The InFluency Podcast

Episode 200! Woo-hoo! In this podcast-convo, I’ll share with you what I loved most about making the previous 200 episodes and what I’m hoping to do more in the next 200 episodes! I’ll also share with you a list of the 10 most downloaded episodes of the InFluency podcast, and what I think about them!  And here they are!!  The Schwa: How One TINY Sound Can Make a HUGE Difference How to effectively practice your intonation in English Why I Quit Acting and Became an Accent Coach | My story 10 Things You Should Stop Doing if you Want to Speak English Fluently American Intonation: What They Don’t Teach You In School How to Stay Motivated When Learning English Why pronunciation is important when learning a language Why Perfectionism Will KILL Your Fluency How Small, Smart Choices Can Transform Your English | The Compound Effect Why do I feel like a fraud every time I speak English? | The Impostor Syndrome If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course: https://hadarshemesh.com/audio-accent-course/ You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words: https://theaccentsway.com/mispro-signup/ Join our Facebook community to connect with non-native English learners from all over the world: https://hadarshemesh.com/influency-community/

In this ‘Ask Hadar’ podcast episode I’m answering Silvana, an English learner from Brazil, who wants to become an English teacher. Silvana isn’t sure she can do it, because she still has a lot to learn herself. I get asked this question a lot – whether non-native speakers of English should teach the language. And I always say – absolutely. If pursuing a teaching career is what you want, don’t let anyone – teachers or colleagues – put you down because you’re not a native speaker of English. Because teaching is so much more than transforming knowledge, especially in this day and age. In this episode, I share some thoughts on how to know you’re doing a good job teaching English, whether you’re a native speaker or not. Want to ask me a question on the podcast? Submit your audio recording here: https://hadarshemesh.com/ask-hadar/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course: https://theaccentsway.com/audio-accent-course/ You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words: https://theaccentsway.com/mispro-signup/ Join our Facebook community to connect with non-native English learners from all over the world: https://theaccentsway.com/influency-community/

Are you ready to act in English? In this podcast, I’ll guide you through a scene from the play The Rabbit Hole, where you’ll get to practice key elements of English like pronunciation, emotion, and flow by reading along with me. Watch the video version with the script here: https://bit.ly/4eDz9mJ Download the PDF of the script here https://bit.ly/48TSuPo or read along with me below: BECCA: Ridiculous, right? Nine weeks pregnant. In a bar. Drinking. HOWIE: You said she wasn’t drinking. BECCA: No, she said. But you know Izzy. Plus the place was probably clogged with cigarette smoke. HOWIE: Not anymore. Clean Indoor Air Act. BECCA: She was in Yonkers. You think they enforce that in Yonkers? HOWIE: I wouldn’t worry about it. If the babies in France turn out okay, I’m sure this one’ll be fine too. BECCA: You think this is funny, Howie? HOWIE: Of course not. But you need to relax about it. Izzy could be right. BECCA: About what? HOWIE: The baby, getting her on track. It can wake a person up. It did us. BECCA: She was bragging about a bar fight. HOWIE: It wasn’t a bar fight. BECCA: They were in a bar! Fighting! HOWIE: Izzy hit someone, she didn’t get into a fight. Blows were never exchanged. BECCA: What is your point? It’s okay for a pregnant woman to be punching people? HOWIE: Well so long as they don’t punch her back, it’s probably all right. BECCA: What are you—? Why are you defending her? HOWIE: I’m not. I just think it’s silly to get worked up about it. BECCA: I’m not worked up. I’m just saying. HOWIE: You’re right, it’s a mess, but what can we do? Maybe it’ll be fine. Izzy’s not a moron. Okay, she acts like one sometimes but... A baby can be good for a person. BECCA: I know that, Howie. HOWIE: Alright then.

