Hello Reader, Have you ever been in a conversation, understanding everything just fine, and then the second it's your turn to talk... nothing? Like your brain just hits mute? Even worse, do you feel like that 'muting' happens often in your day-to-day interactions, and it's starting to drag your self-confidence down? Then you need this week's podcast episode 👉 Feeling Muted? Here’s How to Find Your Voice in English That's what this week's podcast episode is about — a listener question about...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, I've been working on something that might be just what you have been looking for if you have been living in Canada for a while now, like years, but your English skills don't seem to have gotten any better. And even worse, you can't seem to get the CELPIP score you need for your immigration process. (By the way, here's a secret: your CELPIP score is directly tied to your current level of English. Build your English skills, and your CELPIP score will go up too. ) Back to what I've...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, Quick one for you today. If you've ever frozen up during Speaking Task 3 or 4 on the CELPIP — staring at a picture, knowing exactly what you want to say but not having the precise word for it — this week's podcast episode is for you. I walk through a simple way to turn places you're already going — the grocery store, the gas station, a walk downtown — into two or three minutes of effective CELPIP practice each time. No extra time carved out of your day. Just pausing wherever you...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, A little while ago a viewer from my Youtube channel asked if I would make a video to help with their writing skills for the CELPIP. I haven't created content on my channel on that topic yet, but I wanted to know if that is something you would be interested in? What would you like me to talk about next? Yes - writing skills would be helpful! Listening skills Speaking skills Reading skills Just general English - I don't need the CELPIP Recently on Reddit I saw this question: "Does...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, You want to know what I find hard to do sometimes? I find it hard to consistently do what is important to me, especially when things get REALLY busy in my life. Does that happen to you too? I've got a new podcast for you! Listen right here. This week's podcast is live, and I talk about competing priorities and how much of a struggle it has been to stay focused - and more importantly, what to do when you realize you are off course. This is what I'm dealing with...trying to bring...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, This week I had multiple requests for help with CELPIP reading skills, so I wanted to share some resources with you that will help. First, here's a dedicated 3 video reading skills playlist from my youtube channel. This playlist will teach you How to take effective notes What you MUST read - it's not the entire text! Why you have to start reading WIDELY right now to build your vocabulary. How to skim and scan when you read Prefer audio only? Here is a 10 episode playlist from my...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, Have you been following the World Cup? Who are your favourite teams? Go ahead, hit reply and tell me - it would be great to hear from you, and bonus: you get some writing practice in! My family and I have been watching many of the games. The main teams we're rooting for are Canada and Mexico. For all the other matches we are mostly cheering for the underdog teams. (Maybe Canada is one of those kinds of teams!) Wouldn't it be great if a 'nobody' team somehow managed to topple one...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, Exams make mistakes. I came across this article today on the BBC and wanted to share it with you. "...computer-automated marking errors with the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) qualification led to 62,794 test takers receiving incorrect results." https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gypr2zp9eo Impact? The article goes on to say that of those 62,794, roughly a third of them - 20,600 actually got higher scores when their first results were recalculated due to...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, I remember when someone in my life said just the right words of encouragement to me in just the right moment when I needed it the most. Their words helped me so much, and you want to know something strange? I'd never met them in person. They hosted one of my favourite business podcasts at the time. Their words of encouragement? "Failure is not a person. It's an event, something that happens. But it's not who you are." I needed to hear those words. Maybe you are in a similar...
2 months ago • 1 min read