Media Coaching

“Public speaking can be a very vulnerable process. I coach the person, not the problem.”

I empower individuals in the public eye to be more confident while talking to the press, enabling them to communicate who they are and what they care about. I have honed my unique approach while coaching thousands of high-profile performers, executives, and entrepreneurs in both private sessions and group workshops since 2009. The Tracey Pepper Coaching method blends such practical techniques as how to create compelling messages and deflect unwanted questions with the tools I have acquired as a certified life coach, which enable me to address a person’s feelings about doing interviews.

If you’ve had media training before, your coach probably focused on superficial presentation, like hand gestures and eye contact, or they gave you a script to follow.

I am not a traditional media coach.

I believe that dynamic public speaking is an inside job. While an exterior detail like gesturing is something to keep an eye on, obsessing about cosmetic fixes avoids the real issue, which is how do you feel about yourself and the opportunity you’ve been given to speak? How do you shake off the saboteur telling you negative stories about your performance? Does an inner voice ever say to you: “You’re going to get nervous and freeze up.” Or “Why should anyone listen to you anyway?” That’s what I address in our work together, because it’s the best indicator of how you’ll do in an interview. The exterior things get better when the interior is calm.

Here is what I do in my media coaching sessions:

  • Deliver solid tips and technique on how to navigate the press. What is the media looking for and how can you communicate your message with clarity, confidence, and control? Because I spent much of my career as a reporter and magazine editor, I approach media coaching from a journalistic perspective. What makes a compelling story? Reporters often ask generic or repetitive questions. How do we work around that and deliver something quotable and truly interesting to the audience?
  • Uncover any limiting beliefs that prevent clients from showing up at their best. Public speaking can be a very vulnerable process. My method is holistic. I coach the person, not the problem. How do you feel about doing interviews? Does it make you anxious? Do you believe you are worthy of the opportunity? Are you bored being asked the same questions repeatedly and are you on autopilot? Where are you paralyzed by perfectionism and afraid of saying the wrong thing? Where can you shine more brightly? Once these issues are addressed, significant transformations can occur.
  • Locate the story and sharpen the message. My team and I research every client thoroughly before each session. We know who you are, what you’ve done, and what you’ve said to the press in the past. I come to the session with a list of questions I think you will be asked. We brainstorm these answers together. I make suggestions, but I assume that my clients are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole. You know your lived experiences far better than I ever will. I want you to tell your own story to the press. You will emerge from our session well-prepared, but never scripted, which enables you to stay present in the moment, be more authentic, and actually enjoy the experience.

Tracey Pepper Coaching clients range from newcomers to the interview process to veterans. If you have prior media experience, I provide analysis and assessment of your performance to date and make recommendations for ways to refine your message, be aware of your blind spots, and help take your communication to the next level. What are you trying to achieve in your interviews? Let’s do the inner work together and find out.

I have prepared clients for appearances on The Today Show, GMA, Ellen, Oprah’s Next Chapter, and Live! With Kelly and Ryan, to speak with reporters from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Fast Company, The Los Angeles Times, Billboard, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and Vogue, and to sit down with such radio personalities as Howard Stern, Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden, and The Breakfast Club’s Charlamagne. I have coached celebrities to be judges on The Voice and The X Factor, as well as individuals instructing on the online learning platform MasterClass. I prepare clients to speak on podcasts, live panels, YouTube shows, and red carpets at major events like the Grammy Awards, The Met Gala, and the MTV Video Music Awards. I also coach on-air hosts on how to be more skillful interviewers.    

Watch an interview with me about my coaching journey here.