Find your voice in French — and in life.
I didn't set out to become a French teacher.
At 36, I was managing multiple offices in Brussels — successful on paper, and completely burnt out.
I didn't even believe burnout was real until it happened to me.
I recovered. I fell in love. And on the 21st of September, I arrived in Switzerland with two suitcases and everything I owned.
What I didn't bring — because I didn't know I would need it — was the ability to start over.
I spoke four languages. I had fifteen years of experience. An Executive MBA from one of Europe's leading business schools.
And I couldn't find a job.
Not because I wasn't capable.
Because credibility doesn't transfer automatically.
In a new country, a new culture, a new language — even the most competent person can become invisible.
When you cannot fully express who you are, people cannot fully see you.
I felt smaller than I had ever felt before.
So I did what I always do. I moved forward.
I became a French teacher at the school where I was learning German.
I funded my Executive MBA myself — selling my apartment in Brussels — while building a new life from scratch.
I tried different paths. Some worked. Some didn't.
For a year, I built a social media channel about personal finance. I posted every day. It didn't work.
Then my husband suggested I try teaching French on social media.
I did it to prove him wrong. It worked.
In three years, more than 1.5 million people found their way to my lessons, my podcast, and my newsletter.
Not because the content was perfect — but because something resonated.
Most learners don't need more French.
They need to start using the French they already have.
And that gap — between understanding and speaking — is exactly what I focus on.
Petit à petit, la langue cesse d'être un obstacle et devient un espace d'expression.
What my students say...
"Si vous cherchez quelqu'un de professionnel avec beaucoup d'expérience, si vous cherchez un nouveau défi dans votre vie, Maud peut vous aider à améliorer votre niveau et à trouver la confiance pour continuer l'apprentissage de la langue."
— S.J., Performing Artist, United States & France
I recognised that feeling immediately — because I had lived it myself.
That is why I built Speak French with Maud. Not for beginners. Not for people who need more grammar.
For adults who already have French — but want to finally speak it. In conversations. In travel. In the moments where language becomes identity. The programme brings together everything I have learned — as a language educator, as a business professional, and as someone who had to rebuild her own voice in a new country and a new language.
Today, I work with adults across the US, Europe, and internationally through live programmes, coaching, and content focused on spoken French. I live in Zurich with my husband and daughter.
If you already understand French, but don't yet feel comfortable speaking it — you're exactly where most of my clients start.