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PODCAST

The InFluency Podcast

The InFluency podcast is your go-to resource for learning, speaking and teaching English. Hadar Shemesh is a pronunciation expert and fluency coach with thousands of students around the world, though she herself was an intermediate speaker of English once. In this podcast she will share her best strategies for learning English, speaking English with confidence and mastering the American accent. Discover how becoming fluent has everything to do with acquiring the right mindset, setting goals and

education language learning

All Episodes

24:38

520. The 5 R vowels of English

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/06/16

The R is one of the hardest sounds in English…but it doesn't have to be after this episode ;) In American English, there are two R sounds: the strong R (red, around, crazy) and the soft R, or R vowels. That's when the R appears AFTER a vowel (car, here, first). In this focused practice session, we're working through the 5 key R vowel sounds together. For each sound, I'll give you words and example sentences to follow along with. By the end, these tricky words like world, work, word, girl and

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40:22

519. Rediscovering your identity in English:...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/06/12

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

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24:52

518. 10 things I LOVE about being a non-native speaker

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/06/09

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

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16:44

517. How to Sound More Confident in English: 4 Speech...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/06/02

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

en-US

18:50

516. 15-minute shadowing practice for English...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/05/26

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

en-US

13:38

515. American English Pronunciation: The T Sound in...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/05/19

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

en-US

13:23

514. LISTENING and SHADOWING practice with The Devil...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/05/12

Let's get ready to test your listening skills with a fast, fun clip from The Devil Wears Prada 2! First, you'll listen to the full clip and answer a few comprehension questions. Then, we'll break it down together, fill in the missing words, then uncover the connected speech, rhythm, stress, and intonation, and finally shadow the scene line by line. This episode will help you: - Understand fast English in context - Identify reduced and connected words - Notice pitch, rhythm, and tone of voice -

en-US

12:28

513. 5 Great Ways to Practice English (When You're...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/05/05

Looking for new ways to practice your English? In today's episode, I'm sharing with you some of my favorite strategies that can help you improve your fluency, listening, pronunciation, and vocabulary. I've used these myself learning English (and now Spanish!) and I've shared them with my students time and time again. These strategies are simple, powerful, and will help you turn everyday English practice into something more active, consistent, and fun. Do you want to build a consistent English

en-US

24:01

512. The #1 Strategy to Improve Your Pronunciation Fast

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/04/29

If you've been trying to improve your English but still don't feel clear, confident, or fully yourself when you speak, this video is for you! In this lesson, I'm sharing the number one strategy I use to help students improve their pronunciation, speak more clearly, and feel more confident in English. A lot of people think pronunciation is only important if you want to sound more polished, that pronunciation is a 'luxury' problem. But the truth is, pronunciation is a core part of fluency. It affects

en-US

52:27

511. From afraid to speak to expressing herself fully...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/04/24

In today's episode, I'm introducing you to a dear, long-time student of mine, Elisa! Elisa is Italian, and works in hospitality, but her relationship with English started long before any of that. One day, Elisa found herself stuck in a cycle: consuming English every day through music, YouTube and movies, but terrified to speak a single sentence out loud. In this interview, Elisa will share with us the exact shifts that changed everything for her: how she moved from overthinking every word to

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11:35

510. Stop overthinking, start speaking faster |...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/04/21

Want to speak English without freezing, overthinking, or needing a full script first? In this episode, I'll show you how to practice impromptu speaking in English so you can talk more freely, clearly, and confidently, even when you have little time to prepare. Impromptu speaking is one of the best ways to improve your fluency because it helps you close the gap between the English you know and the English you actually speak. It also helps you think faster, organize your thoughts, build vocabulary

