"You don't have to feel confident to be great at what you do."

We talk with Laura Wilkes, founder of Communicating for Impact, about content creation, putting yourself out there, and what it really takes to build a full-service production house.

Laura has 15 years of experience in education leadership and media production for global education brands. She started Communicating for Impact after seeing how high-quality, strategic media can accelerate growth for experts and mission-driven organizations.

In this episode, we chat about:

• passions vs businesses
• going from reluctant leader to confident director
• the role of authenticity and creativity in content creation
• Laura launching her own creative production house
• how to stand out in saturated markets
• understanding buyer psychology
• the mechanisms needed to take the entrepreneurial leap

*Prefer video? Watch the episode on YouTube.

FOR MORE FROM LAURA WILKES:

1. Connect on LinkedIn

2. Check out Communicating for Impact

3. Follow her YouTube channel

SUPPORT US:

🫶 Integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education.

⭐ Leave a review where you listen.

WORK WITH US:

1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business.

2. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP

3. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

THE THRIVING TEACHERPRENEUR

Get inspired to start and grow your own education business. Weekly insights, stories, and reflections on education entrepreneurship.

Subscribe on Substack here.

Want to monetize your skills as a teacher? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help.

"You can be included and still not feel that you belong" - Ben Goldstein.

We sit down with Ben to talk inclusion in ELT - and what that actually means (and what it doesn't).

Ben is a writer, teacher trainer and conference speaker. He taught materials writing for many years on the online MATESOL program of the New School in New York. He has published two methodology handbooks for teachers: Working with Images and Language Learning with Digital Video. 30 Ideas on Inclusion in ELT, a pocket handbook for teachers has also just been published by Cambridge.

In this episode, Ben discusses:

• defining inclusion in education
• challenges and misconceptions of inclusive teaching
• belonging vs inclusion
• why "inclusion" isn't the best word to use
• how being critical of inclusivity is alright
• holistic strategies for teachers to use
• engagement, representation, and action in UDL

FOR MORE FROM BEN GOLDSTEIN:

1. Connect on LinkedIn

2. Ben's book "30 Ideas on Inclusion."

3. Visit his website bengoldstein.es

OUR PARTNER: WE ARE ENGLISH TEACHERS

Are you struggling to find students as a teacher entrepreneur? Join the Elevate community via the We Are English Teachers community and gain visibility through their network of learners looking for a teacher.

We Are English Teachers: https://weareenglishteachers.com/

Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you.

Collaborate with us:

Want to integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education?

Reach out here: info@learnyourenglish.com

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:

1. Connect with us on our Substack.

2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business.

3. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel

4. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP

5. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

Want to monetize your skills as a teacher? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help.

"Make a decision about which direction you wanna head towards. Start walking and don't do anything else for 30 days" - John Healy

We chat with John Healy about education businesses, how indecision stagnates us, and what teachers can do to execute as entrepreneurs.

John Healy is the founder of My Speaking Score - an AI-powered platform that helps non-native English speakers prepare for the TOEFL Speaking test with confidence. From building a consulting business to teaching in Korea to now founding an edtech company, John's career in ELT is vast. He joins us to talk teaching and education businesses.

In our discussion, we dive into:

• navigating self-doubt
• analyzing risk - and why people should take more of them
• why people are reluctant to make decisive decisions
• outcome businesses vs hourly rates
• balancing passion and profit in education
• powering through early business struggles
• how ideas are easy and execution is difficult
• being obsessive over getting your customer their results

FOR MORE FROM JOHN HEALY:

1. Connect on LinkedIn

2. Check out My Speaking Score

Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you.

Collaborate with us:

Want to integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education?

Reach out here: info@learnyourenglish.com

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:

1. Connect with us on our Substack.

2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business.

3. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel

4. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP

5. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

Want to monetize your skills as a teacher? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help.

"So many people are out there doing great things and they aren't ready, either, so I asked myself: Why not me?"

We chat with teacher and entrepreneur Mariela Mondaca.

Mariela is an English teacher, teacher trainer, and entrepreneur who has turned her 25 years of classroom experience into an online business. She designs programmes that bring together speakers of English as a foreign language from around the world, creating supportive communities where wellbeing-based topics spark conversation and help learners achieve real English fluency.

She runs Fluent Connections.

In this episode, Mariela discusses:

• Overcoming Self-Doubt and Taking the Leap
• Believing in Your Own Path
• Dealing with Self-Doubt and Anxiety
• Starting and Growing a Teaching Business
• Finding Your Niche and Evolving
• Learning from Mistakes and Adapting
• Advice for New Teaching Entrepreneur
• The Turning Point: Strategy and Mindset
• A Week in the Life of a Teacherpreneur
• Starting Over: Key Steps and Lessons Learned
• Reflecting on Personal Growth and Transformation

FOR MORE FROM MARIELA MONDACA:

1. Connect on LinkedIn

2. Follow on IG: @profe_mariel

3. See her programs

Support Teacher Talking Time:

Are you struggling to find students as a teacher entrepreneur? Join the Elevate community via the We Are English Teachers community and gain visibility through their network of learners looking for a teacher.

We Are English Teachers: https://weareenglishteachers.com/

Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you.

Collaborate with us:

Want to integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education?

Reach out here: info@learnyourenglish.com

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:

1. Connect with us on our Substack.

2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business.

3. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel

4. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP

5. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

Want to monetize your skills as a teacher? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help.

