(6 min) Your English Is Better Than You Think | Ángel Gabaldón Ortega on Imposter Syndrome

Have you ever told someone your English isn't very good, in perfectly good English?

Today I'm joined by Ángel Gabaldón Ortega, Relationship Manager for Large Corporates at Bankinter, to talk about imposter syndrome, self-doubt and the fear of making mistakes in English.

Ángel calls his English "pichí pichá", though by any honest measure it's excellent, and he speaks it confidently at work every day. As he puts it, we forgive foreigners' mistakes in our language, so "why don't we judge ourselves by the same criteria?" The person most convinced their English isn't good enough is usually the last to see how good it actually is.

This is Speak English with Confidence, previously 'From Lost to the River', a podcast 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.

Ángel posts regularly on LinkedIn about finance and geopolitics, and in April 2026 he won the Spanish Masters National Powerlifting Championship, so he knows a thing or two about strength, resilience and persevering when things get tough.

Find Ángel: LinkedIn: Ángel Gabaldón Ortega

Connect with me on Substack: https://substack.com/@thecouragetospeak