Join me for a special bonus episode from a Q&A inside my membership, Beyond. Today you’ll get to hear questions like… How can I find my voice in English? How can I lead a meeting with confidence? How can I become more confident? Why do we improve through speaking? Who are good role models for effective communication?  And more!  Got a question for me? Ask it here! https://bit.ly/3L71bu8 Episodes about finding your voice in English: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/38/  https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/change-your-voice-in-english/  Book recommendation: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza

Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams or whatever meeting platform you use… if you have found yourself in an online meeting where everyone has their camera off, understanding your colleagues might be a challenge. In this episode, I’ll share some tips with you about how to understand others better, ask for what you need, and set yourself up for success online! More episodes on how to improve your listening in English: How to Improve Your Listening Skills in English – 9 Tips Strategies to Improve your Listening in English  Can listening to different accents RUIN your pronunciation? How to Understand Fast English Better

Have you used AI to practice your English? What has your experience been? In this episode, I’m going to share with you the truth about practicing with AI, the pros and cons, and my personal opinion about using AI to practice a language. (it may surprise you!) Want to practice with real humans? We’re here! Join my free community on Facebook, The InFluency Community https://bit.ly/47tinnp

👉 DOWNLOAD THE 14-DAY ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION PLAN https://bit.ly/3YAWcJ5 What’s the best way to study pronunciation? What sounds should you start with? How do you really get results? I’m going to share all of that with you here with the 14-day plan I’ve created!

We’re revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast. As an English learner, you must have wondered – what are the things that are preventing me from reaching a breakthrough in English? You may think it’s just more vocabulary or phrasal verbs, and maybe all those fancy tenses that people use… When in fact, it’s something a lot more basic and primal. It’s not what ELSE you need to learn, but instead – it’s how YOU think about yourself when speaking English. Yes, how we think about our English has a big part in how confident we feel when speaking English. Are we thinking kind and empowering thoughts? Or are we being harsh and critical? In this episode, I’ll dive deep into explaining how you can reach a breakthrough simply by changing the way you think about your English. More useful episodes on the topic: Want to improve your speaking vocabulary? STOP LEARNING NEW WORDS ✋ https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/improve-speaking-vocabulary/ How To Learn New Vocabulary | Build Pronunciation Confidence? https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/how-to-learn-new-vocabulary/

Take the free quiz and determine your speaker stage in English https://bit.ly/3YaFq4e If you think that progress is only about going from A1 to C2 – think again! Your progress as a non-native speaker goes beyond your proficiency level. In a person’s language journey, there are 5 typical speaker types, each characterized by a certain behavior and mindset. And guess what – no one has tried to identify those types before – UNTIL NOW!! In my BRAND NEW QUIZ, I’ll tell you your speaker type … And share my *secret* tips to get to the next stage so your fluency can go from 🐌 to 🚀!!! Click here to take the quiz! 💃 https://bit.ly/3YaFq4e

In this episode, I spoke with Alastair, the host of the podcast, English Learning for Curious Minds. Alastair is originally from the UK but now lives in Sweden. We talked about his experiences moving from London to Malta and then to Sweden, and what’s exciting and challenging about relocating. Alistair also talks about his podcast, English Learning for Curious Minds, where he combines cool stories and history with language learning. He shares how he makes difficult ideas easier to understand and explains why listening is such an important skill. Get useful tips and advice for building confidence in your English! Listen to my interview with Alastair on his channel: https://youtu.be/a9jL3MqfVMw Listen to some of Alastair’s favorite episodes from his podcast here: Liquid Gold | The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Robbery: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/maple-syrup Fredric Tudor | The Ice King: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/ice-king The Affair Of The Diamond Necklace: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/affair-diamond-necklace The Haitian Revolution: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/haitian-revolution How TikTok Took Over The World: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/tik-tok The Marvel Universe: http://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/marvel-universe Prince Andrew | The Black Sheep of The Royal Family: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/prince-andrew Learn more about Alastair and his work by visiting his website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/

Have you ever wondered why your grammar is nearly perfect when you write, but when you start speaking, you can’t use any of it? In this episode, I’ll dive into why this happens and share tips on how to change it. We’ll explore why you struggle to apply grammar rules in real-time, the difference between writing and speaking, and how you can train your brain to make grammar automatic when you speak. For more grammar exercises, check out my program, Sprint Master, where you will improve your grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and more in short, 10-minute daily exercises. https://bit.ly/3zGqKQX

