Natalia Tokar | Native-Like Fluency

Watch the full interview with my student on Youtube. It was an insightful conversation for both of us! Mistakes are necessary to learn. However, it's dangerous to celebrate mistakes without ever correcting them. It's dangerous to live on autopilot for years and listen to soothing self-help videos that tell you "it's a journey" and kind of give you permission to watch 10 other videos instead of going and making that phone call, doing that exercise, or finishing your website. It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make. In fact, the more mistakes you make, the faster you learn .... ...IF you self-correct. What matters is the speed of self-correction. Join my 6-month group coaching program "Native-Like Fluency", and I will teach you. I will take you by the hand and walk this path with you. Your English skills will never be the same again. Learn to see your mistakes and self-correct. It's the fastest way to learn. Start date: August 6

P.P.S. Even two years ago, I couldn't write like this in English. Two years ago, I wrote 90% of my blog posts in Russian. Even though I did ALL my videos in English, I didn't practice writing enough. It took ONE decision to write every Instagram post in English and two years of consistent practice and feedback to see a dramatic improvement. How do I feel seeing this improvement? Unstoppable. That'd be the right word.

People say I’m serious and strict. In other words, I am 'not fun'. Throughout my twenties, people’d often say I was disciplined, but it was rarely a compliment. Rather a sigh of disappointment. They’d say “Just relax and have fun”, but my definition of “fun” has always been very different from what most people do on a Friday night. I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t go to the bars unless there’s live music, and I love taking long walks in nature. My dating experience has often been awkward. ⁃ Can I take you out for a drink? ⁃ I don’t drink ⁃ Okay…well, bye, I guess ⁃ Do you wanna hop the bars all night? ⁃ I’d rather take a walk along the beach tonight ⁃ Walk? Why are you so obsessed with walking? It’s tiring. ⁃ Can you skip your workout tomorrow so we can party all night? ⁃ Sorry. I don’t skip my workouts. I felt awkward at so many networking events because people wouldn’t see me as a good enough conversation partner if I wasn’t drinking with them. I was no fun. When I was still an employee, I avoided going to corporate parties and earned the reputation of an outsider. When I started my own business, I had to become even more disciplined. I had to take things even more seriously. But suddenly, my clients appreciated that. Suddenly, my clients wanted to take long walks with me or spend a week with me in a training room without the usual attributes of “fun”. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people who were working hard to get their life together and unfold their true potential. They told me they were learning discipline from me, and that was mindblowing. I attracted the clients who also loved deep conversations, saw value in self-discipline, and valued relationships over acquaintances. Suddenly, I felt like I was not going to be judged for my strict discipline and my definition of “fun”. When I started my business, I wrote long reads to explain why I cared about teaching and learning. I was unapologetically me. Those texts attracted my most loyal clients, who still follow my work. We’re still friends. My willingness and readiness to dive deep, as well my dedication to cultivating discipline is what makes me great at my job as a teacher and helps me be a good learner. I wouldn’t be able to teach at a master’s level if I had no discipline. I wouldn’t be able to help people learn to learn if I wasn’t serious about it. I wouldn’t be able to even write this text in English if I hadn’t been dedicated to my practice over the last 17 years. P.S. The downside of being so serious was that I rarely smiled. I had to fix that:)

Another deep interview with a student. The idea behind doing these interviews was to show the beauty of these people and my admiration for their dedication. They may feel stuck at times, but they keep going forward. Learning is not what you do in class. It's what you take home from each class. It's what you apply with confidence in real life because you can do it. https://youtu.be/92PZYkxkEpk

If you didn’t learn much from an online course or didn’t improve your English with private lessons, they make you believe it’s your fault. They say you didn’t work hard enough. You tell yourself the story that you were “lazy.” That's not true. ➡️ Here is the truth: the person I’m interviewing is one of the most hard-working people I’ve ever met. She’s definitely not lazy. If she were, she wouldn’t have been able to expand the business to 50 new countries. Most likely, you’re not lazy either. You just don’t know what exactly you should do to improve your English fluency because you are “done” with taking numerous English courses and seeing little to no improvement. Most online courses are made for beginners. They take you from Zero to Mediocre. If you want more than that, stop wanting to “learn” English one day. Start “practicing” it every day. Look for people who have achieved mastery and continue practicing. You need people who can give you feedback because they care. You need people, not courses. Most online courses give you information. You don’t necessarily need more information about English, because to inform a person is not the same as to teach them. You need someone who can help you implement information and speak with clarity and confidence in everyday situations. It doesn't matter if you completed an online course. It’s not competition that matters, but implementation. If you successfully completed an English course, but you can’t tell your story in English, communicate your ideas, or connect with people, the course was not successful. You’re not lazy. You have simply outgrown the methods that used to work. No online course will take you to fluency. That’s why I stopped selling them. Only consistent, deliberate practice will yield the results that you want. If your English level is upper-intermediate and above, consider joining the community of practice where we do the exercises to attain Native-Like Fluency. We meet weekly and you get individual feedback on everything you do.

If you want to be coached by me for the next 6 months, take this opportunity and apply. Application windows open only twice a year! This is my best product, which yields the most fantasic results on all levels within just 6 month. In case you think 6 months is a long time, trust me, it's not enough for most people who try to implement a lasting change in their life without guidance, feedback, and someone who cares enough to hold them accountable. When people try alone, they usually give up after week 3 (including me). That's why I don't do things alone any more. "6 months" go by very fast, and the results you get will stay with you for the next 60 years. You can learn more about the fees and the program here

https://youtu.be/7Xj9hdkiNwE It took this student 10 days to correct the mistake that she'd been making for years. The biggest result she's achieved over the course of 6 months is authentic confidence. Learn more here

Apply to join us on August 6 nataliatokar.me/nativelikefluency

How often do you check the words that you think you know? Consider applying for the upcoming cohort of "Native-Like Fluency" - the intensive 6-month group coaching program. It's not a pre-recorded course. We do it LIVE, and everyone gets individual attention and a lot of caring, human feedback. This program is your opportunity to finally get rid of old, stubborn, often unnoticed mistakes and annoying speaking patterns in English. It's time to move to a new level of fluency. START DATE: August 6, 2023 The THEME of the upcoming cohort is CLARITY in spontaneous conversations in English. If this is something you need, apply today! ONLY 8 seats. You will be learning is one group with international C-Level executives and independent creators. Learn more about the program on my website nataliatokar.me/nativelikefluency

CLARITY operates on 5 levels: 1. Precision. Choose precise, concise wording to deliver your ideas 2. Structure. Take your audience from A to B in a structured manner. They need to know where we're going. It's a challenge if you must explain your ideas in a foreign language 3. Flow. It must be easy for native speakers to listen to you over an extended period of time. My advice - master the rhythm of English 4. Context. What you say must be timely, kind, and to the point. Understanding the context of a situation requires understanding people in it. That's why poor listeners are never clear. 5. Variety. Not everybody will understand you the first time you explain something. We come from different cultures, backgrounds, and families. Be ready to explain your ideas in various ways and paint different images with your words for different audiences. To learn the exercises that can help you develop each of these skills, get my updated SPRINT! 5 Levels of Clarity. The exercises come with individual feedback Leave a comment with the word "CLARITY" to get an early bird discount.

NEW!!! Small groups with a native speaking coach to improve your pronunciation. 3 spots left. Learn more here. The link is public and will open even if you are not a member