Episodes

As someone who has been professionally engaged in goal setting and habit building for 7 years (and personally interested for much longer), something that keeps annoying me is the way so many apps seem to try to motivate people using streaks... When in reality, streaks only work for some kinds of habits, and some kinds of goals, and once a streak is broken, your motivation is, too. Streaks are fragile and there's a much better way to think about your goals and habits.

Here's a story that seems to be everywhere these days: “You can be ambitious, or you can be happy”. In this episode I explore how you actually *can* be both ambitious and content at the same time – and what it takes to nurture healthy versions of both. When healthy ambition and contentment coexist, that's energy. I've probably experienced every permutation of these personally – would love to hear from you if you've been there, too!

I'm back – and lately I've been thinking about this question "What do you want?" When I think about what I want for my work, I somehow both know deeply what I want, and at the same time have no idea. So when someone asks me, "What do you want?" my answer varies week by week. In this episode I share a project that almost-perfectly fits my ideal – with one important missing piece!

I'm back (Hedvig here!) and in today's episode I embark on a new journey. Come join me – I'll be learning a lot and I hope you will too.

This one's been a long time coming... I've been raving about this incredible person to friends and family for months, but this week I'm finally letting some of her light shine on my online networks, too. Meet Mina, an Afghan women's rights activist whom I've had the privilege of working with for just over 6 months now. One thing I'm learning about activism is that this stuff takes time and a LOT of patience. Mina continues to show up for her people and for the country she loves, with good and ba...

How does perfectionism sometimes work against your goals and values, preventing you from making progress? Apply now for the Speak With Abundance programme starting in January 2023. I'll only admit people who I know will see real results, so get all the details and apply by visiting abundate.org/SWA .

Hedvig speaks with Ady Namaran Coulibaly about African Languages Week, Language Services Providers like her company Bolingo, and the essential role these play in understanding the cultural and linguistic nuances across the African continent. Learn more about African Languages Week and register for the January 2023 event.

Lindsay Williams from “Lindsay Does Languages” brings her 10+ years of experience helping language learners better understand themselves so they can learn more effectively. We speak about the many different kinds of language learners and learner personality types she’s worked with over the years, where to start when you’re interested in learning a new language, overcoming procrastination, and learning Guarani.

Hedvig speaks with Eman Abdo, an English to Arabic translator and author of Egypt’s Localization Guide, about learning languages through video games, how Arabic is easier to learn than most people think, and how translation is more difficult than we might expect. If you’re one of those people who has been wondering about learning another language, but you’re not sure which language might be right for you, then there’s a little exercise for you at the end of the episode. For the full show notes i...

You know what works for me won't always work for you. The reason we need to tailor language learning is because your language learning needs, goals, ambitions, lifestyle and brain are different from anyone else's. But there are a few things I've noticed learners do that really boosts their progress and confidence in a language.In this episode we delve into 3 things that excellent language learners do differently.

What are the perks and drawbacks of being a cultural chameleon? Hedvig spoke with Danai Krokou, serial migrant and multitalented business development consultant, polyglot and polymath, about the positive and negative aspects of moving country. Danai shares an important benefit for your professional horizons.

There are so many transferable skills that you build through language learning. One of them is self-trust. But it's also one of those things you need to build gradually in order to learn, too. In this episode I discuss some of the benefits of language learning, why self-trust is key, and how you might work to build this in your language learning or across other areas of your life, too.

Why are many language learning methods so clinical when the process of learning languages is such a natural human activity? Tamara Marie, Founder of Spanish Con Salsa, joined Hedvig for a conversation about learning language through music and dance.

Does language influence how you think, what you do, and how you see the world? Hedvig speaks with Panos Athanasopoulos about linguistic relativity.

Hedvig speaks with Rachel Paling, creator of the Neurolanguage Coaching© method, about brain-friendly learning, NeuroHeart education, and finding our own paths to joy and autonomy by embracing the coach mindset.

Hedvig speaks with sociolinguistics researcher Dr Vijay Ramjattan about accents, societal biases, and perception.

In this very short episode, Hedvig talks briefly about a topic that everyone should consider from time to time, and shares some news about an upcoming new programme for language learners.

Hedvig speaks with Nikki Wood, a civil servant, about her journey with hearing loss, British Sign Language (BSL), dabbling in Polish and Spanish, and also some of the challenges and excuses that she’s battling in trying to learn languages. Mentioned in this episode: Remark! , the charity where both Nikki and Hedvig took their Level 1 qualification in British Sign Language (BSL) Hearing loss: According to the WHO, 5% of the world’s population require support due to hearing loss. If Nikki decides ...

Do you want your family to be bilingual? Hedvig speaks with Flo Rozensztajn about why it was important to her that her children could communicate in multiple languages, how she turned a home project into a business to help other French-English bilingual families, whether it is actually more difficult to raise children bilingually, and we also touch upon some of the complexities of multilingual and multicultural identities.

Is learning a language more difficult as an adult? Have you missed your window of opportunity? There are many ways to make language stick, and in this solo episode we take a look at one way to do that.

Hedvig speaks with Friederike Sell about “International English”, a.k.a. English as a lingua Franca, how to include people with different levels of fluency, and how this can inform our own language learning.

How do you connect with another language and actually feel like yourself when you speak it? This week's guest is María Ortega García, and her answer to this is what she calls language embodiment. We discuss a few of the unhelpful learning techniques we experienced in our school days and find a few alternative solutions.

Hedvig speaks with Chesline Pierre-Paul, Queer-E-O of a global digital transformation, coaching and social impact consulting company, about learning languages without travelling, language deconstruction, decolonialisation and how this can help develop an empowering, mindful and purposeful language learning practice. Resources mentioned in this episode: Living Proof: Celebrating the Gifts That Came Wrapped in Sandpaper , by Liza Nichols Lina Vasquez on “Do you know how you learn” Ches' "Italian g...

When I set out to start a podcast, I knew I wanted to help my listeners to develop new mindsets and break down old myths around language learning, and in this episode I’m speaking with someone who has really worked on her mindsets and beliefs around language learning - and even more importantly, she has found ways of learning that work for her. Listen to this interview with Elise Cutts.