Welcome to CommLab
I'm Gillian. For more than 20 years, I’ve helped people find their voice, sharpen their ideas, and communicate with confidence.
Like many immigrants, my answer to “Where are you from?” is anything but simple. I grew up attending international schools in Germany as a third-culture kid, taught English in the Philippines, tutored aspiring Ivy League students in Boston alongside my agency job, and worked in London as communications director for the CEO of a global educational publishing company.
So when people ask, “Why do you live in the Netherlands now?” I’m never quite sure how to answer. Being globally mobile feels as natural to me as breathing. I understand the opportunities it creates, and some of the things that can get lost along the way.
Why CommLab?
Before launching CommLab, I ran a writing and communications consultancy serving technology companies, education startups, nonprofits, and universities. But after years of thinking, researching, and writing about communication, education, and international life, I became increasingly interested in something more fundamental: the human ability to express what we think, know, and care about.
That ability matters even more at a time when AI threatens our ability to connect, create, and solve problems at a basic human level.
For internationally mobile children and adults, English is often one of several languages in their lives. Being conversant, however, isn’t the same as having command of a language. Command means having the vocabulary to express a complex idea, the writing skills to make an argument, the confidence to speak up, and the ability to adapt communication to different people and situations.
I believe international students and professionals deserve more than “good enough” English. They deserve the tools to read and comprehend deeply, write clearly, speak confidently, and develop a voice that feels like their own.
Immigration is as natural as breathing. Strong English communication is a vital life skill.
Whether I’m working with you, your child, or your organization, my goal is the same: to help make confident, capable English communication something you can carry with you—no matter where you’ve been, and no matter where life takes you next.
