English Podcast with Tommy

South Africa is a country with a rich, vibrant, yet dark history. And yet, despite this, there's a sense that South Africa could be slowly moving forward.-In her debut episode, Jessica talks to us about her perspective of the country she comes from.-Jessica talks to us about how she things were in the past, with a class, which was demographically not varied. Despite this, Jessica tells us that her husband is best friends with people of black or Asian background.-We hear also about how easily, in cities, some black people are even trilingual, despite there being a big difference in how many black people finish school.-Join us and find out more about Jessica and her South African perspective!

It's always hard trying to stay the course on something, trying to stay motivated for a longer a time. And that is even more so when you've got something as illogical as English as the task you've got to do.-But don't worry! Because I've brought not one, not two, but 4 teachers to help you with this.-In a first for this podcast, I brought back Cacau, Letícia and Luiza from Brazil and Noreen from Panama to discuss exact problem, of how students can stay motivated through out the rest of 2026.-You're probably thinking that this going to be a car crash of an episode. But you'd be wrong!-Because these four teachers bringing their experiences of learning and teaching English from all areas, including one teacher who was in Canada, I think I've got you covered quite nicely.-Join us and find out how you can stay motivated throughout the rest of this year and beyond, while learning and studying English!

What is the most effective way of learning a language? Is it that you read a book just because you've been told to do it? Is it to watch a TV series / film because you're told to?-Well, according to Jelena, on her return to the podcast, it could work short-time, but may not work all the time.-In this episode, I talk to Jelena about her English journey, and the big decision she made when it came to either studying Psychology or English.-Did Jelena improve her English because she was told to or was it it her own decision? Come and find out on this episode!

What does Vietnam and a European citizen have in common?-Well to put simply, I talked to Zdenek, a Czechia citizen, who now lives in Vietnam.-And in his return to the podcast Zdenek talks about his experiences of connecting with people in the English language, whether that be during a trip to the UK as a teenager or on a building site speaking the English language.-Find out more about why connecting linguistically with people in your target language is important to improving your language skills!

What does a Chilean power cut and a new debutant have in common?-Well, unfortunately, there was a power cut right in the middle of Javi's debut episode. Nevertheless, this was not going stop Javi tell us about her story of her English journey.-So what has Javi got to tell us about herself: well, coming from a small town where there are not many opportunities to learn English, Javi broke the glass ceiling and went on to learn and study English, as well as become a great English teacher.-Strap in and find out more about the next amazing English journey.

What do plateaus and learning have in common?-As a matter of fact quite a lot! In her return to the podcast Marija talks to us about the one thing that language learners struggle with: getting off a plateau!-And which plateau is it? I hear you shout. It's the plateau of intermediate level. Now you're probably thinking that being an intermediate student is fine. And it is! But Marija will tell you how you get can off your plateau and move upwards to higher levels.-Strap in, get off your plateau and find out more in this great episode!

What do December 2025, a returning guest and 2026 all have in common? Believe it or not, they are all linked together in today's episode!-Yes! This episode was recorded back in December 2025, my returning guest is Laís and we talked back in December about resolutions!-You're probably thinking why we need resolutions almost halfway through the year. Well, we need resolutions all the time, don't we?!-Strap in, sit back and find out what the resolutions could be that take your English to the next level, even if it is almost the midway point of the year!

What does a chicana (a Mexican American), French blood and a teacher all have in common? Well, believe it or not, they are one person!-And so the next question is what does neurodivergence and this teacher have in common? Everything! Nathaly, on her debut episode, talks to us about neurodivergence and how she can you help get rid of your fear of of failing in English.-So, it's indeed time to listen in to our latest debuant and find out tips, tricks and even more about this teacher with a wonderfully rich heritage!

What does a 17-year old and 30 years of experience have in common?-Well, these may be numbers but for Elis these are key numbers, as she has 30 years (!) experience of teaching. Yes, that's a lot of experience!-Nevertheless, at the age of 17, Elis had the dream of being a teacher. I know, personally, that at the age of 17, I had not made my plans for future work.-At the end of high school, Elis was given a chance to teach youngsters and has never looked back on her journey!-Come and find out more about her wonderful journey that took her from Rio to Minas Gerais!

