The InFluency Podcast

207. You just asked me where I'm from. So why do I feel offended? [Interview]

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to feel safe and supported in your workplace or when immigrating to a new country? What is the right way to respond when you feel ju...

206. How to pronounce PRETTY

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

205. Finding freedom in English – listen to Success Stories ?

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If English is not your native language, does that mean you have to compromise on the things you want to achieve in your life? Listening to the stories...

204. "I Want to Speak Like a Native Speaker. Can You Help?" – My Answer #askhadar

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Does a native accent guarantee ultimate confidence and freedom? Recently I've been getting a bunch of questions from people who want to speak with a n...

203. How to pronounce 'Eventually' and 'Actually'

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

202. How to pronounce 'Figure it out'

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

201. How to go from Fixed to Growth mindset in English (and reach limitless fluency)

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do you feel about yourself when you speak English? How do you handle criticism about your English? The way you experience your English is key to y...

200. The 10 most downloaded episodes (And what I think about them) | 200 episode special!

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 200! Woo-hoo! In this podcast-convo, I'll share with you what I loved most about making the previous 200 episodes and what I'm hoping to do mo...

199. Battling Discrimination and Discovering Self-Worth in a New Country

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this Immigrant Experience interview, we'll hear the story of Marcelo Silveira, who moved from Brazil to the U.S. for work. In this interview Marcel...

198. How to pronounce HER vs. HAIR

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

197. Shadowing Technique in English: are you wasting your time?

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you use shadowing when practicing English? Shadowing is one of the best ways to improve your English speaking skills as it helps improve pronunciat...

196. How to pronounce PARTICULARLY

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

195. Tongue Twisters… Do we really need 'em?

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tongue twisters can be a pain in the b**t in ANY LANGUAGE! They can be frustrating, discouraging, and you may even think they're pointless. So why am ...

194. How to pronounce PULL and POOL

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

193. How to pronounce LUXURY

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

192. She immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 45… this is what happened

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every immigrant has a story. A story about their journey and the place of English in it. Many of my students are immigrants, I was an immigrant myself...

191. How to pronounce BED vs. BAD

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

190. The BIGGEST Pronunciation Challenges Arabic Speakers Face (and how to overcome them)

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Download Free English Pronunciation Guide + audio practice here: https://hadarshemesh.com/english-for-arabic-speakers-pdf/ In this episode, I'm going...

189. How to pronounce MONTHS

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

188. Feeling Invisible

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you're choosing not to speak? When you feel limited by a language? Maybe you've gotten used to avoiding speaking so much that you fe...

187. How to pronounce GIRL

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

186. 10 min English Pronunciation Practice for the New Year

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do this English pronunciation practice every day, and improve your clarity, intonation, pronunciation, and confidence. Ready to kick off the New Year ...

185. How to pronounce CAP, COP, and CUP

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes, I'll help you with the pronunciation of confusing words and commo...

184. 10 AMAZING TIPS that'll SKYROCKET your English fluency

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Download FREEBIE – A list of the 10 tips, PLUS links to videos and resources to go deeper: https://bit.ly/3Eysic2 Ready to make a change in 2022? ??...

183. Real Stories About What's Possible | Interview with Vladimir

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My students and community members are truly inspiring. In these What's Possible episodes, I'll have a conversation with them about their journey, and ...

182. The Immigrant Experience | Saying goodbye & learning to belong again

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every immigrant has their own story to tell: a story about the circumstances that led them to move to another country, a story about the life they're ...

181. Real Stories About What's Possible | Interview with Tomasz

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My students and community members are truly inspiring. In these What's Possible episodes, I'll have a conversation with them about their journey, and ...

180. Go From EXHAUSTED To EFFORTLESS When Speaking English With This One Simple Tip

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you feel exhausted after speaking in English? Do you feel fake? Almost like – it's not really YOU who's doing the talking? The reason for that co...

179. How to pronounce Law and Low

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

178. English Consonants Masterclass | IPA Consonant Table Explained [+FREE DOWNLOAD]

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Free Download: Clear&Easy English consonants chart https://bit.ly/3lLC2Jy English consonants can be confusing! Whether it's understanding the differe...

177. Real Stories About What's Possible | Interview with Lucrecia

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My students and community members are truly inspiring. In these What's Possible episodes, I'll have a conversation with them about their journey, and ...

176. American English Intonation: How To Use Stressed Words, Pitch, And Pauses To Make An Impact When You Speak

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Download the PDF with the script here https://hadarshemesh.com/freebie-ferrera Being good at telling a story is a skill. And that skill can be learned...

175. How to Pronounce Want vs. Won't

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

174. How to Finally Improve Grammar in English [The Lesson You Were Never Taught in School!]

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you feel about grammar? For some of us, grammar can sometimes be pretty overwhelming. It has been for me, but in my years of using and teaching...

