need to speak with natural rhythm and melody.

Here's why.

Stress Helps You Speak More Clearly

Word Stress

To pronounce words clearly and accurately, you need to stress, or emphasize, the right syllable using your voice.

Sentence Stress

To communicate your meaning clearly, you need to consistently emphasize the most important words in your speech.

Thought Groups

To help people follow what you're saying more easily, you need to separate your ideas into shorter chunks, or thought groups.

When you speak with clear word and sentence stress and organize your ideas into thought groups, it becomes so much easier for people to understand you.

(This is also how you create English rhythm and melody for natural-sounding flow!)

Stress Simplified shows you how to do this step-by-step.

Want to know why so many people avoid working on stress?

They're not sure which syllable to stress,
they have no idea that there are patterns they can learn, and
they haven't yet trained their ears to hear the rhythm and melody that English speakers use automatically.

You don’t have to spend months or years analyzing accents or piecing bits of knowledge together to master stress patterns.

This program will cover it all. Here’s what you’ll learn:

Step 1: Introduction to Stress

You’ll learn how to consistently stress words by emphasizing the right syllables.

We’ll start with the fundamental elements that you need to work on in order to produce the natural rhythm and melody of English: pitch, volume, and syllable length.

You’ll learn how to gain control of your pitch, vary your volume, and lengthen syllables to speak clearly and effectively.

And you’ll practice with my favorite techniques to help you remember how stress feels in your mouth and your body.

Step 2: Producing Natural-Sounding Syllables

Next, you’ll learn how to speak with the natural rhythm of English by creating contrast between stressed and unstressed or reduced syllables.

You’ll find out how word stress gives you time to pronounce vowels clearly and accurately so your words sound right.

You’ll learn how to move your mouth, link sounds together, and shift your pitch so that you sound less choppy and more fluid.

You'll practice with exercises that focus on stressing one vowel sound at a time to help you build confidence.

Step 3: Identifying Stress Patterns

With this solid foundation, I’ll show you how to know which syllable to stress in words you use all the time.

You'll start training your ear to notice stress patterns in words and phrases you hear.

Then we'll focus on guidelines for predictable stress patterns so that you'll be able to emphasize the right syllable without thinking about it.

Step 4: Master Stress Patterns with Practice Exercises

To master stress patterns and start using them automatically, you’ll work with 30+ drills in a 30-day boot camp designed for results.

You’ll train your ear to hear and listen for these patterns and stretch your mouth and voice so that you can produce them!

You'll be guided through the practice exercises one by one with an audio lesson that helps you check in and reflect on how you’re using your mouth and voice.

You'll be pleasantly surprised to discover that English rhythm and melody really do become easier and more natural day after day!

Step 5: Sentence Stress

Building on the momentum you’ve gained through regular practice, you’ll focus your attention on sentence stress.

You’ll learn how to draw attention to the most important words in your speech so that they’re extra clear and easy to understand.

You'll also find out how to reduce less important words and use weak forms to create the contrast that is so necessary for a natural-sounding accent.

You’ll discover how to make your meaning clear by emphasizing the right words.

Step 6: Thought Groups and Chunking

Last, you'll learn how to make it even easier for people to follow what you’re saying by breaking your ideas into shorter chunks.

You’ll find out why you hear different levels of stress when listening to native speakers (and how to do this yourself).

You’ll learn how to separate your words into logical thought groups, and practice, practice, practice!

You’ll discover when to breathe in English, as well as how to pause deliberately to keep your listener engaged and interested in what you’re saying.

Step 7: Putting It All Into Practice

As you finish the Stress Simplified program, you’ll be able to test your mastery of stress patterns so that you can see how well you’ve absorbed the rhythm and melody of English.

You’ll find out the best ways to practice word and sentence stress and thought groups on your own so that you feel more confident when speaking.

Last but not least, I’ll show you how to measure your own progress and reflect on what still needs work.

What's Inside Stress Simplified?

