The Level Up English Podcast

Michael Lavers

🇬🇧 I'm Michael Lavers and this podcast will help you improve your English. I'm an online English teacher for students learning as a second language. In this podcast, I answer your questions about learning and help you achieve your goals in British English. Once a month I talk to a teacher or expert on topics related to language. read less

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(Note that the podcast begins as "The English With Michael Podcast", but later on changes to "The Level Up English Podcast")Hello and welcome to The Level Up English.Hello and welcome to the first-ever episode.This is an introductory episode so I thought I could take some time to tell you about who I am and what to expect from this podcast.So my name is Michael Lavers. I'm an online ESL teacher - that is, people learning English as a Second Language.I'm from a city called Plymouth in the United Kingdom.I have taught thousands of lessons online with students from all around the world, all difference countries, from ages 4 to 80. But maybe we could talk about why I want to make a podcast. I love helping people improve their English, but, there's only so much I can do in one day. I have a lot of questions online, on my website, on social media, asking for help, but unfortunately I can't help everyone.So I thought a podcast would be a great way to reach more people and, hopefully, help people improve their English, and also British English.I love podcasts! I listen to several hours of podcasts every day, so I think it's a really good way to learn no matter how busy you are.I'm really passionate about helping people and I think podcasts are a good way to do that.So let's talk about what you can expect in this podcast.A usual episode might include me:answering your questions providing some advice on how to learn Englishmaybe sometimes we can talk about grammar and vocabulary (but in a fun way)in the future I may do some interviews as well (I've never done that before so we'll have to see how it goes, but that's something I would be very interested in trying)Each podcast with the podcast notes and all the resources will be available on my website at ewmichael.com/podcast (Note: this will redirect to my new website)If you have any questions for me that you'd like me to answer, or any ideas for future episodes, please let me know and I'll be happy to answer.So thank you vert much for coming to check out my podcast and I'm looking forward to learning together.Go to https://levelupenglish.school/podcast for more resources and information!------------------Website: levelupenglish.schoolEmail: info@ewmichael.comInstagram: @englishwithmichaelFacebook: /englishwithmichaelYoutube: /englishwithmichaelPersonal website: ewmichael.comSupport the show

#248 I Tracked My Language Learning for 2 Months

#248 I Tracked My Language Learning for 2 Months

Over the past few months, I've been meticulously tracking my language learning process for Japanese, Thai, and Chinese Mandarin on a Google Sheets doc.In this episode, I discuss the results of this data and we look together at the graphs that represent my study time. There are some really interesting patterns and trends that I can learn from, and I have several conclusions that shocked me.I had no idea what mistakes I was making before tracking my time!I am also sharing the template for you to use too! Click the link below to get this Google Sheet for yourself.Level Up English YouTube Channel:https://youtu.be/faLfCbxGDbAGet the template for the tracker: https://courses.levelupenglish.school/f/languagetrackerShow notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast248Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#247 Digital Nomad in a Van (Paul Creane)

#247 Digital Nomad in a Van (Paul Creane)

Paul Creane joined me today to talk about his exciting lifestyle of being a Digital Nomad. We talk about what this means in the episode as well as lots of other useful terms related to this topic.We also cover what it's like to live in a van, travel in Asia, Housesitting, and all the apps and platforms Paul uses to help him live the life he does.It's always great to hear new perspectives and ways of living, and today's conversation might just inspire you. It's a really fascinating conversation and I hope you enjoy it too. English Podcast with Paul2nd Class HobosShow notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast247Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#246 Easy Stories in English (Ariel Goodbody)

#246 Easy Stories in English (Ariel Goodbody)

I am a big fan of reading for the purpose of learning a language as well, of course as listening, which is why I make podcasts. If you want to improve both of your listening and reading as well as your vocabulary, then this should be a good resource for you today.In today’s episode, Ariel Goodbody will tell you a story, but pre-teach some of the harder vocabulary first. This is a crosspost episode where Ariel shared one of my episodes on their podcast, and I am sharing a story I enjoyed from Ariel's podcast.It's something a little different, so I hope you enjoy it! Connect with Ariel or me below.Easy Stories in English WebsiteShow notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast246Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#245 The Ultimate Guide to IELTS Speaking

#245 The Ultimate Guide to IELTS Speaking

In this episode, I will be talking about the IELTS Speaking exam.I know the IELTS exam isn't going to be relevant for everyone, although I always like to mention that preparing for the exam can also be great practice for English in a general sense. I'm sure those who have taken the exam before will agree that their English improved during the process. So even if you're not taking the exam, I really hope this episode will be useful for you in some way.Since the beginning of this podcast, one of my main reasons, for making content was based on listener questions. I realised I would get the same questions again and again, and rather than trying to write out messages to reply to each one. I thought it would be much better for both me and the person asking the question if I could put all of my advice into one episode.So the goal of this episode is to make the ultimate guide to IELTS speaking. Learn more about my IELTS training course here: https://courses.levelupenglish.school/courses/ieltsShow notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast245Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#244 The Link Between Exercise and Language Learning

