English and Beyond: Advanced English for Fluency & Communication

Episoder

• E75 Immersion Abroad Isn't Always Easy (feat. "Spanish with Antonio") | Advanced English Podcast 24.03.2026 20min

  Why is it so hard to make real friends in the UK? In this episode of English & Beyond, Oliver sits down with Antonio from Spanish with Antonio to talk about what it's actually like living abroad - the friendships that never quite happen, the cultural codes nobody explains, and why British politeness doesn't always lead to real connection. Antonio shares his experiences living in Portsmouth (UK) and Lille (France), and together they explore why making friends as an adult abroad is so compl...
• E74 Is It Rude to Ghost Someone? | Advanced English Conversation Practice 06.03.2026 15min

  Is it rude to ghost someone, or is silence sometimes the kindest answer? In this episode of English and Beyond, Oliver and César explore the modern phenomenon of ghosting - when someone suddenly stops replying in dating, friendships or even professional situations. This episode is designed for advanced English learners who want to improve their English listening skills through natural conversation. As they discuss why people ghost, whether honesty is always better, and why rejection can somet...
• E73 How Birthdays Change as We Get Older | Advanced English Conversation 23.02.2026 15min

  In this advanced English conversation, César and Oliver reflect on how birthdays change as we get older - from childhood parties and British birthday traditions to adult expectations, gifts and family gatherings. The discussion explores ageing, social pressure and cultural differences in a natural, unscripted dialogue designed for advanced learners. Improve your listening with real British English, authentic storytelling and reflective conversation. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? R...
• E72 Does Ambition Make You A Worse Person? | Advanced English Podcast About Society & Ethics 16.02.2026 16min

  Does ambition make us more successful - or just more disconnected from the people around us? In this advanced English conversation, César and Oliver explore the role of ambition in modern life, from hustle culture and big-city pressure to discipline, happiness and personal relationships. Through a natural, unscripted discussion, they question whether constantly striving for more can affect how we see success, friendship and even ourselves. This episode is designed for advanced English learner...
• E71 Everyone Has a Podcast Now! | Advanced English Podcast About Media & Culture 07.02.2026 16min

  Why does everyone have a podcast now? In this episode, we discuss the podcast boom, why most podcasts don’t last, and what podcasting says about modern culture - through natural, unscripted advanced English. Ideal for advanced English learners who want to improve listening comprehension, learn real expressions, and get used to native-level conversation without simplified language. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary t...
• E70 What We Owe Our Families (and What We Don’t) - Fine-tune Your Advanced English Listening Skills 26.01.2026 20min

  What do we really owe our families - and where do we draw the line? In this advanced-level English podcast episode, we explore family conflict, obligation, loyalty and boundaries. Using clear, natural British English, we discuss cultural differences, falling out with relatives, and when family expectations become a burden. Ideal for advanced learners who want thoughtful content and real-world vocabulary. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary fla...
• E69 What AI Is Doing to Our Attention - Practise Your Advanced English With This Angry Rant! 17.01.2026 25min

  Are social networks and their new best friend, artificial intelligence, destroying our attention spans? In this episode, we examine how AI-generated content, endless scrolling, and algorithm-driven platforms are changing the way we focus, learn, and consume information online. We discuss fake influencers, their low-effort “educational” content, and why depth, effort, and long-form thinking are becoming harder - and hopefully more valuable - in the age of AI. 📖 Want to improve your English eve...
• E68 Back Living With Your Parents Again... - Advanced English Listening 11.01.2026 17min

  In this advanced English listening episode, we talk about the reality of moving back in with your parents as adults. You’ll hear natural, unscripted English, real opinions, and everyday vocabulary about family life, shared spaces, awkward moments, and cultural differences. Ideal for advanced learners who want real English, not textbook English. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary trainers for FREE → www.morethanalangu...
• E67 Am I Chasing Goals I Don't Actually Want? - Advanced English Podcast 03.01.2026 19min

  Why do so many resolutions quickly fail - even when we feel so motivated at the start of the year? In this episode, we reflect on failed resolutions, accountability, and the uncomfortable idea that some goals don’t stick because they were never truly our goals. From language learning to fitness and productivity, we explore how honesty matters more than discipline. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary trainers for FREE ...
• E66 We're Ending the Year in a Totally Different Place - Advanced English Podcast 24.12.2025 18min

  At the start of the year, I had a fairly clear idea of what the next twelve months would look like...that didn’t happen. In this episode, I talk about how the year actually ended up - the practical changes, the shifts in routine, and how you can end a year in a completely different place without any single dramatic moment causing it. It’s not a recap, and it’s not a lesson. Just a look at how plans drift, circumstances change, and how that only becomes obvious when the year is already over. 📖...
• E65 Friendship at First Sight - Advanced Listening Practice 04.12.2025 21min

