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Performance Coaching and Alexander Technique in Bristol and Cardiff, and via online lessons, to the world

Work with me to change your relationship to your body and to performing… forever

Jennifer Mackerras (teaches Alexander Technique in Bristol) playing recorder

Welcome to Activate You! I’m Jennifer, and I’m a performance coach and performance anxiety specialist. I teach Alexander Technique in Bristol and Cardiff, and online to the world.

On my site you’ll find resources to help not just actors and musicians, but anyone who has to do presentations for work, study or formal occasions and finds themselves crippled with nerves and tension. You can explore my blog, sign up for my newsletter, and pick up some free resources that will help you to improve the way you approach performance, both physically and mentally.

If you find yourself crippled with nerves before you perform, or if you experience physical tension (or even discomfort) in practice or performance conditions, you might be tempted to think that the situation is hopeless. It isn’t. With a little work and some changes in the way you approach what you’re doing, you can make lasting improvements and regain a joy in performing.

Does this sound like you?

  • Nerves got in the way of your performance

If you are struggling with shaky legs and hands, racing heart and visions of doom before every performance or presentation, then you should check out these blog posts, and this course.

  • Physical tension is stopping you from achieving technical perfection
  • You just didn’t know the best way to prepare yourself for the audition or the gig
  • Orchestra rehearsals are an agony of shuffling around, trying to get comfortable
  • You have to end a practice session early because you just ache
  • You have persistent problems with intonation, rhythm or co-ordination that don’t seem to be addressed through changes in technique

If any of these sound familiar, then you should check out these blog posts, and think about  1:1 sessions. I can help you to attain the freedom of expression that you crave. You can learn to improve your life by learning Alexander Technique in Bristol in person, or via Zoom anywhere in the world.

  • Is work being a ‘pain in the neck’ far more than just a metaphor?
  • You experience discomfort using office equipment at work or home
  • You could write a book on work-related stress
  • You want to improve the way you sit and stand to give you more presence at work
  • You’ve seen photos of the last time you went out – “do I really look like that?!”

If you relate to any of these, then you should look at these posts, and check out either 1:1 lessons, or my group courses page. I would love to help you.

Why trust me?

Jennifer coaching a musician with Alexander Technique in Bristol

You can rely on me, because I know what it is like to have something hurt so much that you wonder if you’ll play again. I was a PhD student, and RSI-like symptoms in my arms forced me to quit playing recorder, and then threatened to prevent me using a computer to finish my thesis. I tried Alexander Technique as a last resort. Not only did my arms improve so much that I now play with two recorder ensembles, but the stage fright that I’d suffered from since my teenage years vanished too. The improvements to my life were so exciting that I now teach others how to have similar breakthroughs.

I help actors, musicians of all varieties – classical, jazz, rock, instrumentalists, singers – and members of the general public to improve their ability to excel in performance. I have helped not just musicians cure their stage fright, but managers, nurses, GSCE students, social workers, and medical students to perform in pressure interviews, exams and presentations. I’ve worked with countless people who have made sometimes massive positive changes. I have seen students make amazing improvements to their posture, their physical comfort, their stress levels, and their outlook on life. I would love to help you do the same.

“I spend my life teaching people how to overcome fear while riding but I couldn’t sing in public… until I met Jennifer. A big thank you to Jen, her gentle approach and the Alexander Technique. I recommend a visit for walking, dancing, singing, playing music or anything you wish to achieve.”

Lisa, riding teacher
www.holistichorses.co.uk

Want to know more?

Join my email list to receive regular articles that give Alexander Technique coaching advice specifically aimed at performers. You will also receive, free of charge, my eBook Four Words to Conquer Stage Fright.

FOUR WORDS TO CONQUER STAGE FRIGHT – THE EBOOK.

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This book will demonstrate to you that stage fright is not inevitable and not incurable. Rather, it is a set of physical signs and symptoms that we have learned to misread and misunderstand. Then we make them worse with our unhelpful thinking around the whole idea of what performance is about.

I’ve filled the book with ideas, tips and techniques to help you beat the nerves so you can perform to the best of your ability, every time. And I know they work, because they’ve helped me. This book contains the ideas that helped me enjoy being on stage once more.

Do you want to perform with greater ease and freedom? Are you interested in economy of effort and more enjoyment in your performing life?  This book will give you the tools to begin the process of improvement.

Sign up to my email list, and get your free copy of Four Words to Conquer Stage Fright today.
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