The InFluency Podcast

Who am I? That was the question Glenda kept asking herself when she first moved from Costa Rica to the US. She was not able to communicate and felt terrified to even answer the phone or turn on her camera in a video call. In this conversation, my student Glenda shares her journey from feeling powerless and dependent on her husband for everything, to building her own dog training business, hosting...

These Sprints are designed to set yourself up for success using daily articulation and speech exercises to make your pronunciation effortless and to be more clear in English! Do this 10-minute pronunciation practice every morning before you start your day, or before an important meeting, and you'll feel the difference. And if you want 30 daily Sprints just like this, get full access in my course,...

Get ready to read Atomic Habits Chapter 2 by James Clear out loud with me! Follow along and improve your vocabulary and pronunciation with an excerpt from Atomic Habits! Personally, I love this book. It's such a great book all about building habits that last (and these tips are great for language learning too!) Check out Chapter 1 here: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/464/   Get a 30-day Audible...

The R is one of the hardest sounds in English…but it doesn't have to be after this episode ;) In American English, there are two R sounds: the strong R (red, around, crazy) and the soft R, or R vowels. That's when the R appears AFTER a vowel (car, here, first).  In this focused practice session, we're working through the 5 key R vowel sounds together. For each sound, I'll give you words and exampl...

If you've ever felt funny, smart, and expressive in your first language, but timid, or smaller the moment you switch to English, this conversation is for you! In this interview, I spoke with Valentina, a longtime student of mine, to talk about something almost every English learner feels but rarely has the words for: the gap between who you are and how you show up in English. We get into the diffe...

Today's episode is a bit different. That's because today, I am going to talk to you about the 10 reasons why I ABSOLUTELY LOVE being a non-native speaker. From having multiple personalities and voices in different languages, to the personal development journey that language learning truly is…this episode is not about pronunciation or grammar. Just the truth about what it means to speak more than o...

Want to sound more confident in English? In this video, I'm sharing 4 speech patterns and speaking habits that may be making you sound less confident, less clear, or less certain without you even realizing it. If English is your second language, these patterns may come from your first language or from habits you've built over time. The good news is that once you become aware of them, you can start...

Shadowing is a great way to practice your pronunciation, prosody, grammar and so much more, but the key is knowing what to focus on. In this video, we'll practice pitch and rhythm using a scene from Breaking Bad.  Download the script to follow along with: https://bit.ly/4v8pa1d   Check out my other shadowing videos here: https://bit.ly/4fx9j4t   Join my pronunciation masterclass: https://bit.ly/4c...

Do you hear people say words like kitten, Manhattan, forgotten, or written in a way that sounds different from what you learned? In this video, I'll teach you how the T is really pronounced in American English when it appears before a reduced vowel (schwa) and N, like in the words kitten, button, certain, written, and forgotten. Disclosure: This sound is a nuance of American English! It's not nece...

Let's get ready to test your listening skills with a fast, fun clip from The Devil Wears Prada 2! First, you'll listen to the full clip and answer a few comprehension questions. Then, we'll break it down together, fill in the missing words, then uncover the connected speech, rhythm, stress, and intonation, and finally shadow the scene line by line. This episode will help you: - Understand fast Eng...

Looking for new ways to practice your English? In today's episode, I'm sharing with you some of my favorite strategies that can help you improve your fluency, listening, pronunciation, and vocabulary. I've used these myself learning English (and now Spanish!) and I've shared them with my students time and time again. These strategies are simple, powerful, and will help you turn everyday English pr...

If you've been trying to improve your English but still don't feel clear, confident, or fully yourself when you speak, this video is for you! In this lesson, I'm sharing the number one strategy I use to help students improve their pronunciation, speak more clearly, and feel more confident in English. A lot of people think pronunciation is only important if you want to sound more polished, that pro...

In today's episode, I'm introducing you to a dear, long-time student of mine, Elisa! Elisa is Italian, and works in hospitality, but her relationship with English started long before any of that.  One day, Elisa found herself stuck in a cycle: consuming English every day through music, YouTube and movies, but terrified to speak a single sentence out loud. In this interview, Elisa will share with u...

