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StoryLearning Podcast

Olly Richards

Got a burning language learning question? I’m Olly Richards and I've learned 8 languages through stories. Every Wednesday, I answer your questions and chat to world-class language experts. Whether you're learning Spanish, German, Japanese, or something else, tune in for insider tips and practical strategies to get fluent fast.

Each week you get:

- Answers to your biggest language learning challenges
- Story-based techniques to accelerate your progress
- Tried and tested tips from my 25+ years of experience

No flashcards or memorisation. Just story-based learning that actually works.

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  • 28 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 19 min
  • English

Episodes 28

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  • #550
    Wednesday · 48 min

    550: The secret to staying motivated in language learning

    👉 Grab your FREE Guide, Lamont’s 8 Best Language Learning Tips: https://l.storylearning.com/lamont_tips 👉 Sign up now for the StoryLearning App: https://l.storylearning.com/SL.app.2026 In this episode, I’m delighted to be joined for a second time by Lamont McLeod from the Days and Words YouTube channel. We talk about getting over hurdles in language learning, our appreciation of language as an art-form, the Australian Military Linguist Test, accountability practices, Lamont’s take on AI and more. In just under an hour, we pretty much solve language learning! More from today’s guest: 💬 Our first interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaeMO_Xyby4 📺 Lamont’s YouTube Channel, Days and Words: https://www.youtube.com/@daysandwords 🗣️ Lamont’s Spanish accountability channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lamontespanol/ 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #549
    September 16 · 6 min

    549: Learning 2 languages together? Don't make this mistake

    👉 Take your FREE Level Test: https://l.storylearning.com/language_test 👉 Sign up now for the StoryLearning App: https://l.storylearning.com/SL.app How fluent do you have to be in a second language before moving on to a third language? How do you know when is the right time? Do you risk forgetting the language you are currently learning or not? This is the most common question I've ever received on the podcast - Can I learn two languages at once? And if not, when's the right time to learn another language? 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #548
    September 9 · 10 min

    548: How to understand TV in ANY language (without the subtitles)

    👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/fluency.resources 👉 Sign up now for the StoryLearning App: https://l.storylearning.com/SL-app Struggling to understand TV in your new language? Today’s questioner, Lisa, has the same problem. She speaks French and Italian at a decent level but still finds TV tricky. She told me that sometimes she just wants to collapse in front of the telly. And this is what trips people up when they're trying to learn a foreign language by watching TV. Most of us associate TV with just zoning out. But in order to get good at anything, you have to be able to focus and concentrate. There are a couple of parts to this dilemma. First is understanding what type of TV you're watching. And then second is actual techniques for getting better and for learning. So let’s get into it. 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #547
    September 2 · 10 min

    547: The Best Books to Learn ANY Language FAST

    👉Grab your FREE Guide, How to Read in Any Language: https://l.storylearning.com/reading_guide 👉 Sign up now for the StoryLearning App: https://l.storylearning.com/SL_app I’ve had a lot of questions come in  about different ways to learn vocabulary from reading and the best books to use if you want to read to learn a language.  I do quite a lot of episodes on reading and this is going to be a rapid fire one. I'm going to very quickly go through a bunch of different types of books that you can read and tell you if they're helpful or not. Mentioned in this episode: 📖 My 101 Conversations books: https://l.storylearning.com/books 🎓 Sangers, N.L., van der Sande, L., Welie, C. et al. Learning a Language Through Reading: A Meta-analysis of Studies on the Effects of Extensive Reading on Second and Foreign Language Learning. Educ Psychol Rev 37, 96 (2025). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-025-10068-6 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #546
    August 26 · 32 min

    546: Xiaoma's secret method for learning 70 languages FAST

    👉 Grab your FREE Guide, Xiaoma’s 7 Best Tips for Learning Any Language: https://l.storylearning.com/xiaoma Today's guest, Xiaoma NYC, a.k.a Arieh Smith, probably needs no introduction. He first came on the podcast in 2020, so it's high time we caught up with him. He's been busy since then, managing to learn 70 languages. So how did he do it? Links mentioned in this episode: Arieh’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@xiaomanyc Teacher AI: https://yourteacher.ai/ Arieh’s language courses: https://www.streetsmartlanguages.com/ 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #545
    August 19 · 17 min

