It was -16 degrees Celsius yesterday, but the sun was shining. It's on days like these when it's easy to stay inside, under a blanket, sipping cups and cups of hot tea or hot chocolate.

It's for this very reason that I not only asked Joanna Radomska of Walking Languages to join me in an English conversation, but I also joined her 3-week Doable Walks course to get me outside, walking each day, AND practicing my target languages---French and Italian---no matter the weather.

We know that moving our bodies is good for us. We humans are made for walking. What we also know is that we learn better when we move.

Walking and practicing English are a winning combination.

So, if you too need a kick in the behind, a little motivation to move your legs and incorporate some English language practice at the same time, take a half hour walk and listen to our conversation.

You'll hear about Joanna's language journey, as well as all the benefits of walking, talking, listening and learning: a perfect combination, if you ask me!

With Saint Valentine's Day around the corner, I thought we'd explore chocolate because every supermarket and pharmacy I go to these days has boxes of chocolates on display, front and center. Do you like chocolate? Silly question: who doesn't?

In today's short English listening episode, I'll share:

• a brief history of chocolate (what it is and its origins),

• then we'll explore whether it's good for us and if it's an aphrodisiac, and

• we'll wrap up by looking at the ugly side of the chocolate business

You'll also learn how to pronounce chocolate in English.

Additionally, you'll hear a fair number of idiomatic expressions, some advanced English vocabulary, and a conscious effort on my part to stress certain words for effect.

Take note of all this as part of your English listening practice, and think about why I chose to emphasize these words.

Here are some of the links I mentioned in the episode:

History of chocolate - Wikipedia 

The history of chocolate video

How chocolate is made.

Do you journal?

Do you know that journaling can be a written and/or spoken practice?

Did you know that journaling in English (or another language you're learning) can be one of the most useful tools in exploring language and transforming your mindset vis-à-vis learning?

Journaling is a good way to learn English and to practice your English writing.

Join me in conversation with a very special guest, English language teacher Sarah Morgan of Meaningful English.

You'll hear us talk about Sarah's experiences learning languages in the past and in the present.

You'll also learn about journaling: what it is, how it can help you learn English (and more!), and some incredibly easy and useful tips to help you begin this practice (or stay motivated if you already journal).

It's an intermediate English level conversation full of heartfelt and inspiring content, and terrific language for you to explore as well.

Charles Dickens wrote in A Christmas Carol that “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” 

Lord Byron said of laughter: “Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine.”Pablo Neruda shared that: "Laughter is the language of the soul." 

And Maya Angelou declared: “I don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh.”

Let's start 2024 with a dose of laughter, or at least an English listening episode that invites us all to find more laughter in our lives.

Laughter can help you speak English better - really!

We’re going to explore the science of laughter (that is, what happens in our bodies when we laugh), as well as the physical and psychological benefits of laughing, and conclude with why laughter is important when learning English, or really any language. I laugh a lot as I make mistake after mistake in French and Italian.