What does a cheesy 90s American pop song and a teacher have in common?-Well, let me tell you, this is simple! This is the connection that my latest debutant, Makeli, has with the English language. At a very young age, Makeli fell in love with the cheesy American pop band The Hansons and that particular song by them. IYKYK, :-)-From there, our wonderful debutant said she would use English to figure out how to contact the love of her life Zac, from the Hansons.-From that moment, Makeli decided to go to college and to learn English properly and she never looked back.-Want to find out more about this very millenial English journey? Join us and find out more!

As we all know, our language journeys are unique to all of us.-And Yasmim is no different in any way. This teacher, who has come a long way, is now a doctor in Anthropology.-But where did it all start for her? In the agricultural city of Goiana, where Yasmim has never liked living. After numerous attempts of trying to go abroad, it never worked out.-But since graduating in Anthropology, Yasmim set her eyes on biggest sights, and is at the moment in the British city of York.-Want to find out more? Strap in and come and find out more!

Language journeys can start anywhere.-And Paola's language journey is no different to any others, or maybe it is.-From the beginnings in the southern city of Sevilla, Spain, Paola talks to us about how she started learning English from 4th grade, aged around 9 years old.-From there, there was no turning back, nor was there any need to turn back, as Paola continued her journey to the present day.-Want to find out more about her journey? Then strap in and listen up to another interesting language journey!

We all know that journeys can also include a literal physical journey from one part of a country to another.-And Larissa, at the beginning of her debut episode, talks to us about how, despite coming from the south of Brazil, she was moved to the harsh northern regions of Brazil, close to the Bolivian border.-And here is where Larissa's English journey starts: in public schools.-Want to find out more and understand more about Larissa's journey? Tune in now!

Have you heard of that classic rock song 'Don't Stop Believin''?-Well, today's podcast could be based on that song!-In her return to the podcast, Júlia tells us that we need to start believing in ourselves more.-Why? Because a lot of us, when we get stuck with our learning journeys decide that it's time to stop.-So, instead of giving up so easily, please keep continuing. And don't forget to continue listening to the podcast as well!-SPOILER: what problem did Júlia have in her flat while we were recording? It's not a very clean topic!

Everyone has heard, hopefully of the genre of music called jazz, right? Ok, that's a good start.-And we know what a chant is: something catchy, snappy and short. Stick with me on this, ;)-In her return to the podcast, Nat talks to us how we can incorporate this specific genre of chanting to improve our vocabulary knowledge.-SPOILER ALERT: have a listen to how well I did in attempting this for the very first time.

Motivation is something that we need to help us learn anything!-But many of us struggle to keep motivated while learning. So why?!-In her return to the podcast, Kecia talks to us about the necessity to keep outselves motivated during our learning.-Join us, sit back, and stay motivated while learning something new about motivation.-SPOILER: who is a special guest Kecia had while we recording?!

We've had many English journeys on this podcast, but we've never had a Spanish language journey before.-In her return to the podcast, I talk to Tricia, an American English teacher about something a little different: her Spanish journey.-You're probably wondering why I would talk to someone about their Spanish language journey on an English podcast. But believe it or not, it's relevant to you English learners.-Why? Because despite Tricia now being more fluent in her Spanish than beforehand, she also went through periods of learning struggles as well.-So, come and join us and find out more about how you can take a leaf out of Tricia's book to hrlp with your English studies!

Reading takes us into another world, something away from our everyday worries.-And in today's episode, my guest, Rafaela, on her return brings you not just one book, but three!-Yes, you didn't read that wrong at all, Rafaela decided to bring you a bumper crop of books from a philosophical look at women by feminist Simone de Beauvoir via Swedish criminal novels by Stieg Larsson all the way to an intrinsic look at love in a novel by acclaimed author Sally Rooney.-In this episode, Rafaela tells us why she chose three completely different genres of books and what you can pick up from these books.-SPOILER ALERT: there's a bit of controversy in this episode. So, sit back and tune in to find out more about Rafaela's taste in literature!

