Beyond Words

Daniela is an English teacher, pronunciation coach, speaking club host and blogger based in San Jose, California. She was born and raised in Bulgaria, and moved to the U.S. when she was 25 years old. She created everyspeakercounts recently to help people with their English journey. In this episode, Daniela shared her English learning journey, and how she went from not knowing any English to teaching pronunciation. We also talked about her first work experience in the U.S.. How she pushed herself outside of her comfort zone by working as receptionist at Marrriott hotel. Daniela also shared why she chose journalism as her major in college, and how specialize in magazine writing helped her career later on. We also talked about how she got into teaching pronunciation and became an accent coach. I'm just amazed how Daniela never stopped learning. In her 20's she learned 2 foreign languages - Polish and English. In her 30's she started learning aerial silk and started teaching it after few years. During Covid pandemic, she went back to school got her master degree in English pronunciation. Can't wait for you to hear her stories! Here are few ways to connect with Daniela! website: www.everyspeakercounts.com Instagram: @flawsomely_fluent-If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. We also would love to hear from you! You can leave your feedback here.Follow the show on instagram @beyondwordspod @weinbetween As always, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their journey and stories, please let us know! You are what makes this podcast and stories connect us and make us stronger as a community.  You can fill out this nomination form using the link below. Thank you! Beyond Words Podcast Nomination Form

Hi friends! We are taking a little break in the month of May, there won't be any new episode till later in June. Be sure to take your break and take care of yourself when you need it! Thank you as always for your support and we'll be back soon! -If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. We also would love to hear from you! You can leave your feedback here.Follow the show on instagram @beyondwordspod @weinbetween As always, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their journey and stories, please let us know! You are what makes this podcast and stories connect us and make us stronger as a community.  You can fill out this nomination form using the link below. Thank you! Beyond Words Podcast Nomination Form

Ben was born, grew up, and lives in Santiago, Chile. He is an ESL teacher, accent and pronunciation coach who works with professionals that work or live in the United States. Ben is also a language nerd. He can speak 4 languages fluently - Spanish, English, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. In this episode, Ben shared how he got into loving English and English pronunciation even though he lived in Chile his whole life. He shared his own English learning journey with us, and why he regretted the decision to modify his accent and was afraid of speaking English at a certain point in his life. Ben also shared what the journey looks like to him teaching pronunciation as a non-native speaker, misconceptions, and the struggles that come with it. We also talked about accent discrimination, what is Native-Speakerism, and so much more. Here are few ways to find him! website: www.absolutefluency.com Instagram: @absolutefluency You can also book your free consultation with Ben here. -If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. We also would love to hear from you! You can leave your feedback here.Follow the show on instagram @beyondwordspod @weinbetween As always, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their journey and stories, please let us know! You are what makes this podcast and stories connect us and make us stronger as a community.  You can fill out this nomination form using the link below. Thank you! Beyond Words Podcast Nomination Form

Brenda is an interior designer, material specialist, and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California. She was born in Mexicali, Mexico, and moved to the U.S. with her mom when she was 8 years old. In this episode, Brenda shared her English learning journey, and how she was in a bilingual program when she first moved to the U.S. and didn't really learn much English from 8 to 11 years old. We talked about how she pushed and advocated for herself to get the education she wanted, despite the distractions of the family business she was helping out since she was 18 years old. Brenda also shared how much she enjoyed school, and how she took her time to explore what it really meant for her. She went from the choir and singing to interior design to owning her business now as a material specialist servicing design firms throughout Southern California. We also talked about how encouraging and inspiring it is to create representations in different filed of people with diverse backgrounds, and why your story and your perspective are important. You can find Brenda on Instagram @meetbrendapatricia and @material.bar.-If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. We also would love to hear from you! You can leave your feedback here.Follow the show on instagram @beyondwordspod @weinbetween As always, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their journey and stories, please let us know! You are what makes this podcast and stories connect us and make us stronger as a community.  You can fill out this nomination form using the link below. Thank you! Beyond Words Podcast Nomination Form

Today's guest is the Beyond Words' Host Weina Li.  Today's guest host is Hannah Lin, one of our guest on the show, you can check out Hannah's story here. Weina is an interior designer and Podcast host based in Los Angeles, California. She was born in NE China and moved to the U.S. with her mom when she was 20 years old. In this episode, Weina shared her language and voice journey throughout the years living in American. She also shared her long college journey, and why she felt she was behind. Weina shared some of the tools that she created to push herself out of her comfort zone, and how that resulted in some fun work experience along the way. We also talked about how pandemic gave her time to slow down, get over burnout, and how she started this podcast as the result of her self-discovery journey. -If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. We also would love to hear from you! You can leave your feedback here.Follow the show on instagram @beyondwordspod @weinbetween As always, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their journey and stories, please let us know! You are what makes this podcast and stories connect us and make us stronger as a community.  You can fill out this nomination form using the link below. Thank you! Beyond Words Podcast Nomination Form

