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Speak English with Confidence | More Than Words: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Richard Marshall
Speak English with Confidence | More Than Words (previously 'From Lost to the River') is a podcast for anyone who speaks English as a second language and wants to feel like themselves when they use it. Maybe you've spent years studying and practising, or you've built a life, a career or a family in English, and still something closes down when it matters. A meeting, a phone call, a chat with a neighbour. You overthink every sentence, you freeze, and you walk away wondering why the words wouldn't come out.For most people, the English is already there. What gets in the way is everything around it: the fear of making mistakes, the worry about being judged, the sense that you sound less clever or less like yourself than you really are.Confidence coach and author Richard Marshall shares extracts from his conversations. Some are
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- 4 days ago5 min
(6 min) Can’t Understand Native English Speakers? Nobody Taught You How to Listen | with Lori DeChellis
Do you struggle to understand native English speakers, even when your English is fine, missing words in fast conversation or nodding along in meetings and hoping nobody asks you a question? You’re far from alone, and it may have very little to do with how good your English is. Today, I’m joined by Lori DeChellis, an American English teacher who has lived in Peru for twelve years and runs 'The Listening Lab' on Substack, to talk about why listening skills are so rarely taught. Lori explains how most classes play a recording, ask a few comprehension questions and move on, without ever asking why you didn’t understand. Was it a word you misheard? A modal verb you missed? Words joined together in a way you weren’t expecting? She shares how her weekly listening challenge helps learners tune their ear to connected speech and the way native speakers really talk, and we hear how differently two native speakers can sound, with a little help from British and American accents and the word “alternator”. If understanding native speakers has ever made you doubt your English, it helps to know that nobody ever taught you how to listen in the first place. This is a short clip from my full conversation with Lori, which you can watch with subtitles on my YouTube channel, 'Richard Marshall | English Confidence Coach' (@procoachenglish). If you’re reading this on a mobile, click HERE. This is 'Speak English with Confidence', a podcast about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence. More conversations, ways to get in touch, and my book 'More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak' at procoachenglish.com. About Lori DeChellis Lori is an American English listening and conversation tutor based in Peru, where she has lived and taught for 12 years. She helps learners understand fast spoken English by teaching the rhythm of the language and the rules of connected speech. On Substack she runs 'The Listening Lab', where every Monday she posts a recorded sentence for readers to decode, and every Friday she reveals the answer and explains what made it challenging to hear. Find Lori 'The Listening Lab' on Substack: https://2listenbetterinenglish.substack.com Website: https://www.listenbetterinenglish.com Connect with me on Substack: https://substack.com/@thecouragetospeak
- 1 weeks ago5 min
(6 min) Is AI Helping Your English or Holding You Back? | with Daniele Ponzo
Do you reach for AI the moment you’re stuck for a word in English? When English coach and author Daniele Ponzo moved to Ireland, there was no ChatGPT to help him. He had very little English, and every day at work felt like a test. So I asked him a simple question: "if AI had existed back then, would it have helped?" His answer is yes, it would have made things faster and easier. But he’s also sure there are skills he’d never have built. Learning to rephrase, finding another way to explain something, and having the confidence to put his hand up and say “can you please repeat that?” or “do you mind slowing down?” He explains why the person you’re talking to usually wants to understand you just as much as you want to be understood, and why the second time you ask someone to slow down feels easier than the first. What took Daniele fifteen awkward minutes back then, AI could now do in one. But in those fifteen minutes, both sides were learning. As he puts it, “I feel like AI is removing that part, speeding things up, but not giving those skills that ultimately help you survive and thrive.” And he finishes with a lovely story about a trip to Lithuania, three or four words of the language, and a stranger who ended up sharing a beer with him. This is ‘Speak English with Confidence’, a podcast about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence. More conversations, coaching options, and my new book ‘More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak’ at procoachenglish.com. You can watch my full conversation with Daniele, with subtitles, on my YouTube channel: Richard Marshall | English Confidence Coach (@procoachenglish). If you’re reading this on a mobile, click here About Daniele Daniele Ponzo is an Italian-born English coach who works with IT and tech professionals who need to perform in international meetings, presentations and interviews. He spent 13 years working in IT in Ireland, where he learned English the hard way, and now helps others do it faster. He’s the author of ‘Easy English for IT’ and host of the video podcast ‘The Non-Native Leader’. Find Daniele Website: danieleponzo.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniele-ponzo/ ‘The Non-Native Leader’ on YouTube: @danieleponzo ‘Easy English for IT’ on Amazon: click here Connect with me on Substack: https://substack.com/@thecouragetospeak
