The InFluency Podcast
Hadar Shemesh
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 learning how to overcome challenges.
Hadar will also share her teaching philosophy and techniques to support English teachers looking to help their students become fluent.
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 learning how to overcome challenges.
Hadar will also share her teaching philosophy and techniques to support English teachers looking to help their students become fluent.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 10, 2026 • 14min
543. Can, Could, Would, Should: How to Pronounce Them Naturally
Discover how can, could, would, and should transform in natural spoken English. Practice reduced vowels, linking, dropped sounds, and the tricky contrast between can and can’t. Explore forms like could without the L, would you, shoulda, and the abrupt endings of couldn’t and shouldn’t to sharpen both listening and speaking.
7 snips
Nov 3, 2026 • 10min
542. Practice American Intonation with Sex and the City
Step into a dramatic Sex and the City scene to practice American intonation through shadowing. Explore pleading, anger, disappointment, and finality with pitch variation, precise articulation, word stress, rhythm, and pacing. Then bring it all together in a full performance of Carrie and Mr. Big’s unforgettable confrontation.
Oct 27, 2026 • 7min
541. SHEEP vs. SHIP: English Vowel Pronunciation Practice
Sharpen your English pronunciation with a focused workout on the tricky /i/ and /ɪ/ contrast. Practice pairs like sheep and ship, seat and sit, and leave and live, then build confidence through short phrases, longer sentences, and spontaneous speech. A practical guide to hearing, repeating, and naturally producing these sounds.
8 snips
Oct 20, 2026 • 29min
540. The Psychology Behind Your Fear of Speaking English: Conversation with Kara Loewentheil
Kara Loewentheil, life coach, feminist writer, podcast creator, and bestselling author of Take Back Your Brain, explores why speaking English can feel threatening even when you know the words. They discuss perfectionism, shame, fear of misunderstanding, conflicting beliefs, and a practical “Thought Ladder” for building confidence. A revealing conversation about mindset, self-compassion, and finding your voice.
Oct 13, 2026 • 8min
539. English Tenses Made Easy: Practice Grammar AND Pronunciation
Practice English grammar and pronunciation through the verbs make, get, and take. Work through simple, continuous, and perfect tenses in past, present, and future forms, while drilling natural rhythm, contractions, connected speech, and everyday sentences.
7 snips
Oct 6, 2026 • 24min
538. Read Out Loud with me! Dare to Lead by Brené Brown | Pronunciation & Vocabulary practice
Practice English pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, and vocabulary through an engaging read-aloud from Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead. Explore expressions for nervousness, vulnerability, audience connection, and communication that truly lands. Build confidence with shadowing, connected speech, and vivid language for handling intimidating audiences while staying grounded and expressive.
7 snips
Oct 2, 2026 • 44min
537. Being introverted, sounding robotic, my story, and the Flap T | Answering your questions
A lively Q&A explores clear communication for introverts, finding your authentic voice in English, and making practice creative through comedy, journaling, and improv. It also covers the dark L in words like “trouble,” the American Flap T, natural-sounding connected speech, and one learner’s journey from acting to pronunciation coaching.
Sep 29, 2026 • 10min
536. The 3 Ways to Pronounce -ED in English
Master the three pronunciations of English -ED endings with practical examples such as needed, played, worked, watched, and laughed. Explore how these sounds change in connected speech, tackle tricky consonant clusters, and discover why clearly preserving the final sound matters for expressing the past tense.
5 snips
Sep 25, 2026 • 37min
535. Relocation Diaries: 3 Years Later
Three years into life in Spain, two friends reflect on slower routines, long meals, and the surprising work of building a new identity abroad. They discuss language barriers, an especially humbling Spanish-speaking experience, creative ways to practice, finding community, and learning to embrace spontaneity, uncertainty, and imperfect communication.
Sep 15, 2026 • 9min
534. Tongue twisters to improve your pronunciation: From EASY to HARD
Warm up with playful tongue twisters that sharpen English pronunciation, from easy Peter Piper and toy boat drills to challenging phrases packed with SH, CH, R, L, TH, and consonant clusters. Practice jaw relaxation, tackle “truly rural,” and finish with a Spanish tongue twister challenge.