Hannah Lin is a social worker and a Podcast host based in Toronto, Canada. She was born in China and moved to Canada with her mom when she was 9 years old. Hannah started her social entrepreneur journey in 2020 and rebranded her podcast in 2022. Now in her podcast inWellnest, her and her co-host talks about everything wellness and women's journey. In this episode, Hannah shared her language learning journey when she just moved to Canada, the struggle and confusion for her to learn English and French at the same time and how she got them mixed up at the beginning. We talked about the culture shock she experienced when she first moved there, and how she's trying to reclaim her cultural identity now in her 20's. Hannah also shared why she switched from urban planner to social worker, and why she decided to start her own podcast in 2020. You can find her on instagram  @inwellnest.Listen to their podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast or other platform you love. -If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. We also would love to hear from you! You can leave your feedback here.Follow the show on instagram @beyondwordspod @weinbetween As always, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their journey and stories, please let us know! You are what makes this podcast and stories connect us and make us stronger as a community.  You can fill out this nomination form using the link below. Thank you! Beyond Words Podcast Nomination Form

Morgan Worden Yax is an American accent pronunciation coach from Vermont, United States. Morgan moved to Guatemala in 2013 by herself because she fell in love with the culture when she volunteered there the year before. She is passionate about helping people living abroad improve their American English pronunciation. Not only to speak clearly but also to speak confidently with their own voice. In this episode, Morgan shared her immigrant journey and her struggles with language and discrimination when she first moved to Guatemala. We also talked about how she switched from nursing to accent coaching, her teaching philosophy, and how her own immigrant and language learning experience helped her to become a better accent coach to others.Here are few ways to find her! website: www.yaxaccent.com/magazine Instagram: @yaxaccent -If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. We also would love to hear from you! You can leave your feedback here.Follow the show on instagram @beyondwordspod @weinbetween As always, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their journey and stories, please let us know! You are what makes this podcast and stories connect us and make us stronger as a community.  You can fill out this nomination form using the link below. Thank you! Beyond Words Podcast Nomination Form

Ana is an entrepreneur, graphic designer, Zumba instructor, and Yoga teacher. She was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. Ana moved to Canada with her husband at age of 31. At the time, she was already established her graphic design career in Mexico City. Ana is passionate about everything fitness and wellness. She started The Fit Girl Movement community page during the Covid19 pandemic. Her goal is to help women become physically and mentally stronger in the way that's right for them. In this episode, Ana shared her immigrant journey, her biggest struggle when she first moved to Canada, some of her fun work experiences, and how she started The Fit Girl Movement and her entrepreneur adventure!***Here are few ways to find her! The Fit Girl Movement: www.thefitgirlmovement.com Power Flow Movement: www.thefitgirlmovement.com/power-flow-mvmt Instagram: @thefitgirl_mvmt @powerflow_mvmt -If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. We also would love to hear from you! You can leave your feedback here.Follow the show on instagram @beyondwordspod @weinbetween As always, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their journey and stories, please let us know! You are what makes this podcast and stories connect us and make us stronger as a community.  You can fill out this nomination form using the link below. Thank you! Beyond Words Podcast Nomination Form

Happy 2022 everyone! Want to share with you what's in the plans for this year along with some random personal updates.  There are 3 parts to this episode, I've put down time markers below so you can skip all that random talk if you like.

