About
I’m Gilliane Chancy-Wulfeck.
A CELTA-certified English coach with more than ten years of experience helping multilingual professionals communicate clearly under pressure.
I’ve spent my working life between English and French — as a translator, an interpreter and a teacher. I know what it takes to think in one language and perform in another, live.
Where it started
Brilliant people, limited in English.
I started teaching in France, working with managers and executives who had strong English on paper but lost clarity the moment a conversation moved fast.
They weren’t missing vocabulary or grammar. They were missing something almost no one teaches directly: how English actually sounds and organizes itself in real time — the stress, rhythm and linking that native speakers use without thinking, and that most classroom English never covers.
That gap is what I built my coaching around. I call it the sound system of English — the structure underneath the words. Once you can hear it, you can use it, and your English stops working against you in exactly the moments you need it most.
Today I work with professionals from many countries and industries — executives, founders, engineers, customer service leaders — anyone whose English needs to hold up in real meetings, real client calls and real decisions, not just in a classroom.
The goal is not perfect grammar or removing your accent. It’s to help you follow the discussion, respond more easily, and sound as certain as you are.
Background
Three decades between two languages.
- CELTA Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults — Cambridge English, through ILC France (2016)
- BICFET English–French Translation University of London Institute in Paris
- Speak to Lead A weekly Substack on why English gets harder under pressure — and what helps
- 1994
Translator & interpreter, English ↔ French
Translating books, essays and articles from English into French, and interpreting between the two — work I still do today.
- 2009
Two languages, live, all day
Around a hundred calls a day from French-Canadian VIP clients, with over-the-phone liaison interpreting. English under real pressure, every day.
- 2015
Volunteer academic support in Grenoble
Helping students who struggle with French and English at the Maison des Habitants.
- 2016
CELTA, and the start of U-Style
Cambridge CELTA through ILC France, then full-time coaching for French-speaking managers and client-facing teams.
- Today
Dallas–Fort Worth, clients worldwide
Coaching multilingual executives online — and writing Speak to Lead every week.
Working together
Online, and built around your real work.
My approach goes beyond grammar rules and vocabulary lists. I help you understand why communication breaks down in the moment, then give you a structured way to fix it — one that keeps working long after our sessions end.
- Coaching online, wherever you are
- Private 60-minute sessions in Private Coaching
- Practice built on your own meetings, calls and presentations
- A continuation plan so progress keeps going after we finish
Speak to Lead
Recent writing.
- Explaining Is Not the Same as Interpreting The hardest part of speaking English at work isn’t explaining. It’s interpreting. Read on Substack (opens in a new tab)
- You Can Keep the Accent and Be Easier to Follow Your listener isn’t only trying to understand your words. They’re trying to understand what you mean. Read on Substack (opens in a new tab)
- You Know the Word. So Why Can’t You Find It? Why advanced English speakers can have the vocabulary and still struggle to access it when the conversation moves fast. Read on Substack (opens in a new tab)
Questions
Before you reach out.
Who is English Under Pressure for?
Multilingual professionals who already use English but find it harder to access when conversations move quickly or the stakes are high. It’s especially relevant if you lose the thread, translate internally, freeze, or struggle to respond as clearly as you would like.
What level of English do I need?
It’s best suited to intermediate and advanced speakers who already use English at work — people who generally know what they want to say but find it harder to understand, retrieve or deliver their English when conversations move quickly or the pressure rises. It isn’t designed for complete beginners.
What’s the difference between Independent and Private Coaching?
Independent is the complete self-paced program for $497. Private Coaching is $1,497 (or 3 monthly payments of $499) and includes the full Independent program, five private 60-minute sessions, an individual assessment, personalized feedback, real-situation practice and a continuation plan.
Do I need to change my accent?
No. The goal isn’t to erase your accent or make you sound native. It’s to help you speak more clearly, follow fast conversations more easily and respond with greater control.
Let’s talk
Tell me where English gets harder for you.
Book a free strategy call. We’ll look at your situation and whether working together makes sense — no pressure either way.