(49 min) The Psychology Behind Real English Confidence with Daniele Ponzo

Why does the professional who runs meetings brilliantly in their own language go quiet the moment the conversation switches to English?

In this conversation, I'm joined by Daniele Ponzo, Italian language coach, author of Easy English for IT and host of The Non-Native Leader Podcast, who spent 13 years in Ireland building a career in a language he'd only ever studied at school. We talk about the red-pen perfectionism he carried into his first job, the day he stood at a friend's funeral with no idea what to say in English, and the moment he noticed native speakers asking each other "sorry, what?" all day long and realised it had never been about him.

Daniele also shares what he learned from colleagues with shaky grammar who went on to lead international teams, and why adults need to fall off the bike a few times, the way children do, before the ego stops telling them they should already sound perfect.

This is Speak English with Confidence, previously 'From Lost to the River', a weekly show about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence.

More conversations, coaching options, and my new book More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak at procoachenglish.com.

Find Daniele Website: danieleponzo.com LinkedIn: Daniele Ponzo His book: Easy English for IT on Amazon His podcast: The Non-Native Leader on YouTube

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