- 2 weeks ago7 min
(8 min) Native English Speakers Aren’t Better Than You | with Alba Guerrero
Have you ever stayed quiet in English because you felt you’d never sound as good as a native speaker? I know that feeling, only for me it was podcasting. I recorded this conversation with English teacher Alba Guerrero González in 2024 and sat on the footage for over two and a half years. I was comparing myself to slick, bilingual podcasters with polished intros and telling myself that my podcast wasn’t good enough, so the perfectionism and imposter syndrome we talk about in this part of our conversation kept me from pressing publish. I was saying all the right things on the recording while doing the opposite myself. Alba didn’t wait though. She had around 150 followers on TikTok when we spoke, and she’s kept posting, in one take, day after day ever since. Along the way she’s built a big following and a successful business helping people pass their English exams. Her first appearance on the show was an episode called ‘How to Speak English with Confidence’. It became the podcast’s most listened-to episode, and its title gave the show its new name. Back then it was ‘From Lost to the River’, aimed mainly at Spanish speakers. Today it’s ‘Speak English with Confidence’, with listeners all over the world. I honestly have Alba to thank for how things have turned out. In today’s clip, Alba talks about what it’s like to teach English as a non-native speaker in a world that often puts native speakers on a pedestal. She opens up about the imposter syndrome that followed her for years and the need for validation that came with it. This is Speak English with Confidence, a podcast about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence. More conversations, coaching options, and my new book More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak at procoachenglish.com. About Alba Alba Guerrero González is an English teacher and content creator who helps people pass their Aptis English exams. She shares daily English tips and speaking strategies with a large following on TikTok and Instagram. Find Alba Instagram: @albaenglishteacher TikTok: @albaenglishteacher Connect with me on substack: https://substack.com/@thecouragetospeak
- 3 weeks ago6 min
(7 min) Speaking English at Work? A Pilot on When You Need to Be Exact & When You Don’t | with Alberto Rodríguez
Do you treat every conversation in English as if one mistake could ruin everything? In this episode, I’m joined by Alberto Rodríguez, a corporate aviation captain who has flown in more than 140 countries, to talk about fluency, accuracy and knowing which one really matters when you speak English at work. When he’s talking to air traffic control, one wrong number could mean a disaster, so pilots rely on a simple habit called read-back: repeating every instruction with the exact numbers so nothing gets missed. But when he’s telling passengers about the weather in London, a small mistake makes no difference at all. And in the middle of explaining all this, Alberto can’t find the word “read-back”, apologises and keeps going, which is exactly what confident English sounds like. If you’re a non-native English speaker who feels anxious about making mistakes, ask yourself how many of your meetings and calls are really air traffic control. Most of them are the passenger announcement. This is Speak English with Confidence, previously 'From Lost to the River', a podcast about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence. More conversations, coaching options, and my new book 'More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak' at procoachenglish.com. About Alberto: Alberto Rodríguez is Chief Pilot at Global Jet, where he captains the Bombardier Global 6000. A former Spanish Air Force officer with more than 8,000 flying hours, he has flown for the Spanish Royal Family and the government, led EU air operations against piracy in the Indian Ocean, and flown humanitarian and medical evacuation missions around the world. Find Alberto: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberto-rodr%C3%ADguez-a37986a7/ Connect with me on Substack: https://substack.com/@thecouragetospeak
- 3 weeks ago11 min
(11 min) Is It Too Late to Learn a Language as an Adult? | with Quang Dang Tran
Have you ever told yourself it’s too late to learn a language properly, that you should have done it as a child and now the moment’s gone? In this conversation, I’m joined by Quang Dang Tran, a professional writer whose Substack, ‘Late Learning Vietnamese’, follows his own journey back into his family’s language as an adult, to talk about the years he spent trying to fit in and the moment everything changed at home. For a few years he also performed stand-up comedy, joking about not speaking Vietnamese, until he realised the joke was the thing he needed to change. If you’ve ever believed adults can’t really learn a language, or let the fear of looking foolish keep you doing the same safe thing, Quang’s story will feel very familiar. So will the moment he finally decided to do something about it. This is Speak English with Confidence, previously ‘From Lost to the River’, a show about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence. More conversations, coaching options, and my new book 'More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak' at procoachenglish.com. This clip comes from a longer conversation, and you can watch the full version with subtitles on my YouTube channel, Richard Marshall | English Confidence Coach (@procoachenglish). If you’re reading this on a mobile device, click here to go straight to the video. Find Quang on Substack: Late Learning Vietnamese
