The BostonSpeaks Mission
To help professionals overcome the fear of public speaking and become influential speakers.
Discover how you can take your speaking to a whole new level.
Quick BostonSpeaks Facts
The year BostonSpeaks was established. It all started with a dream.
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Workshops, events, and gatherings held so far in the City of Boston and online.
Individuals who've gone through our training and events to become confident and influential speakers.
Our Philosophy
On Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety:
Mindset Before Skillset
At the heart of our philosophy is the belief that addressing public speaking anxiety starts with your inner world, your mindset. Before you learn what to say and how to say it, you must master what you're saying to yourself.
You are always speaking to two audiences:
The external audience (the people in front of you) and the internal audience (your mindset).
Most speaking coaches only focus on improving your performance for the external audience, hoping that confidence will follow. But this is backwards. Your inner game drives your outer game.
The Power of Mindset
Mindset shapes everything, from your ability to speak with clarity to how you handle nerves. By reshaping the beliefs and attitudes you hold around speaking, you create space for confidence, presence, and growth.
Skill Development Still Matters
Once your mindset is aligned, then comes the craft. We help you build real-world speaking skills, like message development, body language, and audience engagement, that make your delivery polished and powerful.
On Becoming a World-Class Speaker & Leader:
Mindset. Manner. Matter.
Once you've grounded yourself with the right mindset, world-class speakers focus on growing in three core areas:
- Mindset - How you communicate with yourself: thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that shape your confidence and presence.
- Manner (Delivery & Presence)Â - Your tone, body language, and stage presence. This is how you show up and captivate.
- Matter (Content)Â - The clarity, conviction, and relevance of your message. Is what you're saying impactful?
Meet The BostonSpeaks Team
Gina Rapaport
Head Public Speaking Coach
(Berkeley, CA/Virtual)
gina (@) bostonspeaks.com
After conquering her own fear of public speaking, Gina Rapaport became passionate about empowering others to find their voices and speak with confidence. Now she has helped hundreds of professionals—from emerging leaders to senior executives—transform their communication skills and command any room. Whether she’s coaching a client to deliver a keynote in front of 1,000 people or to speak up with confidence in a meeting, Gina provides the tools and mindset shifts needed for lasting impact.
An ICF Certified Professional Coach and certified mediator, Gina blends the mindset and mechanics of public speaking to create sustainable confidence and influence. Her holistic approach is shaped by a master’s degree in integrative health and a background in corporate wellness, giving her a unique perspective on overcoming fear and fostering authentic presence.
When she’s not coaching, Gina is playing with her two daughters, tackling a new home DIY project, or curating the perfect Spotify playlist for every occasion.
Steven English
Public Speaking Coach
(Austin TX/Virtual)
steven (@) bostonspeaks.com
Steven English is an ICF Professional Certified Coach dedicated to empowering introverted leaders to find their authentic voice and make a lasting impact. With a 22-year background in engineering management at companies like Samsung, Cirrus Logic, and STMicroelectronics, Steven recognized that effective communication is the key to leadership success. This realization led him to establish multiple Toastmasters clubs, where he mentored professionals in honing their public speaking skills.
Transitioning fully into professional development, Steven has coached hundreds of individuals and delivered keynote speeches, including a TEDx talk in 2021. His clients range from Fortune 500 companies to emerging startups. Holding an MS in Materials Science and a BS in Physics, Steven combines technical expertise with a passion for personal growth.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Steven enjoys mountain biking, exploring topics like meditation and positive psychology, and cherishing time with his partner and their three sons.
Cassandra Powell
Public Speaking Coach
(Philadelphia PA/Virtual)
cassandra (@) bostonspeaks.com
Cassandra began performing and speaking at just 10 years old—voice shaking, heart racing, and terrified of messing up. Over the years, she transformed that fear into confidence, a journey that now fuels her passion for helping others do the same.
With a background in theatre and performance, over 3,330+ hours of coaching, and 9+ years of experience in personal development, Cassandra has helped hundreds of professionals step into their power and tackle challenges with confidence.
Blending psychology, neuroscience, and authentic exploration, she helps speakers break through mental blocks to be seen and heard, feel empowered, and share their voice with the world. She believes public speaking isn’t just about words—it’s about energy, connection, and impact. Her work has been featured in Forbes, O Magazine, and Buzzfeed.
When she’s not coaching, you can find Cassandra traveling the world, regretting starting a 3,000-piece puzzle, and discovering new ways to help people build resilience.
Marie Fazio
Speaker Success Specialist
marie (@) bostonspeaks.com
Overcoming her anxiety around public speaking was a turning point for Marie, inspiring her to help others unlock their full potential and change their lives - one of the many reasons she joined the BostonSpeaks team. Â
With a background in corporate education and sales enablement, she specializes in designing impactful training programs and creating growth opportunities. As VP of Education at her local Toastmasters Club, Marie mentors individuals in communication and leadership skills.Â
Vanessa Burns
Director of Operations & Speaker Success
vanessa (@) bostonspeaks.com
Vanessa is the Director of Operations and Speaker Success at BostonSpeaks, where she leads internal systems, streamlines operations, and ensures an exceptional experience for the company’s speakers and partners. With a sharp eye for detail, a proactive mindset, and a passion for creating clarity from complexity, Vanessa plays a pivotal role in driving efficiency and delivering results across the organization.
