About Sandy

I grew up in foster care in a small village in Brittany, France. Life wasn’t easy and school was harder.

I often watched other kids hug their parents goodbye at the school gates, while I boarded the bus alone. School became my safe place, even though I struggled.

I loved learning, but I didn’t fit the system. The fear of being “not good enough” followed me everywhere. I failed classes and repeated 2 years in primary school. I then graduated high school at 21 instead of 18. I wasn’t stupid, I just needed a different way to learn!

In fact ✍️ the photo below show my final exam school report from high school and how miserably I failed English & French in the process, feeling hopeless!

But that wasn’t the end of my story!

At home, things were worse. Abuse, slaps, regular leg whip marks, hearing what a failure I was: that was my reality!

But in the midst of all this, I held onto 2 things: Hope & Belief.

After high school, I had no financial support and no safety net, so continuing my studies wasn’t an option. I had to survive.

To make ends meet, I juggled three jobs: caring for the elderly during the day, waitressing in an Arabic restaurant in the evenings, and working coat check in nightclubs at night I saved up enough to take a month off and I went on a backpacking trip to the UK, where everything changed!

I met my daughter's father and moved there a year later. I spoke no English except for the basic phrases, but I was determined to eventually speak it.

So I started mimicking what I heard. I made so many mistakes and I still do today and that's ok because we learn from our mistakes. I laughed, cried but most importantly I learned!

Within weeks, I was working in a pet shop by day and a pub by night, and slowly, my confidence grew.

  ✅ I mimicked. 

  ✅ I repeated. 

  ✅ I made hundreds of mistakes.

  ✅ And slowly… I started to speak.

One step led to another:

✨ I started studying again in the very language I failed so many times at high school,

 ✨ I took different courses, all in English and qualified in different fields even pshychology,

 ✨ I qualified as a Support Worker, Lecturer, Childminder and Foster Carer amongst other courses
✨ I raised my daughter alone whilst working 5 jobs every day (Chilminder, Care Assistant, Bar Manager, Sales Representative and Lecturer)
✨ And at 32 I started University Online in English to graduate at 37 with First-Class Honours (Distinction) in Business and French!

So Let me say this loud and clear:

☑️ It is NEVER too late!
☑️ You are NEVER too far behind!
☑️ You are NEVER too old to start again!

Today, I teach French with a METHOD that works,  because I know firsthand what doesn’t.

I don’t rely on grammar drills, endless vocabulary lists, or outdated textbooks. Instead, I teach language the way we naturally learn our first one:
By living it. Speaking it. Repeating it. Using it.

We learn through context, laughter, trials and errors and most importantly, by doing.

I’ve seen shy students barely able to introduce themselves become confident speakers holding conversations with native French speakers. I’ve watched adults who once believed they were “too old” or “not good at languages” pass their DELF exams with my support and Pride & Joy.

And I’ve witnessed teens, once disengaged and discouraged, light up when they realize they’re actually getting it.

The METHOD you use is what makes the difference ! No grammar books. No pressure. Just repetition, confidence, fun, and freedom to make mistakes.

That kind of transformation, From Silence to Speech, From Doubt to Confidence is what fuels me every single day.
Because when someone finds their voice in a new language, they don’t just learn to communicate,
They learn to believe in themselves.

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While I was thriving as a teacher, something was breaking behind the scenes: my relationship with my daughter.

We went from deeply connected to completely disconnected.

✅ Arguments

✅ Silence

✅ Distance

✅ Ten painful years of struggle.

I felt like a failure as a parent even though I was teaching confidence to others. But I refused to give up.

I took courses, read books, unlearned old patterns, and rebuilt our connection from the ground up.

Slowly, we healed together and that journey led both of us to become certified Teen Coaches.

And from that, Alpha Teen Coach was born, a ParenTeenReconnect Coaching space dedicated to helping parents and teens reconnect, rebuild, and rediscover trust.

Today, I use both my teacher’s heart and my coach’s training to guide others through what I’ve lived myself.

What I Know for Sure

🗝️ Confidence can be rebuilt.
🗝️ Connections can be restored.
🗝️ Fluency can be achieved even if you’ve failed before.

Whether you're a parent at the end of your rope… a student terrified of speaking French… or someone who simply wants to grow, I see you. I’ve been you.

And I’m here to remind you:

• You’re not too late.
• You’re not too old.
• You’re not too far behind.

With belief, repetition, and the right support, you can thrive!