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Meet Your

Premier American Accent Trainer & Communication Skills Coach

Here I am at about, what, two?

I was ready for stardom from a very young age. (My brother? Not so much. But he looks way cooler than me in this photo, I know, I know!)

I went to a performing arts high school in New Haven, Connecticut, and I moved to Los Angeles at twenty to follow my dream to be a movie star.

And it stayed that way as I pursued a career in acting and singing until I was in my mid-thirties. 

Dreams do evolve, however, and so while I was still involved in my singer/songwriter pursuits, I got a Master's Degree in Education with a focus on Creative Arts in Learning. I was thinking of being a teacher. I moved to New York City (again), started a band, and sang in the nightclubs while teaching ESL as my day job.

I taught English at The World Trade Center and then at Pace University. I was establishing myself as an American Accent Trainer. Many of the professors didn’t know how to do it or simply didn’t like teaching “pronunciation.” 

I was learning rather quickly that the accent, or music of the language, was quite different from the pronunciation of individual sounds.

I steadily began to use my passion for music to create a curriculum that would make a difference in people’s lives and eventually become The Diamond Method.

Here I am at about, what, two?

I was ready for stardom from a very young age. (My brother? Not so much. But he looks way cooler than me in this photo, I know, I know!)

I went to a performing arts high school in New Haven, Connecticut, and I moved to Los Angeles at twenty to follow my dream to be a movie star.

And it stayed that way as I pursued a career in acting and singing until I was in my mid-thirties. 

 

Dreams do evolve, however, and so while I was still involved in my singer/songwriter pursuits, I got a Master's Degree in Education with a focus on Creative Arts in Learning. I was thinking of being a teacher. I moved to New York City (again), started a band, and sang in the nightclubs while teaching ESL as my day job.

I taught English at The World Trade Center and then at Pace University. I was establishing myself as an American Accent Trainer. Many of the professors didn’t know how to do it or simply didn’t like teaching “pronunciation.” 

I was learning rather quickly that the accent, or music of the language, was quite different from the pronunciation of individual sounds.

I steadily began to use my passion for music to create a curriculum that would make a difference in people’s lives and eventually become my English Communication Confidence Methodology.

Something happened to me when I was near the end of my singer/songwriter career…I was robbed at gunpoint with my then-boyfriend and mother just after my record release party. We got out of our taxi, and as we were entering our New York City apartment building, two men asked us to hold the door for them. They came in behind us. They followed us past the stairs to our front door and, calmly, with a gun in hand, said: “Open the door and no one will get hurt.” Sure enough, no one got hurt, but they did manage to take our valuables. 

And for me? Well, I somehow got it in my head that this incident was a sign that it was time for me to focus on a career as an entrepreneur.


One of my teaching pals from The World Trade Center had recently started a language school. His father, however, was sick in Paris, and he needed to go take care of him. He’d be gone for about six months…could I “watch” his company for him, he’d ask. “Sure!” I thought. He had two classes running out of his midtown Manhattan apartment that I would maintain. I started to think..."Hmmp, I might have a knack for this business thing!"

(Looking back, it is hard to believe that those six months turned into more than twenty years, but they have.)

My Professional Timeline

1997

When my business partner returned from Paris, we got ourselves an office in the Flatiron District of New York and we pounded the pavement for what would become amazing corporate clients. Call it luck, call it experience, charm, timing, or whatever you want, but we landed some of the biggest financial institutions, pharma companies, and telecoms when we started out.

Our partnership was strong. I ran the communication side of the coaching and he took up the language piece. We called ourselves Lemond Language Consulting and we worked side-by-side in New York until Y2K (Year 2000), when we opened an office in Paris so he could move to his father’s country and be the Frenchman he always felt he was. I (wo)manned the shop in NY while flying regularly to France to help construct the company there. It was an extraordinary time of the business.

In fact, one of our telecoms had us flying all over Europe running five-day group accent training programs for senior management. Also around this time, I was brought to Bangalore to run my accent program for a call center. While my partner was focusing on Paris, I brought my methodology to Brazil where I did several train-the-teacher programs.

