Experiences with Mia
“Mia Tagano is the ultimate storytellers' storytelling coach. I should know."
“When volunteered to deliver a personal story to an audience comprising the top 9% of successful entrepreneurs, the pressure was . . . daunting. Though I work with companies to craft their brand narratives, telling my own personal story was not something I found easy. With Mia, the experience was truly transformational -- and I don't use that word lightly. I learned so much about my own world view during the process, giving the talk from the stage was really just the cherry on top.
Here's what makes Mia not just a coach, but a catalyst for for re-writing your story and self-perception:
Grace under Pressure: Throughout our coaching sessions, Mia's demeanor was nothing short of gracious. Her encouragement came from a place of genuine support, making challenging moments seem conquerable.
Pushing Boundaries: True to the essence of a coach, Mia has the rare ability to recognize and push beyond the boundaries I had unknowingly set for myself. Her insights helped me break through barriers I'd set for myself and judgments I'd made about myself.
A Blend of Authenticity and Performance: With her background in acting, Mia masterfully balances authenticity with performance. She understands that authenticity connects us to our audience, while a polished performance captures and maintains their engagement.
Mia’s coaching doesn’t just prepare you for the stage; it prepares you for any professional challenge with a newfound confidence and perspective. I find myself recommending her constantly.”
— Ginger Zumaeta, CEO of Motive3, 3-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer
"[Mia] is magnificent in her ability to bring out the you inside you."
“Storytelling is at the heart of how we share experiences, learn, and grow. At first, having delivered over 1,200 presentations in my career, I was unsure how big of an impact working with Mia would have. I wish I had worked with her 15 years ago! She really stretched my comprehension of telling a story more than any presentation coach I’ve ever had. She is magnificent in her ability to bring out the you inside you. Thank you. HIGHLY RECOMMEND that if you are looking to dive deeper into your storytelling you call Mia”
—Jabez LeBret, Author of I Don’t Match Socks| Board member at EO | Contributor at Forbes
"Mia challenges me and stretches me with positive results."
“I have worked with Mia for several months and enjoy every session. Mia is very sensitive to what makes me unique and has encouraged me to lean further into my essence to tell my story. Mia challenges me and stretches me with positive results. I’ve worked with her on my EO Talk (6-minute TED-style) and crafted my story for the perfect business pitch. I highly recommend Mia to anyone looking to improve their public speaking and presentation abilities.”
— Quan (甘泉) Gan, Creator and Chief Engineer of ZTAG and Founder/ Owner of Gantom Lighting & Controls
"She was beyond supportive, listening deeply and immediately putting me at ease."
“Mia Tagano is deeply informed and skilled. Working with her was a joy and genuinely transforming. She was beyond supportive, listening deeply and immediately putting me at ease. She helped me find my true voice. Highly, highly recommended!”
— Tracy Cochran, Writer, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Editorial Director of Parabola Magazine
“Her coaching and insight were invaluable.”
“I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it was to work with a true professional like Mia. She provided critical feedback for me and challenged me to reach within and deliver my very best, authentic performance. Her coaching and insight were invaluable. The proof in the pudding was the number of people from the conference who sought me out to tell me how impactful my speech was to them. Please accept my unqualified recommendation to use Mia Tagano if you are looking for a speech and presentation coach.”
— Dave Calzaretta, Entrepreneur, Creative Event Producer, Singer, Real Estate Mogul, CPA
"The confidence that [Mia] instilled in me has elevated my speaking to a new level."
“Mia is a true professional! Passionate, intuitive and experienced, she is a gift to her industry. I worked with Mia as a speaker coach in preparing to give a talk to hundreds of fellow entrepreneurs. She helped me to get clear on my message, crafting it in such a way that the audience resonated with and was inspired by. Her coaching on my speaking delivery was spot on. She has a way of quickly understanding the goal and then challenging and stretching her clients to go deeper and embrace new territory. The confidence that she instilled in me has elevated my speaking to a new level. I highly recommend Mia as a consultant and coach!”
— Suzie Hall, Founder and CEO of the Cornerstone Collective
"I highly recommend Mia to anyone looking to get more out of their presentations and public speaking."
