Real You Mandarin: The Podcast

Angela Lin
  • 5.0 (7)
  • LANGUAGE LEARNING
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Taiwanese-American Angela Lin is on a journey to elevate her Mandarin skills with the help of her Mandarin teacher guests. On this show, Angela engages in meaningful conversations using only the Mandarin she knows, while her guests provide live corrections along the way. This practical format allows both Angela and listeners to learn "grown-up" Mandarin and correct common mistakes naturally, offering an approachable way to help American-born Chinese (ABCs), American-born Taiwanese (ABTs), and other advanced Mandarin learners find their voice in Mandarin on the topics they care about.

  1. 3H AGO

    20. Chinese POV on Psychedelic Therapy ft. Mei Yuan

    We received such positive feedback and immense interest from all of you when we had Zhifei on recently for an episode discussing psychedelics, that we decided it was important to have a follow-up episode on the topic! This time we've invited Mei Yuan, a first-generation Chinese-American who grew up in China and moved to the States for graduate school, who now works as a therapist and has experienced the life-changing benefits of psychedelic therapy just like Angela. We learn more about how guided psychedelic therapy differs from taking these medicines for recreational use, the cultural challenges Mei had to deal with to face her own past traumas and challenges, and why attitudes even amongst older first-generation immigrants are changing to be more accepting of psychedelic therapy as a powerful way to face tough life challenges head-on.  In this episode, you'll learn new vocab like: 心理健康 / xīn lǐ jiàn kāng ("mental health"), 抵觸 / 抵触 / dǐ chù ("resistance / conflict / contradict"), 靈修之旅 / 灵修之旅/ líng xiū zhī lǚ ("spiritual journey"), and more! You can learn more about Mei and connect with her at her website https://journeystowholeness.com While we don't talk about psychedelics specifically in Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression, the final module is about Self-Growth. That, coupled with the previous modules on Expressing Your Feelings and Interpersonal Relationships would equip you with a powerful toolbox of Mandarin vocabulary to share your own experiences and personal insights with those you love. If you haven't already, try a free lesson now at ⁠https://www.realyoumandarin.com! P.S. If you enjoyed the Chinese CC on this episode and want to go deeper with your Mandarin learning, you can unlock full transcripts with Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese / Pinyin / English, with vocab highlighted, by joining our Podcast Transcript Membership. To download the full first episode's transcript for free, head over to: https://transcripts.realyoumandarin.com/free-lesson-emails Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

    20 min

  2. FEB 10

    19. Self-Growth Journey ft. Crystal Hsia

    We're so incredibly proud to announce the release of our final course module "Self-Growth Journey" from our course Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression! We reflect on our own personal experiences with these topics, from Angela's second-generation experience of trying to process her triggers and traumas with her immigrant parents, to Crystal's personal interest in manifestation and positive affirmations, despite it being counter the norm with her Taiwanese friends back home. So many of us have been on a path of self-discovery learning more about ourselves, including what's shaped our pasts and how that's affected how we carry ourselves today. Isn't it time we empower ourselves with the words to express what we've discovered about ourselves with our family and friends in their heart language? In this episode, you'll learn new vocab like: 自我成長的旅程 / 自我成长的旅程 / zì wǒ chéng zhǎng de lǚ chéng ("self-growth journey"), 顯化練習 / 显化练习 / xiǎn huà liàn xí ("manifestation practice/exercises"), 翻舊帳 / 翻旧账 / fān jiù zhàng ("dredging up the past"), and more! What a journey it's been creating this incredibly meaningful and meaty course to help guide us through some of life's most challenging life stages -- from emotions, interpersonal relationships, fertility & parenting, caring for aging parents, to your self-growth journey -- won't you join us in unlocking the real you by joining the Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course? Learn more about all this course has to offer and try a free lesson now at https://www.realyoumandarin.com! If you want to deepen your learning through this episode, consider joining our Podcast Transcript Membership to unlock full transcripts in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English with vocabulary highlighted. Download the free full transcript of episode 1 before you join. Learn more at https://www.realyoumandarin.com! Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

