Miami accent coaching for Spanish and Portuguese professionals
- Sound clearer and more confident in meetings, presentations, and client calls.
- Master the “Music of English” (thought groups, stress, rhythm, intonation).
- Fix your highest-impact speech patterns with personalized coaching.
- Get recordings + weekly practice plans to improve faster.
- Built for Spanish & Portuguese professionals who want executive-level clarity.
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.
– Nelson Mandela
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.
– Nelson Mandela
Individual and Corporate Training
Individual
We offer online Accent reduction classes for individuals who speak English as a second language and want their English to sound more natural. Our students include business executives, doctors and dentists, university professors and actors: anyone who needs their English to be more clear, effective, and better understood.
Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.
– Paul J. Mey
Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.
– Paul J. Mey
Corporate
We can help your executives who speak English as a second language to polish presentations, speeches, and commercials.
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
– Henry Ford
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
– Henry Ford
Your Coach
I’m Theodore “Ted” Lapekas, and for the past 20 years, I’ve been helping English learners find their voice—literally. My passion lies in accent coaching – empowering Spanish and Portuguese professionals to speak with clarity, confidence, and fluency.
My journey began in Panama as an adjunct professor of Marketing at the University of Louisville, where I worked with students from diverse backgrounds. I taught English in Panama as well. While I love marketing it was teaching English where I found my passion.
When I moved to Miami, I continued to teach English but quickly realized that many students weren’t just looking to learn English—they wanted to sound natural, to blend seamlessly into professional and social settings.
During the 2020 pandemic Accent Express was started to reach students through online teaching. Through personalized coaching, I work with professionals and students worldwide, proving that virtual sessions can be even more effective than in-person training. With fewer distractions, real-time feedback on mouth movements, and the convenience of learning from anywhere, my students achieve faster, lasting results.
Accent coaching isn’t just about eliminating an accent—it’s about enhancing communication, boosting confidence, and opening doors. I love what I do, and I’m here to help you speak English with clarity and ease.
Evaluation
We begin by analyzing your current speaking style to identify specific areas that may present challenges. We will make targeted feedback on your pronunciation, rhythm and use of grammar.
Learning
Classes are tailored to your individual needs. We’ll work on the essential factors that you need to help make your English sound more natural and be more effective:
Pronunciation
Vowels, consonants, and proper syllable stress
Thought Groups
How to break sentences into meaningful chunks to enhance understanding.
Function vs. Content Words
Focusing on the natural stress patterns that distinguish important words from supporting words.
Proper syllable stress
We learn where to properly place syllable stress. Even if you know the correct word in English but stress the wrong syllable in the wrong place - it may not be understood.
Practice (practice, practice, and more practice!)
In addition to learning the components of correct English speech we practice the “Music” of English in each class session. We combine the concepts outlined above to produce the rhythmic sound that native English speakers best understand and respond to.
You’ll practice various forms of spoken English including dialogues, speeches, readings, and presentations. The result: Confidence! Besides gaining a mastery of the pronunciation and rhythm necessary to sound more natural, students mention confidence in speaking English as the single biggest benefit of taking this training.
If you have a presentation or speech coming up – we can practice together to make your message come alive.
Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.
– Nat Turner
Your Accent Coach
I’m Theodore “Ted” Lapekas, and for the past 15 years, I’ve been helping English learners find their voice—literally. My passion lies in accent reduction, a field I’ve specialized in for the past eight years, empowering professionals and students to speak with clarity, confidence, and fluency.
My journey began as an adjunct professor of Marketing at the University of Louisville in Panama, where I worked with students from diverse backgrounds. I also taught in government schools, but it wasn’t just grammar and vocabulary that fascinated me—it was the power of communication. I saw firsthand how pronunciation could be the key to unlocking opportunities, and I knew I wanted to help learners refine not just their words, but the way they delivered them.
When I moved to Miami, I joined an ESL school and quickly realized that many students weren’t just looking to learn English—they wanted to sound natural, to blend seamlessly into professional and social settings. That’s when I introduced accent coaching, and the results were incredible. Hearing my students’ progress and their excitement as they gained confidence made it clear: I had found my niche.
Then came 2020. With schools shutting down, I saw an opportunity to reach even more students—Accent Express was born. Through personalized online coaching, I’ve worked with professionals and students worldwide, proving that virtual sessions can be even more effective than in-person training. With fewer distractions, real-time feedback on mouth movements, and the convenience of learning from anywhere, my students achieve faster, lasting results.
Accent coaching isn’t just about eliminating an accent—it’s about enhancing communication, boosting confidence, and opening doors. I love what I do, and I’m here to help you speak English with clarity and ease.
Theodore Lapekas
(ESL Teacher and Accent Reduction Coach)
Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.
-Brian Tracy
Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life. –
-Brian Tracy
Reviews
check out what my students say
Amazing experience. I live in Brazil but I intend to move to the US. and I Have already tried other English classes but I was not feeling challenged enough because my biggest problem was the pronunciation and the accent, the other courses didn’t work on that. Ted is making me sound way better and teaching me lots of new phrasal verbs. It was exactly what I needed
Gabriela Tonet Bassani
Mr. Ted is very professional in what he does. I usually don’t recommend people, however; when I see someone that is fully dedicated, motivated and rooting for his/her students, that for me is tremendous. If you want to improve your English, no matter what is your native language is, I highly recommend Mr. Ted as your coach.
Eyal Mehaber
My name is Luca, and I am from Switzerland. I am currently studying the English language, especially speaking and pronunciation.
