Let's improve your English listening skills while discussing a very relevant topic: why do we just  'click' so much better with some people more than others?

In this episode, Oliver and César talk about the strange mechanics of adult friendship: why it’s so hard to make genuine friends through work or hobbies, why life constantly interrupts the friendships we do build, and why occasionally we meet people who feel familiar from the very first conversation.

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

Shameful! But maybe relatable? 😂

Why do two language teachers - people who literally teach languages for a living - end up quitting their own language learning lessons after just two months?

In today’s episode, we talk honestly about motivation, classrooms, commuting, group dynamics, and why even experienced learners sometimes lose momentum. We discuss the reality of adult language learning, the temptation of digital tools, and the strange nostalgia that made us think traditional classes would solve everything.

If you’ve ever started a language course, lost steam, found excuses, or wondered why it’s so hard to stay consistent, you’ll probably relate.

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

Why do so many celebrities follow the same tragic script - early success, impossible pressure, public decline, and a carefully managed collapse? And has anything really changed in the age of influencers, TikTok fame and constant online visibility?

In today’s Advanced level episode of English and Beyond, Oliver and César explore the darker side of fame: the industry built on illusion, the toxic incentives behind talent management, and the strange role we, the audience, play in keeping the system alive. From Judy Garland to Britney Spears, from classic paparazzi culture to the self-inflicted exposure of social media, we unpack why the machine keeps producing the same stories - and why we keep consuming them.

You’ll hear a 4-minute monologue followed by a natural, unscripted conversation in British English - ideal for advanced learners wanting rich vocabulary and nuanced reflections.

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

We all do it: promise too much, deliver too late, and thus fail to meet someone’s expectations.

In this Advanced level conversation, Oliver and César explore disappointment, guilt, and the strange pressure to meet other people's standards. From over-promising at work to letting friends down, we reflect on why we care more about strangers’ opinions than our loved ones’, and what it really means to “lower the bar.”

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

Almost half of UK marriages end in divorce - yet we often still treat it as a shameful or tragic failure. In this episode of English and Beyond, César and I explore why so many relationships end, talk a bit about our own (experiences with) marriage, whether staying married always means happiness, and why divorce might sometimes be an act of honesty rather than defeat.

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

After a period where every small problem felt catastrophic, and he was encouraged to be more "mindful", Oliver asks how and why this radical idea about awareness became yet another lifestyle brand. In this conversation, he and César unpack how a practice meant to help us face discomfort ended up being sold as the cure for it.

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

What does it really mean to be European? Shared values, a shared history… or just a shared habit of thinking our neighbours are doing everything wrong?

In this episode, we are joined by Elisa from French Mornings with Elisa (https://www.frenchmornings.com/) to talk about the strange mix of rivalry and affection that unites the continent. We compare British, French and Spanish attitudes to each other, Erasmus memories, Brexit, national clichés, and even which country gets blamed when things go wrong.

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

Most of us remember a teacher - and not always for positives reasons.

Maybe they inspired us. Maybe they embarrassed us. Maybe they simply showed up every day and did their job without ever realising how much it mattered to us.

In this episode of English and Beyond, Oliver and César reflect on the people who taught them and left a big impression. They share stories of teachers who left a mark, both good and bad, and explore how those small, unspoken moments in education can shape who we become.

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

Are we becoming obsessed with optimisation?

From Greek philosophy to Apple Watches, the idea of “the good life” has shifted from balance and virtue to data, tracking, and biohacking.

In this episode of English and Beyond (Advanced), Oliver and César explore the culture of self-optimisation - from sleep divorces to clean eating, from supplements to billionaire blood transfusions.

You’ll hear natural British English conversation on:

• Where “healthy living” becomes obsessive control;
• Why sleep tracking, diets, and fitness apps can be both useful and harmful; and
• Whether we’re chasing perfection or just trying to survive adulthood.

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!

They say you never forget your first love. And maybe that’s true - not because it was perfect, but because it carried an intensity that later relationships rarely match. Years later, a song, a name, or a face in a crowd can bring the memory back, fresh and overwhelming.

In this episode, we talk about first crushes, awkward kisses, and secret teenage romances. Some stories are sweet, others bittersweet, but all of them remind us how powerful those early feelings can be - and how they stay with us, even when everything else has moved on.

Listen in for reflections on:

• Why first love often feels more vivid than later relationships
• How memory reshapes our earliest experiences of desire and disappointment
• The sweet, sometimes innocent intensity of loving for the very first time

📖 Want to improve your English even more?

• Read the full transcript & vocabulary flashcards → www.morethanalanguage.com
• Follow us on Instagram → @BritishEnglishandBeyond
• Watch us on Youtube → @englishandbeyondpodcast
• Email your thoughts or questions → [email protected]

🎙 New episodes every week! Subscribe now to practise listening, expand your vocabulary, and learn English in a natural, fun way.

And remember, if this C1/C2 level podcast is a little too tough for you, we have "English and Beyond: Intermediate English Podcast" too!