  Let's improve your English listening skills while discussing a very relevant topic: why do we just 'click' so much better with some people more than others? In this episode, Oliver and César talk about the strange mechanics of adult friendship: why it’s so hard to make genuine friends through work or hobbies, why life constantly interrupts the friendships we do build, and why occasionally we meet people who feel familiar from the very first conversation. 📖 Want to improve your English e...
• E64 We Quit! (Not Really...) - Advanced English Learning Podcast 23.11.2025 16min

  Shameful! But maybe relatable? 😂 Why do two language teachers - people who literally teach languages for a living - end up quitting their own language learning lessons after just two months? In today’s episode, we talk honestly about motivation, classrooms, commuting, group dynamics, and why even experienced learners sometimes lose momentum. We discuss the reality of adult language learning, the temptation of digital tools, and the strange nostalgia that made us think traditional classes woul...
• E63 The Price of Fame - Advanced English Learning Podcast 15.11.2025 21min

  Why do so many celebrities follow the same tragic script - early success, impossible pressure, public decline, and a carefully managed collapse? And has anything really changed in the age of influencers, TikTok fame and constant online visibility? In today’s Advanced level episode of English and Beyond, Oliver and César explore the darker side of fame: the industry built on illusion, the toxic incentives behind talent management, and the strange role we, the audience, play in keeping the syst...
• E62 The Art of Disappointing People - Advanced Listening Practice for English Students 09.11.2025 18min

  We all do it: promise too much, deliver too late, and thus fail to meet someone’s expectations. In this Advanced level conversation, Oliver and César explore disappointment, guilt, and the strange pressure to meet other people's standards. From over-promising at work to letting friends down, we reflect on why we care more about strangers’ opinions than our loved ones’, and what it really means to “lower the bar.” 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocab...
• E61 If We Get D.I.V.O.R.C.E.D, Has Our Marriage Failed? (Advanced English Listening Practice) 02.11.2025 19min

  Almost half of UK marriages end in divorce - yet we often still treat it as a shameful or tragic failure. In this episode of English and Beyond, César and I explore why so many relationships end, talk a bit about our own (experiences with) marriage, whether staying married always means happiness, and why divorce might sometimes be an act of honesty rather than defeat. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary trainers for F...
• E60 Has Mindfulness Lost Its Mind? - Advanced English Listening (C1/C2) 26.10.2025 20min

  After a period where every small problem felt catastrophic, and he was encouraged to be more "mindful", Oliver asks how and why this radical idea about awareness became yet another lifestyle brand. In this conversation, he and César unpack how a practice meant to help us face discomfort ended up being sold as the cure for it. 📖 Want to improve your English even more? Read the full transcript, access vocabulary flashcards and vocabulary trainers for FREE → www.morethanalanguage.comFollow us on...
• E59 Do Europeans Even *Like* Each Other? (feat. French Mornings with Elisa) 17.10.2025 30min

  What does it really mean to be European? Shared values, a shared history… or just a shared habit of thinking our neighbours are doing everything wrong? In this episode, we are joined by Elisa from French Mornings with Elisa (https://www.frenchmornings.com/) to talk about the strange mix of rivalry and affection that unites the continent. We compare British, French and Spanish attitudes to each other, Erasmus memories, Brexit, national clichés, and even which country gets blamed when things go...
• E58 Teachers We’ll Never Forget - Advanced English Listening (C1/C2) 12.10.2025 20min

  Most of us remember a teacher - and not always for positives reasons. Maybe they inspired us. Maybe they embarrassed us. Maybe they simply showed up every day and did their job without ever realising how much it mattered to us. In this episode of English and Beyond, Oliver and César reflect on the people who taught them and left a big impression. They share stories of teachers who left a mark, both good and bad, and explore how those small, unspoken moments in education can shape who we becom...
• E57 Perfectly Miserable: The Culture of Optimisation - Advanced English Listening 02.10.2025 17min

  Are we becoming obsessed with optimisation? From Greek philosophy to Apple Watches, the idea of “the good life” has shifted from balance and virtue to data, tracking, and biohacking. In this episode of English and Beyond (Advanced), Oliver and César explore the culture of self-optimisation - from sleep divorces to clean eating, from supplements to billionaire blood transfusions. You’ll hear natural British English conversation on: Where “healthy living” becomes obsessive control;Why sleep tra...
• E56 "First Love Never Dies" - Advanced English Listening Practice 26.09.2025 19min

  They say you never forget your first love. And maybe that’s true - not because it was perfect, but because it carried an intensity that later relationships rarely match. Years later, a song, a name, or a face in a crowd can bring the memory back, fresh and overwhelming. In this episode, we talk about first crushes, awkward kisses, and secret teenage romances. Some stories are sweet, others bittersweet, but all of them remind us how powerful those early feelings can be - and how they stay with...