#244 The Link Between Exercise and Language Learning

Over the years doing this podcast, the topic of exercise seems to have come up a lot when making comparisons to language learning, so I thought it was about time I made an episode where I talk all about it.In this episode, I talk about exercise and some of the benefits, teach you some useful expressions, and make some links on how exercise and language learning are similar and benefit you in the same ways.Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast244Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#243 Should You Learn from Non-Native Speakers?

#243 Should You Learn from Non-Native Speakers?

I get comments occasionally from people who say “I want to be like a native speaker” and “I don’t want to learn from non-native speakers. In this episode, I'll argue the benefits of learning from non-native speakers as well as natives, and not closing yourself off from learning. The main thesis here is to stay open-minded in language learning and I explore some reasons why.I cover some ways in which non-native speakers might be preferable to native speakers, and even when they're not, the things you can learn from them.I hope you find this episode valuable. As always, you can share your thoughts on the show notes page below. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast243Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#242 Learn Languages Like a Pro (Xiaogua Chinese)

#242 Learn Languages Like a Pro (Xiaogua Chinese)

In this episode, I have a great and casual chat with Zhifei from Xiaogua Chinese about language learning, using flashcards, the best mindset for learners, getting a good English accent, and much more! We also talk about my own Chinese learning methods and share ideas on the best way to learn two languages at once.There's a lot of useful information in this long episode, and I hope you find it useful listening practice for your English too.Xiaogua Instagram Xiaogua YouTubeShow notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast242Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#241 Furry Friends - Team Dog or Team Cat?

#241 Furry Friends - Team Dog or Team Cat?

For many of us, pets and animals are a huge part of our lives. We spend a lot of time and money looking after our furry friends, and I definitely have a huge soft spot for animals - especially cats!In this episode, I talk about choosing the right pet, dog people vs cat people, my own experiences with pets and vets, dealing with the loss of a pet, and share lots of useful phrases and expressions useful for daily English speaking.Join the conversation below.Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast241Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#240 Biggest Lessons from Moving Abroad

#240 Biggest Lessons from Moving Abroad

I’ve been living in Bangkok, Thailand since the beginning of August, so it’s been over 2 months now. This is the longest I’ve spent in one place outside of my home country before. One of our group class students requested an episode sharing my thoughts and experiences after moving here, and I decided to give it a go.In this episode, I’ll be talking about what’s changed here and some big differences I’ve noticed between the UK and Thailand. I’ll be sharing the good and the bad, things I miss and things I prefer here. I’ll also be talking about moving abroad and relocating more generally and will mention some useful vocabulary related to this topic.Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast240Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#239 Never Forget English Words Again

#239 Never Forget English Words Again

Memory is something we've covered a few times on the podcast before, but it's always worth coming back to with more ideas and tips. In this episode, I share advice on how you can stop forgetting English vocabulary, 2 methods of learning new vocabulary that suit all types of learners and personality types, expressions related to memory and forgetting, and at the end I give some advice on general memory and forgetfulness. I think there's a lot of value packed into this episode so listen carefully and I'm sure you'll take away something valuable. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast239Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#238 Level Up English Live - Giving Advice

#238 Level Up English Live - Giving Advice

Every now and then, I invite the members of Level Up English to join me for a chat about different topics. This time, we spoke about giving advice. In the end, only 3 people joined, which was quite a nice casual group. All members gave some amazing advice and also used some really good vocabulary. I hope you enjoy this episode!In this episode, we cover:Advice on being happyAdvice on getting good sleepAdvice on learning languagesAnd problems we're facing in lifeShow notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast238Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#237 The Power of Groups and Movies with Cara Leopold

#237 The Power of Groups and Movies with Cara Leopold

Cara Leopold (Leo Listening) joins me once again on the podcast to discuss the benefits of learning English in groups with her experience teaching group classes based around movies, as well as some good movies and TV series she likes to use to practice and teach English. If you've caught this episode in 2023, Cara is relaunching her Movie Club course. You can try it out for one week in September to see if you like it. We talk more about this in the episode tooShow notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast237------------------------------Cara Leopold is the creator of the Leo Listening Movie Club where she helps film-loving English learners understand and discuss movies together so they can master conversational English. From September 13th-20th Cara is organising the Back-to-School Movie Challenge, a 1-week taste of what it's like to be in a movie club. By watching and discussing clips from high school movies together, you’ll learn new vocabulary, catch fast-spoken English and practice your speaking and writing skills with other movie-loving English learners. The challenge includes access to a discussion forum as well as a live Zoom session on September 20th to chat with me and other film lovers about the movie clips. Join the challenge: https://leolistening.podia.com/back-to-school-movie-challengeCara’s website: https://leo-listening.com/Cara’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LeoListening/Cara’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caraleopold/Cara’s Pinterest profile: https://www.pinterest.fr/leolistening/ --------------------Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#236 Adding 'Up' to Verbs (Part 2)

