She hit rock bottom in English, then rebuilt everything

14 Apr 2026 · 47 min
47:07

In this interview, host Hadar Shemesh talks with Monica, a multilingual professional from Colombia living in France, about her pivotal moment during a United Nations job interview that exposed critical gaps in her spoken English. The experience drove her to a profound transformation: she joined Hadar’s BEYOND community, completed the Start Strong Challenge, and enrolled in the New Sound (Nusound) pronunciation program. Monica describes how she adopted daily habits such as meditation, a 5 AM routine, and the 1% incremental improvement rule, which together reshaped her mindset, confidence, and speaking ability. She details the technical aspects of the New Sound curriculum—articulation, prosody, and mindset modules—and explains how mastering English sounds also enhanced her French teaching. The conversation covers her career shift from the automotive industry to pursuing UN roles and eventually restarting French tutoring, emphasizing the power of community support, consistent practice, and purposeful goal‑setting. Monica ends with advice for learners stuck at a similar point, urging them to start small, use the New Sound program, and lean on the BEYOND community, while also sharing her excitement about becoming independent and expanding her language‑focused content.

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