The Language Confidence Project

Today, we're on a mission to remind ourselves of everything there is to love about language learning.  And also... I'm on a mission to meet you! My first project for the year is 100 Conversations with listeners of the podcast, so that we can hang out and get to know each other, and you can tell me how your language journey is going and what carving your own path means to you.  If you fan...

Happy Monday! So many of us around here are self-confessed over-researchers and over-planners, and today, we are kicking off the week by giving ourselves permission to just get going.  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...

Happy Friday, language learners! Today's episode is a super quick reminder that, even if you aren't in a classroom environment, you don't have to do this alone.  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...

Good morning! In this episode, we give ourselves permission to make plans that fit our whole selves and our whole lives as they are right now.  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 creator of Tea wi...

Happy New Year! In this episode, we are setting our goals aside for a moment to remind ourselves what we're doing it all for.  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 creator of Tea with Me, a platform...

Happy New Year, language learners! This episode is a huge permission slip to start using your language in the real world, and it's full of tips for speaking and writing in your new language, even as a complete beginner. If you are new to the Language Confidence Project or you want more tips about speaking confidence, you might also enjoy S1E12 for ways to make speaking less scary, S1E32 for helpin...

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am so pleased to be back and I hope you have had a wonderful five weeks!  In today's episode we ask, how can we make plans that work for the whole year, even when we don't know what's around the corner?  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...

Happy Friday and welcome to the final episode of season 2 of the Language Confidence Project! Today, we are reminding ourselves that January 1st isn't magical, and that we can have the fresh starts and the new beginnings whenever we decide we need them.  Season 3 of the Language Confidence Project will be starting at 7am UK time on Monday 9th January. Can't wait to see you then! Join your hos...

Happy Thursday, language learners! In the penultimate episode of the series, we are taking the pressure off to have everything sorted by the end of the year.  And don't forget, the new season will be back on the 9th January for some new and reinvigorated language courage!  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck,...

If you're starting to lose motivation in your language learning, this episode is an invitation to remember what it's all for.  Quick reminder: This is the final week of season 2 of the Language Confidence Project, and the new season will start on January 9th, 2023! Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you l...

If you are putting off learning your language until everything settles down, this is the episode for you! Quick announcement: This is the final week of season 2 of the Language Confidence Project, and season 3 will start on January 9th, 2023! Put it in your diary! Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you lo...

So many of us over the last few years have come to the realisation that endlessly scrolling bad news is bad for our mental health. But it’s also really bad for our goals. In today's episode, we give ourselves permission to unplug from the negativity and give ourselves space to dream again.  Quick announcement: This is the final week of season 2, and then I’m taking a break and returning on Mo...

Today, I'm just popping in with a quick reminder that one finished to-do list is a lot more than one win, so if you haven’t got everything finished this week, that’s okay. 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 colo...

Happy Thursday, language learners! Today, we are talking about ways we can navigate triggers in our language learning. Although I talk about triggers in general terms, this episode doesn’t have any specific content or trigger warnings attached to it, but trust your instinct when it tells you what you need right now. Feel free to pause the episode, stop it at any point, or just skip this episode an...

Good morning! If you are starting to get discouraged and wonder whether all your hard work will ever pay off, this is the episode for you. And if you are also in the messy middle and sitting with a lot of uncertainty right now, I'd love to invite you to check out today's Couragemakers episode, where I chat to Meg Kissack about life in the messy middle, figuring out what you want, and staying true...

Some days, it just won't come out right. Whatever level you’re at, some days, you’re going to speak better, and others, you’re going to speak worse. And in this episode, we give ourselves permission to speak anyway.  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 ne...

Happy Monday, language learners! In this episode, we are looking to the wisdom of Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan from their own podcast, Bewildered, with the phrase "cave early", and giving ourselves permission to hold our decisions loosely, and let go of them when they don't feel right.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you...

Good morning and welcome to the 100th episode of the Language Confidence Project! Today's episode celebrates where this podcast began, and shares the wisdom passed on to me by the wonderful Meg Kissack in her own podcast, The Daily Pep.  Today's episode talks about E50 of the Daily Pep, called "It doesn't have to be the Sistine Chapel" and you can find it in the link below or on any other pod...

Hello, hello, and happy Wednesday! If you are caught up in indecision this morning and you don’t know where to start, this is the episode for you. And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the Language Confidence Project's 100th episode!!!!!  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 whet...

Happy Wednesday! If you want to go all in on your language learning, this episode explores Dr Rangan Chatterjee's model of Core Happiness to see how we could use it to create a meaningful, language-filled life. If you would like to check out more of his work, his most recent book is called "Happy Mind, Happy Life"; he has a podcast called "Feel Better, Live More" (which I can't recommend enough!),...

If you're feeling boxed in by endless productivity hacks, the one "most efficient" method, or you're always trying to optimise your language studies, 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...

Happy Monday! If you are picking a language back up after a break, or you've stopped practising a particular language skill but want to dust it off again, 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...

When we have a big goal in front of us, it can be really easy to get caught up in what we haven’t done, what we could have done, or what we need to do next. But today, we're going to pause for a moment and properly celebrate what we've achieved this week.  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you unstuck, whether you love langu...

When all around us, it feels like everyone is confidently committing to things and hustling and reaping the rewards, the days when you know you’re getting in your own way feel like the ultimate act of self-sabotage. But what if we can have all these doubts, and be successful anyway?  Join your host, Emily Richardson, every weekday for a short and snappy dose of language courage to get you uns...

Happy Wednesday, language learners!  Today, we are putting some compassionate caveats on the idea that growth comes from doing something difficult every day. This video builds on the advice given by Better Than Yesterday in the video "Comfort Will Ruin Your Life". Find the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5-qkgfBeuU&ab_channel=BetterThanYesterday Join your host, Emily Richards...