“I worked with Mia for 8 weeks. I was to host a conference of over 350 people and wanted to be at my best. Although I have been presenting in various mediums for most of my life, I wanted to make sure that I had the confidence and presence to captivate my audience. Mia’s lessons in breath control, projection, and enunciation helped me to feel confident on the podium. I highly recommend Mia to anyone looking to get more out of their presentations and public speaking.”
— Grant Wood, Co-Founder, CEO, Align Clinic
"I would recommend her to anyone who is seeking a good voice or acting coach."
“I had the pleasure to work with Mia on my vocal training. In my first conversation with Mia, it was clear to me she has not only deep expertise in voice coaching but also the ability to identify the trainees’ needs and customize her training to help students quickly improve their speech patterns. I learned a number of breathing and speaking techniques that will benefit my personal and professional life in the long term. I would recommend her to anyone who is seeking a good voice or acting coach.”
— Jingchuan Dong, Business Strategy & Planning at VMware.
"Mia is a gifted professional woman who gives her best in everything."
“It was a very special day indeed & a treat to spend a full day with Mia attending “finding your own voice workshop “. It was so empowering to be “ present “ physically & mentally, sitting with a group of women practicing with Mia & getting honest feedback from other women attending on how to respond powerfully while being yourself & using your own voice to assert your response in different scenarios, a great eye-opener in self-discovery. Since our workshop I’ve been practicing how to pause, be present while using my own voice on a daily basis & have found it quite useful running meetings and responding to tough situations. Mia is a gifted professional woman who gives her best in everything. She was eager to share her knowledge for the sake of helping others to succeed & enjoy what they do in their life journey. I absolutely recommend “ finding your own voice workshop “ as well as any other workshops she runs.”
— Seham El-DeWany, Physician
"Deeply knowledgeable and skilled, Tagano goes beyond technique."
“Mia Tagano helped me find my voice. Deeply knowledgeable and skilled, Tagano goes beyond technique. She helped me find what I really wanted to say. Working with her is a joy and a revelation. Highly recommended.”
— Tracy Cochran, Journalist and Co-Editor at Parabola
"The talk was a big success, and I owe a huge thank you to Mia for her incredible coaching."
“I had the pleasure of working with Mia to prepare for my EO talk. During our first meeting, I struggled to deliver a compelling message. However, by the end of our sessions, Mia had helped me polish and refine my talk to resonate with the audience. The talk was a big success, and I owe a huge thank you to Mia for her incredible coaching. She is truly amazing!”
— Ryan Crownholm, president and founder of Crown Capital Adventures Inc. ,entrepreneur, mentor, investor, and U.S. Army veteran.
"I want to express my gratitude, admiration, and amazement at how she has year after year helped our community organization"
“I have been associated with Mia Tagano for 18 years. I want to express my gratitude, admiration, and amazement at how she has year after year helped our community organization communicate and publicize our efforts across California. Her sense of grasping our organization and “reading between the lines” as she directs our facebook page and monthly team letter has kept our organization intact and has given us a voice and identity. Her goodwill and skills are unique!”
— John T Malloy Jr, Director of the California American Indian 500 Mile Spiritual Marathon Relay Team
“Mia guided me through an incredible journey...her ability to make sense of something I found difficult to share is nothing short of remarkable.”
“I had the pleasure of working with Mia Tagano as my speaking coach, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. Over just four sessions, Mia helped me prepare for my EO Talk, where I shared a deeply personal story that I’ve struggled to articulate for over 30 years.
Mia guided me through an incredible journey, helping me think clearly and find the perfect words to tell my story. Her ability to make sense of something I found difficult to share is nothing short of remarkable.
The experience was not only therapeutic but also a game changer for me personally.What really sets Mia apart is her compassion and ability to create a safe space. She listens deeply, offers invaluable insights, and asks the right questions at the right time. She doesn’t just help you find the words; she helps you understand your own journey better.