173. Real Stories About What's Possible | Interview with Rosaline

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My students and community members are truly inspiring. In these What's Possible episodes, I'll have a conversation with them about their journey, and ...

172. Similar English Vowels? Here's How Not To Get Confused!

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Has it ever happened to you that you wanted to say 'body' but it came out as 'buddy' instead? Or maybe you never noticed that these two words should b...

171. How to pronounce 'chaos'

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

170. What To Do When Someone Criticizes Your English ?

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No one likes to get criticized. Especially when the criticism is insensitive, detached, or meant to hurt. When we receive criticism, it's easy and com...

169. Real Stories About What's Possible | Interview with Soraya

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My students and community members are truly inspiring. In these What's Possible episodes, I'll have a conversation with them about their journey, and ...

168. The TH in English – New and IMPROVED Lesson

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TH is such a fun sound to practice because you get results fast – if you practice it correctly! This TH lesson is one of dozens of lessons inside my...

167. How English Changed Their Lives: Success Stories of My Students

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If English is not your native language, does it mean you have to compromise on the things you want to achieve in your life? Listening to the stories i...

166. How to step into the right mindset in English [Q&A session]

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we're going to listen to a Q&A session about mindset from the English Fluency Festival event. You can also download an interactive li...

165. Feel Stuck in English? Here's why

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you spend a lot of time learning and practicing English but don't understand why you don't see much progress? If you do, you might be stuck in what...

164. What I've been up to

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode is more personal, as I'll be sharing with you what I've been up to in my life and business over the past few months and the lessons I'...

163. Want More Confidence in English? Do This

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Being a confident English speaker is definitely one of our goals when it comes to communicating in English. Confidence is not necessarily something yo...

162. How to Pronounce 'Party' vs. 'Potty'

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

161. Do You Hate Your Voice in English?

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you cringe at the sound of your voice? A lot of us do, and when speaking a second language like English, it could be for different reasons. But if ...

160. How to Pronounce 'Thanks'

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

159. Learn American Intonation, Rhythm & Body Language With a Disney Princess

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I'll be teaching you the difference between stressed and unstressed words and sharing clips from Frozen 2 to show you how the ...

158. How to Pronounce Function Words: And, Or, For, Of

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

157. Schwa – The BEST Vowel Sound in English

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You wanted it, you got it! In this episode I'll talk about the schwa vowel sound. Understanding it will help you sound more natural and effortless, an...

156. How to pronounce 'Clothes'

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

155. How to pronounce 'Strategy'

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

154. Are You Good at Receiving Compliments About Your English?

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is receiving compliments about your English HARD or EASY for you? Do you feel good and respond with a THANK YOU? Or do you start explaining (or thinki...

153. How to pronounce 'Thirty' and 'Thirteen'

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

152. Ways to Improve Your Fluency and Confidence Using Video

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I'm talking about one of the best tools for improving our fluency and communication in general in English: making a video of yourself ...

151. How to Pronounce 'Restaurant'

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

150. PHRASAL VERBS – Do you REALLY need them to sound fluent? (the answer is NO)

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do English phrasal verbs stress you out? Are you obsessed with understanding how to use them to the point that you find yourself getting stuck when co...

149. How to pronounce Ear, Year, Here

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

148. Speaking English Faster: 'Good Fast' vs 'Bad Fast'

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, you'll learn how to speak fast in English WITHOUT compromising your clarity. I will also talk about the difference between GOOD fast ...

147. Innovative Ways to Learn English with Ethan from ReaLife English

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I'm hosting Ethan from RealLife English and Learn English with TV Series. Here's what we talked about: • How to identify your motiv...

146. What To Do When People Don't Understand You In English

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when people don't understand you? Do you repeat what you said? Do you stop speaking? Do you feel bad? When we speak a second language (...

145. How to pronounce 'toward'

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

144. What Makes a GOOD English Teacher?

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a good English teacher? So many people settle for English teaching that's not right for them because it's comfortable and they don't believ...

143. The Power of Storytelling with Sun Yi

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, you're going to learn how storytelling can be interesting, relatable and effective, and why it is important if you're a speaker of En...

142. 10 Pronunciation challenges for Urdu and Hindi Speakers | English for Urdu and Hindi Speakers

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Download Free English Pronunciation Guide + audio practice for Hindi and Urdu speakers: https://bit.ly/3iqN0BU In this episode, I'm going to talk abo...

141. How to use IN, ON, and AT, without getting confused! [PART 2 – PLACE]

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I'm sharing with you a super helpful way to understand and use the prepositions 'in', 'on', and 'at' correctly when you talk about pl...

