Debra Driscoll (She, her, hers)

LEAD FEARLESS Facilitator and PROGRAM MANAGER

Debra is a professional story facilitator, applied theatre practitioner, writer, speaker, and coach. She has developed a strong framework for intuitive listening, embodied action, and intentional engagement of individuals, teams, and communities. As an author, facilitator, and coach, Debra has developed a strong framework and passion for stories and their ability to create connections.

Since January 2019, Debra has worked with Fearless Communicators and has brought her love of story to the Fearless community as a facilitator and coach for the Fearless Force and Your Story Now programs. Debra participated in the original Fearless Force Circe in New York City.

Benjamin Pelteson (he, him, his)

LEAD Fearless Facilitator and Program Manager

Ben Pelteson is a theater maker, educator and communications consultant based in Brooklyn, NY. A professional actor for over a decade, he has appeared on major stages across the US and onscreen (Homeland, The Americans, Unforgettable, Law & Order, and StartUp, among others.) Ben is the former National Outreach Director for Broadway Impact, an organization of theater artists and fans mobilized in support of marriage equality, and was co-Curator of the first ever Daedalus Film Fest in Ashland, OR. As an independent coach for actors, his clients have won roles on- and off- Broadway as well as on television. He joined the Fearless Communicators team in 2016 and co-taught the first cohort of A Fearless Force for Visionary Women Leaders with Eduardo Placer. He has one houseplant, a ficus named Pam, who is miraculously still alive. BFA in Theatre, Carnegie Mellon University.

Johanna de Ruyter (she, her, hers)

Fearless Facilitator

Johanna has professionally performed, presented, and facilitated on national and international stages. She is an accomplished theater practitioner, working for over 25years as a performer and collaborator on various award – winning theater projects both nationally and internationally. Johanna is a performing artist with a speciality in translating this influential skillset to support people in learning to communicate dynamically with their audiences. As a trained Remedial Masseuse, Martial Artist and Improvisor/Performer Johanna is both passionate and fascinated with the complementary relationship of the body within the dynamics of communication. She created her company, Moving Communication to reposition the body as a dynamic element to move communication either internally (self – talk) or externally (group). She designs and delivers training and coaching programs to meet distinct learning outcomes for companies such as Vodafone, National Australia Bank, Qantas, AMP, Coca Cola, GlaxoSmithKline, Medibank Private and University of Technology Sydney.  In addition, she has facilitated Leadership Presence training programs including Storytelling for business communication throughout the Asia Pacific region. She completed the Fearless Force program Circle 8 – you can see her presentation here.

Mark Berdard (he, him, his)

Fearless Facilitator

Mark Bedard is a theatrical storyteller with years of experience navigating and/or poking the public eye. As a coach his work has ranged from interview prep to camera work to monologue coaching. Teaching has included countless workshops, prologues, and school-visit programs. Mark wrote and performed in his own adaptation of The Marx Brothers musical The Cocoanuts, and also the Daedalus AIDS Benefit as well as multiple School-Visit Program presentations. As a professional actor he has appeared on stages across the country and more recently onscreen (Evil, Madam Secretary, The Good Fight, Instinct, The Knick.) He is based out of Brooklyn NY and is quite pleasantly surprised to be working with Fearless Communicators, since his relentless torturing onstage of founder, Eduardo Placer, was legendary. BA from University of California Irvine.