#236 Adding 'Up' to Verbs (Part 2)

In this episode, we'll be talking about some patterns you can remember when adding UP to verbs.Here are some examples: cloud up, clear up, finish up, drink up, break upOne of the Level Up Members recently asked about the difficult part of phrasal verbs where we add ‘up’ to a verb and why we do this. I decided to make an entire episode about it because it’s not an easy thing to get your head around. Part 1 was Episode 224.I decided to stop the episode halfway because 1 hour of listing phrasal verbs might be a tad boring. So let's finish up the patterns in today's episode.I will add a complete lesson on Level Up English with a quiz and subtitles to help you understand. If you want to access this as well as join a global learner community to get access to all transcripts, group lessons, and many more courses.Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast236Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#235 Learn English Fast with Comprehensible Input

#235 Learn English Fast with Comprehensible Input

I had a great audio question sent in today about learning with comprehensible input. So in this episode, I cover some of the ideas behind the comprehensible input method, and then explore the input hypothesis from Stephen Krashen and how these ideas might benefit your language learning methods.As always, keep in mind we are all different and learn in different ways, but I think a lot of these points will be relevant to most of you. Perhaps you can take something away today that you can implement (add) into your own study routine. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast235Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#234 Steve Kaufmann's Language Learning Advice

#234 Steve Kaufmann's Language Learning Advice

Steve Kaufmann is a polyglot who has a good level of proficiency in around 20 languages. Steve is well known for his content online and on his YouTube channel, Lingo Steve. You've probably seen him before! Today he joined me for a really fascinating chat about language learning. I cover some of his recent YouTube videos and ask for tips on some of these topics. If you want to know more, I highly recommend going to his channel for more details.In this episode, we cover:Language learning mistakesThe importance of curiosityThe Intermediate Plataeu Leaving your comfort zoneIncreasing vocabularyAnd of course moreShow notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast234Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#233 Don't Take Yourself So Seriously

#233 Don't Take Yourself So Seriously

On the private podcast last week, I chatted a bit about my experience in China and then ended on the idea of the benefit of being silly in your language learning. I thought it was a really interesting and potentially useful topic for people to hear, so I decided to turn it into a public podcast episode too.In this episode, I’ll be talking about reasons why you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously, and how inserting more silliness into your life can benefit you - both generally and to help your English learning. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast233Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#232 Making Big Life Changes

#232 Making Big Life Changes

I recently made a huge change in my life and I'm announcing it to everyone in this episode today. I'm going to talk a little bit about this change, why I made it, and some of my feelings about the future. I then talk about change in a more general sense and give you some tips (inspired by Atomic Habits) to help you in life and language learning, as well as some useful expressions related to change. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast232Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#231 Don't Call Me 'Dear'

#231 Don't Call Me 'Dear'

Do you know how to use the word 'dear'? A lot of people get confused with this term, and honestly the answer isn't as simple as you may think, so let's look into that today.I'll cover the ways in which we use this word and why you might not want to say it to strangers.This is a re-share of a video I posted on the English with Michael YouTube channel, so thanks for your patience with me during this busy time!Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast231Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Support the show

#230 Buying a House in the UK

#230 Buying a House in the UK

A listener requested a topic on the housing market in the UK, so I thought I'd give it a shot and make it as interesting as I can. In this episode, I talk about the housing crisis the UK is currently going through, my own experience with buying a house and share some interesting sayings and idioms too. As always, we look at lots of useful and high-level vocabulary. Do you know the word 'insurmountable'? Let's learn it today! Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast230Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

#229 The History of English with Kevin Stroud

#229 The History of English with Kevin Stroud

Kevin Stroud from the History of English Podcast joins me for a fascinating discussion and dive into... well, the history of English!In this episode, we talk about a variety of things, including:Why TH doesn't have its own letterIn what part of England the language was standardised?When did the first dictionaries comeWhy there are so many French words in EnglishWhy we have so many silent lettersWhy we have different words for animals and meat (pig, pork)Where English surnames come fromAnd more!Don't miss this one! If you have any trouble understanding some of the difficult terms in this episode, the YouTube video version will have some definitions on screen. The Member's Transcript will help even more.Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast229Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Lead-Lag Live - Hosted By Michael A. Gayed, CFA of The Lead-Lag ReportConversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show