My Professional Timeline

1997

When my business partner returned from Paris, we got ourselves an office in the Flatiron District of New York and we pounded the pavement for what would become amazing corporate clients. Call it luck, call it experience, charm, timing, or whatever you want, but we landed some of the biggest financial institutions, pharma companies, and telecoms when we were starting out.

Our partnership was strong. I ran the communication side of the coaching and he took up the language piece. We called ourselves Lemond Language Consulting and we worked side-by-side in New York until Y2K (Year 2000), when we opened an office in Paris so he could move to his father’s country and be the Frenchman he always felt he was. I (wo)manned the shop in NY while flying regularly to France to help construct the company there. It was an extraordinary time of the business.

In fact, one of our telecoms had us flying all over Europe running five-day group accent training programs for senior management. Also around this time, I was brought to Bangalore to run my accent program for a call center. While my partner was focusing on Paris, I brought my methodology to Brazil where I did several train-the-teacher programs.

2005

By 2005, my partner and I decided to split the company and he kept the Paris operation and I kept New York. I soon was running a team of 30 people with three divisions of the company: Languages, Communication Skills, and Translation & Interpreting. I had become a certified Woman-owned business and one year I won an award for the most Done Deals as a WBE in New York. This was also an AMAZING time.

2008

Then, came the Great Recession of 2008. The collapse of the housing market was hitting everyone hard. We had two groups of trainers booked to fly to Dubai to run two weeks of accent programs right before Christmas when all the cancellations started coming in. One client after the other was telling us they’d need to postpone the training dates. And so, it was, we went from the era of Silicon Alley to an era of great uncertainty.

2005

By 2005, my partner and I decided to split the company and he kept the Paris operation and I kept New York. I soon was running a team of 30 people with three divisions of the company: Languages, Communication Skills, and Translation & Interpreting. I had become a certified Woman-owned business and one year I even won an award for the most Done Deals as a WBE in New York. This was also an AMAZING time.

2008

Then, came the Great Recession of 2008. The collapse of the housing market was hitting everyone hard. We had two groups of trainers booked to fly to Dubai to run two weeks of accent programs right before Christmas when all the cancellations started coming in. One client after the other was telling us they’d need to postpone the training dates. And so, it was, we went from the era of the Silicon Alley (New York’s Silicon Valley) to an era of great uncertainty.

2009

When January of 2009 rolled around I knew that I needed to downsize the company and even consider moving a small part of my staff to a home office scenario. That’s exactly what we did.

After settling into the change and adjusting to less of everything, I had some opportunities arise that might allow me to bring my American accent training methodology online. Aside from the organic growth of my YouTube channel, between 2011 and 2015, I had conversations with multiple online language companies and startups about partnering with me. I’d bring the methodology and they’d manage the business and marketing. In the end, I never found a partner I truly resonated with.

2009

When January of 2009 rolled around I knew that I needed to downsize the company and even consider moving a small part of my staff to a home office scenario. That’s exactly what we did.

After settling into the change and adjusting to less of everything, I had some opportunities arise that might allow me to bring my American accent training methodology online. It first started when I created my YouTube channel and then from 2011 through 2015, I had many conversations with many different companies—large language companies and startups—about partnering with me. I’d bring the methodology and they’d manage the business and marketing of it all. In the end, I never found a partner I truly resonated with.

Sometimes we don’t understand why things happen the way they do until we stop trying to understand. 

 

That’s exactly true of this situation.


Although my business had shrunk, I was able to create a way of working that suited me and my Brazilian husband’s lifestyle. We began spending a lot of time in Brazil—Rio, Sao Paulo, and eventually in the mountains of Minas Gerais where we’ve had the privilege to build a house and work from paradise.

Another accomplishment that came out of these years has been the building of a series of digital programs. I've created exciting offerings such as an OnDemand course, a ByCohort program, and a Membership alongside my scholarship program and one-on-one training and corporate coaching offerings.  