I have been working with Ted for the past two months, and he is helping me with in-depth phonetic analyses and bespoken classes to strengthen my weaknesses.
Furthermore, Ted has a broad knowledge of teaching. He paces the class just right so you feel challenged but not overwhelmed. He provides a great mix of different speaking activities.
Luca Eberle
Working with Ted on my accent has been one of the best choices I’ve made. Ted is patient and has a great eye for detail. I feel much more confident speaking now, at work and everywhere else. I highly recommend him!
Sheila Roja
I have lived in the United States for 20 years, and although I speak English fluently, I needed help to expand my vocabulary and improve my pronunciation (accent reduction) so I could achieve my professional goals more efficiently. I am a teacher and pronouncing words correctly in English has made a huge difference in my classes. The students understand me better, I feel more confident and I am expanding my vocabulary more and more every day.
Ted is an excellent teacher, the classes are very educational and fun. He can meet me at times that schools would not be able to, and I have individualized attention focused on my needs. He prepares the class thinking about what I need at that moment, and not a generic class with a book full of concepts that I would not use in my daily life.
I recommend Ted’s classes if you want to improve your English so that you can achieve your personal and professional goals in the United States.
Tico Invictus
I’m a Spanish news reporter looking for the next challenge in my career, which is why I decided to take accent reduction classes. When I first spoke with Ted, he offered a trial session, and from that moment, I knew I wanted to work with him. He was always engaged and made the classes fun. I really enjoyed the process and learned a lot. I’m now much more conscious of how I speak in English, thanks to these sessions.
Arlety Gonzalez
I had the pleasure of working with Ted as my accent coach, and I can confidently say his commitment to helping non-native English speakers is exceptional! From the very beginning, Ted focused on identifying opportunities for improvement so I could speak more clearly and align my accent with my strong communication skills.
One of the most impactful aspects of his approach is his emphasis on the “music of English” and, after attending his classes, that makes more sense than ever. Ted’s sessions are practical, engaging and tailored to your needs, making the experience both effective and enjoyable.
I strongly recommend Ted to anyone who wants to improve their accent and wants to speak clearer, confident and more natural.
Juan Gabriel Munoz Arias
I’ve made significant progress in becoming more fluent and aware of the common mistakes that Spanish speakers like myself often make thanks to Ted.
I truly appreciate how Ted personalizes the scripts to the card payment industry, which is incredibly relevant to my work. His patience and flexibility are unmatched, and I feel incredibly grateful to have found such a wonderful instructor. Thank you for your guidance and support.
Noelia Rosa Torres Martin
I have been working with Ted for the past few months, and I am truly grateful for how much I have learned and how quickly I have progressed. It is impressive how effectively he helps you refine your accent and sound more polished and professional.
As an attorney, clear and confident communication is essential to how I present myself and advocate for my clients, and Ted’s coaching has made a meaningful difference. I noticed improvements almost immediately, and the techniques he has taught me are lessons I will carry with me long-term.
Thank you so much, Ted! I highly recommend his classes 🙂
Natacha Garcia
I couldn’t be more satisfied with my classes with Ted, in addition to the classes being dynamic and fun, the result in my communication at work has evolved incredibly. I strongly recommend Accent Express to anyone who wants and needs to improve their English
Andre Rocha
I am a Brazilian dentist now working here in the USA. I realized that I needed to improve my English skills and Ted was my angel. He has so much patience and good ways of teaching me how to improve my vocabulary and accent. I really recommend him to all my friends.
Leticia Aquiar
The way he engages, prepares his classes, his warmth and good humor…everything is impeccable. I look forward every week for my class,. I notice how my English has improved a lot, especially when I teach my classes. He has also helped me to prepare my classes and is helping me with a new book that I am translating from Spanish to English
Fernando Levy-hara
Frequently Asked Questions
check out what my students say
Who is accent coaching for?
Accent coaching is for professionals who already speak English but want to sound clearer, more natural, and more confident in business situations. It is especially helpful for people who give presentations, speak with clients, lead meetings, interview for jobs, or work in professional settings where clear communication matters.
Can I keep my accent and still sound professional?
Yes. The goal of accent coaching is not to erase your accent or change your identity. The goal is to help you speak more clearly, use better rhythm and stress, and make your message easier to understand.
How long does accent coaching take?
Every student is different, but many professionals begin noticing improvement after a few sessions. Stronger results usually come from consistent practice over several weeks, especially when we focus on the specific sounds, rhythm, and speaking situations that matter most for your career.
Do you work with Brazilian professionals?
Yes. Accent Express works with many Brazilian professionals who want clearer and more confident English for work, meetings, presentations, sales calls, interviews, and client communication. We often focus on sounds and patterns that are challenging for Portuguese speakers, including TH, final sounds, word stress, rhythm, and natural English intonation.
Do you work with Spanish-speaking professionals?
Yes. Accent Express works with Spanish-speaking professionals from many countries, including Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and others. Sessions often focus on English rhythm, final sounds, vowel sounds, TH, R, word stress, and speaking with more confidence in professional situations.
Do you offer online accent coaching?
Yes. Accent Express offers online accent coaching by Zoom, so you can take classes from your home, office, or anywhere in the world. Online sessions are interactive, practical, and personalized to your profession, goals, and speaking challenges.
The future depends on what you do today!
—Ghandi
The future depends on what you do today!
—Ghandi
Contact us for a free 20 minute strategy session TODAY!
Take the first steps to speaking better English!