In this episode, I'm joined by Julie, a French teacher based in Barcelona. Julie is one of the six participants from around the world who joined the Storyworthy Book Program, a 10-week storytelling/reading/discussion program that I opened in April 2022. She crafted a personal story as part of the course and shared it with the rest of the group. Today you'll hear her tell that story, which is inspired by a photo she'd taken of a language coursebook (link below). Julie and I also talk about: how she learned English communication problems she had when living in London what she learned in the Storyworthy Book Program what she learned by writing her own story At the end of the episode, you'll also hear me talk about a verb Julie used in her story. If you're an adult intermediate learner of French and would like to study with Julie, you can get in touch with her on Instagram (@juliezefrench) or join her newsletter (link below) Links Julie's photo (stolaroid.com/julie) Storyworthy Book Program (stolaroid.com/storyworthy-book-program) Vocabulary focus (to rummage through something) Julie's newsletter (https://mailchi.mp/050dc23cc82d/guide-gratuit) Get in touch with me Email me at info@fabiocerpelloni.com Join my private email list (fabiocerpelloni.com/private)

In this episode, I talk to Tanya, a lovely lady from Saint Petersburg, Russia. Tanya is an advanced English learner who took the Storyworthy Book Program with me and five other learners from around the world in April 2022. I invited her to join the podcast to tell a personal story that she had prepared as part of the storytelling course. You'll hear us talk about: Why she likes learning English What she finds challenging about learning English The Storyworthy Book Program and what she learned from it The power of personal storytelling and how she could use stories in her life Tanya’s story about living with her husband At the end of the episode I also tell you what makes Tanya a successful learner of English and what you should do if you want to improve faster. Links Tanya's photo (stolaroid.com/tanya) BBC Learning English (www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish) Quizlet (quizlet.com) Storyworthy Book Program (stolaroid.com/storyworthy-book-program) Get in touch with me. Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com Join my private email list (stolaroid.com/get-your-guide)

In this episode, I'm joined by Mary Glazunova, an English teacher, coach and author from Kyiv, Ukraine. I met Mary at the beginning of 2021 in an online teacher training course on how to teach without coursebooks and we've been sharing lots of teaching ideas since then. In the episode, you'll hear us talk about:  How Mary learned English without ever living in an English-speaking country What made both of us fall in love with English How we like teaching English Mary's inspiring story of hope based on a picture she took in Canada, where she has recently moved because of the war in Ukraine The power of meditation At the beginning of the episode, I talk about the 'Storyworthy Book Program', an English storytelling course I'm offering in September (link below). I say there are 5 spots available. That was true at the time of recording but there are now ONLY 4 SPOTS LEFT, as another participant booked one. So...book yours today! Listen to the full episode because at the end of it I briefly focus on a very common idiom I used while chatting with Mary. Links The photo that inspired Mary's story (stolaroid.com/mary) My blog post about the day I realised I had to learn English (stolaroid.com/reason-improve-english) Mary’s book on Amazon: How to reduce your time preparing for online classes and prevent emotional burnout Get in touch with Mary on Instagram @mary_glazunova or Facebook @Maria Glazunova Idiom ‘living proof’ (www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/living-proof) Storyworthy Book Program (stolaroid.com/storyworthy-book-program)  Get in touch with me. Don't be a stranger! I reply to everyone. Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com  Join my private email list (stolaroid.com/get-your-guide)

In this episode, you'll hear one of my own true stories from April 2022. It's a story inspired by a photo of my car. Head to my website if you'd like to see it (link below). At the beginning of the episode, you'll hear me talk about the 'Storyworthy Book Club', an online group program I'm opening again in September that will help you become a better storyteller, communicator and English speaker. At the end of the episode, you'll hear me briefly explain a phrasal verb I used in my story.  Episode Links The photo that inspired 'Girlfriend' (www.stolaroid.com/girlfriend) Info and registration for the 'Storyworthy Book Program' (stolaroid.com/storyworthy-book-program) The phrasal verb I used and explained (www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/tell-off) Get in touch with me. Don't be a stranger! I reply to everyone. Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com I'm also on Instagram (fabio_stolaroid) and Facebook (Fabio Stolaroid).