    545: 7 speaking tips to get fluent in any language FAST

    👉 Grab your FREE Speaking Guide: https://l.storylearning.com/speaking_guide  Today's question is about speaking and how to go from knowing a lot of stuff in a language to actually speaking the language fluently.  As I always say, if you want to speak fluently, so if you want to be able to interact in the real world confidently and fluently like a native speaker, you've got to be speaking a lot. Let’s look at some ways to do that, both by yourself and with other people. Mentioned in this episode: Langua: https://l.storylearning.com/Langua-AI Daniel's podcast, My Fluent Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/myfluentpodcast LanguaTalk: https://l.storylearning.com/Langua-Talk 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #544
    August 12 · 15 min

    544: How to finally get fluent... even when you're stuck

    👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/goals As a beginner language learner, you feel progress happening very quickly. Everything you learn is useful and practical. But once you've learned the basics, it’s normal to get stuck. In fact, it's so normal that it has a name: the intermediate plateau. Every learner reaches it, generally around the one to two year mark. So, how do you get over it?  When you’re stuck and you just can’t break through to fluency, there are only two possibilities and two ways to fix it. And one thing you must never do. Mentioned in this episode: Find high-quality language teachers on LanguaTalk: https://l.storylearning.com/langua_talk 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #543
    August 5 · 14 min

    543: The Introvert's Guide to Learning a Language FAST

    👉 Grab your FREE guide, How to Read in Any Language: https://l.storylearning.com/6_steps_read  I don’t know if you've noticed, but language learning advice is often geared towards extroverts - put yourself out there, just speak, don't be shy. That makes perfect sense if you're that way inclined. But if you're at all like me and you identify as an introvert, or at least have very strong introverted tendencies, that kind of advice is very, very difficult to take. So let’s take a look at what introverts can do instead to get fluent fast. Mentioned in this episode: The StoryLearning App: https://l.storylearning.com/app 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #542
    July 29 · 9 min

    542: How to choose the perfect language to learn

    👉 Grab your FREE Language Difficulty Guide: https://l.storylearning.com/difficulty_guide  Today we have a question about choosing your next language. And it comes from someone who's already a polyglot, who speaks four languages and is a bit confused over what their fifth language should be. An interesting problem. 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #541
    July 22 · 31 min

    541: How polyglots learn LOTS of languages FAST

    👉 Get Your Free Guide, Dr Popkins' 8 Best Tips to Learn a Language and Keep Going https://l.storylearning.com/dr-popkins-tips   In this episode, I'm very happy to welcome Gareth Popkins, longtime friend and language compadre, to the StoryLearning podcast. Gareth got the language bug in his early twenties and took his French further, learned Welsh and then worked on German and Russian. He’s had a rather chequered trajectory, starting as historian of Russian history. He then went to law school in his early thirties, continuing with languages and starting to blog and vlog about his language learning experiences. He now does that full-time, focusing in particular on teaching intermediate German learners. We come from a similar place in that our lives have been characterised by a love for languages. And we've since taken that passion and that experience and are using it to help other people learn. More from today's guest: Gareth’s website: https://howtogetfluent.com/Gareth’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DrPopkinsGermanGareth’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpopkinsgerman/ 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #540
    July 15 · 14 min

    540: How to ACTUALLY understand FAST speech

    👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/fluency-resources Understanding native speakers on the streets is one of the most difficult, challenging and disconcerting elements of language learning. But when you learn to deal with fast speech, it is the most exhilarating, wonderful, rewarding feeling you can possibly imagine. And this is the question we're gonna get into today on the StoryLearning Podcast. Links mentioned in this episode: Russian Immersion Lab: https://l.storylearning.com/russian-immersion-lab Conversations: https://l.storylearning.com/conversations 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #539
    July 8 · 12 min

    539: How to learn a language when you feel like quitting

    👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/free-fluency Today I’m answering a question from a frustrated Japanese learner with a 650-day streak on Duolingo. Their question:  What do I do? Do I keep on, do I switch to a different language?  Do you have any advice for a frustrated language learner? I really like this question. I've got so much to say about it so I'm looking forward to answering, particularly as an often frustrated Japanese learner myself. Link mentioned in this episode: My Japanese course, Japanese Uncovered: https://l.storylearning.com/japanese-uncovered 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #538
    July 1 · 13 min

    538: The ONLY way to learn 2 languages at the same time

    👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/fluency_goals In this episode I’m going to be talking about this old chestnut: learning two languages at the same time. I’ve got two questions on this that have come from a recent video. Long-term listeners will be very familiar with my take on learning two languages at the same time. But my questions today are about a rather specific scenario, learning two very different languages together. So how would I approach this? 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #537
    June 24 · 32 min