Through her guidance, I gained clarity not just in how to deliver my talk, but in how to process a part of my life that I’ve long struggled to share.If you’re considering public speaking or need help conveying something meaningful you’ve gone through, Mia is your go-to. She is not only a gifted coach but also an amazing person, and for that, I will always be grateful. constantly.”
— Daniel Altenburg, Zipdev Co-founder, Father of 2, Husband, and EO Board Member
"I went from a bumbling and ineffective speech to actually winning a competition at EO Talks."
“As a person who never gives any sort of public address, I decided to try! Mia quickly and efficiently helped me restructure my written words to be more effective as a talk. She helped me emphasize the right parts of my talk, coached me through gestures and eye contact to engage my audience. In 3-4 sessions I went from a bumbling and ineffective speech to actually winning a competition at EO Talks. Mia is great!”
— James Turpen, Founder of Centum Health Properties, Inc.
"Mia transforms speakers, helping them deliver powerful, lasting impressions."
“Working with Mia Tagano was a transformative experience for my speaking engagement called EO Talks. Mia's thoughtful approach and ability to distill raw content into impactful messages truly elevated my talks. Throughout our collaboration, she not only refined my presentations but also uplifted my spirit in each session, ensuring that each evolution of the talk was better than the last. With her guidance, I delivered my talk at the Entrepreneur Organization event with significantly improved clarity and impact. Mia is a master at bringing out the best in the content and the speaker, making her an invaluable asset to anyone looking to truly connect with their audience and leave a lasting impression.”
— Daniel Shemtob, 'Lime Truck' chefChef, Restauranteur, and Entrepreneur
"Mia was patient in working with me to help me refine and develop my style."
“I was introduced to Mia through Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) where she routinely works with entrepreneurs, business owners and executives on speaking and presenting skills as part of a talk I developed to give at an EO conference. I had such an amazing experience working with her that I decided to have her assist me with additional coaching and specifically help me prepare for several additional presentations.
Unlike other coaching I have received in the past, rather than try to teach me standard techniques or have me follow best practices, Mia was patient in working with me to help me refine and develop my style. She took the time to get to know me and help me develop and become more confident and comfortable with my authentic style, while at the same time pushing me past my comfort zone in the interest of improvement. I can’t recommend her enough and what I have learned has made a notable and positive impact in my presentation skills.”
— Channing Hamlet, Managing Director at Objective, Investment Banking and Evaluation
"I would recommend her services to anyone. Mia’s the full package."
“Mia Tagano is an outstanding expert within a specialized field. I would recommend her services to anyone. Mia’s the full package. She expertly led me to find and celebrate my true voice while guiding my copy writing to transition successfully to spoken format. With Mia’s help, I found the confidence to record presentation material projecting genuine authority. She listens well to identify your unique presence, then offers tailored techniques and observations delivered with radical candor to bring out the best in you. You’ll be glad to know her!”
— Bill Sharratt, President at Pacific Rubber & Packing, Inc.
"Mia’s fresh approach stands out and elevates your speaking skills."
I can’t recommend Mia enough if you’re trying to get better at public speaking. She doesn’t just stick to the usual coaching methods—her approach is fresh and really stands out. Thanks to her help, my last speech went great. If you're looking to level up your speaking skills, Mia’s the one to go to.
— Noemi Kis, Entrepreneur / Founder and CEO of Monittor
"Her gift is in helping you discover and strengthen your own voice- both literally and figuratively."
“I have worked with Mia for the past year and she has truly transformed my speaking and performing abilities. I contacted her to help me develop my voice for a solo performance piece that I have since performed at the Marsh Theater and San Francisco Fringe Festival. What started as professional coaching evolved into a creative collaboration. Focusing n voice and movement, Mia helped me discover where my script needed more life and editing. Through the voice work, characters emerged that I didn’t previously know how to get off the page. She helped me build my confidence and shared the professional tips that have helped her be a prepared and inspiring performer. Her gift is in helping you discover and strengthen your own voice- both literally and figuratively. She is kind, and compassionate and can be very directive when needed. After my performances, I received many compliments- with people noticing aspects of the performance that Mia helped me discover and perfect. I came to her wanting to be a more interesting speaker and came away with an excellent show that received great reviews! I am continuing on- with my next show and project. I’m looking forward to discovering more about the stories I have to tell and learning how to tell them in a compelling and engaging way. I’ve also gotten the added benefit of being able to transfer her techniques to the presentations I give in my consulting work. The benefits of working with her just keep coming…”
— Joan Chaplick, Principal, Program Director
"Her work has helped strengthen my speaking and presentation style."
