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 Level Up with Duayne Pearce Creatin…

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…

In this week's episode of the Level Up English podcast, we dive into the fascinating world of statistics. Prepare to be amazed by some truly unbelievable facts! I'll start by covering a few random statistics, ranging from sleeping with a teddy bear and not washing your hands. You'll be shocked at some of these! We'll then talk about the UK specific…

Over the past few months, I've been meticulously tracking my language learning process for Japanese, Thai, and Chinese Mandarin on a Google Sheets doc. In this episode, I discuss the results of this data and we look together at the graphs that represent my study time. There are some really interesting patterns and trends that I can learn from, and …

Paul Creane joined me today to talk about his exciting lifestyle of being a Digital Nomad. We talk about what this means in the episode as well as lots of other useful terms related to this topic. We also cover what it's like to live in a van, travel in Asia, Housesitting, and all the apps and platforms Paul uses to help him live the life he does. …

I am a big fan of reading for the purpose of learning a language as well, of course as listening, which is why I make podcasts. If you want to improve both of your listening and reading as well as your vocabulary, then this should be a good resource for you today. In today’s episode, Ariel Goodbody will tell you a story, but pre-teach some of the h…

In this episode, I will be talking about the IELTS Speaking exam. I know the IELTS exam isn't going to be relevant for everyone, although I always like to mention that preparing for the exam can also be great practice for English in a general sense. I'm sure those who have taken the exam before will agree that their English improved during the proc…

Over the years doing this podcast, the topic of exercise seems to have come up a lot when making comparisons to language learning, so I thought it was about time I made an episode where I talk all about it. In this episode, I talk about exercise and some of the benefits, teach you some useful expressions, and make some links on how exercise and lan…

I get comments occasionally from people who say “I want to be like a native speaker” and “I don’t want to learn from non-native speakers. In this episode, I'll argue the benefits of learning from non-native speakers as well as natives, and not closing yourself off from learning. The main thesis here is to stay open-minded in language learning and I…

In this episode, I have a great and casual chat with Zhifei from​ Xiaogua Chinese about language learning, using flashcards, the best mindset for learners, getting a good English accent, and much more! We also talk about my own Chinese learning methods and share ideas on the best way to learn two languages at once. There's a lot of useful informati…

For many of us, pets and animals are a huge part of our lives. We spend a lot of time and money looking after our furry friends, and I definitely have a huge soft spot for animals - especially cats! In this episode, I talk about choosing the right pet, dog people vs cat people, my own experiences with pets and vets, dealing with the loss of a pet, …

I’ve been living in Bangkok, Thailand since the beginning of August, so it’s been over 2 months now. This is the longest I’ve spent in one place outside of my home country before. One of our group class students requested an episode sharing my thoughts and experiences after moving here, and I decided to give it a go. In this episode, I’ll be talkin…