Hi! My name is Mathilde.
I was born and raised in Athens, Greece and I have always had a deep curiosity for languages and world cultures.
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At 18, I left Greece to continue my studies in France — an experience that marked the beginning of my life abroad.
In 2004, my husband and I decided to settle in French-speaking Switzerland, where we have been living ever since with our two teenage children.
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At home, we speak Greek, French, and English.
My background
My experience as a French language teacher (FLE) for adults spans many years. From the very beginning of my career, I have always been particularly attentive to the emotional side of learning and how my students feel throughout their journey. Creating a safe and supportive environment where everyone can learn at their own pace has always been essential to me. I encourage my students to make connections with their native language, to express their feelings, and to share their personal experiences. We often talk about what it means to start a new life in a new country, to learn a new language while rebuilding one’s daily routine — sometimes without professional bearings, especially for mothers. I have seen how language barriers, and a lack of confidence can hold people back from feeling truly integrated, and from setting new life goals.
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During the pandemic, I decided to train as a life coach in order to help my expat clients thrive both personally and professionally, and to move forward with clarity and confidence in their new lives abroad.
Inspired by my students every day, I then completed a certification in Neurolanguage Coaching®, an approach that combines neuroscience, language learning, and personalized coaching.
Thanks to this method, I now help expatriates and newcomers in Switzerland overcome language barriers, and speak French with confidence and joy.
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I love teaching, but my true passion is language coaching. My clients inspire me every day to do more and give more.
My blog
8 coaching ideas about learning French
1. Set realistic goals
The problem is that many of us have very bad memories of language learning. Remove the educational aspect of the situation, and set realistic communication goals. Otherwise, the risk is that you will feel disappointed.
✨My advice is to proceed in stages! First, survival communication, then language as an integration vector, then ... etc.
2. Overcome your fears
You no longer have your high school teacher in front of you, but rather a vegetable vendor who will not judge you. The only goal here is to understand and communicate, not to write a literary novel. It is necessary to learn to let go your internal perfectionist.
✨My advice is to take the place of the person who is listening to you... He/she doesn't want to correct you, much less judge you; he/she just wants you to move forward.
3. "Nourish" your mind
Pass as much time as possible in the original version: films, books, magazines, and radio. This small effort will put your mind on the road to learning...
✨My advice is to start with simple content. If you have children, take a children's book. Short and simple phrases, words for everyday life!
4. Laugh at your mistakes
Actually, everyone makes mistakes! Memorize the sentence : « je suis en train d’apprendre le français, excusez-moi si je fais des erreurs ».
✨My advice is to take everything lightly, and above all with humour -:)
5. Be proud of your accomplishments
"A foreign accent is a sign of bravery!" says one adage. Speaking, taking risks, and stepping outside your comfort zone are all signs of bravery.
✨My advice is at the end of each day, rather than opening a vocabulary book from which you will remember almost nothing, make a note of what worked for you in this new language. Congratulate yourself!!!
6. Do not overestimate the level of other people
Many expatriates attest to the fact that the French level in expatriate communities is not as high as one might think. Everyone arrives with their imperfections in a group of expatriates.
✨My advice is that groups of expats who do not speak your mother tongue are an excellent environment for learning French.
7. Take a humble posture
Speaking, listening a little, and speaking with a lot of humility but with a lot of confidence.
✨My advice is that WhatsApp has a lot of benefits! We communicate quickly in a spoken language that we write!
8. Enjoy!
Learning a language means understanding a country's culture, its rituals, and its complexities. What a pleasure! And what a pride to get there!
✨My advice is to interact as much as possible with the locals without thinking about your accent or your sentence structure. If the message is understood, keep going!!!