“It was delightful and edifying to work with Mia Tagano, who helped me bring out my speaking voice into its potential. What drew me to Mia was her coaching style and ability to help me speak more like me and not like someone else. I appreciated the specific vocal exercises and points that we went over, which were personalized and compelling. Her work has helped strengthen my speaking and presentation style. Mia’s work has meant a great deal to me, and I would highly recommend her voice coaching.”
— Sonia (Easaw) Easaw-Panggabean, Director of Content Marketing, Albertsons Health & Pharmacy.
"Her keen ear, sharp eye, and honest feedback have allowed me to open up to my own work in ways I didn’t know I could."
“In working with Mia I have found many ways to my authentic voice. We have used props, text, movement, and breath exercises to “drop-in” and let my voice out. Prior to working with her, I had a habit of holding my breath and therefore holding my impulses, preparation, and talent. The coaching I received not only showed me the habit but also gave me the confidence and encouragement to let it go. Her keen ear, sharp eye, and honest feedback have allowed me to open up to my own work in ways I didn’t know I could.”
— Laura Jane Bailey, Actor/Director
"Mia’s gift to me, besides her rich knowledge of vocal technique, was teaching me to relax and connect with my voice."
“I first came to Mia for help controlling my breath and projecting my voice. I wanted to fix what I was doing wrong, but from the very start, Mia encouraged me to avoid worrying about what I was doing “wrong”. Instead, we worked on developing the strength and intention of my voice and as we did my breathing and volume problems just faded away. Mia’s gift to me, besides her rich knowledge of vocal technique, was teaching me to relax and connect with my voice. Since working with Mia my stage performance has improved remarkably and I owe it to her for helping me “find my voice”. I highly recommend her as a voice and performance coach.”
— Bennet Caffee, Nurse and Actor
"Mia is an amazing speech coach!"
“She coached me not just in preparation for one speech, but two speeches! The first one was for an EO talk at our local LA chapter retreat and the second one was for an EO talk at our West Coast EO alchemy conference. Mia was able to provide a lot of insight and advice on not just what content to discuss in my speech but also go over presentation tips and how to really engage the audience. She was amazing and I highly recommend her!!”
— Elizabeth Yang, Entrepreneur / Attorney / Best Selling Author / Investor
"It’s rare to find a perfect combination of kind and smart and caring and tactical."
“The best thing about Mia is how she is able to balance some very good advice right alongside empathy and compassion. When I worked with her, this made me feel confident and comfortable about a very difficult talk that I was giving. Mia was able to gently but directly guide me to making this talk more impactful, and brought out the best in what I had to deliver.
It’s rare to find a perfect combination of kind and smart and caring and tactical. Mia brings all of that to the table, and I was truly blessed to work with her. Even more importantly, I believe that my audience was truly moved and so much of that was because of Mia‘s guidance and assistance in crafting a good talk.
Mia made a difficult process feel good. I am forever grateful, and I am looking forward to the next opportunity to work with her. Thank you, Mia!”
— Doug Ridley, Criminal Defense Lawyer at Ridley Defense
"Mia Rocks!"
“I came to our first session prepared like a good student - read the book, Talk Like Ted, ideas ready to go and sprinkled it with some fake confidence. She called me out right away with my BS and set the tone to "talk like" Tristan and be yourself. She gave me the confidence to use my natural style of talking, coached me to talk from my heart to emotionally charge my audience and worked with my structure and delivery. The experience was full of encouragement, laughter and sincerity. Thank you so much Mia!”
— Tristan Bordallo, Entrepreneur | 3X Founder | 20 Years In Trucking | Asset Based | Investor
"Her approach wasn’t about fitting me into a mold but about helping me discover the most powerful and resonant version of myself"
“I cannot recommend Mia Tagano highly enough. From the moment we started working together on my talk, it was clear that Mia’s coaching style was both unique and deeply impactful.