140. How to use IN, ON, and AT, without getting confused! [PART 1 – TIME]

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday or at Wednesday? In the summer or at the summer? In this episode, I'm sharing with you a super helpful way to understand and remember how...

139. Can English learners become English teachers?

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this 'Ask Hadar' podcast episode I'm answering Silvana, an English learner from Brazil, who wants to become an English teacher. Silvana isn't sure ...

138. How to Improve your listening skills in English – 9 tips for English Learners

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you sometimes have trouble understanding native speakers and non-native speakers on television, movies, or in real life? Are you afraid of going in...

137. Reductions and TH transitions

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words and phrases can be really challenging sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunc...

136. Legal Vocabulary: 10 Words You Need to Know (and How to Pronounce Them)

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are you a lawyer? Or do you like legal drama in TV or movies? If yes, you must be familiar with words you rarely hear in the 'real world' – like 'at...

135. What can we learn about language from computers?

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, you'll learn about language learning from AI (Artificial Intelligence) linguist and English teacher, Yazzy Ares. In this podcast we'l...

134. 11 VERY Challenging English Names to Pronounce

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are you pronouncing these names correctly? Barbara? Arthur? Siobhan? Not sure how to pronounce these names or you find it really challenging with all ...

133. How to Find the Stress in Long Words

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Long words can be really challenging to pronounce and we sometimes find ourselves trying to avoid them, especially if we're not sure how to stress the...

132. Who Moved My Word Stress?!?! ?

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I'll talk about phrases and how the stress and rhythm in a phrase may CHANGE based on the function of the phrase in the sentence. For...

131. How to pronounce 'Recipe' vs. 'Receipt'

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

130. This will skyrocket your English communication skills [with only 2 minutes a day]

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What if I told you there was one thing you could do daily that would improve everything about your English communication: how you organize your though...

129. How to pronounce Angry, Hungry & Hangry

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

128. How Can Intonation Help You Become A Better Speaker

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you want to become a great public speaker like Shonda Rhimes? Avoid sounding monotone? Are you interested in learning more about American intonatio...

127. How to pronounce 'meme'

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

126. How to pronounce New York City Boroughs

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

125. How to pronounce 'Bourgeois'

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

124. How to pronounce Strength & Length

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

123. How to pronounce Sell vs. Sale

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

122. How to learn a language | Building the RIGHT Habits

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Build powerful language habits with me – join my new transformational program opening May 13: https://hadarshemesh.com/join/ Is there a right way to...

121. Find Your Writing Voice – Conversation With An Expert Copywriter

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, you're going to get invaluable tips from an expert copywriter, Licia Morelli, that will help you improve your written communication. ...

120. 10 MIN Pronunciation Challenge [HARD!]

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

DOWNLOAD the PDF with the pronunciation drills in this episode: https://theaccentsway.com/10-min-pronunciation-drills/ This is the most challenging pr...

119. How to pronounce 'Congratulations'

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

118. Do you need to sound like a native to succeed? | Conversation with Will from Simple American Accent

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is the phrase 'SOUND LIKE A NATIVE' motivating or inhibiting? Should people lose their accent so they can avoid bias and discrimination? What is the t...

117. How to pronounce Cafe vs. Coffee

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

116. Want to master the pronunciation of English words? Listen to the rhythm

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that words have… RHYTHM? Maybe not like a pop song or jazz, but words have rhythm as a result of the stressed and unstressed parts in t...

115. How the universal laws work with language learning

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Speaking a second language can create insecurities, fears, and frustrations. These feelings sometimes pop up when we hear ourselves speaking, and we f...

114. What I learned about English fluency from… DANCE CLASSES ??

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you've learned to dance, I assume it included moving your body and not just watching other people move, right? Same goes if you learned how to ride...

113. How to pronounce Days of the Week

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

112. The most searched 'HOW TO PRONOUNCE' words on Google (and how to pronounce them)

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are the words people struggle to pronounce the most? In this episode, I'll share with you the most searched 'how to pronounce' words on Google an...

111. How to pronounce 'entrepreneur'

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

English words can be really confusing sometimes. In these how-to-pronounce episodes published on Fridays, I'll help you with the pronunciation of conf...

110. How to find the primary stress in words

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most challenging, and sometimes frustrating, aspects of English is predicting where the primary stress should be in a word. Primary stress ...

109. Do we change our personality when we speak English? | ASK HADAR

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I answer a question from Juan Andres from Colombia who wants to understand why he feels different when he speaks English than when he ...

108. Being a NON-NATIVE speaker is an ADVANTAGE | Interview with an OSCAR winning producer

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Should you let your English stop you? Rotem Alima, an Academy Award-winning film and television producer, thinks that's the last thing you should do. ...