In my last episode, I spoke about my cycling trip to Taiwan. While there, I had a lot of time alone to think to myself with no distractions. In this episode today, I'm going to share some of the things I was thinking about. One of these was the idea of Hedonic Adaptation (also known as the Hedonic Treadmill). This is something that we all face as h…

I took 2 weeks off in October to ride a bicycle around the whole of Taiwan. It was over 1000km and took about 2 weeks to complete. Along the way, I had both good and bad experiences and there's a lot I'd love to share! I also filmed a lot of videos of my cycle, so if you'd like to see, you can watch this episode on YouTube - The Level Up English Po…

The Comparison Trap is when we get stuck comparing our lives to other people and feeling worse as a result. It's a common problem in language learning, and this is something that I often experience too since I was inspired to make this episode after a moment of comparison made me feel worse. We often compare ourselves to others in many ways, such a…

Curiosity is an important thing to practice to be better English language learners and enjoy your life more. When we start learning a language, we’re naturally very open and curious to learning new things. It can be an amazing feeling when you’re really into something and you’re looking up every little detail. However, along the way, we naturally g…

Megan is a teacher from Manchester, UK who has been teaching for 10 years and recently made the move to online classes. Megan specialises in Business English for professionals and improving spoken fluency, so in this episode, we talk all about jobs. We start out discussing dream jobs and finding the right job for you. I then quiz Megan on some real…

Let's look at 3 ways we can use 'used to' in English. We'll look at the different grammar and way we structure these terms while answering fun and interesting questions on these topics. I encourage you to answer these questions either in your personal studies or by leaving a comment in the shownotes below. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.s…

This is a really fun episode all about the recent progress of AI (Artificial Intelligence) - specifically in the area of audio and music. I share a few songs that were made by AI about this podcast that I think will blow your mind. I had a lot of fun with it. I also share my thoughts on the future changes that AI will bring to the world, some jobs …

I'm exploring a topic I truly love today and looking at the most unusual and strange places on our planet. I'll be talking about the highest cities, hottest places, coldest places, and much more in today's episode. This is a great opportunity to practice your knowledge of superlatives (using EST to talk about the most of something). Check the shown…

In today's episode, we're exploring the topics of optimism, pessimism, and realism. These are different attitudes towards life and the future and can have a massive impact on your happiness and mental health. I go over the definitions and words, discuss some possible benefits of being pessimistic, and give many tips on how and why you can be more o…

Paola from the Talaera Talks podcast and I are doing a cross-post episode today. You can also find this episode and many more over on their podcast. The topic is all about jobs, careers, and business English expression. We start by asking questions to each other, using our own work experience to give examples of when to use these expressions. We th…

One of the listeners suggested I talk about the topic of work-life balance. This is something I've been working on in my own life for many years, and I feel like I might have something useful to share on this topic. So in this episode, I talk about a few tips that you can implement to have a better sense of work-life balance and enjoy your life mor…

I recently went back to my home country - the UK - for the first time in a quite a while and was fascinated by how the UK appeared to me after being away for a while. There was a lot that I found strange, unusual, and interesting that I wasn't really aware of while I was still living in England. In this episode, I discuss some of my feelings and cu…

I just came back from a trip in Europe and I thought I'd get on the microphone today and review some of the good and bad experiences I had there. I made the adventurous decision to travel from London all the way to Istanbul by train (listen to the episode to see why I didn't make it all the way!) In this episode, I talk about my experience sleeping…

Fran from Step Up Japanese and I discuss a few different topics in today's episode, including: The Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage (walking around the Japanese island of Shikoku) The Tadoku reading method for languages An embarrassing language mistake on TV And more! If you're a fan of hearing casual British English conversations, and also finding out someth…

This is the fifth episode in the AMA series (Ask Me Anything) where the listeners of the podcast ask me questions about English learning, British culture, or maybe something totally unrelated. They're also fun, relaxed, and more casual than regular episodes. Hopefully, you'll learn something new in this one while enjoying the topics. If you want to…

We've done a few episodes on phrasal verbs now, including the verbs Turn and Set, and this is a continuation of that series, except today we're looking at a preposition: Out. I'll be covering 8 different phrasal verbs that are commonly used while sharing my own stories about them from my own life, and I'll encourage you do to the same. #13 What are…

I've always been interested in body language, and today I'd like to share that interest with you all. I'm going to be reviewing and reacting to some amazing body language facts from some articles while sharing my opinions, experiences, and a lot of new vocabulary and expressions. I hope you learn something new today - whether it's about how you can…

