The English Adventure

Beatriz Alessi

Hosted by Brazilian journalist and English lover Beatriz Alessi, The English Adventure is an inspirational dive into the beauty of learning English as a foreign language and the magical window it opens up to the world. Bia Alessi, as she likes to be called, invites non-natives to embark with her on a journey of self-discovery, fall in love with the English language and relish in the endless possibilities of this life-changing adventure. Editing & Sound Design @SandroDourado

  1. 2D AGO

    Season 2, Ep 5: Serendipity

    Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have all the luck in the world and it seems to come easy to them? Perhaps it’s more than just “luck”. It might be serendipity. According to the Oxford Dictionary, serendipity is the fact of something interesting or pleasant happening by chance. That’s more common than you might think. It happened to me one day, in the summer of 1993, in New York. Out of the blue, I ran into the one person who could lead me to no other than Luciano Pavarotti, the opera legend. Yes, that was serendipitous! And you will also hear a version of the fairy tale that inspired the word, as we know it today. With every episode of this podcast, I want you to travel in your imagination and improve your English listening comprehension. The book mentioned in this episode is The Serendipity Mindset:The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck, by Christian Busch. Do you like our podcast? Plase share it and leave us a review. You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok:  @beatriz_alessi @bia.alessi Mixing and sound design by @sandrodourado #ESL #englishasasecondlanguage #englishfornon-nativespeakers #listeningskills #englishlovers #englishwithinspiration

    13 min

  2. FEB 22

    Season 2, Ep 4: Global English

    If you think the word English doesn’t have a plural, think again! There are so many Englishes spoken around the world that it’s no exaggeration to say there is no such thing as a “proper”native speaker.   That is a myth, according to David Crystal, a British linguist considered a legend in the study of the English language. In this episode of The English Adventure, we explore this multitude of Englishes to make better sense of the world out there and feel more comfortable in our own accents. And you will also hear about my experience working for the BBC World Service, my first dive into global English. With this podcast, I want to help you sharpen your ear and improve your English listening skills. If you want to learn more about the 70-year history of Bush House as the headquarters of the BBC World Service, you can find it here: https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/buildings/bush-house And if you’d like to see it from the inside, here’s a touching farewell video: https://vimeo.com/37666928 Do you like our podcast? Plase share it and leave us a review. You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok:  @beatriz_alessi @bia.alessi Mixing and sound design by @sandrodourado #ESL #englishasasecondlanguage#englishfornon-nativespeakers #listeningskills #englishlovers#englishwithinspiration

    12 min

  3. FEB 8

    Season 2, Ep 3: Stiff Upper Lip

    Is Great Britain still the nation of “the stiff upper lip”? Well, yes and no! This notion of a land of a “reserved and unemotional people” still holds to some extent, but was challenged by the way the Brits reacted to Princess Diana’s death, in 1997. The whole country “dissolved into tears” in the days leading up to her funeral. The fact is that the Brits did like a good cry in the old days, as you’re going to find out in this episode of The English Adventure. So prick up your ears and dive in! By telling you fascinating stories, I want you to train your ear and improve your English listening skills. The book mentioned in this episode is “Weeping Britannia: Portrait of a Nation in Tears”, by Thomas Dixon. You can watch the documentary about Diana’s death here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drQKFO3Sv5Q And the series on British tears here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGavE1vP3_E Do you like our podcast? Plase share it and leave us a review. You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok: @beatriz_alessi @bia.alessi Mixing and sound design by @sandrodourado #ESL #englishasasecondlanguage #englishfornon-nativespeakers #listeningskills #englishlovers #englishwithinspiration

    12 min

  4. JAN 25

    Season 2, Ep 2: Greetings from Planet Earth

    Are we alone in the vast universe? We, humans, will never cease to ask that question. In Episode 2 of Season 2 of The English Adventure, I tell you a story that says a lot about the human spirit: that of the Golden Record, a compilation of images and sounds of life on Earth, which Nasa placed aboard Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, in 1977. It’s a kind of love letter from us, humans, to aliens in space, should they ever find it! Dive into this "symphony" of our planet, while improving your English listening skills. In all episodes of Season 2, I want to stir your imagination so you can train your ear and get more and more confident in English. You can browse the images encoded on the Golden Record here: https://science.nasa.gov/gallery/images-on-the-golden-record/ And listen to the sounds of Earth here: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/golden-record-contents/sounds/ And the greetings in 55 languages, as well: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/golden-record-contents/greetings/ Do you like our podcast? Plase share it and leave us a review. You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok:  @beatriz_alessi @bia.alessi Mixing and sound design by @sandrodourado #ESL #englishasasecondlanguage #englishfornon-nativespeakers#listeningskills #englishlovers #englishwithinspiration

