How to change your life better in 2026 ｜ English podcast for intermediate learners (B1-B2)

🎙️ Welcome back to the English Time Podcast!
Can you believe we are already talking about 2026? 📅 Whenever we think about a new year, it is easy to feel a mix of excitement and pressure. Do you feel like you have a huge mountain to climb?
In this episode, Henry and Emma discuss how to actually change your life without burning out. We are moving away from the "Old Way" of trying to be perfect instantly and embracing the "1% Way."
Join us for an inspiring conversation about overcoming excuses, dealing with negative voices, and the secret to long-term growth. Learn why improving just a tiny bit every day is the secret to success. Let’s make English (and life) stress-free and sustainable! 🎧
🔥 Episode Highlights
✅ The Power of "No Excuses": We share the incredible true story of Logan, a man who refused to let his limitations stop him from running a marathon. 🏃‍♂️
✅ The 1% Rule: Henry explains why you shouldn't try to change 100% overnight—and how "exponential growth" works like a snowball. ❄️
✅ Action Cures Fear: Do you wait to feel confident before speaking English? Learn why confidence actually comes after you take action, not before. 🦁
✅ Handling "Haters": How to use "Selective Hearing" to ignore negative comments and "focus on your own paper." 📝
✅ The Bamboo Tree Strategy: Feeling stuck on a "plateau"? Discover why periods of "nothing happening" are actually when your roots are growing the deepest. 🎋
📚 Key Vocabulary & Expressions
💡 Master these words to sound more natural and confident:
Sustainable (adj.) - Something you can keep doing day after day without becoming exhausted or burning out.
Example: "Our goal is to make learning English stress-free and sustainable."
Exponential (adj.) - Growth that becomes faster and faster over time (like a snowball rolling down a hill).
Example: "If you improve 1% every day, you will experience exponential growth."
Clarity (n.) - The quality of being clear and easy to see or understand.
Example: "Writing down your goals creates clarity for your brain."
Selective Hearing (n.) - The ability to choose what you listen to and ignore what you don't want to hear.
Example: "You need to cultivate selective hearing to ignore the haters."
Plateau (n.) - A period where you feel like you aren't making progress, even though you are working hard.
Example: "I feel like I'm on a plateau with my English learning."
The Home Stretch (idiom) - The final part of a journey, race, or activity.
Example: "We are in the home stretch of the podcast now."
Focus on your own paper (idiom) - To pay attention to your own work and progress, rather than comparing yourself to others.
Example: "Don't worry about how fast they are learning; just focus on your own paper."
💬 Question of the Day
We talked about the power of small promises.
👇 What is one small promise you will keep to yourself tomorrow? 👇
(Maybe reading one page? Drinking a glass of water? Speaking for 5 minutes?)
Let us know in the comments below! We love reading your plans.
📢 Support the Channel
If you enjoyed hanging out with Henry and Emma today:
👍 Like this video to help other learners find us.
🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss our journey into 2026!
🚀 Share this with a friend who is learning English or trying to change their life.

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