We all know that learning can be wonderful.-But learning actively can be even more fun. But how?-In her return to the podcast Glaucia explains to us what active learning is and how wonderful it can be.-So where do we start? By actively listening to this episode to get the full lowdown on what and how actively learning can be! Simple, isn't it?!

We all know that stories are powerful. And we have had plenty of teachers come through the doors of the podcast to tell their own story.-But today it's time for another story to be told, a story about a famous person: Jacinda Ardern, the former New Zealand Prime Minister.-No, unfortunately we couldn't get Ms Ardern onto the podcast but we have someone else, who hasn't been on the podcast for a long time, Ele, tell us about Ms Ardern's powerful memoir: A Different Kind Of Power.-As you might remember, Ardern became famous around the world, especially during the Covid Pandemic, as she was one of the first people to shut down her country to the world. Another reason she became famous was because she took her, then baby, everywhere she went from radio talk shows all the way to the UN in September 2018.-Sit back and find out more about this powerful woman and why Ele found this book to truly inspiring.

It may not be haunting season, and it may not be even close to it either.-But our Queen of morbidity is back on the podcast for her 5th outting!-Yes, Inna has come and decided to share some more hauntingly dangerous content for you to improve your English.-The series, that our Queen of moribid darkness decided to gift us with is none other than: The Haunting of Bly Manor.-This series is not unlike a Tim Burton creation but this creation is a Mike Flanagan gift.-What are we going to learn with this scary series? As it is based in the south of the England, you'll pick up southern standardised English amongst other things.-Strap yourselves in for a haunting episode and be prepared to feel the hairs stand up on your neck!

We all have a dark side to ourselves, that some of us don't want to give away.-But on her return to the podcast, Sabrina did exactly that: tell us more about it.-In one of the darker episodes of this podcast, Sabrina talked to us about her like for horror films and why they're something she actually likes, rather than hides away from.-So, join us, before hiding under the covers for a horrific episode that'll only make your English get eerily better!

Freedom is a thing that we strive for in some way. And my guest today is no different.-In her debut episode, Daniela starts by telling us about her like of cats and how many cats she once had.-But more importantly, Daniela has always been someone who has loved English since the age of four, when she started watching Cartoon Network. -This English journey is something that has been in the making for a long time and it has brought Daniela freedom!-Come and be free with us and listen to another great debut!

A journey can be something that might be longer or something that can be a little shorter.-In her debut episode, Lydia talks to us about her journey that started in Hastings, UK.-And from that town, there was no turning back.-And after her five week experience in Hastings, something changed. Want to know what it was that changed?-Then it's time to tune in and find out more about Lydia's English journey!

TV series are one of the many different ways we can improve our language skills, no one is arguing about that.-If anything, we actually think that TV series are probably one of the best types of media you'll find to improve your English.-In her return to the podcast, Ana talks to us about an animated TV series that's more appropiate for adults than for kids: BoJack Horseman.-The series, from the creators of American Dad, and others tells us the story of BoJack, a strange character, who sees the world in a different way.-Interested to find out more?! Of course you are! Join us and find out more about this TV series and why Ana likes it so much.

In our modern society we are always under pressure, constantly feel like we need to do everything quickly and immediately.-But her in debut episode on the podcast, Lisa tells us something completely different and very relevant.-The most important thing is to enjoy your learning process and also to keep CALM!-But what else does CALM mean? Spoiler: it's something you're probably not thinking of!-Join us and find out about tips and tricks that will help you on your English language journey. Also find out about a journey that Lisa has had ;).

Horror films will send shivers down some peoples' spines.-But not for our latest debutant!-In actual fact, Aline feels the love for horror quite a lot.-But why would anyone want to watch horror films when they send shivers down our spines?-Well, for one, they are in English! -For more reasons and the 5 films that Aline chose for the podcast, come and watch / listen!

Journeys are something, which are special to us all.-And our latest debutant, Livia, had somewhat of a privilege, that she was able to study English from a young age.-But the roots of her English knowledge are not just down to being able to learn English from a young age, but, and you'll find this out, are also down to one special person in Livia's life.-Who that person is? Come and find out by listening and watching to this episode!-SPOILER: it's the person you'd expect it to be ;).