Alexis is a public speaking coach based in Portland, Oregon. She was born and raised in San Francisco, first-generation on her dad's side and 3rd generation San Franciscan on her mom's side. In this episode, Alexis shared how it is like growing up as a Chinese-American in San Francisco. She also shared her interesting career journey with us - how she started as an architect, pivoted to acting, UX design, and now a public speaking coach. We had a lot of fun talking about language, voice, and her thoughts on non-standard accents, the importance of keeping a learning mindset, and the benefits of having a private coach when possible. -This is our last guest for 2021! As we shared in this episode, Alexis and I met through @womentalkdeisgn, a community that elevates women and gender non-binary speakers, empowers event organizers to engage more diverse speakers, and offers training & support for new speakers. I would love to invite you to check out their website if you are looking for public speaking support. I feel like this is a great conversation to end the year on. Using your voice, speaking up, and speaking with a foreign accent are essentially some of the main reasons for creating this podcast. Thank you all for  your support and encouragement throughout this year. It's the fuel for me to keep this going when I hit roadblocks, and it gives me the courage to continue to make this podcast better and more helpful to our listeners in the future. -Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Katherine is a lighting specialist based in Los Angeles. When she was 22, she came to the U.S. to finish her last year of engineering degree in Miami, Florida. We talked about the challenges of learning and translating industry-specific terms in different languages and how acting classes helped her with public speaking. Katherine also shared some pros and cons of having a multicultural background in work and love life and so much more. Katherine is also a super host for a cozy studio at Mammoth Lake, California. Check out her listing with link below. Cozy Studio at Mountain Shadows-Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Allison is an interior designer and florist based in Los Angeles. She was born in Korea and moved to Canada with her family when she was 10 years old. Without knowing any English at that time, Allison shared her English learning journey and some of the struggles she faced in the early years. She also opened up about how she grew to embrace her Korean identity more and became more confident because of that. I also invite you to check out some of her flower arrangement work on our blog! If you are interested, you can contact Allison on IG @allisonnn0830 -Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Thaddeus is an interior designer based in Los Angeles. He was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Macau, and came to the U.S. for college when he was 18 years old. We had such a fun discussion on foreign accents and our experiences with them. Thaddeus shared some of the regrets he had throughout the years and how all these turned out to be some of the best experiences he had. He also shared how his bilingual skill got him the first job when he graduated and much more. -Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Von is an interior designer and a full-time professor at Cal State Long Beach. He was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 4 years old. In this episode we talked about the challenges with language and culture retention when someone moves to a new country at a young age and why mental health is becoming a hot topic in the architecture and design industry. Von also shared why he switched from biochemistry to architecture and what made him pursue the full-time design professor position at Cal. State Long Beach.  -Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Taiina is an artist, musician, producer, singer, and writer. She was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. At the age of 16, she came to the U.S. by herself to pursue her passion - Jazz. She shared her music journey and why she decided to stay in the U.S. to continue her music career. Taiina shared how one-on-one teaching and mentoring are irreplaceable and the importance of finding people who embrace and celebrate your differences. I would love to invite you to check out her amazing work!Website: www.taiina.comInstagram: @taiinamusicYoutube: Taiina Music-Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Marta is an interior designer based in Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Poland and came to the U.S. when she was 22 years old. Marta shared her struggle with accent in American when she first came here and how that experience was different than when she lived in Austria, how she got into interior design and a unique and fun "Marie Kondo" like work experience during school. Marta also shared her 3 years of backpacking & world traveling experience and how that changed her perspective in life and became more confident in herself. -Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show!

Manni is an architect based in Los Angeles. He was born and raised in Oxnard, California. His parents immigrated to American when they were teenagers from Mexico. Manni shared his struggles with his stutter growing up, how his cultural upbringing affected the way he spoke, how he overcame his speech impediment and became a better speaker and more confident in presenting himself. -Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Fang Nan is an architect based in Los Angeles. She was born and raised in China and came to the U.S. when she was 22 years old for grad school. Fang shared her unique university journey in China, how that helped her transition after moving to the U.S., her opinion and experiences in different areas of her life with her bi-lingual and bi-cultural background.-Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Kirstin Nguyen is an architect based in Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Vietnam and came to the U.S. when she was 13 years old. Kirstin shared her language learning journey when she first came to the U.S., how she ended up studying architecture after a few years of exploring different majors, and how she got into competing in triathlon. -Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

Neo is an interior designer based in Los Angeles. Neo's dad was a veteran, so after the war, his family immigrated to the U.S through a program called HOP (humanitarian operation program). Neo shared experiences on how he embraced and succeeded in some of the unexpected transitions throughout school and his career, how a comment on his accent pushed him to study harder, and how he finally was able to face his true self after he came out to his mom.-Thank you so much for listening and being part of this community! If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you leave a review and rating on the podcast of your choice. Follow the show @beyondwordspod on Instagram and share with your friends. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this form. Looking forward to have you on the show! 

The Beyond Words podcast seeks to amplify and empower people with diverse backgrounds to share their voices. Each episode features intimate conversations with guests from diverse cultural backgrounds. They talk about their unique journey and perspective on work, life, culture, immigration, language, accent, and much more by sharing their real-life stories. By sharing these stories, this podcast hopes to bring awareness, inspiring and encouraging more people in the global community to use their voices.