COACHING WITH JO
“Whether I’m working with her as an actor or a writer, I trust her to leave no stone unturned.”
Zawe Ashton
“Jo has the visionary brilliance to draw the best work out of actors. I can’t recommend her enough.”
Toheeb Jimoh“Jo has great intuition, and great taste, and I would recommend every actor work with her given the opportunity.”
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd“Jo has an extraordinary eye in a creative space — she sees what matters and knows how to bring it to life.”
Stephen Daldry
I work one-to-one with actors, writers, and directors at every stage of their careers — from graduating students to established creatives leading major productions including Disney+, Amazon, as well as theatre and television.
What distinguishes my coaching is that it is led by a creative who is actively working and respected within the industry and disciplines I coach in. As a dramaturg, actor, and director, collaborating with leading creatives across film, television, and theatre I bring professional insight alongside teaching experience.
AUTHENTICITY IS LIBERTY
Few creative experiences are more destabilising than feeling stuck:
A self-tape that won’t land.
A scene or script that refuses to move.
A project that feels just beyond reach.
Or the deeper frustration of knowing you’re capable of more — but being unable to access it.At the heart of these blocks is often disconnection from instinct, voice, or authority.
The work I do is designed to return you to that essence.
When instinct, emotional truth, and vulnerability are allowed to surface, everything opens — the work, freedom of expression, and your sense of creative authority.
Truth is your access point to freedom.
HOW JO HELPS
I work from lived experience. As a performer, director, and dramaturg across multiple mediums, I understand the pressures, realities, and possibilities of professional creative life. The work begins by meeting each person where they are. Rather than applying surface solutions, I help uncover the source of creative block, release tension, and reconnect clients with their own voice, instinct, and authority.
Actors
Actors often get in touch when performance starts to feel constrained — shaped by expectation rather than instinct. Whether on set, in rehearsal, or in preparation, returning to instinct brings clarity, freedom, and authority. The work helps actors release tension, reconnect with natural breath, and allow their voice and choices to flow freely. I uncover what’s blocking instinct so that the actor can respond truthfully in the moment. This process helps actors reclaim their authentic voice, trust their impulses, and move through the work with confidence and presence — whether preparing for auditions, developing a role, or sustaining performance across a production. The focus is not on volume or polish, but on clarity, emotional truth, and ownership of the work.
Writers
Writers often arrive at the very beginning of a project — when there is a strong, felt idea, image, or question, but no clear path yet for how it wants to become a piece of work. Others come when that original impulse has been buried beneath drafts or notes, and the writing has lost its sense of truth or necessity. The work begins at the essence of the idea, helping writers identify what is genuinely alive at the core of a project and shape it into a coherent dramatic narrative. Like freeing a voice in performance, this process releases tension, restores creative flow, and reconnects the writer with their own impulses. By trusting what naturally arises, writers regain momentum, clarity, and a sense of authority over their work. Grounded in the belief that authenticity is liberty, this approach restores trust, creative confidence, and agency — not only in the project itself, but also in the writer’s ongoing relationship to their craft.
Directors
Directors work with me when they need a trusted collaborator to support actors under pressure while maintaining momentum. I help translate direction into embodied, instinctive performance, maintain continuity across complex or fragmented shoots, and provide actors with a discreet space to recalibrate. This work is not about imposing a method or aesthetic. It is about service — supporting the actors, the work, and the director’s vision with sensitivity, clarity, and trust. The focus is on presence, authority, and emotional truth, so the director’s intention can be fully realized on screen.
WORK WITH ME
Sessions are available in person or online.
I offer a free, informal introductory conversation before any commitment, so I can understand how best to support you — and whether the work is the right fit.
ENQUIRE / BOOK
Email: mcinnesjoanne@gmail.com
JO MCINNES 