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47:57

509. She hit rock bottom in English, then rebuilt...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/04/14

What happens when you prepare for your dream interview for weeks… and then get to the interview and realize you can't actually say what you want out loud? That's exactly what happened to Monica. In this student interview, Monica shares the heartbreaking moment that changed everything in her English journey. After being invited to interview for her dream position, she realized that all her preparation had stayed in her head. The moment she had to speak, she froze. And that painful experience

en-US

11:27

508. Not making progress in English? Here's what...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/04/07

Learn more about Beyond here: https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N Feeling stuck in English and haven't seen progress, even though you've been working on your English for a while? This is probably because of 1 of 2 reasons: Reason 1: You're not practicing consistently Reason 2: You're learning in a way that is not actually effective This video is focused on how to shift your mindset, build better habits, and create a learning experience that helps you feel more confident, more free, and more like yourself

en-US

06:43

507. Do you know the different ways to pronounce 'CH'?

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/03/31

In this pronunciation episode, we're breaking down the most common "CH" sounds you'll find in English (hint: there is more than one way to say it!) Follow along and repeat out loud in today's pronunciation practice! Did you enjoy this practice? Want more? Join my free 14-day pronunciation plan! https://bit.ly/3YAWcJ5 * There are two other pronunciations of CH not mentioned in the episode. Yacht → the CH is silent Loch → in some dialects, it's pronounced as a /x/.

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31:43

506. Read out loud with me! Practice vocabulary,...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/03/24

Improve your vocabulary, pronunciation and pace while reading a story out loud with me! We're reading a part from The Housemaid by Frida McFadden. Download the PDF to read along with me and learn the vocabulary from the episode! https://bit.ly/4sqQeb7 #readaloud #readoutloud #thehousemaid #reading Want more reading practice? Check out my read along playlist! https://bit.ly/4dcJedr

en-US

11:09

505. Why "don't you" turns into "donchu" in spoken...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/03/19

Have you ever listened to a native English speaker and thought… wait, that sounds funny! You HEAR one thing, but you SEE something completely different when it's written. Today, I'm going to share with you a linguistic feature of English called coalescence (also known as fusion). It's one of the most common processes in spoken English. Once you understand it, a lot of things that used to sound confusing will suddenly make perfect sense, AND know this will help you understand native speakers

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42:26

504. How English helped her say yes to a whole new life

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/03/13

In this interview, I'm bringing Jelena to the stage! Jelena is one of my New Sound and Beyond students from Serbia, who now lives in the US. When she arrived, she could barely leave her apartment. She avoided grocery stores, doctor's appointments, and meetings with her supervisor. Today? She's a research fellow, teaches salsa in English, and has a thriving social life she once thought to be impossible. In this conversation, she shares: What it really felt like to be isolated and dependent on her

en-US

14:52

503. How to learn vocabulary the RIGHT way

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/03/11

Are you actually learning vocabulary the right way? Most English learners aren't, and it's holding them back from real fluency! In this episode, I break down the vocabulary groups every English learner has, why your passive vocabulary is secretly your biggest asset, and the #1 mistake people make when trying to memorize new words (hint: it's all about quantity vs. quality)! If you've ever felt like you know a word but can't find it when you're speaking… this episode is for you! ♥️ Download my

en-US

19:26

502. Fluency isn't A1-C2: The 5 speaking stages no...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/03/03

Take the quiz and find out your stage: https://bit.ly/3PbGOl0 Want to move up and need a boost to make it happen? Join Beyond Community? https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N For years, we've been told that fluency is measured from A1 to C2. But those levels measure grammar and comprehension. They don't measure how you show up when you speak. You can be "B2" and still avoid conversations. You can understand everything… and still feel anxious when it's your turn to talk. So what if fluency isn't about levels…

en-US

22:47

501. Shadowing Practice: English Pronunciation &...

The InFluency Podcast ·

2026/02/24

Get ready to practice with me! In this lesson, we're going to train our pronunciation and vocabulary by shadowing an iconic scene from The Matrix. Shadowing is one of the most effective ways to improve rhythm, stress, intonation, and connected speech. Instead of just listening, we repeat with the speaker in real time. We copy the melody, the reductions, and the flow. In this episode, we will: Break down key pronunciation challenges Practice connected speech and reductions Learn natural

en-US

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