Mia has an incredible ability to balance authenticity with structure. She didn’t just focus on the mechanics of delivering a great talk; she honed in on me—my story, my purpose, and my authentic voice. This made a huge difference, as her approach wasn’t about fitting me into a mold but about helping me discover the most powerful and resonant version of myself. I left our sessions with a much stronger sense of clarity and confidence, not only about the content of my presentation but also about how I could connect meaningfully with the audience.
As a coach, Mia was also exceptionally empathetic and present. Her thoughtful feedback was insightful and actionable, guiding me toward subtle yet transformative adjustments that elevated my delivery and message. In addition, I loved the way Mia combined her deep artistic and creative background with practical coaching techniques. Her training in performance and storytelling gave me access to tools and insights I hadn’t encountered before.”
— Anna (Anya) Crowe, MBA, Crowe PR CEO, Best-selling Author, Speaker & EO San Diego President
"Words cannot express my gratitude for Mia."
“Mia helped me put together a talk for my entrepreneurs organization. She help me formulate the ideas, choose the correct framework and message. She has a gift of really understanding her students and being able to expand on their gifts. Because of her, I was able to connect to my speech emotionally and spiritually and deliver a compelling and impactful talk. I am so grateful for everything she did for me and I look forward to working with her again.”
— Ivan Estrada Properties, Real Estate Broker at Douglas Elliman
"I was thoroughly impressed with her ability to analyze, connect, and create ways to help me overcome my struggles with public speaking."
“Mia is Amazing!!! I have spoken in front of a camera for almost two decades and yet public speaking has always been a challenge for me. Mia began her process from the moment she greeted me at the door, reading my body language, my demeanor, and anything else she could sense. Her kind, warm persona put me at ease right away. We accomplished so much in our first session. By the end, she felt like a confidant and someone I could trust to help me succeed. I was thoroughly impressed with her ability to analyze, connect, and create ways to help me overcome my struggles with public speaking. In addition to her kind-hearted nature, Mia is so smart and funny. Those qualities combined with her knowledge, experience, and insight make Mia a stellar performance coach. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a coach.”
— Rosemary Orozco, Emmy Award-Winning Meteorologist & News Personality
"I truly appreciated Mia’s directness and ability to tell me exactly what I needed to work on."
“Was asked to present a TED-style talk to a group of CEO’s on short notice and I couldn’t have done it without Mia’s coaching. She worked around my busy travel schedule and furthermore I appreciated her ability to read between the lines, to get at the important things and not waste any time developing and extracting the important bits that make or break a talk. Being in an environment where things are consistently coming at me and I having to make many decisions over the course of a day, I truly appreciated Mia’s directness and ability to tell me exactly what I needed to work on. I think we did 3 or 4 sessions over the course of a week and she provided me the framework to deliver 2 impactful talks over the following months.”
— Wallace Chane, CEO at METIS Real Estate
"Mia’s coaching gave me new perspectives and strategies that elevated my performance."
“I had the pleasure of working with Mia during both EO Talks and on the Alchemy stage, and her coaching truly made a difference. What sets Mia apart is her ability to tailor her insights to each individual’s needs while maintaining a big-picture focus. She has a unique gift for helping you connect with your audience in an authentic way, providing clear, actionable guidance that leads to real growth. Mia’s coaching gave me new perspectives and strategies that elevated my performance. I’m so grateful for the experience and the journey.”
— Vandana Bhalla, Corporate Broker/ Leader of The Bhalla Group/ Top Producer at Signature Real Estate Group.
"Her depth of knowledge and vast experience of voice and public-speaking is quite evident once you work with her."
“I started working with Mia earlier this year to improve my public speaking. Mia is very patient and took the time to understand my strengths and areas where I can improve. I really appreciated it and she tailored the voice coaching program for me. In just a matter of few sessions, I saw a significant improvement in my confidence and public speaking. I learned how to use my breath to build my voice. Her depth of knowledge and vast experience of voice and public-speaking is quite evident once you work with her. I am very thankful that I met Mia and look forward to continue to work with her to build my public speaking confidence and improve my voice.”