Outside of work, Vanessa thrives on new experiences! You’ll find her chasing PRs at the gym, hunting down the best local bites, or hopping on a plane to explore somewhere new. Whether she’s deep in a workflow or knee-deep in travel recs and restaurant reviews, Vanessa brings curiosity, creativity, and a can-do spirit to everything she does.
Hazel Mara Conti
Creative Director
hazel (@) bostonspeaks.com
Hazel oversees both the back-end operations and the creative direction of the business. With a keen eye for design and a passion for innovation, Hazel has helped shape BostonSpeaks into the premier destination for cutting-edge ideas and public speaking thought leadership. Hazel helps in developing new branding strategies and building out the company's digital infrastructure, she is always pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
Hazel is a mom of a bubbly little girl and a coffee lover. On the weekends, she likes going on long early motorcycle rides with her husband to connect with nature and eat good food.
Jake Finkelstein
Chief Revenue OfficerÂ
jake (@) bostonspeaks.com
Jake is the Chief Revenue Officer at BostonSpeaks, where he leads strategic growth initiatives and steers the company’s revenue-generating efforts.
A seasoned entrepreneur and sales/marketing executive, Jake brings over two decades of experience scaling brands, launching high-performing teams, and driving multimillion-dollar revenue growth across early-stage startups and established organizations alike.Â
Outside of the office, Jake is passionate about the arts and can regularly be found at concerts enjoying live music. At home, he’s a dedicated father and husband who enjoys cooking and other family activities.
Hayleigh Bailey
Chief Operations Officer
hayleigh (@) bostonspeaks.com
Hayleigh is our Chief Operations Officer, our eye in the sky. She is a strategic force with a talent for making all our dreams come true by keeping us organized and focused on our goals. She specializes in creating efficiencies in our business so that we as a team can provide our clients with an exceptional and un-matched coaching experience, while also expanding our business so that we can help more and more people overcome public speaking anxiety year after year.
The active adventurer on our team, you can find Hayleigh enjoying a plethora of outdoor activities whilst traveling the world, including climbing, skiing, yoga, dancing, and acrobatics. She's a firm believer in personal development, meaningful connection, and healthy living.
Kit Pang
Founder
kit (@) bostonspeaks.com (Learn more about Kit)
Kit has helped hundreds of leaders and high-performing professionals speak with greater confidence and influence. His experiences include being the founder of BostonSpeaks, a Harvard Business School Public Speaking Coach, a TEDx Speaker and a 3-Time TEDx Speaker Coach.
In this phase of the journey, Kit is pouring his energy into three key facets:
1) Propelling BostonSpeaks to new heights of success
2) Nurturing the growth of each team member
3) Fine-tuning the solution to the public speaking anxiety cure
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Who We Are - Our Core Values at BostonSpeaks
- Choose Your Edge
When you feel that pull, the constant back-and-forth between the comfort zone and the challenging one, it’s not a simple decision. It’s a dynamic tension, a push and pull inside you that can feel uncomfortable and uncertain. The comfort zone calls with the promise of familiarity, safety, and less risk. The challenging path beckons with growth, stretch, and the unknown. Choosing your edge means leaning into the stretch. It’s about saying yes to the invitations that scare you, the new role, the challenging project, the leadership opportunity, or the unfamiliar territory. When you choose the scarier thing, you choose growth. You choose to keep pushing your limits and evolving into the fullest version of yourself.
- Authentic Communication & Transparency
We value honest, open, and real communication. This means challenging our own perspectives, being open to others’ ideas, and actively listening, even when it’s uncomfortable or something we don't agree with, because we're open minded. We speak our truth, express how we genuinely feel, and foster a culture where being human, vulnerable, and upfront strengthens our connections and work.
- Enjoyable Excellence
We believe the best work happens when joy and excellence go hand in hand, when we allow ourselves to be absorbed, energized, and even a little obsessed in the best way, whether that’s being deep in the zone, laughing through a brainstorm, or celebrating the thrill of creating something amazing. Excellence, for us, isn’t about doing more but about doing things well, with care, intention, and the willingness to slow down when it matters. We value progress with purpose, tracking data not to pressure but to recognize momentum, celebrate wins both big and small, and make growth visible. By honoring both process and progress, we cultivate a culture where striving feels rewarding, success is shared, and joy is woven into the journey, not just the destination.
- Self Care, Team Care, Speaker Care
Care is at the heart of everything we do. We prioritize self-care, recognizing that we can only give our best to others when we take care of ourselves first. We nurture our team’s well-being and create meaningful, supportive connections. And we go above and beyond to care for the speakers we serve, ensuring they feel valued and supported.
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