In this episode, I'm joined by Cara Leopold from Leo Listening. Cara is an online English listening skills coach, and movie fan who helps adventurous expats and intrepid travellers harness their love of movies to understand authentic English, so they can connect with the cultures behind the films and other movie lovers around the world. Cara has an amazing community called 'Movie Club'. 'Movie Club' is a community for movie lovers who want to understand authentic spoken English and speak it too. You’ll find new confidence in your listening, speaking and pronunciation skills because you’ll use short, regular activities that work to help you improve. And you’ll have a native speaker (Cara) watching alongside you to offer a quick explanation…or a little feedback when you need it. She is a language learner herself as she's from Scotland but speaks fluent French, so you'll hear us talk about: understanding fast speech living abroad the importance of noticing language and active listening what's wrong with the way listening skills are taught watching movies in another language English accents and the sexiest English accent in the world She also shared her own story about a photo of a dinner with her colleagues she took in Turkey (link below) Given that this is mainly an episode about listening skills, at the end of it I decided to focus on a little pronunciation feature I'd noticed in Cara's speech: the glottal stop. This is a type of consonant sound that might make native speakers of English hard to understand. You'll find a link to a YouTube video below if you want to explore this in more detail. Episode Links Cara's photo (www.stolaroid.com/cara) Cara's website (leo-listening.com) Cara's Movie Club (leo-listening.com/movie-club) Cara's free guide on how to understand movies (leo-listening.com/understand-movies-in-english) The Ricky Gervais Show (Season 1, Episode 1) Lots of glottal stops there! (youtube.com/watch?v=aRhiEhz5EIM) The Kiwi accent is the sexiest in the world (article) (lonelyplanet.com/articles/sexiest-accent-suvey-kiwi-new-zealand) The glottal stop explained (YouTube video by Pronunciation with Emma) (youtube.com/watch?v=chcjHwWwVxQ) My podcast page on my website (stolaroid.com/stories) Get in touch with me, don't be a stranger! Download my free guide and join my private email list (stolaroid.com/get-your-guide) Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com - I reply to every email I'm also on Instagram (fabio_stolaroid) and Facebook (Fabio Stolaroid).

When I think of superpowers, I usually think of flight, invisibility, x-ray vision or supernatural speed, but in this episode I tell a personal story about a more simple one that could really change my life. This is a story from 2022 inspired by a photo of my dad. Head to my website if you'd like to see it (link below). At the end of the episode, I also talk about a grammatical structure I used in the story (get someone/something to do something). Episode Links The photo that inspired 'Laugh' (stolaroid.com/laugh) Get clarity, focus and motivation with Story Review (stolaroid.com/story-review) Join my private email list by downloading my free guide on how to use your own photos and stories to improve your English (stolaroid.com/get-your-guide) Get something/someone to do something (shorturl.at/sxTW3)  My podcast page on my website (stolaroid.com/stories) How to get in touch with me Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com - I reply to every email I'm also on Instagram (fabio_stolaroid) and Facebook (Fabio Stolaroid).

In this episode, I talk with Alessio Garavello, a professional Italian guitarist, singer, songwriter, vocal coach, sound engineer and music producer based in London. Alessio has been working as a session musician for over two decades and has performed live all across Europe with A New Tomorrow, his hard rock band. I first met Alessio in the UK in 2011. We worked together in a popular coffee chain shop and what immediately impressed me was his English pronunciation. He didn't sound Italian at all. I didn't think it was possible for an Italian to speak English without an Italian accent until I met him. Another remarkable thing about Alessio is his sunny temperament. Although we were working in a very stressful and nerve-racking environment, I never heard him complain about anything. Never. He was always cheerful, positive and full of energy. His approach to life is just beautiful. I'm sure you'll notice this when listening to him and I hope you'll find his stories inspiring. You'll hear him talk about: the music industry in London how he learned English his rock band singing and how he learned to sing his songs his feelings when he performs live a photo of one of his concerts in Kyiv (link below) You'll also hear three of his songs (Spotify listeners only): A New Tomorrow, A Million Stars and Leaving All Behind (links below). Episode Links A New Tomorrow band website (www.anewtomorrowband.com) Dirty Diana (Michael Jackson tribute) (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYQdX7bZKks) A New Tomorrow (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEJcixIoZBc) A Million Stars (www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU3bXWOTEh8) Leaving All Behind (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul0s-5MCRbI) The photo that inspired Alessio's story (www.stolaroid.com/alessio) Alessio on Instagram @alessiogaravello A New Tomorrow band on Instagram @anewtomorrowuk How to get in touch with me Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com - I reply to every email I'm also on Instagram (fabio_stolaroid) and Facebook (Fabio Stolaroid). Join my private email list by downloading my free guide on how to use your own photos and stories to improve your English (stolaroid.com/get-your-guide)