    15 min

  3. JAN 15

    18. Tokyo Disney Taught Me Gratitude

    Who says growth always has to come through suffering? Out of all places, I recently learned to practice gratitude, appreciating the present moment, and going with the flow on a two-day solo trip to Tokyo Disney, all while rediscovering how important it can be to integrate more joy and play into my life. In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 活在當下 / 活在当下 / huó zài dāng xià ("living in the present moment"), 隨遇而安 / 随遇而安 / suí yù ér ān ("to go with the flow"), 情緒調節 / 情绪调节 / qíng xù tiáo jié ("emotional regulation"), and more! Coincidentally, I was able to use a ton of the vocab from our last upcoming course module, "Module 5: Self-Growth Journey," coming out very soon (I'm working hard to complete it ASAP, I swear!). If you're interested in learning more vocab related to self-growth, head on over to https://www.realyoumandarin.com to join our new course Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression because all that content will be rolling out shortly! This is your last chance to save $10 off the regular course price before this final module comes out, and in the meantime you'll get instant access to the other four modules' worth of meaty content to learn while you wait! Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

    13 min

  4. 12/07/2025

    17. Caring For Aging Parents ft. Crystal Hsia

    For many of us in our 30s and beyond, while we've been finding out more about ourselves as adults, another aspect of getting older is coming to terms with the fact that our own parents are also getting older. With that comes the inevitability of discussions around medical decisions, potential changes in living arrangements, financial/estate planning, and more. Do you feel prepared to have those conversations in Mandarin? We certainly didn't before creating our most recently released module for our Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression Course... Module 4: Caring For Aging Parents. In fact, while making the content for this module, Angela coincidentally had to make use of some of her newly learned vocab to assist with her own family circumstances. Much like our entire course, while we cannot anticipate every conversation or situation you may encounter, we truly hope that what you do learn through our course gives you a solid toolkit to tackle some of these difficult life conversations so that you can feel more confident when approaching these topics. To learn more about the newly released module and to join the full Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course during its last stretch of discounted pricing before the full course release, head over to https://www.realyoumandarin.com ... if you haven't already, preview the free lesson to see if the course is right for you! In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 年邁的父母 / 年迈的父母 / nián mài de fù mǔ ("elderly/aging parents"), 口譯 / 口译 / kǒu yì ("to interpret/oral interpretation"), and 主要照顧者 / 主要照顾者 / zhǔ yào zhào gù zhě ("primary caregiver"). Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin.

    12 min

  5. 11/18/2025

    16. Talking Psychedelics in Mandarin ft. Zhifei Zhang (Xiaogua Chinese)

    In a not often spoken about topic in Mandarin, we're joined again by Zhifei from Xiaogua Chinese, where we discuss our respective experiences with psychedelics. What started as a conversation broadly about our mutual interest in self-growth quickly pivoted to this topic where Angela shares how therapeutic MDMA was her initial gateway into this world, and Zhifei shares her deeply profound experience with psilocybin (magic mushrooms) in Bali. In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 觸發點 / 触发点 / chù fā diǎn ("trigger/trigger point"), 靈修 / 灵修 / líng xiū ("spiritual practice / spiritual cultivation"), and 薩滿 / 萨满 / sà mǎn ("shaman"). If you like Zhifei, follow her YouTube channel at  ⁨@xiaoguachinese⁩  to watch other intermediate/advanced Mandarin level conversational videos! If you like improving your Mandarin through this conversational-style format, make sure to subscribe to us here at Real You Mandarin: The Podcast to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes, and check out all of our resources at ⁠https://www.realyoumandarin.com⁠ Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@realyoumandarin⁠ and on TikTok at ⁠@realyoumandarin⁠