Get Feedback and Answers to Your Questions

Chat with Me

If you have questions as you work through the lessons, you can chat with me on the course site. You can also email me directly or comment on specific lessons.

Get Feedback

As you work on stress and thought groups, you may be wondering what you personally need to focus on. Submit a short audio recording for private written feedback and tips.

When should you join Stress Simplified?

Wondering if it's a good time for you to join Stress Simplified?

Here are some reasons why people have decided to take the course:

you're pretty new to word and sentence stress and thought groups, but you know that using them confidently will help you speak more clearly so people definitely understand you
you know that stress matters, but you're usually not sure which syllable to stress, or if you're stressing words correctly - you want to use stress more automatically
you're interested in committing to daily practice and spending at least a little time each day improving how you use your voice in English
you're interested in working on contrast, or creating a clear difference between stressed syllables and unstressed or reduced ones - and you know all the practice exercises will make it easier
you get that some words are stressed, and some aren't, but you want to practice sentence stress so that it starts to feel more natural
you aren't exactly sure how to break your ideas into thought groups, so you're interested in getting more guidance
you'd like to dive deeper into word and sentence stress and get your questions answered directly by me

Why Stress Simplified Works

By consistently spending five to fifteen minutes a day working with the Stress Simplified practice exercises, you’re doing a lot of subtle but essential work.

You’re training your ear to be more sensitive so that it can hear lengthened syllables, notice more variation in pitch, and pick up on changes in volume.

You’re stretching your mouth so that it can glide into new shapes.

You’re exercising your vocal cords so that they feel more comfortable producing the sounds of English.

Why You Need to Commit to Consistent Practice

When you commit to the 30-day practice, you'll build a small, but powerful, daily speaking habit.

As I often say, small changes over time lead to big progress.

Changing how you speak requires you to create new muscle memory, just like any other physical activity!

For extra practice when you don't have privacy to speak out loud, you can simply listen to the recordings and repeat the words silently to yourself. This helps train your ear, too.

You don’t need to move through the drills quickly; in fact, you’ll get better results if you continue to practice them over time.

Remember, improving how you sound is an ongoing, ever-evolving process.

You’ll continue to come back to this information again and again as you refine how you speak English.

Want a peek inside?

What My Clients Are Saying

It's unbelievable! I have just practiced with Stress Simplified for several days and I felt so confident while leading the conversation during my conference call today. It's not necessarily speaking the words that I recently practiced, it's the practice that boosts my overall confidence in speaking English. Amazing! After just two weeks in Stress Simplified, I feel more joy and confidence while speaking with people. One bonus: her loving and energetic personality paired with her excellent teaching skills make your study a happy journey!

-Paula, China (living in the US)

This course is exactly what I was looking for. It shows in detail how to apply stress in different situations (word, sentence, thought groups, etc). If, during the course, you have some questions or suggestions, you may contact Kim (via email or chat) and she replies carefully. I really recommend this course, especially to people that speak syllable-timed languages and want to be better understood when speaking English... and who have contact (in person or via phone) with Americans and/or other foreigners frequently, especially in the work environment.

-Fabiana, Brazil

Kim has an engaging and practical way of teaching sounding natural. She is big on "musicality" of English so she trained me hard on intonation and length of pronunciation. She has phenomenal ears that could single out the subtle differences in my accent.

-Carol, China (living in the US)

I am very impressed with the thoroughness and expertise you demonstrated. I've been following your suggestions ever since and I've already seen improvements. Finally, not only you gave me invaluable suggestions and info to improve my speaking, but you also boosted my overall confidence.

-Toni, Brazil (living in the US)

After working with you, I feel more confident interacting with people. I can now use my English to get into a deeper conversation, but I wasn’t able to do that before because I was constantly worried about my accent. I’m not a perfectionist anymore, once I got rid of the idea of being a perfectionist, I’m actually one step forward (closer) to being more perfect.

-Nikki, Japan (living in the US)

Stress Simplified is straightforward and easy-to-follow.