    537: The ONE habit that made this American sound like a local

    👉 Grab your FREE guide, Dave Pinto's 7 Best Tips to Sound Like a Local: https://l.storylearning.com/sound-local I am absolutely delighted to welcome to the StoryLearning podcast, my longtime friend, partner in crime and fellow language enthusiast, Dave Pinto. Professionally Dave focuses on language teaching, but many language teachers that I've met over the years in different countries never really get to grips with language learning themselves. Dave is not that! Dave, to my ears anyway, passes as a native Spanish speaker. Discover what it took to get there and how you too can sound like a native speaker in your new language. Links mentioned in this episode: Dave’s Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@elprofeguiri Dave’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/elprofeguiri/ Dave’s website - https://elprofeguiri.com/ StoryLearning Spanish Pronunciation course, taught by Dave: https://l.storylearning.com/spanish-pronunciation-mastery 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #536
    June 17 · 16 min

    536: How to learn a language with ZERO motivation

    👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/fluency In this episode, I’m tackling a really difficult question that I feel a lot of sympathy for: how you can learn a language when you have no motivation? I taught English for five years in Asia and the Middle East. I met a lot of students who had to learn English because they needed it for their job. They had no desire to learn, but they had to. So if you’re trying to learn without motivation, I can imagine myself looking right into your eyes and understanding the situation you're in. Let’s see if I can help. 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info Links mentioned in this episode: LanguaTalk is my favourite place to find 1:1 language teacher: https://l.storylearning.com/languatalk #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #535
    June 10 · 11 min

    535: I created the ultimate reading app for language learners

    👉Join the app waiting list: https://l.storylearning.com/app_wait_list In this episode, I’m doing something a little bit different. I'm going to take you behind the scenes of the new StoryLearning app that I've been building. It's a work in progress, but I thought you might like a sneak peek. I'm pretty excited about it. In fact, I haven't been as excited about something since I wrote my first book of short stories over 10 years ago. I have the feeling that you’re going to find this app really useful. I’ve been using it daily to read in Italian. 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #534
    June 3 · 15 min

    534: How to read any language when you're a beginner

    👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner https://l.storylearning.com/goal_plan How do you bridge the gap between being a complete beginner and not being able to read anything and then doing what I did a few years ago, which is to learn Italian from scratch in 90 days through reading? That's what I'm going to cover in this episode. Mentioned in this episode: Olly Italian project playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9F81zlDaaE&list=PLQJscr8iS4eEuHPHQerHMBxZ68O8jiq12 Details of the materials I used as a beginner are on my Italian project page: https://storylearning.com/italian-project-home 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #533
    May 27 · 41 min

    533: He learned 15 languages with this simple reading habit

    👉 Grab your FREE Guide, Luca's 12 Rules for Learning Any Language Faster in 2026: https://l.storylearning.com/Luca_tips  I am absolutely thrilled to be joined by Luca Lampariello who has been teaching languages online longer than I have. He was one of my very first references when I first started creating content online. He’s been on the podcast a number of times over the years and here is again to talk about how he’s learning languages these days. More about today's guest: Luca Lampariello is an internationally recognised language coach, polyglot, and communication expert who has spent over three decades mastering more than a dozen languages. He is the founder of Smart Language Learning, where he helps learners worldwide bypass traditional, rigid methods in favour of natural, highly effective acquisition strategies. Through his coaching, writing, and videos, Luca focuses on the psychology of learning, phonetics, and building the core habits necessary to achieve true fluency. Website: lucalampariello.com YouTube Channel: @LucaLampariello 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info

  • #532
    May 20 · 16 min

    532: Should you use subtitles to learn a language?

    👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/TV_movies  I've had a lot of comments come in all asking the same thing: when you watch TV or movies, should you use subtitles or not? Subtitle on or subtitles off? Subtitles in which language? Which subtitle-audio combination is best? I have a rather controversial take on this, which is that I generally don't recommend TV or movies for language learning. Now, before you throw me under the bus, let me explain why. Mentioned in this episode: The main StoryLearning channel: https://www.youtube.com/@storylearning 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories

  • #531
    May 13 · 13 min

    531: If you've got 15 minutes, you can learn a language

    👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/language_plan Why do we fail at language learning? It's not that we find it difficult, it's that staying consistent is difficult. We set ourselves this target of studying for an hour a day and invariably life gets in the way. And before you know it, three months have gone past and we've done nothing. This is the uncomfortable truth about language learning works - we struggle to be consistent. So we have to confront the question - how can we best make sure that we are moving towards our goals and that we don't fall off the horse? That’s what this episode is all about. 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question 👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses 👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories

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