Ellie Smith
Public Speaking Coach (Nervous System–Led)
Expert Contributor | She Owns Success
Meet The Expert
Ellie Smith
Ellie Smith is a public speaking coach and yoga teacher who helps people feel steady, clear, and grounded when they speak.
Based in Japan, she combines over five years of yoga teaching experience with her work as a university lecturer in Cultural Studies to support students, professionals, and speakers who struggle with nerves, overthinking, or losing their train of thought.
Her approach is body-first. Rather than focusing on surface-level confidence techniques, Ellie teaches practical tools rooted in breath, awareness, and nervous system regulation. This allows her clients to stay present, think clearly, and communicate effectively – even in high-pressure situations.
She works primarily with individuals who feel capable in their ideas but disconnected in delivery, helping them move from braced and overwhelmed to steady and self-assured.
Professional Background & Training
Ellie Smith is a public speaking coach, yoga teacher (ERYT-200), and university lecturer based in Japan. With over five years of teaching experience and a background in Cultural Studies and English-medium instruction, she specialises in helping individuals communicate with steady, embodied confidence.
Her work integrates yoga, breathwork, and nervous system awareness to support professionals who feel anxious, overwhelmed, or disconnected when speaking. Ellie has worked with students, academics, and professionals across a range of settings, including classrooms, workshops, and 1:1 coaching environments.
Her approach is practical, non-clinical, and rooted in helping people feel more at ease in their bodies so they can speak clearly, think effectively, and stay present under pressure.
What I'm Known For
Philosophy
Most people are told to “just be confident” when they speak. But confidence isn’t something you can switch on, especially when your body feels tense, shaky, or overwhelmed.
My work is built on a simple idea: if your body doesn’t feel steady, your voice won’t either.
Instead of trying to override nerves with mindset tricks or performance techniques, I focus on what’s happening underneath. When the nervous system is supported, thinking becomes clearer, speech becomes more natural, and presence becomes something you can rely on, not something you try to fake.
This is a body-first approach. We work with breath, awareness, and simple physical practices drawn from yoga and somatic work to reduce over-activation, soften bracing patterns, and create a sense of internal stability.
From there, communication improves naturally. You don’t have to force confidence – you build steadiness, and confidence follows.
The goal isn’t to eliminate nerves completely. It’s to develop a way of speaking where even if nerves are present, they don’t take over.