And so it goes, I’ve got everything that 2-year-old-wanna-be-movie-star never knew she wanted or that she was capable of achieving.

 

Proudly, I am with you today because of my life experience and I thank you, not only for being a part of my learning but for taking the time to read about me and my journey.

Now that you know how I got where I am, I hope you’ll find what you are looking for on my site. 

My Mission

 

My mission is to help international professionals polish their spoken English to a point of true self-expression and communication confidence.

 

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Confidence

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For Businesses

I started my business in 1997 in the greatest town on earth: New York City! In fact, right where this image was taken, The Flatiron District. Having walked in and out of the skyscrapers for so many years, I’ve had the great opportunity to help thousands of working professionals from a variety of sectors such as Finance, Retail, Pharma, Advertising, Real Estate, IT and much, much more. Let me help the AMAZING international HUMANS in your organization as they build their English Communication Confidence.

Tell Me More

Scholarship

I am proud to say that I’ve built up quite a following on YouTube over the years. While doing so, I’ve learned that there are millions of people in need of English Communication Skills they can rely on. However, many folks I have spoken with are faced with financial barriers that keep them from reaching their English-speaking dreams. That’s why, after more than twenty years in business, I’ve created my Find Your Stage Scholarship Program which gives incredible learning opportunities to people from ALL over the world.

LEARN MORE

For Businesses

I started my business in 1997 in the greatest town on earth: New York City! In fact, right where this image was taken, The Flatiron District. Having walked in and out of the skyscrapers for so many years, I’ve had the great opportunity to help thousands of working professionals from a variety of sectors such as Finance, Retail, Pharma, Advertising, Real Estate, IT and much, much more. Let me help the AMAZING international HUMANS in your organization as they build their English Communication Confidence.

Tell Me More

Scholarship

I am proud to say that I’ve built up quite a following on YouTube over the years. While doing so, I’ve learned that there are millions of people in need of English Communication Skills they can rely on. However, many folks I have spoken with are faced with financial barriers that keep them from reaching their English-speaking dreams. That’s why, after more than twenty years in business, I’ve created my Find Your Stage Scholarship Program which gives incredible learning opportunities to people from ALL over the world.

LEARN MORE

LinkedIn

I hope you'll connect with me on LinkedIn where I have both a profile and a company page. I'm always curious to meet AMAZING HUMANS who help make this world a better place. Is that you?  

Amazing Human Love

Matthieu,

 Financial Institution, Latin American Head

Jill has been an invaluable coach from the time I landed in New York City until I moved on to head up the Latin American team. Her communication skills work across borders mixed with her sense of humanity are high signs of her professionalism and needed skills in the corporate world. Jill’s dual residency between Brazil and the United States makes her a great asset for anyone living and working between the Americas. And from my experience, her vocal presence work is both unique and effective.

Lisa,

 Executive Coach & Peer

Jill Diamond is a dynamic, creative professional and an outstanding partner. Her passion for helping people be more effective at work carries over into our own partnership. Her long success as an entrepreneur and business owner speaks to the relevance of her services and the quality of her results. I recommend Jill wholeheartedly to my own clients whenever I see a match between her skills and their needs.

Nancy,

 Pharma Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Jill prepared a terrific webinar focused on the challenges of courageous communication. It's clear she understands the importance of preparing a well-defined webinar and the critical elements to success

Manuela,

 Former Tech Giant Manager at Fortune's #1 Best Companies to Work 2021

Jill’s English communication program has helped our delegates become more effective English speakers, as well as listeners. It has helped them drive critical business meetings more confidently and more professionally in English.

Get your weekly English Communication Confidence tips with my Melody Monday, Thought Chunking Thursday, and Flow Friday emails.

 

And while you’re at it, be the first to learn about promotions and new offers as they become available.

Get your weekly English Communication Confidence tips with my Melody Monday, Thought Chunking Thursday, and Flow Friday emails.

 

And while you’re at it, be the first to learn about promotions and new offers as they become available.