There's nothing more magical, at times, than watching a good old-fashioned Disney film.-But, and it's important to say, in her debut episode, Amanda is not just someone who likes Disney. No! In actual fact, we could say, Amanda loves Disney. From the old-time favourites of Snow White all the way to the newer ones such as Frozen, Amanda is your go-to person, to find out more.-So jump in, find out about her journey and more importantly about what links Amanda with one of my kids.

Journeys don't always have to about people watching TV series and films to improve their English-No, indeed our latest debutant on the podcast, Claudia (Cacau) has completely journey.- Cacau is someone who has a club, The Rotary Club, to thank for the journey that has brought her to the podcast.-But the story of loving English was to start as a teenager and then moving around the world, experiencing different cultures.-Hop in, join us and find out more about why The Rotary Club had an affect on Cacau's journey.-SPOILER: there's a shoutout for a specfic country!

English is a language, which engulfs the world. That we all know.-But where does the journey start?-In Suzana's case, it was not with loving the English language but loving mathematical equations.-The story continues that with Suzana's family moving to the USA, she was now forced to speak more English.-Want to find out more about her journey? Join us and find out more!

We all have different tastes when it comes to what we watch. And today's guest is no different.-Today's guest, Yara, on her return tells us that she has an eccentric collection of TV and film series.-We have someone, who doesn't only like to watch TV series and films in English, but we have someone who also likes to watch series from different countries for example Japan and one of her favourite series: Naruto.-Hop in and find out what else belongs to Yara's eccentric collection!

It's a dream for all of us to go away to a country where English is spoken as a native language of governmental language.-And today's guest, in her return to the podcast was lucky to get to go to Canada and America.-Lis, coming back onto the podcast, tells us about her experiences of going to Canada and the USA.-While on her journey to these two countries, she tells us about things she enjoyed and things that were, also, not so good.-Buckle up and find out more about my guest's experiences and what tips she would give you when you travel English-speaking countries.

We all have someone who pushes us to strive towards doing something. And today's guest has someone to thank as well.-Glaucia, on her debut, tells us about her aunt who encouraged her to go and study English at the age of 11!-Yes, a tender age to start learning. BUT, and this is very important, Glaucia felt at home with the language. And with a lot of love and care, Glaucia has come to be where she is today-As for mindfulness, we need to do things with a meaningful purpose and not just do things for the someone else's sake!-Come, join us, get to know another great teacher and find more out about her journey and the meaning of mindfulness.

A language journey can start anywhere you'd like. At home, at school, influenced by a friend, or even society.-In the final episode of the year, Sabrina, on her debut tells us about how she started her English language journey as a translator, but found out how hard it was to be a translator.-After living in the USA, in Maryland and New Jersey, Sabrina returned back to Brazil to become an English teacher.-Join us in this final episode of the year to get to know this wonderfully talkative and energetic teacher!

We all have stories to tell about how we made it to being in different professions.-And today's guest, Rafaela, is no different any other, or is she?-In her debut, Rafaela tells us about how, despite studying philosophy, she became an English teacher and how it affected her life.-Join us and find out more about this great teacher, as well as the name of her cat. SPOILER: it's something to do with classic English literature!

We all know that listening skills are important in all parts of our life, whether that be in our native language(s) or foreign language(s).-But something, which is quintessential in order for good communication skills is active listening. So what is it?-In her return to the podcast Marialva talks to us about the pitfalls that many people struggle with it comes to listening. SPOILER ALERT: it's the most obvious thing that you've probably got in your mind.-Sit back, actively listen to this episode and find out about how to avoid the problems that we may face when it comes to listening.

Struggling is essential in everything!-As kids we are told that we need to struggle so as we can learn and understand new things.-So why as adults is it something we don't want to accept or can't accept?-In her debut Kecia tells about struggles and what's important when we do struggle. She also tells us about how best we can solve our problems, should we struggle.-No need to struggle here! Come and join us and find out more what to do!

