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Jerry Kolber is the Emmy-nominated creator of National Geographic's #1 series, the Emmy-nominated Brain Games and is the creator of the family podcasts  "Mysteries About True Histories" and "Who Smarted?", the world's most popular thrice-weekly kids' educational podcast reaching over 15 million downloads. As a pioneer in educational entertainment, he partnered with Pharrell Williams to create Netflix's hit series Brainchild, continuing his mission to make learning both engaging and entertaining. A seasoned creator and showrunner, Kolber specializes in developing groundbreaking educational content that challenges traditional learning models while captivating audiences through compelling storytelling.

Explore More:

• Who Smarted? - Educational entertainment for the whole family.
• Slaycation - A hilarious twist on true crime.
• Crossfluence - Tools to grow your audience and influence.

Jerry Kolber's work exemplifies the fusion of creativity, education, and innovation, making him a leading figure in reshaping how we learn and engage with media.

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Today's podcast guests are Santiago Ruiz de Velasco, Managing Director of OUP’s English Language Teaching division Benjamin Joseph, CEO and Co-founder of Learnlight.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) face the challenge of supporting non-native English speakers, including students and researchers, by providing courses that effectively and flexibly enhance their skills in a way that aligns with academic demands. A recent study indicates that the higher education sector may miss valuable contributions from researchers and students due to language barriers; many non-native speakers spend additional time navigating academic texts, preparing for presentations, and working on group projects.

Aspire was created to tackle these issues directly by offering a comprehensive English language training program, available in both digital and virtual instructor-led formats for individuals and groups. These sessions are led by globally renowned trainers who have undergone specialized professional development crafted by Oxford University Press.

Key Benefits of Aspire:

• Proven and Reliable Methods: Aspire is built on Learnlight's proprietary science, including the Learnlight Empowerment Method™ and Flipped Classroom approach, which have been proven to accelerate proficiency by 40%, ensuring timely, measurable results. This is complemented by content from Oxford University Press, a globally respected academic publisher with over 500 years of experience.
• Instruction by Experts: Aspire provides high-quality, practical instruction tailored to professional settings, delivered by exceptional trainers who meet Learnlight's rigorous performance metrics and have completed specialized training with Oxford University Press.
• Assessments and Certifications: Learners start with the Oxford Placement Test to find the right learning path and complete regular progress tests. After passing the final assessment, they receive a co-branded certificate from Oxford University Press and Learnlight, a solid credential of their language proficiency.
• Innovative Learning Tools: Aspire provides access to resources like the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and Learnlight’s extensive learning tools, including its AI-powered Fluency Lab, daily conversation practice, grammar guides, and magazines for ongoing learning.

For HEI’s looking to find out how this transformative program can support students and researchers with language learning, you can register your interest here.

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In 2015, Harrison moved from the U.S. to Spain for a life-changing gap year teaching abroad. During that first year, he met his wife, and not long after, he founded RVF International in Madrid. Since then, RVF has helped nearly 2,000 people make the move to Spain, and its mission is to continue supporting and empowering even more adventurers on their journey abroad.

RVF Website Link: https://rvfinternational.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvfinternational/?hl=en

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rvfinternational

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rvfinternational?trk=ppro_cprof

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rvfinternational1825/featured

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RVF.International/

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Laura Wilkes is a video and podcast producer who helps educators record content to grow their community. Before becoming a producer and setting up Communicating for Impact, Laura taught English, trained teachers, and led academic teams across the world for fifteen years. Laura is also the producer for the TESOL Pop podcast, which provides bite-sized episodes on teaching, trends, and careers for educators.

website: https://communicating-for-impact.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-wilkes-video-podcast-producer/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communicating_for_impact/

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Ryan Hagglund is the owner of MY English School , which operates nine locations in Yamagata and Hyogo prefectures, serving over 1,200 students, as well as Yamagata’s only English immersion kindergarten. MY also organizes conferences and teacher training events through Independent Owners and Teachers and manages orders for the English Teachers’ Book Service , which gives a 20% discount to all schools and independent teachers.

Originally from Oregon, Ryan holds a BA in Sociology and Theatre from Seattle Pacific University, an MA in TEFL/TESL from the University of Birmingham, and an MAT with Oregon State teaching certification from Willamette University. He came to Japan on the JET Program in 1998, later taught full-time at a private high school, and took over MY English School in 2008. Ryan also served as an adjunct instructor at Yamagata University (2008-2017) and as a coordinator for ETJ Sendai and president of the JALT School Owners SIG.

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Frank Foley has lived and worked in Japan for 33 years, with 22 as Japan Country Manager. His career in Japan began at News Corporation, where he spent 17 years. Initially, he worked in publishing at HarperCollins Publishers, leading sales for trade and educational books across Asia for six years. He later shifted to News Corp's cable and satellite division, where he played a pivotal role in launching and managing Fox Channel Japan and the National Geographic Channel. While at National Geographic, he forged a partnership with Cengage Publishing that eventually developed into the ELL game-changing company, National Geographic Learning.

Frank then transitioned to the character licensing industry, overseeing Asia-Pacific operations for HIT Entertainment, the former owner of iconic kids' brands like Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, and Pingu. He also led Japan operations for well-known family and entertainment brands, including Guinness World Records and Universal Music. Currently, Frank is the Japan Country Manager for The East India Company Ltd.

Stories From The Genba

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Adam Kardos, owner of EA Kids and founder of AAS Press, is a teacher trainer and curriculum writer based in Hyogo. He has published textbooks and readers for young learners including Spring Country and Here Come the Unicorns, winners of the Language Learner Literature award. He has also produced the Gamerize Dictionary, a gamified learner dictionary app

Links:

Opening and Running and English Gakudo

Gamerize Dictionary

AAS Press Music Medley

Awesome Adventure Series Course

Introduction to Awesome Phonics Adventures

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Barry O'Callaghan is an accomplished Irish business executive and financier. Currently serving as the Chairman and CEO of Rise Global, he has left an indelible mark on the corporate landscape. Prior to his role at Rise Global, Barry held the position of CEO at Riverdeep, where he orchestrated a remarkable transformation.

Under Barry's leadership, Riverdeep, initially a modest educational software company, underwent a remarkable evolution, culminating in its ascent to become the largest K-12 publishing company within the American education system. This achievement was realized through a strategic series of acquisitions orchestrated by Barry, demonstrating his astute business acumen and visionary leadership.

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Ben Shearon is a retired university English teacher based in Sendai. He was born in Germany and grew up in Spain but claims to be British. After living in Spain, the UK, and China, he moved to Japan in 2000 and has been here ever since. In 2013 Ben started the RetireJapan website to share information in English about personal finance, investing, and retirement for people living in Japan. It has since grown into an online community with a forum, newsletter, YouTube channel, and a number of publications and courses. In his spare time Ben helps his wife run a children’s language school, publishes a textbook series for Japanese junior high school students (the Fluency Course), and enjoys losing at Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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Marek Kiczkowiak has been in ELT since 2009. He has CELTA, DELTA and a PhD. He currently runs an educational company, Academic English Now, where he helps PhD students and researchers write research papers. He grew the company from 0 to 70k/month and now shares his insights with English teachers who want to start a widely profitable teaching English business.

Alex Hormozi

Blue Ocean Strategy

Crossing the Chasm

Jim Collins

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