Powerful team
Expert facilitators
John Patrick
Communication Coach
Corporations have hired JP to help teams close contracts, navigate tricky interpersonal team communications, and develop rising leaders.
JP currently serves as a Duarte Facilitator for Duarte Inc., the global leader in communication design. Duarte’s methodology allows JP to support some of the largest brands in the world such as Nike, The Gap Inc., and Shopify with how to leverage the power of story and empathy to communicate their ideas.
A tenured professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, JP served as Head of Voice and Speech at the Professional Actor Training Program, PlayMakers Repertory Company until 2018. Leveraging a rich history in training performing artists how to captivate audiences while under pressure, JP developed training systems for various professional sectors.
JP now teaches “Effective Communication Under Duress” and a master’s level course, “Strategic Communication to Move Ideas Forward” for the department of Public Policy. JP also teaches courses for the UNC Correctional Education Program to help support successful transitions for incarcerated folks and sits on the board of the UNC Conflict Management Initiative.
A driving passion for JP is working with people who encounter unique obstacles with their speaking voice. This can include epic nerves and or physiological hurdles due to surgery, trauma, hormonal therapy or clients that seeks to better align their vocal identity with their internal identity. This led JP to become "Safe Zone" trained through the LGBTQ+ Center at UNC Chapel Hill where he had the great privilege to lead workshops.
The core methodology to how JP consults (and lives) is through his work with founder Scott Miller at Miller Voice Method. JP co-founded the Miller Voice Method Studio in NYC where he is a co-contributor to the method and Expert Faculty.
Originally from Kansas City, JP has worked extensively abroad including Canada, Mexico, Northern Ireland, and Finland to galvanize techniques that bridge communication gaps between cultures and language. This work has culminated into international communication workshops for the Kenan-Flagler Business School and Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill.
JP now resides in Greensboro, NC alongside his partner-in-crime, two kids, dog and hairless cat.
Shai Tamari
Conflict Management
Shai is a Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and an Adjunct Lecturer at Duke University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in conflict management. At UNC, Shai is also founder and director of the Conflict Management Initiative (CMI), which brings together faculty and staff who work, research, and teach in the field of conflict management. He is also the director of the minor in Conflict Management.
Shai has co-facilitated weekly restorative circles in prisons in North Carolina, including on Death Row at Central Prison. He has also mediated disputes at the Durham County Courthouse, and co-mediated divorce settlements at the Dispute Settlement Center in Carrboro, North Carolina. For 12 years, he was the Associate Director of the UNC Center for Middle East & Islamic Studies. Prior to that he was a foreign policy adviser on Capitol Hill, where he focused on issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, human rights in Iran, and parental child abduction to Japan.
All these personal and professional experiences have taught Shai how to create and hold space for different beliefs and belief systems, and how to understand group dynamics and adapt to them. He has learned to lead by example: If he wishes for others to “open up” and be vulnerable, he knows he must first do so himself. This approach has taught him the value of positive-motivation leadership, encouraging others to take steps to improve themselves and the team from the foundation of his example.
Born and raised in Jerusalem, Shai earned a B.A. in Journalism from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, and a Master’s degree in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London in the UK. In 2006, Shai was awarded a Rotary Peace Fellowship and studied for a second Master’s in Global History, along with Conflict Resolution and Arabic language studies, at UNC. Shai is a native speaker of Hebrew and an avid Elvis Presley fan.
Sarah Koestner
Career Coaching
Sarah is a professionally certified coach and member of the International Coaching Federation. She has over 2000 hours of coaching experience and was trained by Coaching for Transformation through Leadership that Works at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY.
She's received additional training under Guthrie Sayan in Internal Family Systems and with Mary Kuentz in trauma-informed coaching. Her specialty is supporting highly sensitive people navigate periods of transition with greater ease and less anxiety. Sarah partners with you to get underneath the fear and resistance to develop more self trust and to live a more empowered life.
In addition to her coaching work, Sarah is also a professor of Voice and Speech at Montclair State University. She has studied extensively with Scott Miller and John Patrick and is certified in Miller Voice Method.
Amanda Quaid
Speech & Accent
Amanda has 20 years experience teaching speech, dialects, and language skills to speakers from around the world. In addition to coaching various sectors (she even coaches TV, films, and theatrical productions!), she maintains a thriving private practice and has been featured as an accent expert on WNYC. Learn more at talkshopnyc.com.