The Language Confidence Project

In yesterday's episode channelling the wisdom of video games to help us feel less lost, I ended with the message that you don’t need to know the whole path, and all you need to do is get to the next tree in the forest. But when you’ve three trees, equidistant in three different directions, what are you supposed to do?  This episode follows on from yesterday's, S1E41: You don't have to know th...

In today and tomorrow's episode, we are channelling the wisdom of video games to help us feel less lost in our language learning journey. And a quick reminder, this is the last week of season one of The Language Confidence Project, so, five more episodes, and then I'll be returning on September 5th to start season two. Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of...

If you're the kind of person that feels like they need hours stretching out ahead of them to make progress towards their goals, you are not alone! Today, I set you a challenge to see how you can make the most of five minutes, so that on your busiest days, you'll always have one language win. Next week is going to be the final week of season 1, so we have five more episodes left after today, and th...

On days when it already feels tough, it can be so easy to turn inwards and tell ourselves that we are the problem. But what if everything you are, rather than acting as an obstacle to what you want to achieve, is actually helping you? Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really...

I know that a lot of us spend far more time than we’d like comparing where we are right now with where we think we should be. So, in today's episode, we stop looking at the imaginary versions of us that did everything faster, better, and started earlier. And we start looking at the alternate versions of us who are still telling themselves that they'll learn their language "some day".  Join yo...

If you don't really see versions of yourself in the language learning world, and you're wondering if there's space for little old you, I am so glad you're here! Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to learn one anyway. Emily is the tiny and colourful creat...

Happy Monday! In today's episode, I'm just popping in with a quick reminder: learning a whole language feels like an impossible task because it IS an impossible task. It's okay to make choices. In fact, it's necessary to make choices.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you r...

Happy Friday!!!! If your language learning is starting to feel a bit cluttered, or you're doing a bit of everything and struggling to settle before the Next Shiny Thing comes along, this is the episode for you!  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to...

One of the things that derails us the fastest in our language learning is the picture we carry in our heads of what it’s supposed to be like. And today is a manifesto for letting that go.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to learn one anyway. Emil...

Today, we are flipping the script on the idea that if you really, truly want something, you'd go all in. That procrastination, or doubts, or slowing down the pace mean that you just don't want it enough. Because the bigger the dream, the bigger the mental resistance that comes with it.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you...

One of the major sticking points when it comes to speaking our new language is other people being very helpfully... unhelpful with their corrections. But most of the time, their heart is in the right place. So in today's episode, I share some more constructive ways that you could suggest, to help them to help you better.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy...

If you're really not enjoying your language learning, or even just parts of it, you don't have to carry on down a path you don't like. The thing that is so amazing with language learning is, almost problem within it is solvable, and every aspect of it has an alternative. So today, we're going to start the process of fixing it by making an inventory of what's going wrong.  Join your host, Emil...

It can be all too easy to get caught up in the habits and targets of language learning, and lose sight of why we started in the first place. And that would be terrible! So today, we're taking a lighthearted look at the things about our language that just make us smile.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether...

It's so easy to get caught up in thinking that if we can just learn enough, or get to the next stage of the process, our insecurities will melt away. And then, when they keep coming back, we assume we're doing something wrong. But today, we're looking at it from another angle.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck,...

A lot of us have been brought up with the message that if we want to be successful in life, we need to do our best. That we want to be able to look back at the end of the day, every day, and say we did all we could to get nearer to our goal. But we are not robots, and sometimes, enough is enough. Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get...

So many of us have grown up with this idea of “work harder and prove them wrong”. And so many of us have fuelled our work like that, for decades. But at what cost?  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to learn one anyway. Emily is the tiny and colour...

Happy Monday! We are kicking off the week by giving ourselves ALL THE PERMISSION to imagine being fluent in our new language, without embarrassment, without thinking it feels arrogant, and without discounting it an impossible dream. Because it really isn't an impossible dream.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck,...

Happy Friday! If you’re the kind of language learner who struggles to pace yourself in your studies, it is the firm belief of my Covid-addled brain that video game wisdom is the answer. Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to learn one anyway. Emily is the...

If your inner critic has gotten round to the fact that you weren’t brought up bilingual, or you’ll never be a native speaker of your new language, she's got a bit of a point. No, language learning isn’t a level playing field. No, the world isn’t fair. But here’s how we get past it. Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, w...

Good morning, and a very happy Wednesday to you! If you're worrying that you have missed the boat for language learning, and it's too late to make real progress, this is the episode for you.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to learn one anyway. E...

Good morning! In the second part of this two-part series, which started yesterday at E21, I'm sharing three ways to bring grammar and dialogues to life. I also still have a cold. Booooooo.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to learn one anyway. Emi...

Happy Monday, language learners! If you're finding memorising vocabulary really tough, you are not alone. The problem is, word lists are boring, especially when it’s a topic that we aren’t particularly excited about, and there is nothing really there to hold our attention. So, to make this whole task easier, it needs to mean something to us. In a two-part series, today and tomorrow, I'm going to s...

Good morning and happy Friday! If you find yourself feeling guilty about spending time on things that don't directly feed into your Big Life Goals, this is the episode for you.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to learn one anyway. Emily is the ti...

We spend a lot of time around here talking about the inner critic and the self-doubts. But today, we're tackling the outer critics, who are still living rent-free in our heads. Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love languages or whether you really don't, but need to learn one anyway . Emily is the tiny an...

Today, I'm popping in with a little reminder to pay attention to all the tiny things that are annoying or distracting you, and to take just a few minutes to see if you can scrub a few of them off the list. Because concentration doesn't need to be an exercise in endurance.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, wheth...