- 4 weeks ago6 min
(6 min) Your Accent Is Your Superpower: How to Embrace Your English Accent as a Non-Native Speaker | with Verónica Vitale
Do you ever wish you could switch off your accent before you open your mouth in English? In this short clip, I talk with English teacher Verónica Vitale, founder of Vital English, about why your accent is something to embrace and how it can help you speak English with confidence. I share the moment I went back to England, heard myself speaking English in a shop and realised I’d lost my superpower, because nobody noticed me anymore. Verónica talks about being asked where she learned her English in the US and in Denmark, why getting your message across matters more for non-native English speakers than ever sounding native, and how the accent you’re trying to hide is often the first thing people find interesting about you. This extract is taken from a longer conversation, where we switch between Spanish and English. Click HERE to watch it on YouTube with subtitles. This is Speak English with Confidence, previously 'From Lost to the River', a weekly show about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence. More conversations, coaching options, and my new book 'More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak' at procoachenglish.com. Find Verónica: Instagram: @vitalenglishorg TikTok: @veronicavitale01 YouTube: Verónica Vitale Connect with me on Substack: https://substack.com/@thecouragetospeak
- Oct 14, 20266 min
(6 min) Stop Worrying About How Your English Sounds | Ben Eden on Speaking with Confidence in Meetings
Do you get nervous before you speak English in a meeting, worrying about every word before it leaves your mouth? Today I’m joined by author, speaker and former HR executive Ben Eden. I ask him how he’d help a senior professional who leads with confidence in their own language but freezes when they have to run a meeting in English. Ben admits he still gets nervous before big talks himself, and shares what a 'Hall of Fame' speaker once told him: if you’re nervous before you speak, it’s because you still think it’s about you. When your attention moves from how you sound to how you can help the people in front of you, the grammar stops being the point. And the people listening remember how you made them feel. This is Speak English with Confidence, previously ‘From Lost to the River’, a podcast about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence. More conversations, coaching options, and my book More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak at procoachenglish.com. About Ben: Ben Eden, MSHR, SHRM-SCP, is a keynote speaker, leadership strategist and the author of 'How We See Ourselves: The Model for Lasting Results and Fulfillment'. As an HR executive in his twenties, he helped grow a company from fewer than 75 employees to almost 2,000 across five countries. He went on to create the Eden Model, which puts identity at the foundation of lasting success, and he co-created HR Wellbeing Week. Today he works with high-achieving leaders and their teams to replace self-doubt with clarity and self-belief. His book is available in paperback, ebook and audiobook. Find Ben: LinkedIn: Ben Eden, MSHR, SHRM-SCP | LinkedIn Website: LifeGuides: Posts | LinkedIn Book: How We See Ourselves Connect with me on Substack: https://substack.com/@thecouragetospeak
- Oct 12, 20267 min
(7 min) English Confidence for Executives: You Don’t Need to Prove You’re Clever
Have you ever been the most senior person in the room and the quietest one in English? In today’s clip, I talk about why so many successful professionals freeze when speaking English at work, even when their English is better than that of the people around them. Your experience and authority don’t disappear when you switch languages, but it often feels that way. I look at where perfectionism and the fear of making mistakes in English really come from, why executive English confidence has more to do with identity than grammar, and a simple technique I use to help my clients speak English with confidence when it matters most. This is Speak English with Confidence, previously 'From Lost to the River', a podcast about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence. More conversations, coaching options, and my new book 'More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak' at procoachenglish.com
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About Speak English with Confidence | More Than Words
Speak English with Confidence | More Than Words (previously 'From Lost to the River') is a podcast for anyone who speaks English as a second language and wants to feel like themselves when they use it. Maybe you've spent years studying and practising, or you've built a life, a career or a family in English, and still something closes down when it matters. A meeting, a phone call, a chat with a neighbour. You overthink every sentence, you freeze, and you walk away wondering why the words wouldn't come out.For most people, the English is already there. What gets in the way is everything around it: the fear of making mistakes, the worry about being judged, the sense that you sound less clever or less like yourself than you really are.Confidence coach and author Richard Marshall shares extracts from his conversations. Some are
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