Stephen from the SEND7 podcast joins me today for a talk about the news. We cover a wide range of topics, such as learning English with the news, avoiding bias and fake news, how to deal with news anxiety, and some positive stories you may have missed. Stephen also shares reasons why he's feeling optimistic for the future despite all the terrible t…

I'm so excited for this topic, because today we're looking at Cognitive Biases. This is how our brains can trick us into certain beliefs and behaviours. Learn about things like the Sunk Cost Fallacy, Loss Aversion, Confirmation Bias, and more! We'll be talking about examples of how these things can affect our views and beliefs, as well as how you c…

I first covered this topic back in Episode 215, but it's such a huge one, I think it's time for a Part 2. Today, I'm sharing 6 idioms related to animals that we use in daily conversations in British English. While I share each one, I give you some examples from my own life to connect them with and make them more memorable and invite you to do the s…

Each generation has its own name in English, as well as distinct characteristics, differences, good points and bad points. In this episode, I review each one and share a little bit about them while hopefully sharing some new and useful vocabulary as well. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast279 Modem Futura Modem Futura is your g…

This is a fun episode where I cover the topic of dreaming in English. I start by sharing some strange and unbelievable facts about dreams, and then share some of my own wacky dreams and nightmares. I also go through a couple common dreams that many of us have had and the possible meanings behind each one, while doing so, I make sure to share a new …

Natasha Broodie (lifewiththebige.com) first joined us on Episode 135. Today, Natasha is back to discuss her new book: "Swaggart: The Art of Professional Schmoozing at Job Interviews". We cover many topics around job interviews, including how to answer hard questions, discrimination and racism, and the biggest mistakes that interviewees make. Show n…

The 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, suggests that 20% of actions cause 80% of the outcomes. There are so many ways in which this shows up in life, so I'm going to be discussing it and talking about some ways we can think about this rule to improve our language progress, make our lives more efficient, and increase our level of happin…

This is a very special episode because we're doing something a little bit different. Today I'm bringing you to the centre of Bangkok for an outdoor episode. ▶️ Click here to watch this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/vNBOT3nBxBg I talk about relocating and moving away from your home while walking around one of the central parks in Bangkok, Th…

Are you too old to learn English? Maybe you should have started when you were a child, or still in school? Well, in this episode I'm responding to this common concern or excuse by giving my opinion on learning a language at an older age, the benefits of learning as a child, and whether you should still make the same effort now. Don't forget to shar…

Lisa is an English teacher and Neurolanguage Coach from the UK but now living on the Spain-Portugal border. She joined me today for a talk all about languages and teaching. We covered the topic of curiosity and its importance, the best way to improve in a language, how to become a teacher if the language isn't your native one, and more! Show notes …

I'm back with another episode in the series on phrasal verbs. Today, we're looking at around 9 phrasal verbs that include the verb 'set'. It's a really common one to use and the meanings can get confusing, so I'm going to go through each one and explain the meaning, but also follow up with a story related to my life to give some context to help exp…

In this episode, I talk all about transportation. I know - it sounds a bit boring! But there's a lot to talk about. We'll be discussing my terrifying flight experience where it felt like we almost crashed, how to talk about different types of transport and commuting, and then we end with some super useful expressions that are related to transport. …

I go over some near and distant future predictions (as provided by Chat GPT) and share my views on how likely I think they are to happen. I'm a big fan of science fiction and wondering about how different things will be in the future, so I invite you to make predictions with me and use the new words I mention in this episode to practice your Englis…

I share some of my opinions on debate questions provided to me by Chat GPT, ranging from general opinions to deeper more philosophical ones. While doing so, I share some useful vocabulary as well as phrases you can use to express your own opinions when debating or arguing. Why not respond to this podcast directly? Leave a common on the shownotes pa…

Fabio Cerpelloni chats with me on the podcast today around the topic of his new book: 'Any Language You Want: 18 Conflicting Lessons for a New Kind of Language Learner'. A collection of contradictory true personal stories in answer to "What's the best way to learn a language?" In each of the 18 chapters, Fabio -- a language learner and teacher -- s…

A listener asked me how they can teach English to their friend, so I decided to give some tips and advice in this podcast episode. I cover some tips you can do to help a friend, partner, or family member learn English - whether this is in a casual setting or a more structured lesson setting. I also cover some mistakes that many beginner teachers ma…