— Rahul Rajgarhia, Engineer
"Mia holds true to her values of honesty, kindness, and love in everything she does and has the most amazing instincts for how to reach people’s hearts."
“I have worked with Mia of Tagano Coaching for over 10 years in her capacity as a Social Media volunteer for KarmaTube.org and she is the most self-directed, reliable volunteer with whom I have ever had the pleasure of working. Mia holds true to her values of honesty, kindness, and love in everything she does and has the most amazing instincts for how to reach people’s hearts. In group interactions, Mia is able to engender people’s trust instantly with skill and compassion. She is a gifted teacher – I can’t recommend her highly enough.”
— Yoo-Mi Lee, Program Development Consultant, Freelance Volunteer
"She is naturally warm, kind, insightful and open-minded, and wonderful with children, teenagers and adults alike"
“Mia has a rare gift for sensing people’s authentic voices and helping them to step into it with conviction and clarity. With her unique background spanning the fields of acting, teaching, community organizing, and psychology, I’ve seen her be able to quickly intuit where people’s blind spots and patterns are in how they express themselves. And more importantly, support them in developing personal practices that give them a foothold in how to transform these patterns practically. She is naturally warm, kind, insightful and open-minded, and wonderful with children, teenagers and adults alike — having gotten to know her as a dear friend over many years now, I wholeheartedly recommend working with her.”
— Pavithra Mehta, Author, Film-maker
"Thank you, for always bringing your authenticity and passion in every breath!"
“Mia has the ability to teach intensive exercises, blended with playful child-like fun elements. She co-creates a vulnerable yet welcoming learning environment. Thank you, for always bringing your authenticity and passion in every breath! My voice feels a new sense of freedom today.”
— Kara Ludgate, Healing Arts
"She created a safe space for us to explore our inner truth together, and I walked away inspired and thirsty for more."
“I was deeply inspired by Mia’s skillful, heart-connecting, and empowering facilitation. She not only helped me to connect with my own voice but also with others in the group. She created a safe space for us to explore our inner truth together, and I walked away inspired and thirsty for more.”
— Xiao Shu, Writer/Performer
"In a room full of noise, let your voice rise with clarity, courage, and conviction."
— Anonymous
Feedback from Anonymous Survey
“I found her live observations about my voice and changes in my voice very helpful. I also really enjoyed the physical exercises she used to help open up my voice and make me feel the strength and power behind it. Lastly, the summary notes from each session were fantastic and helpful to remind me of what was learned between sessions. Mia was life-changing and my time with her was incredibly valuable.”
“In terms of leadership coaching – I would recommend Mia highly. I felt that she was able to get to the bottom of issues and dynamics without being in the situation – purely on the basis on what I relayed and a few videos I shared.”
“Mia does excellent work, very patient and respectful, passionate about her work and the work of others (mine). She was not concerned about the time and was ok with going over in time, to get the work done. Very skilled and helpful.”
“Mia is a warm, welcoming person and has the ability to work with and open up almost any type of person. She has a gentle, yet strong approach in stating her observations and creates a very safe space.”
“Mia made me aware of myself. She is very insightful. I feel that I got a lot more confident about my interactions at work. And, I feel the benefits I experienced were from the insights she shared that made me more aware and helped me course correct.”
“Mia has a very calm, centered approach that is unique to voice coaches on the market. If I felt the same vibes from the person struggling, I’d recommend her to them.”
“When stuff wasn’t working, I liked that Mia just adapted and tried something else. It wasn’t that *I* was broken. It was just a different technique was needed. I appreciated that!”
“Voice Coaching with Mia is a personalized experience that everyone can benefit from!”
“It’s very personal work and you do a great job guiding and discovering what I need in a strong and supportive way while also actually allowing me to tap into more of myself.”
“Mia is attentive, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Her warm approach helped me to feel seen. Our work together not only helped me improve but gave me the tools to continue growing long after we met.”
“She has a very warm and welcoming spirit which is very important to the types of clients she helps.”