This is an all ears English podcast, episode fifteen hundred, what were you like at 15? Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 150 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts. Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York Radio Girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City U. S a and to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to all ears.

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In today's episode, we reminisce about what it was like to be 15 in the US, learn phrases and questions to go one level deeper, to get to know someone and ask them about their past so that you can build the connections that you want in English.

Hey, Lindsay, how are you? Oh, my gosh, I am excited to be here for Episode fifteen hundred.

Crazy, that is one thousand five hundred guys, I cannot believe it's our. Well, I mean, gosh, 50 and 100 episodes, man. That's a lot of episodes.

I know we've been podcasting for a long time, but we're so excited because the truth is, some of our listeners have been listening for, you know, for that long through that many episodes now and for six years listening to all ZIGGLER So, you know, today is to say thank you to you guys. Yeah. With yeah. Yeah.

We are so thankful to our listeners without you. We, of course, wanted to be able to podcast.

We are you know, we feel very special and lucky to be able to have such loyal listeners. I mean, when I see on, you know, Instagram and things like that, people saying things like, oh, they've been listening for years or months or whatever it may be, whether you're are an old listener or a new listener, we are happy to have you here here and keep listening.

Oh, for sure.

Guys, you are awesome. And keep sending in your questions. Just send your questions to Lindsay at English dot com. I love seeing those emails, getting your questions. And we do our best to feature your questions on the show, because this show is for you. It's not for us. It's for you. We get into the topic for today, the fifteen related topic. What do we want to ask our listeners to do to celebrate this episode?

Yes, well, we got to keep it going. We got to make it. Let's get to the next fifteen hundred. Right. So if you love all is English and you are a loyal listener and we are so happy to have you definitely think about someone that you'd like to share the show with.

So someone who would really enjoy listening to our show, share it with them, tell them about it and talk to them about why it would be helpful for them or why they would enjoy it. I mean, Lindsay, how would you describe an English listener? Like who do you think they should share this with?

Oh, my gosh. It's students who see the positive side of life and who want to have more joy when you learn English. So, guys, our slogan is connection, not perfection. If your goal if your value is more about human relationships and connection than grammar textbooks, classrooms, the traditional way, then invite them over to join us. Right. That's that kind of person. Also someone who is very self-motivated kind of starter. Michelle Yeoh. Yeah, absolutely.

Someone who really, really just wants to get things done. They're not just waiting. Yeah. Hoping that things will happen. That's good. That are good for them. Right. With their English, they you were someone who, you know, wants to get, you know, get learning, enjoy it, have fun at the same time.

Exactly. It's like the difference between someone who goes after life or someone who waits for life to come to them. That person, that person who waits for life to come to them is sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture from a teacher. But if all English listener, you want to go after this yourself, you want to achieve that fluency on your own, you're going for it and you're excited and you're positive about it.

That's an absolutely. Yeah, I love it. Oh, OK. So awesome. So, Lindsay, I mean, gosh, how do we feel. Fifteen hundred episodes in and where are we going in the future for the next fifteen.

Hunch we're going to very exciting places. Yes. No we are, we've got big projects on tap here. We're looking to release the Android app in twenty twenty one. We want to involve more with a I like Alexa. Right. So you guys can have all the English in your home more. Oh so many exciting things Michel are coming down the pipe. Yeah.

Excellent. So yeah you guys can expect a lot more, a lot more fun, a lot more education and just a lot, a lot more with technology.

So many things going on. So OK, so let's just I figured for fifteen hundred we could just mention what was episode fifteen.

Lindsey. Oh my gosh. Could we go back and look at it guys. Come back to all of your English and type in fifteen. Such a small number. And so this was an episode I did with my former co-host and we were talking about how to bring native English speakers to you. And it was a wisdom Wednesday that was when we named each day of the week. Yeah, it's funny to think about, like, how the actual show has changed.

You know, what kinds of things did we used to talk about? Yeah, maybe having a wisdom Wednesday or Inamed days or other things and just, you know, adding on team members or having guests, all sorts of things, and how the show has changed in general.

It's like thinking about like your child growing up, you know, over here.

And the last thing I'm going to say about episode number fifteen is that it was a four minute, seven second episode. Oh, my gosh. So our episodes actually back in the day. I like that expression back in the day. Sinner's today. You guys write that down back in the day. That could mean any time in the past, really, it's flexible. Back in the day, we did like five to ten minute episodes. There were very short, but I felt like we couldn't really.

Get into as much depth as we want it to. Yeah, so yeah, guys, we got deep with our episodes now that they are much longer and then that wait. So the episodes are longer and. Yeah, I mean, gosh, we're just getting started and we're already longer than that for sure.

Yeah, we've already passed the four minute mark, so we try to keep our episodes now to the 15 minute mark, more or less ten minutes, because we know that's about the right amount of time for you guys. If you're walking somewhere, getting on the train to work, it's about the right amount of time. Yeah, exactly.

Exactly. So, Lindsey, I also have a really fun talk.

I was thinking about the number 15, about fifteen hundred thinking where can we go with this?

And I thought we could talk to our listeners about what we were like at 15 and conversations about the number 15 and the age 15.

Oh my gosh, that's so funny. A little bit. But I guess we can decide what we want to share. So like.

