🎥 Watch the video version on YouTube

https://youtu.be/dzTYYx4rUyo

🌈 Episode Overview
In this episode, we explore a different way of thinking about English learning—one that moves beyond tests, techniques, and “shoulds.”

Drawing from Abby’s experience teaching English in Japan and Eiji’s personal journey as a learner, we talk about the gap between studying English as a subject and using English as a living language. Many learners can read, write, or pass exams, yet still struggle to communicate freely—and we examine why that happens.

We discuss how curiosity changes the quality of input, why forcing yourself to study topics you don’t care about often backfires, and how real improvement tends to happen when you’re focused on understanding ideas rather than learning English itself.

The conversation also touches on motivation, perfectionism, and common misunderstandings around practices like dictation—especially for intermediate and advanced learners who already understand a lot, but feel stuck.

Rather than asking how to study English more efficiently, this episode invites you to consider a different question:
What do you genuinely want to explore—in any language?