    13 min

  5. JAN 11

    Season 2, Ep 1: Mental Time Travel

    The day I went live on American television was one of the most memorable of my life. It was the day Brazil and Italy faced each other in the “1994 Fifa World Cup Final”, a nerve-wracking match until the very last minute! In the first episode of Season 2, I talk about how our memories change every time we revisit them in our minds. It’s fascinating! In all episodes of Season 2, I want to inspire you, so you can improve your listening skills and your confidence in English. The book mentioned in this episode is “Why We Remember: The Science of Memory and How It Shapes Us”, by Charan Ranganath. You can watch the full penalty shootout here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kWv6RNzWmE Do you like our podcast? Plase share it and leave us a review. Let’s build a community of English lovers: @beatriz_alessi Mixing and sound design by @sandrodourado # ESL #englishasasecondlanguage #englishfornon-nativespeakers #listeningskills#englishlovers #englishwithinspiration

    12 min

  6. SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Season 2 Trailer

    Hi, English lover! I’m Bia Alessi and I'm thrilled to be back with Season 2 of The English Adventure, a podcast for you, non-native English speaker, willing to get inspired while improving your listening skills. In all the episodes of this season, I want to stir your imagination so you can train your ear and get more and more confident in your English. So hold your breath! Season 2 is coming up soon! 😊

    2 min

  7. 08/05/2024

    Ep 8: A Sense of Wonder

    In the final episode of this season – it’s been quite a journey, hasn’t it? – we talk about states of mind that feed our imagination: awe and wonder. Whereas “wonder” is more associated with curiosity in trying to understand the world, “awe” is more related to grasping it in a more existential way. And there’s no shortage of either in learning a foreign language, is there? They both make us feel more humble, more in tune with the universe, and should be cherished dearly. The books mentioned in this episode are “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life”, by Dacher Keltner, and “Orbital”, by Samantha Harvey. The T. S. Eliot quote is from a poem called “Little Gidding”. Do you like our podcast? Please share it and leave us a review. Let’s make our English adventure all the more adventurous. You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok: @beatriz_alessi @bia.alessi Mixing and sound design by @sandrodourado #ESL #englishasasecondlanguage #englishfornon-nativespeakers #listeningskills #englishlovers #englishwithinspiration

    12 min

  8. 07/29/2024

    Ep 7: The English

    Imagine spreading your language so far and wide that it becomes universal. That’s what the English did – and that’s no small feat! However, one can argue that, still, they have an identity crisis, in a post-Empire and post-Brexit world. So, in this episode, we ask: who are the English, as a people? How do they see themselves in a country that calls itself various names? And how do they see themselves under the umbrella of “Britishness”? The book mentioned in this episode is “The English: A Portrait of a People”, by Jeremy Paxman. If you would like to listen to Winston Churchill’s famous wartime speech, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/KdAD0bo_tNA The 1942 patriotic film “In Which We Serve” can also be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wero7_ZdAc Do you like our podcast? Please share it and leave us a review. Let’s make our English adventure all the more adventurous. You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok: @beatriz_alessi @bia.alessi Mixing and sound design by @sandrodourado #ESL #englishasasecondlanguage #englishfornon-nativespeakers #listeningskills #englishlovers #englishwithinspiration

    12 min
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Trailers

About

Hosted by Brazilian journalist and English lover Beatriz Alessi, The English Adventure is an inspirational dive into the beauty of learning English as a foreign language and the magical window it opens up to the world. Bia Alessi, as she likes to be called, invites non-natives to embark with her on a journey of self-discovery, fall in love with the English language and relish in the endless possibilities of this life-changing adventure. Editing & Sound Design @SandroDourado

Information

  • Creator
    Beatriz Alessi
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Beatriz Alessi
  • Show Website
    The English Adventure