You can complete the program on your own schedule, but you'll get the best results with consistent practice over 6-8 weeks.

You'll get my practical guidance through video lessons on everything you need to know about word and sentence stress and thought groups
You'll have consistent opportunities to practice and drill stress patterns through short, downloadable MP3 exercises
You'll receive regular emails to encourage you and motivate you to work through the program
You'll follow a 30-day plan (a boot camp) to help you create a regular practice habit as you move through the practice exercises day-by-day
You'll be able to remember and review what you've learned and apply it to your real life with a PDF guidebook

Meet Your Guide

I’m Kim, and I work with motivated professionals who want to sound more natural, more confident, and more fluent at work and in everyday life.

I know how important it is to be able to connect with other people in a language that isn’t our first. I speak Spanish fluently, but my American stress and intonation definitely influences my accent in Spanish. I wish a program like this existed for me!

Nothing inspires me more than watching my clients grow more confident and more comfortable speaking up and sharing their ideas, and hearing them transform how they sound.

Here's the truth:

I know how much you are struggling to improve how you sound all by yourself.

It takes time. It takes effort.

And after so much time spent looking through and experimenting with other resources on your own, you may be feeling overwhelmed or even discouraged.

You need structure and consistent practice. I'd love the opportunity to guide you.

I've developed this approach through years of coaching clients on how to improve how they sound when speaking.

I've included all the "secrets" I know so you can fine-tune your accent and voice and finally master English rhythm and melody through stress.

Please be sure to review the Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Online Course, Program, and Coaching Policies.

FAQ

Who is this program for?

This program IS for you if:

you want to speak clearly and confidently so people understand you and your ideas easily
you want to learn how to use word stress to create the natural rhythm of spoken English
you want to learn stress patterns so you can be confident you're stressing the right syllable
you want to stress the right words so people understand you
you want to know which words you should stress in word pairs, phrases, and chunks
you want to learn how to use stress to emphasize the key meaning of your message
you want to learn how to break your ideas into thought groups so that it's easy for people to follow what you're saying
you're willing to put in the work to practice all of these skills with practical exercises

Who is this program NOT for?

This program is NOT for you if:

you're looking for extremely detailed guidance on pronouncing every single consonant sound in English (you will practice vowel sounds, but this program focuses specifically on word and sentence stress, stress patterns, and thought groups)
you're not willing to do the practice exercises on a regular basis (serious progress can be made with only 10-15 minutes a day, but you have to do the work)
you expect to completely eliminate your accent in just a couple of months (this isn't magic, but with practice you will definitely speak English more clearly)
you have trouble understanding my natural speaking speed (this program will help you improve your listening skills, and you can adjust the speed of the videos, use captions, and follow with the transcripts)

What level of English do I need?

This program is for high intermediate, advanced, proficient, and fluent non-native English speakers who can follow natural spoken English. If you feel comfortable understanding me in my YouTube videos, you'll do fine in this program. This program will also help you understand the rhythm of native speech, so your listening skills will get stronger too.

You can also adjust the speed of the videos if you need to, and each video is followed by a transcript, if you want to check what you heard. Most of the videos include captions (subtitles) as well.

I’ve just heard about stress and rhythm in American English. Is this course for me?

If you’ve just discovered that word and sentence stress will help you sound more natural in English, that’s wonderful! Most people first learn about stress when they’re trying to figure out why they don’t sound like a native English speaker or why people have trouble understanding them.

I have had many clients who have lived in the US for five, 10, or even 20+ years who still need to work on word and sentence stress and thought groups. You can be completely fluent and still need to improve stress to speak more clearly.

This course starts off by building a solid foundation so you understand how stress works when you speak. Then we’ll talk about the nuances and “secrets” that will help you sound more like a native speaker.

As you practice, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of word and sentence stress and thought groups. Remember, information doesn’t transform how you sound; consistent practice does. That’s what this course is about!

Will this work for my accent? I'm a native speaker of...