In Episode 255, we spoke about Linking. In Episode 262, we spoke about Elision. Now, in Episode 266, we're talking all about Assimilation. This is the 3rd and final part in our connected speech series, where I look at how spoken English can change the pronunciation of certain words. If you want to speak with a natural British accent, then this is e…

Acronyms are words that use the first letter of each word in a phrase. NASA and LOL are two common examples from very different areas. In the age of the internet, acronyms are now a part of everyday writing and reading, but did you know some are also used in speech? In this episode, I go through some really common everyday acronyms that you need to…

In this episode, Clare from the Smart English Coach podcast joins us for a fun chat about confidence, limiting beliefs, and language learning. We explore how confidence is so important in language learning and the steps you can take to improve this skill. We also cover interesting stories from our own language-learning experiences and answer the qu…

Do you love the rambling episodes? Well this might be for you! Today, I go over my recent trip to Japan and discuss some of the things I did, but mostly reflect on the language experience I had there. Learning Japanese, it was great to go back and practice. In this episode, I share the positives and the negatives and tie it up into some takeaways t…

Textbook English is different from spoken English, and a big part of this comes down to pronunciation and how things are said in real conversations. This is Part 2 in my series on pronunciation, where we first looked at Linking in Episode 255, and now we're looking at Elision. These are both features of connected speech that share some similarities…

I get a few requests to continue my series on Phrasal Verbs, and specifically, I had one recently to cover phrasal verbs that use the verb 'turn'. I thought of as many common ones as I could and made a list, and then I went through my memories to recount some memorable travel stories from my life. While doing so, I used these 'turn' phrasal verbs i…

Dylan (from the YouTube channel British Education) joined me for a fun games session today. We're using games to have a conversation and practice English, and we encourage you to play along too. If you have a teacher or language partner, we also encourage you to try these games for yourself. We actually recorded for about 2 hours together, but I cu…

Since this episode falls on Valentine's Day, let's discuss the topic of Love and Relationships. I'll be basing this episode around a group class I taught before where we discuss some questions related to relationships, such as having a long and happy marriage, and how to break up with someone. I also have the help of Chat GPT who gives some brillia…

Just a few days into 2024, I already made 2 very big and expensive mistakes. In this episode, I share what happened and exactly why I made these mistakes, and then I talk about some possible lessons that I should learn from these mistakes. I also spend a bit more time discussing the importance of making mistakes and the right mindset to have when i…

In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into Blue Zones - 5 areas around the world where people live a long time with great health. I'll be sharing my uneducated views on why this might be, but also looking at the Power 9 - 9 reasons why researchers believe life expectancy is so long in these places. For those of you who want to learn some new En…

Bree Aesie from Into The Stories Podcast joins us today for a conversation about meditation and stories. This was one of my favourite conversations yet, packed with lots of life lessons as well as English learning tips and motivation. Since Bree's podcast is all about looking at stories, we start by turning the tables on Bree and I ask her to share…

Textbook English is different from spoken English, and a big part of this comes down to pronunciation and how things are said in real conversations. You may understand English learner material easily, but then really struggle when it comes to watching TV or movies. What I discuss in this episode may be the reason why. This is the first part of a se…

I answer listener questions on all sorts of topics - ranging from British culture to the fairness of life! And of course, English language questions too. It was a fun episode and you all gave great questions. I always enjoy these episodes because they feel a bit more casual and laid-back compared to the usual ones. If you want to ask a question for…

Let's look at some conjunctions (also known as connectives) to help improve your conversation and debating skills in English. Conjunctions are an effective way to make your sentences more complex and sound much more natural - rather than simply using a string of short, simple sentences. We'll also be looking at more phrases, such as adverbs. In thi…

Welcome back to one of my favourite episodes of the year - one filled with reflections and goal-setting at the end of the year. I love this time of year because it's a natural rest point for thinking about how the previous year has gone, and what we'd like to change going forward. It's a great time to think about your goals and progress with your E…

Gregory Diehl is an English teacher and author of the new book: Our Global Lingua Franca: An Educator’s Guide to Spreading English Where EFL Doesn’t Work. It's a fascinating book looking at Gregory's experience teaching in many countries all around the world from Thailand to Iran, and we talk about this extensively in this episode. We talk about wh…

Let's learn to use hypothetical situations with confidence in this episode on Mixed Conditionals. It's been a long-time suggestion from listeners, and I've finally decided to get to it. I cover some different types of conditional structures in a casual way, and ask you questions to think about making your own sentences. I hope you find this episode…