We’re revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast. What happens when you make great progress in something, but then… You’re stuck. You no longer move forward. It happens in so many different areas in life; losing weight, working out, in relationships… but also in English. You learn new words, build your confidence, improve your pronunciation… but after a while… you feel like nothing else is changing and again you find yourself on that silly hamster wheel. How can you get to the next level? In this episode, I’ll share with you 5 ways to reach a new peak and get out of that annoying plateau. Full transcript and more information is here: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/25/

I had the chance to interview Craig Wealand, the host of InglesPodcast, and an English teacher for more than 20 years! He shared his experiences as a teacher, Spanish learner, podcaster and more. I really enjoyed this episode, and I hope you will too! Listen to Craig’s podcast: https://inglespodcast.com/ Learn with Craig: https://www.englishcraig.com/

We’re revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast. I’ve been an accent and fluency coach for over 10 years. It hasn’t always been easy but it was always gratifying. I’ve learned new things about English and about my teaching, and I want to share these things with you. Full transcript and more information is here: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/07/

Can we schedule a meeting for Monday at 9 AM? I’m sorry, I’m going to have to cancel our meeting. Whether you’re scheduling, confirming a meeting, or canceling a meeting, today we’re going to talk about essential phrases you can use in everyday English – with a focus on pronunciation and connected speech! Download the FREE practice sheet with even more useful phrases to practice along with: https://bit.ly/3MOxYp4

The end of 2024 is near – maybe you set some goals for yourself back in January, and even though you’d really love to achieve them,  you’re not sure HOW exactly to do that. The good news is…we still have a quarter left in the year! If you’re wondering how to turn around your practice and get inspired, motivated and determined to achieve your goals, there is a way. 💪  My membership, Beyond, is now open until Tuesday, September 17! We’ve been keeping it a secret for a while now, because we’ve been making big changes inside. Today, I’ll tell you about what’s inside and how it can help you stay on track and achieve the goals you set for yourself in 2024. Click here to learn more https://hadarshemesh.com/beyond/

We’re revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast. Taking small actions every day leads to great results. Author Darren Hardy calls it “The Compound Effect”, and it holds for a lot of things in life. In this episode, I’ll discuss how I’ve realized it’s deeply relevant to English learning and speaking. I experienced it in acting school, in the accent training courses I took, and in the past decade in teaching and building my business. I see it in my students as well, as they put in the work day in day out, not seeing immediate results but then reach a breakthrough and impact other people around them. See more information and links here: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/15/

What exactly is a syllable? You may have heard this term a lot, but were never sure how to identify it on your own. Understanding syllables is essential to building a foundation for your pronunciation practice. So today, I’ll explain what a syllable is in English, how to divide a word into syllables, and how it will help your English practice. Get your FREE syllables practice sheet here! https://bit.ly/3Z9DauZ For more syllable practice, check out these videos: Schwa – the BEST vowel sound in English https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/schwa/ How to Find the Primary Stress in Words https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/how-to-find-the-primary-stress-in-words/ How to find the stress in long words (words with suffixes) https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/long-words/

I’m hosting a FREE 5-day challenge from September 2 - 6. Join us here! https://bit.ly/4dYqfjC We’re revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast. Like any other challenge or thing we need to work on, improving your fluency is first and foremost about developing the right mindset. In this video, I’ll discuss some of the things that hold you back and that you really need to let go of if you want to achieve a breakthrough in English. Download 30 English affirmations that will help you reach a breakthrough: https://bit.ly/4739Kkl

We’re revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast. I mention the schwa almost every time I speak about American English. That’s because this vowel is all over the place, and once you hear it, you never stop hearing it 🙂 The schwa is a very short and “relaxed” kind of vowel. It’s a pretty tricky vowel for non-native speakers but if you get it, you get the secret to American English pronunciation and you become SO much clearer. Also, you will find yourself investing much less energy in speaking, which is also important 🙂 Tune in and learn more about this special vowel and how to use it. And let me know what you think in the comments below. Check out a new episode about the schwa here: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/157/ You can also watch my older video about the schwa: https://goo.gl/tvDJ6o And you’ll also find my video on American Intonation helpful: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/american-intonation/