We are OBSESSED with sports metaphors. I think it's because in the U.S sport have become a religion, and the corporate culture that they have exported mirrors this. Anywhere you look you find things like "the final stretch", "a heavy hitter" "out of left field", but do you know how to use them, or even for where they come from? This episode is a guide on how to use these phrases to blend in with native speakers and sound more natural.

I thought it would be cool to share this with you. I've been on a journey the last few years, and this past year (2025) was really the year it all clicked (or made sense). This is a bit of a personal episode, but hopefully that wont deter you from listening to it. There's some great vocab in there as always, and a challenge for you at the end of the episode. WARNING: you're going to be intimidated by it, but it's probably exactly what you need.

⁠TRANSCRIPT⁠

Here's part two of this article read along, that features what are probably the two most important ways in which we sabotage ourselves. Thinking of the WHOLE instead of the next part, and also lying to ourselves with what it is we actually want. This article has really helped me to reevaluate things in my life and I hope it does the same for you.

This article I came across had a refreshing perspective on the psychology behind how we stop ourselves from reaching our goals and how we kid ourselves (cómo nos engañamos) when it comes to actually changing things in our lives. With New Year's resolutions around the corner, what better time to reflect on how we're holding ourselves back.

I thought it was a fun article to read together because of the way it's written. It's as if your friend was talking to you, giving you a no-bullsh*t take on things. I really enjoyed it, and there's a bunch of great vocabulary and expressions that we'll talk about along the way. Hope you like it, and if you do, share it with a friend ✌️

Learning English with TV Shows is all good. But not all genres are created equal. This is a guide to the most underrated genres of shows that you might be ignoring. Yes, Friends and How I Met Your Mother are fun and stuff, but you might be sleeping on where the learning is actually happening. This episode is a wake up call for those of you whose main exposure to English is related to your TV. + Let's end the subtitle debate. This episode is ALSO a guide for how to use subtitles the right way, as well as strategies you can start using to really challenge yourself and ge to that next level. I really liked this episode. I hope you agree 🫶

TRANSCRIPT

Read this article with me.

We change the way we speak depending on who we're talking to. I think we can all agree on that. Some do it more than others, and some ethnicities HAVE to do it more than others, in order to try to avoid being stigmatised or stereotyped. I thought this was SUCH an interesting article about the Costs of Code-Switching and how we are impacted by it. This article focuses more on how Code-Switching affects black professionals in the US, and gives a really interesting view into a world that perhaps most of us are completely unaware of.

A look into some of the most common phrases and verbs you can use at work to sound like you know what you're talking about 😉. To circle back, to touch base, to sync up and more.

+ Dane's new immersion project right here in Madrid.

Conversación en inglés para practicar.

This conversation features my friend and celebrity hairstylist / make up artist Ruben Ramos @theawakeningofstyle

We talk about the importance of feeling good about yourself and how that impacts how you act upon the world, if beauty standards are getting away from us a bit, if botox and other procedures are a "slipper slope", and more.

Ruben's English isn't perfect, and throughout our conversation im helping him with small corrections to make sure we don't reinforce any incorrect structures. I hope this conversation illustrates that your English doesn't have to be perfect to be able to get your point across, and it's more about choosing your words with purpose, and speaking at a pace that feels good to you.

¿Es posible criar hijos bilingües sin aunque tú no lo seas? Pues sí. Y no lo digo yo, lo dice la ciencia. Este episodio responde a muchas preguntas que tenemos como padres sobre la educación de nuestros hijos en cuanto a la enseñanza de idiomas. ¿Se van a confundir si les exponemos al inglés desde muy pequeños? ¿Qué podemos hacer desde hoy mismo para que puedan desarrollar esta habilidad? ¿Me tengo que dejar todo el sueldo en clases? ¿En qué deberíamos enfocarnos? etc.

+ Te cuento mi filosofía sobre cómo hacer que disfruten del inglés y que no sea una experiencia estresante, tanto para ellos como para ti.

Noticias en inglés para practicar.

Cómo Trump esta arrinconando a los Latinos y por qué los jóvenes están tan desilusionados con todo.

I hope you enjoy this type of episode, because I think it's really

imporant (and interesting) to talk about these kinds of things. This isn't a political podcast, as you know, but sometimes we need to talk about the world to try to make sense of it. Tell me if you like this type of episode and I'll be sure to include them more often.

Thanks for listening, and for all of your support and kind messages . 🫶

Dane

P.S: I made a mistake in the recording, this is actually episode 28 of season 2.