Yes! Word and sentence stress are challenging for most non-native speakers. I have worked with people from all regions of the world, including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.

Most languages are what we call syllable-timed languages, which means you pronounce each syllable evenly, with more or less the same length. Other stress-timed languages use stress differently, and you will still need to adjust to English rhythm and melody.

Even native speakers of Indian or African English dialects may choose to practice American English stress patterns if they're living in North America. There are many English dialects which are more syllable-timed due to the influence of other regional languages.

If you're wondering if this program can help speakers of your native language, please contact me using the chat box on this page and I will be happy to answer your questions!

What is the time commitment?

This is a self-paced program, which means you can take as much time as you need to complete the program. That said, Stress Simplified is designed to take place over 6-8 weeks. I suggest you commit to spending 10-30 minutes every day on the practice exercises so that you start seeing results as soon as possible.

What do I need to participate in the program?

You need a phone, tablet, or computer that can access the internet. The course is hosted on a platform available on all devices. You will need the ability to stream videos, listen to MP3s, and open PDF documents. You need to give yourself at least 10-30 minutes a day to watch the video lessons and practice.

Will I receive your feedback on my accent?

Yes! You will have a few options to get feedback from me, as well as answers to your questions:

submit a short audio recording for private, written feedback directly from me;
ask questions via email, the chat box on the course site, on by commenting directly on lessons.

I also provide detailed guidance on how to record yourself before you start and evaluate your accent after finishing the program. You need to be able to reflect on how you sound and self-monitor for lasting results.

Stress Simplified is available as a self-paced program because many people told me they wanted to work through the process independently, on their own schedule.

You'll benefit from consistent practice and regular guidance without the cost or scheduling conflicts of group courses or one-to-one coaching.

What if I have questions or get stuck? Are you there to support me?

I am 100% here to support you! If you have any questions about the lessons, practice exercises, or anything to do with stress, you can chat with me directly using the chat function on the course site. (Just look for the little chat bubble on the bottom right corner!)

Because I'm old-school, you can also email me directly and I'm happy to answer questions over email.

You can also share insights, experiences, and reflections with other students as well as me by commenting on the lesson pages within the course community.

This is not a course where you'll never hear from the instructor. I'm available to answer questions every (business) day and I truly want you to succeed.

You will also receive regular emails motivating you to complete the course.

Will this work for me?

This program works if you do. After years as an accent and communication coach, I have created a well-structured, comprehensive program that will help you improve your accent, speak English more clearly, and express yourself more naturally and more like a native speaker.

However, to get results, you need to do the work: you need to watch the video lessons, practice consistently using the MP3 exercises and 30-day plan, and complete the reflection exercises in the PDF guidebook.

The only way to improve how you sound is through consistent practice.

Can I see a sample of what's inside the program?

To get a sense of what you'll learn inside the program, check out this video on how to Find Your Flow When Speaking English.

It will show you how word and sentence stress and thought groups work together to help you communicate clearly and confidently. (And you'll have a chance to practice!)

You may also want to sign up for the Find Your Voice email course. The videos in this course will help you get started with word and sentence stress, thought groups, and key intonation patterns. You'll better understand this approach to communicating clearly and confidently and get a chance to practice.

I also encourage you to explore my free resources on word and sentence stress and thought groups on my website and YouTube channel. After watching a few videos, you'll be able to decide whether you want to intensively work on word and sentence stress and thought groups with structure, support, and feedback from me.

If I don't like the program, can I cancel?

Because this is a digital program with dozens of downloadable resources, the course is non-refundable.

However, I want you to be happy with your investment; if you are not happy with the program, please contact me directly so we can work together to find a solution.

Learn more about my course policies here.

If you're not sure, I encourage you to thoroughly explore the free resources available on my website and YouTube channel. You can start with the Find Your Voice email course.

By watching and practicing with the videos in this course, you'll better understand this approach to communicating clearly and confidently. Then you can decide if you want to intensively work on word and sentence stress and thought groups with structure, support, and feedback from me.