The InFluency Podcast

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 difference between the language gap (knowing more than you can say) and the identity gap (not feeling like yourself), why your English behaves differently depending on the room you're in, and how letting go of who you "should" be is the thing that finally sets your voice free.
This one is tender, honest, and full of permission. I loved every minute of it. 💛
To join our community, check it out here!
Beyond Community → https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N

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 one language.
If you've ever felt embarrassed about your accent, guilty about making mistakes, or like you're "not enough" compared to native speakers, this episode is for you.

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 changing them and sound more clear, natural, and confident in English.

In this episode, we'll talk about:

how rising intonation can make you sound uncertain
why dropping your volume at the end of a sentence affects clarity
how separating every word can hurt your flow
why speaking too fast can make you sound less confident

If you want to go deeper, save your seat to my free Pronunciation Masterclass! https://bit.ly/4cUif4r

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/4cUif4r

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 necessary for clear pronunciation.  This lesson is here to help you notice the pattern, improve your listening, and practice the details of American English pronunciation if that's something you want to work on.

If you want to go deeper into pronunciation and learn how it can improve your fluency, clarity, and confidence, join my free Pronunciation Masterclass here: https://bit.ly/4cUif4r