It started in Germany. My ESL coaching journey started with another love of mine: the German language. You see, I’ve lived in Germany twice in my life—one time for seven months and another time for a summer. My heart has always been attracted to Germany and the German language for reasons unknown to me. Yet, during each of my visits there, I oftentimes felt depressed and like I was two separate people. First, there was my “American” self. This person loved good conversation,

One of my jobs as an English language coach in Houston is to teach English. But another one of my roles is to empower men and women to move outside of their comfort zones and to really use the language, experiment with the language, and to make mistakes with the language. Yes, I said mistakes! It is only when learners do this that they are able to grow their vocabulary, their self-confidence, and move closer to their long-term goals. If you are a perfectionist like I am, it c

I’m so sorry. I apologize. I’m sorry, but can you help me? Do you say “I’m sorry” a lot? I used to say “I’m sorry” for all sorts of things—even things that didn’t really require an apology. I got my first clue that I overused the phrase when I was living in Germany. “I’m sorry” in German is, “Es tut mir leid.” It literally translates as, “It does (or causes) me sorrow.” I would use this phrase often in Germany. If I was in someone’s way, I would say, “I’m sorry,” in German. I

Language is a powerful tool. We use it to express our wants and our needs. And, when we are unable to say what we need to say, we don’t feel

One of my favorite authors is Timothy Ferriss. He writes on many topics, but the central theme in his books is how to become a master at a skill in the least amount of time. Timothy interviews masters in every skill imaginable and tries to “dissect” what specifically makes that person so amazing at his or her given sport, business, or skill. Then he tries it himself. He has won a Tango World Championship, a Chinese Kickboxing Championship, and owns a highly successful busines

I have a friend who is in the process of learning Spanish in order to prepare for an upcoming move to Honduras, but her method of learning has left her uninspired and bored. Not to mention, she feels like she is not making any real progress. I love talking about language learning, so I asked her, “How do you learn best?” She immediately, without hesitation, said, “I need to be in a classroom where other students are learning exactly what I am learning, and then I need to prov

In addition, I loved the challenge of expressing myself in a constant one-on-one conversation. No textbook or app can replicate the natural

What is small talk? Small talk is discussion about safe and light topics at the beginning of a conversation. Why do Americans love small tal

For example, maybe you think you would love to teach English, so you volunteer to teach English to refugees. You learn that you prefer to te

Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels The desire to create is a very deep part of each and every one of us. And, the reason I sometimes feel uninspired and passive is because I have ceased creating and have fallen into a passive mode of existence. In other words, I want others to create for me – entertain me — so I don’t have to. But why wouldn’t I WANT to create if it is such an inherent part of being human? Before I answer that I want to delve into the idea of creating and w

We have lots of idioms (expressions) in English, and one of them is to "come out of your shell" like a turtle might do once it feels safe and confident in its new environment. When you move to a new country, some people have no problem doing this; being social and getting involved in the community comes naturally to some. However, for the vast majority of people, being in a new country where you don't speak English fluently makes you feel uneasy and insecure. You just want to