In this episode, you'll hear a personal story that reveals an aspect of my personality which I believe is common in most people. Perhaps it's an aspect of your personality too. The story takes place in Fiji, a beautiful country in the South Pacific I visited in 2016, and it's inspired by a picture of a Fijian man I took while I was there. You can see this photo on my website (link below). At the end of the episode, you'll also hear me analyse a complex grammatical structure (third conditional) I used in the story. Below you'll find the links to a couple of videos from BBC Learning English if you'd like to investigate this language point further. Episode links The photo that inspired '69 Dollars' (stolaroid.com/69-dollars) My podcast page on my website (stolaroid.com/stories) Sign up for Stolaroid Room on Saturday 28th May (stolaroid.com/events) A 1-minute video from BBC Learning English about the third conditional (youtube.com/watch?v=YdCsmuBXahw) A 6-minute grammar explanation of the third conditional from BBC Learning English (youtube.com/watch?v=P4_kqBsj2sE) The traditional Fijian kava ceremony (royaldavuifiji.com/the-traditional-fijian-kava-ceremony) How to get in touch with me Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com I'm also on Instagram (fabio_stolaroid) and Facebook (Fabio Stolaroid). Join my private email list by downloading my free guide on how to use your own photos and stories to improve your English (stolaroid.com/get-your-guide) 

In this episode, you'll hear the second half of Vale's story. If you haven't listened to the first half, this episode might not make a lot of sense to you, so I'd suggest you listen to Episode 22 first and then come back to this one. In Part 2, Vale talks about how some people reacted to what she's been doing on Instagram and explains how she uses social media to help women in Iran discover their true potential. She also tells the story behind the photo that she had decided to bring to the show. It's fascinating.  At the end of the episode, you'll hear me talk about two very useful communication strategies that she used while she was speaking with me. These are speaking strategies that you too can use to maintain fluency in a conversation so...don't miss them!  Episode Links The photo that inspired Vale's story (stolaroid.com/vale2) Vale's Instagram @thevaastray (SHE HAS TEMPORARILY DEACTIVATED HER ACCOUNT) My podcast page on my website (stolaroid.com/stories) How to get in touch with me Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com - I reply to every email I'm also on Instagram (fabio_stolaroid) and Facebook (Fabio Stolaroid).

In this episode, you'll hear a true story about oppression, rebellion, freedom and discovery. You'll hear me speaking with Vale, a young Iranian woman who left her country because she was feeling oppressed there. She comes from a traditionalist Iranian family but discovered a world she'd never seen before when she saw some pictures in her English textbooks. She's now living in Italy and uses social media to help other Iranian women discover who they are and what it means to be a woman. This is truly one of the most inspiring stories someone has ever told me.  In this episode, you'll hear the first half of the conversation. You'll hear the second part in episode 23. Vale's story was inspired by a picture she took in Iran. You can see it on my website (link below). Episode Links The photo that inspired Vale's story (stolaroid.com/vale) Vale's Instagram @thevaastray (SHE HAS TEMPORARILY DEACTIVATED HER ACCOUNT) My podcast page on my website (stolaroid.com/stories) How to get in touch with me Email me at fabio@stolaroid.com - I reply to every email I'm also on Instagram (fabio_stolaroid) and Facebook (Fabio Stolaroid).