    14 min

  6. 10/05/2025

    15. Camping in Taiwan vs. in the West ft. Jane Liu

    Frequent guest and Real You Mandarin: Beginnings partner teacher Jane Liu is back again, and this time to talk about one of her favorite pastimes... camping! We talk about how camping in Taiwan is unique compared to in the West. Jane goes camping often throughout Taiwan's beaches and forests, has camped in the U.S. before, and has previously lived in a camper van traveling across Europe and Australia. In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 露營 / 露营 / lù yíng (camping / to camp), 隨意 / 随意 / suí yì (casually / freely / as you like), and 生火 / shēng huǒ (to light/make a fire). Camping also happens to be one of the main topics covered in Jane's upcoming vlog-style course on fun places to go in Taiwan! To learn more, follow her on Instagram at @janesmandarin and join her waitlist in her link in bio. Learn more about Real You Mandarin at https://www.realyoumandarin.com Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

    14 min

  7. 09/27/2025

    14. Immigrating to Asia As An Asian-American

    I moved to Japan y'all! Sorry for the delay in episodes recently... it's been a lot prepping for this new major life chapter. In this solo episode, I reflect on the experience of deciding to immigrate to Asia as an Asian-American, comparing/contrasting with my parents' own immigration 30+ years ago from Taiwan to the U.S., and what major differences I've already experienced culturally/societally this time moving here pursuing permanent residency compared to my previous time spent in Japan as a digital nomad on tourist visas. Even though there is no native speaking guest this episode, I looked up key vocab prior to recording so we could all still learn new vocab together. In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 近況更新 / jìn kuàng gēng xīn (TW) or 最新動態 / 最新动态 / zuì xīn dòng tài (CH) ("life update/latest update"), 生活品質 / 生活品质 / shēng huó pǐn zhí ("quality of life"), and 驚喜 / 惊喜 / jīng xǐ ("to be pleasantly surprised"). If you like improving your Mandarin through this conversational-style format, make sure to subscribe to us here and on YouTube to stay up-to-date with the latest podcast episodes, and check out all of our resources at https://www.realyoumandarin.com Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

    11 min

  8. 08/25/2025

    13. Multilingual Nomad Life ft. Zhifei Zhang (from Xiaogua Chinese)

    Zhifei is the Creator of Xiaogua Chinese, popular Mandarin teaching platform that focuses on comprehensible input and practical/real life Mandarin. As a polyglot herself (speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, English, Portuguese, and is learning French!), she fully understands the struggles that language learners face, especially in achieving a level of fluency that feels "real" to well...real life! With the similarities between Real You Mandarin's philosophy of empowering you to feel confident speaking immediately useful, practical, "real life" Mandarin only, it's no wonder we gravitated towards Zhifei and her platform. Beyond her teaching experience, we discuss the many things we have in common between our respective experiences as digital nomads, being multilingual, our mutual connection to Spain, and more -- we loved getting to know Zhifei and think you will too. In this episode, you'll learn new vocab like "digital nomad": (CH) 電子遊民 / 电子游民 / diàn zǐ yóu mín vs. (TW) 數位遊牧 / 数位游牧 / shù wèi yóu mù, 定居 / dìng jū ("to settle down" / "to make one's home"), and 幸虧 / 幸亏 / xìng kuī ("fortunately" / "luckily" / "thanks to"). To learn more about Zhifei and Xiaogua Chinese, you can find her on YouTube and Instagram at @xiaoguachinese If you like learning Mandarin through this conversational format, try a free lesson from our newest course Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression, lock in early bird pricing for huge savings, and review the full syllabus at ⁠https://www.realyoumandarin.com. And if you're interested in transcripts from this podcast episode to deepen your learning, you can unlock full transcripts in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English by joining our Podcast Transcript Membership at https://transcripts.realyoumandarin.com - download the first episode's full transcript for free to try it out before you join. AND, if you end up joining our course Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression, you have the option to add on the Transcript Membership at a huge discount at checkout. Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

    15 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Taiwanese-American Angela Lin is on a journey to elevate her Mandarin skills with the help of her Mandarin teacher guests. On this show, Angela engages in meaningful conversations using only the Mandarin she knows, while her guests provide live corrections along the way. This practical format allows both Angela and listeners to learn "grown-up" Mandarin and correct common mistakes naturally, offering an approachable way to help American-born Chinese (ABCs), American-born Taiwanese (ABTs), and other advanced Mandarin learners find their voice in Mandarin on the topics they care about.

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