"How do we make research meaningful for the classroom? What really helps students acquire grammar? Can apps ACTUALLY support second language learning?"

These are some of the questions we tackled in our conversation with Dr. Shawn Loewen.

Shawn Loewen is Professor of Second Language Studies at Michigan State University, where he directs the doctoral program in SLS. His research focuses on instructed second language acquisition, the research-practice gap, and mobile-assisted language learning. He is the author of several influential books and serves as associate editor of The Modern Language Journal.

His new book, "Edited Volume in Instructed SLA" is out now.

In our discussion, we dive into:

• whether the explicit vs implicit debate matters
• if people can actually learn languages on "those apps"
• pattern recognition and why some learners “just get it”
• task-based language teaching vs. Instructed SLA
• why most institutions don't really know what their approach to learning is
• leveraging AI and technology for learning
• bridging the gap between researchers and teachers
• the limits and potential of communicative language teaching

FOR MORE FROM DR. SHAWN LOEWEN:

1. His book "Edited Volume in Instructed SLA"

2. Connect on LinkedIn

3. His publications

4. His website

Support Teacher Talking Time:

Do you help students prepare for the TOEFL test? Check out My Speaking Score - an AI platform with data-driven feedback to help students get 26 on TOEFL speaking. Trusted by over 100,000 TOEFL test takers.

My Speaking Score: https://www.myspeakingscore.com/

Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.

Collaborate with us:

Want to integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education?

Reach out here: info@learnyourenglish.com

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:

1. Join our Substack community.

2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business.

3. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel

4. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP

5. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

Want to chat with us about your business? Book a free meeting here.

"I have no shame whatsoever in marketing my own courses because I feel proud. I know for sure that it works." We chat with entrepreneur Anna Aleksenko

Anna is an entrepreneur based in Georgia who runs Voice it English, a program that helps professionals turn English into their career superpower. She's been teaching for over 17 years and has had to reinvent herself many times: something every entrepreneur can relate to. With a focus on connection, community, and client results, we're thrilled to have Anna on the show.

Her mission is simple: To turn English from a daily challenge into her clients' career strong point.

In this episode, Anna discusses:

• understanding that everyone has an accent
• burnout and setting boundaries
• expatriating and starting a new life
• how language can shape identity
• emotional barriers in language learning
• moving from hourly to results-based pricing
• focusing on ideal clients and how to identify them
• leveraging LinkedIn for client acquisition
• the power of community
• advice for new education entrepreneurs

FOR MORE FROM ANNA ALEKSENKO:

1. Connect on LinkedIn

2. Voice It English

3. Her free Friday speaking club

Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.

If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:

1. Connect with us on our Substack.

2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business.

3. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel

4. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP

5. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

Want to move away from 1:1 and build your teaching business? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help.

"There's this myth that kids learn faster than adults. Research shows it's not true; adults are actually better language learners" - Dr. Karen Lichtman.

Dr. Karen Lichtman recently moved to Binghamton University after ten years training language teachers at Northern Illinois University. Her research focuses on instructed second language acquisition, including age differences in language learning and implicit vs. explicit language teaching. Karen presents nationally and internationally to audiences of teachers and researchers.

In this episode, we dive into:

• the bad teaching that exists and how to address it
• the myth of children learning faster than adults
• why adults make better language learners
• why easier materials is almost always better
• designing a beginner course from scratch
• balancing implicit & explicit teaching
• addressing skeptical teachers
• the role of TPRS in language learning (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling)

FOR MORE FROM KAREN LICHTMAN:

1. Connect on LinkedIn

2. Her website

3. Her publications

4. Her book "Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS): An Input-Based Approach to Second Language Instruction."

Support Teacher Talking Time:

Do you help students prepare for the TOEFL test? Check out My Speaking Score - an AI platform with data-driven feedback to help students get 26 on TOEFL speaking. Trusted by over 100,000 TOEFL test takers.

My Speaking Score: https://www.myspeakingscore.com/

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:

1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business.

2. Subscribe to the LYE YouTube Channel

3. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP

4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

5. Connect with us on our Substack.

*This is episode two of our series highlighting education entrepreneurs. New episodes every first of the month.

Want to chat with us about your business? Book a free meeting here.

 "If it doesn't go according to plan, what is the worst thing that could happen that is the minimum I can be satisfied with?" We sit down with entrepreneur Jessica Dias to discuss growing a business.

Jessica is an English teacher and founder of Jessy Academy — an online school that helps Brazilian learners break free from the intermediate plateau and develop real communication skills in English. She started her teaching business in 2020 and has since helped more than 2,000 learners speak with more clarity, confidence, and naturalness. After years of working in traditional schools, Jessica decided to ride solo and build a business that truly reflects her teaching philosophy: practical, human, and focused on real communication.

In this episode, Jessica discusses:

• Overcoming Failure and Setting Realistic Goals
• The Genesis of the Itch: From School to Side Hustle
• Turning Passion into a Full-Time Business
• Embracing Change and Growth
• Building a Sustainable Business Model
• Challenges of Running a Business
• Balancing Client Work and Business Operations
• Delegation and Use of AI Tools
• Scaling While Maintaining Quality
• Advice for Handling Business Slumps

FOR MORE FROM JESSICA DIAS:

1. Follow her on Instagram: @msjessydays

2. Jessy Academy

3. Her Clear Pronunciation Program

Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.

If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:

1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business.

2. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel

3. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP

4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

5. Connect with us on our Substack.