Want to speak English without freezing, overthinking, or needing a full script first? In this episode, I'll show you how to practice impromptu speaking in English so you can talk more freely, clearly, and confidently, even when you have little time to prepare. Impromptu speaking is one of the best ways to improve your fluency because it helps you close the gap between the English you know and the...

What happens when you prepare for your dream interview for weeks… and then get to the interview and realize you can't actually say what you want out loud? That's exactly what happened to Monica. In this student interview, Monica shares the heartbreaking moment that changed everything in her English journey. After being invited to interview for her dream position, she realized that all her preparat...

Learn more about Beyond here: https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N   Feeling stuck in English and haven't seen progress, even though you've been working on your English for a while?  This is probably because of 1 of 2 reasons: Reason 1: You're not practicing consistently Reason 2: You're learning in a way that is not actually effective This video is focused on how to shift your mindset, build better habits, and...

In this pronunciation episode, we're breaking down the most common "CH" sounds you'll find in English (hint: there is more than one way to say it!)  Follow along and repeat out loud in today's pronunciation practice! Did you enjoy this practice? Want more? Join my free 14-day pronunciation plan!  https://bit.ly/3YAWcJ5   * There are two other pronunciations of CH not mentioned in the episode. Ya c...

Improve your vocabulary, pronunciation and pace while reading a story out loud with me! We're reading a part from The Housemaid by Frida McFadden.  Download the PDF to read along with me and learn the vocabulary from the episode! https://bit.ly/4sqQeb7   #readaloud #readoutloud #thehousemaid #reading  Want more reading practice? Check out my read along playlist! https://bit.ly/4dcJedr

Have you ever listened to a native English speaker and thought… wait, that sounds funny!   You HEAR one thing, but you SEE  something completely different when it's written. Today, I'm going to share with you a linguistic feature of English called coalescence (also known as fusion ).  It's one of the most common processes in spoken English. Once you understand it, a lot of things that used to soun...

In this interview, I'm bringing Jelena to the stage! Jelena is one of my New Sound and Beyond students from Serbia, who now lives in the US. When she arrived, she could barely leave her apartment. She avoided grocery stores, doctor's appointments, and meetings with her supervisor. Today? She's a research fellow, teaches salsa in English, and has a thriving social life she once thought to be imposs...

Are you actually learning vocabulary the right way? Most English learners aren't, and it's holding them back from real fluency! In this episode, I break down the vocabulary groups every English learner has, why your passive vocabulary is secretly your biggest asset, and the #1 mistake people make when trying to memorize new words (hint: it's all about quantity vs. quality)! If you've ever felt lik...

Take the quiz and find out your stage: https://bit.ly/3PbGOl0 Want to move up and need a boost to make it happen? Join Beyond Community?  https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N For years, we've been told that fluency is measured from A1 to C2. But those levels measure grammar and comprehension. They don't measure how you show up when you speak. You can be "B2" and still avoid conversations. You can understand eve...

Get ready to practice with me! In this lesson, we're going to train our pronunciation and vocabulary by shadowing an iconic scene from The Matrix. Shadowing is one of the most effective ways to improve rhythm, stress, intonation, and connected speech. Instead of just listening, we repeat with the speaker in real time. We copy the melody, the reductions, and the flow. In this episode, we will: Brea...

Have you seen that trend going around on social media where native speakers share a word they mispronounced once… and it still haunts them years later? Today we're turning those viral confessions into a pronunciation lesson 🙈 You'll learn how to pronounce Hepatitis, chihuahua, paradigm, fatigue, stomachaches, Yosemite, Arkansas, Connecticut, chaos, elbow, and manslaughter.  I'll explain where the...

Are you ready for another read out loud practice? In today's episode, we're reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This is an excellent way to grow your vocabulary, practice your pronunciation, and improve your flow while reading.  Download the book excerpt with vocabulary definitions and audio: https://bit.ly/4tzLMYQ   Liked these? Check out more videos like these: Read along with Harry Potter: h...