About Kate
Meet Kate, your conversational English language teacher and podcast host.
Hi! I’m Kate and I am a teacher of English as a Foreign Language and a certified Neurolanguage Coach®. My experience as an exchange student in Germany when I was a teenager led me to love learning languages and connecting with people from different cultures.
Over the years, I’ve studied German, French, Spanish, Polish and a tiny bit of Levantine Arabic. I believe that understanding something of the language helps me understand the people who speak it. Making connections between languages is a powerful way to enhance learning.
I also value life-changing communication. My career path has allowed me to continually practice in the roles of educator, conflict resolution mediator, librarian and coach. I specialize in helping professionals communicate in international conversations over the phone, in a video conference, or in face-to-face meetings.
My passion is to engage people in worthwhile conversations about things that matter.
Where I’m from: I was born in Minnesota and currently live in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, USA
What I do: I listen and provide customized lesson material and stimulating conversations in English for intermediate to advanced learners. I encourage, inspire, and create space and possibilities. I follow the International Coaching Federation guidelines and create a calm and confidential learning environment.
What I don’t do: I don’t judge, lecture, or admonish.
My strengths (according to my clients): I’m open, kind, mindful, flexible, interesting, and have a sense of humor.
Things I love: I love my family, my friends, and my cats. I love connecting with nature and people from all over the world.
What I do in my spare time: I hike, dance, play with family and love on my cats. I enjoy lunch with friends and learning languages. I like to read a lot. I serve on the board of our local community land trust where I take notes, lead hikes for youth, and volunteer at our nature center.
Things I believe in: Respect for everyone. I believe in the power of listening to connect with others and solve problems together. I believe we can all learn how to be better communicators in any language.
- Facilitated thousands of conversational English lessons online
- Volunteer teacher at Angloville English Immersion Programs in Poland in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Volunteer teacher at Angloville – Czech Republic in 2019 and at Pueblo Inglés in Spain in 2018.
- 30+ years experience in education
- Certified and accredited Neurolanguage Coach® (registered US and European trademark in the name of Rachel Marie Paling)
- National Board Certified Teacher
- TEFL Certified 320 hours plus add-on certificates in Business English, IELTS prep, and Young Learners.
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition, studied Health and Lifestyle Coaching
- Carleton College BA
- East Carolina University MLS
. . . always very interesting, helpful and funny.“I sincerely would recommend to you Conversations with Kate. I have been learning English in various language schools for many years but only after a few lessons with Kate, I began to talk freely. Conversations with Kate are always very interesting, helpful and funny. You can talk about any subject and Kate is always well prepared.” – Bartosz S. Warsaw, Poland Bartosz’s son also takes lessons to improve his conversation skills and prepare for the TOEFL Jr. exam.
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We use materials from my profession and every day life.I like the varied means which Kate uses to teach. She uses videos and online articles on interesting topics. She uses them to teach pronunciation, phrasal verbs, and idioms. I have speaking and writing practice. Kate is very involved as she works with me. She is always prepared and is a good time-keeper. She supports me and motivates me to learn. She is patient and tolerant when I make mistakes. She is natural, humorous and has an open mind. We use materials from my profession and from everyday life. This is much stronger than learning from textbooks. Kate offers many ideas on her Facebook page. She is knowledgeable about new applications to learn English. I’m improving my English but also learning about current events and other topics of interest. Thanks to her, I’m learning real-life English and I have overcome my fear of speaking. I love the way that she views learning as a process and not just a set of goals. I also appreciate the fact that Kate is a language learner, too. She is interested in my country and culture. – Monika P. Graphic Designer Lublin, Poland |
