The secret to enjoying, being good at small talk and quickly turning it into deep conversations.

The Language Journey

The Secret to Great Small Talk

In this episode, we explore the difference between knowledge and wisdom, moving from information to deeper understanding. Starting from personal reflections and the concept of the “second brain,” we ask what it really means to be wise, and why connections between ideas may matter more than facts themselves.

Immersive Italian

From Knowledge to Wisdom - Immersive Italian Podcast Ep.9

In Episode 71, we explore the emotional undercurrents that often go unnoticed but heavily impact our ability to learn a language — insecurity, guilt, unworthiness, tension, and those jittery feelings that creep in when we're learning something difficult.

I gently walk you through the importance of first acknowledging, accepting, and validating your emotions. Why is this important? Because what we resist emotionally tends to persist. And when left unexamined, these emotions become silent saboteurs to your learning journey.

Supported by research in neuroscience and psychology, I explain how emotional tension activates the brain’s stress response, impairing memory and disrupting attention. But when we recognize these emotions as valid signals — not flaws — we begin the process of healing and learning at the same time.

I share tools rooted in cognitive reappraisal (Brooks, 2014) and self-compassion science, encouraging you to embrace your learning pace, your imperfections, and your worthiness to grow. We talk about how language learning isn’t just about fluency — it’s about coming home to yourself.

This episode is a reminder that you are allowed to move slowly, to feel deeply, and still make meaningful progress. In the presence of your most difficult emotions, you are still a learner with purpose — and that is a beautiful thing.

Until next time, I wish you inspired, grounded, and gentle learning. 🌱

💃🏻111 Tips for Learning a Language 

Tip 71 - Learning Through Insecurity: How to Turn Self-Doubt into Strength

Today we're talking about job interviews. We’re going to look at some vocabulary that you can use to improve how you perform in your next job interview. Or, if you’re writing a CV, cover letter, or a resume, these are words and phrases that you should think about including. Whether you're a student, a graduate, or someone with a lot of experience, job interviews can be scary. Especially if you're not a native English speaker. Hopefully today we can make them a little easier for you! I work with people from all over the world to improve how handle job interviews and hopefully you will find some of that in today's podcast.

Breakout Business English

Breakout Business English - Ep 5 - Job Interview Vocabulary

In this week's episode, we explore one of the most challenging aspects of English grammar: the definite article "the." We’ll discuss why it can be confusing, outline its usage rules, and provide clear examples to help you understand it better.

If you’d like to receive The Grammarian Newsletter, please contact me through the link in the description. I send out this newsletter every Wednesday for free to all my students. Additionally, if you're interested in a personalized, task-based approach to achieving your language learning goals, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to conduct a needs analysis, discuss your goals, and create a tailored learning plan to help you achieve your dreams.

https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/10897638

Always remember: Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.

The Grammarian Podcast

Common mistakes made by English Language Learners: Part 2 - "The" a definite way to remeber how to use this definite article.

BEING A PARENT
Angela reads the basic text from this lesson, (transcript available when you take this lesson).

English with Angela -  conversation 

TASK 5 - WHAT TYPE OF PARENT ARE YOU?  

In Episode 73 of 111 Tips for Learning a Language, we explore the intersection between emotional regulation and conversational fluency through the lens of the sacral chakra. Drawing from both neuroscience and yogic philosophy, this episode demonstrates how breathwork, pelvic awareness, and emotional expression activate the vagus nerve, reducing amygdala hyperactivity and supporting hippocampal memory consolidation—crucial for vocabulary retrieval and confident speaking (Porges, 2011; Lupien et al., 2009). By cultivating awareness of the emotional body through the sacral region, language learners can overcome anxiety, improve expression, and foster greater ease and authenticity in communication.

Tip 73 - How to activate the sacral chakra for language learning

In this episode we are going to learn 【Appearance】in Chinese. 
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As a beginner, there're some vocabularies that you didn't learn before, and native speaker's speed seems too fast to understand. But don't worry, let's do it step by step. 
1st time: listen and catch the words you know already, have a guess about the content.
2nd time: look at the text to check if you guessed it right. 
3rd time: listen one more time, repeat after it.
4th time: practice until you can speak as the normal speed without looking at the text. 
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她很漂亮，不高不矮。
tā hěn piào liàng ， bù gāo bù ǎi 。
She is beautiful, not too tall, not too short.
她很苗条，皮肤很白。
tā hěn miáo tiáo ， pí fū hěn bái 。
She is slim and has fair skin.
她有一头黑色的长发。
tā yǒu yì tóu hēi sè de cháng fà 。
She has black long hair.
她的脸很小，眼睛很大。
tā de liǎn hěn xiǎo ， yǎn jīng hěn dà 。
Her face is small and her eyes are big.
她的哥哥又高又帅。
tā de gē ge yòu gāo yòu shuài 。
Her brother is tall and handsome.
他喜欢运动，不胖不瘦。
tā xǐ huān yùn dòng ， bú pàng bú shòu 。
He likes sports and is not fat or thin.
他有一头棕色的卷发。
tā yǒu yì tóu zōng sè de juǎn fà 。
He has brown curly hair.
他的鼻子很高，嘴巴很大。
tā de bí zi hěn gāo ， zuǐ bā hěn dà 。
He has a high nose and a big mouth.
他们长得很像爸爸和妈妈。
tā men zhǎng de hěn xiàng bà ba hé mā ma 。
They look a lot like dad and mom.