Some of us can't help, just like me, but we like to play video games now and again.-And my debutant today is someone else who can't get enough of the different video games either.-In her debut episode, Laís talks to us about her love for video games from Pokemon all the way to Zelda and much more.-We also discuss why Laís has a BIG love for Manga and why, even though Manga is a Japanese genre of books and series, it can still take your English to the next level.-So get your favourite video game, sit back and find out more about what you can do to level up your English with video games!

Sometimes on the podcast it is just nice to have a quick catch-up with some of my guests. And that is exactly what I did with Rafaela.-In this episode we talk about everything and anything that comes to our minds, such as the reason why Rafaela didn't bring on the podcast, ;), the reason why we sometimes don't always have a topic when we talk in conversations.-Come and join us, take some time and relax as we wind our way through different important topics in language learning.

We all need a bit of motivation when we're learning something new. And that's nothing new for any of us.-In her debut episode on the podcast, Paula talks to us about her journey with English. She also tells us why English for her was something that she has embraced a lot.-Talking about embracing, Paula has something that might interest you a lot.-Tune in and find out about her journey and also about the motivational message she has for you learners.

We all love a success story when we see and hear it, don't we?!-And today's guest, on her episode, is another person, who we can praise for continued striving.-Ana talks to us about her beginnings of learning English in the public education system in Brazil to learning English in a private school-Ana talks to us about the private school, which could be similar to that of a private British school.-Join us to find out more about Ana's successes while learning English and how she became an English teacher.

Making mistakes in any language happens.-But making the same mistakes over and over again, is not something that you should be doing!-In her return to the podcast, Eleanor talks to us about why mistakes are commonly made.-We deep-dive into some top tips to stop those same mistakes from arising all the time.-Come and join us and find out more about what you can do to enhance your English-learning.

Learning English for some of us doesn't come easy.-And if it doesn't come easy, then we find it hard to motivate outselves to even want to continue our English journey.-In her debut episode, Ana Helena talks to us about where her English journey started. From business administration as a bilingual secretary to international relations, Ana Helena has always been immersed in the English language.-So how can we keep motivated while continuing our English journey? That is exactly what Ana Helena talks about in this episode, :-).-Join us and find out some key elements to English success with a teacher who has over 30 years experience!

Watching series is a great way to improve your language skills.-And in her debut episode, Laís talks to us about how she used TV series to study and improve her English.-We also look at not one, but two top quality series that will help you improve your English.-Which ones are they? Tune in to find out. They are not the most obvious ones!

We all learn languages in different ways, that's a given.-But what we choose to use depends, obviously, on who we are and what we like.-In their debut episode. Klaudia and Aga talk about what things they like to improve their English.-From TV series to films and music, we talk about different media that these two wonderful teachers use to improve their English and teach it.-SPOILER: which of these two is a big Taylor Swift fan? Come and find out!

We all experience English in a completely different way, whether we experience it as a natives or non-natives.-In her debut episode, Flávia talks to us about her teenage years where she started teaching to pay for her student fees.-From that moment onwards, despite English teaching not being her first choice job, Flávia never looked back on the opportunity to expand her horizons!-Join us and find out more about what made Flávia the amazing teacher and coach that she is today.

Yes, APPlying ourselves is something we can't struggle with at all.-With so many apps on the market nowadays, it's almost hard not to laugh at the situation.-In her return to the podcast, Luiza and I talk about the amount of apps we have available to us as language learners.-But, as you'll find out if you APPly yourselves (pun intended ;-)), there are a select few that Luiza really appreciates.-Come and join to find out about the Apps that'll boost your English learning.-Spoiler: most of these are ones you'll NOT have heard of!

Earlier this year, the series 'Adolescence' hit our screens to a whirlwind of comments.-In her return to the podcast, Suzana talks to us about the series.-We go on to discuss the lessons that we can learn from this series, including the effect it had on Suzana as a teacher and as a person outside of the classroom.-Buckle up and come and learn with this award-winning series

In today's world, there are a lot of people who can speak more than one language. And one of these is Letícia-In her return to the podcast, Letícia talks to us about her love of bilingualism and why she believes in bilingualism.-We also talk about the necessity of bilingualism in today's society and how we, as parents use bilingualism, every day.-Strap in and find out more about bilingualism that doesn't mean bye lingualism.