Yeah, so yeah. Yeah. Really selectively. Lindsey, I mean, what were you like when you were 15? I mean, I was a little less intelligent. I was I think I was a teenager. Teenagers don't have, like, a great sense of realism. Yeah. The one thing I remember about being 15 is that I hit a tree on skis. Oh, really? Yes. So, I mean, I grew up skiing, I was a big skier from age three and I was skiing with my friend when I was 15.

It was like a January Saturday. And I was following my friend. She was so fast and I watched her. And then I went right into the woods and skied right into a tree.

No. Oh, my gosh. That's so scary.

Yeah. So I hit my head on the tree and then my hip off the other tree. I don't know, maybe there was some damage. I don't know. Oh, we'll find out.

We'll find out. But yeah, that's the biggest thing about her, about being 15. What about you, Michelle?

Oh, wow. Well, nothing like that. But let's see, what was I like at 15? Oh, my gosh.

Well, I was I was very into like boy bands. Celebrity is I did an Instagram story a while back about this, like entertainment.

And that was kind of me at 15. I did a lot of singing, a lot of theater. Yeah.

Because you majored in theater in your bachelor's degree, right? I did. So at 15. I was in high school and I was, you know, with my theater crowd.

And it's interesting, kind of nerdy that show.

And the theater crowd has to be a super fun crowd, though. There's always a theater crowd in every school. Right. And it seems like they're fun. I don't know. Oh, yeah.

We had a blast. You know, I loved it.

I loved it. So it's in high school, probably thinking about my next steps already. So I guess if I was 17 when I went to college, I guess I was probably already thinking about, you know, what was what was I going to do next and where was I going to go to school and things like that?

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Wow. Cool. And I always, you know, we can't get it back. It's the same about high school and college. Any time I would like call my parents and complain about my college campus or just complain about something about college life. They would say you only have four years to be a college kid. It's a very special time. You know, you have your whole life to live in big cities and do different things.

But enjoy the time because you're high school, you only have four years of it. Yeah.

Yeah, exactly. And it's funny because at that time you think, wow, like that's so long. Like what a big chunk. And then you're like now you're like think for your thing it's nothing.

Yeah. Huh. I've already been, we've been working together since four for almost six years now.

So they've been. Yeah. More than the college kids career. College time. Yeah. But in college. That's crazy, right. That's crazy.

Hey guys, don't forget, join the free live webcast coming up at the end of January, you'll get new slang expressions that will help you to show your personality and to build connection. No more textbook English phrases, guys. Remember that sports are limited and this Web class will not be recorded, so you won't get to see it again. Don't miss it. Go to all ears, English dot com forward slash slang and choose your date. January 20th or the twenty third all ears English dot com fortgang.

So, yeah, I mean, Lindsay, let's talk more about age 15. Are you still friends with any people you were when you were friends with when you were 15?

Yeah, I would say there's one. So my my best friend growing up and she and I are still you know, we're still friends, we're still connected. Our families are connected from our hometown. And I don't think we'll catch up with her multiple times a year. She has a family. I mean, but yeah, I value her friendship. And she was definitely my best friend at that time for sure. Yeah.

Yeah, I, I'm still friends with some people. I mean actually that's funny. Recently I've started getting in touch with some, you know, some friends from college that I hadn't spoken to in a while and even. Yeah. Like the other day I sent one of my theater friends from high school, like we don't talk very frequently, but I sent him a happy birthday message. And, you know, so there are people that I still keep in touch with.

And then there are the people from outside of my high school, which are my two best friends and, you know, our families, our friends. And so, yeah, I definitely there are a handful of people I still keep in touch with so and so. It's nice to have those friends from that time of your life and you get together with them and you feel like a little kid again.

Oh, yeah. I would say that they really root you. They reach you in your life. They give you that expression like your foundation, you know, in the world to it really matters in a sense. I know a lot of our listeners from different cultures may stay in the same hometown their whole life. So they're very much rooted and connected in that way. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, definitely. Definitely. So I have another question that and guys, OK, so the purpose of this episode is we're talking about fifteen, but we're also giving you guys conversation questions.

It doesn't have to be about fifteen years old. Right. But it can be about any age. Right. Think that you can kind of ask people about maybe from their teenage years, like for this one, if you're friends with someone, you could say something like, did you fight with your parents when you were fifteen, Lindsay and over one.

Yes. Yes, I do. I did. I remember because I had a boyfriend who was older, a little older. He was I was a freshman in high school and he was a senior in high school. And they I know. And so I remember fighting with them because they didn't want me to go to the movies with him. Yeah. Yeah, that's.

Yeah, yeah. So that was a big blow up, right. A big blow up. Good vocabulary words. Fearless nerd like fight. OK, that is one thing that I fought with them over. What about you Michelle.

Yeah I mean that, I mean I didn't have that exact situation but there were a lot of you know, you're at this weird age where you feel like you're an adult and I don't know.

I remember I don't know if I was fifteen, but I so in the house where I grew up most of my childhood, I remember we like right outside of my room.

I remember there was outside of the window. There was the the roof was I could actually go out and sit on the roof.

Oh that's cool.

That's like in the movies I know sometimes like I didn't sneak out but I, but I remember, you know, my I mean it's not safe to sit on the floor.

No. And I remember once, like, I, I went out and I snuck out to sit on the roof with one of my friends and my dad came in.

He was not happy with oh for now I'm thinking like, oh my gosh, if I one day my son never sat out on the roof, I'd be like, yeah, I mean, it's physically like like I was saying in the beginning of the episode, when we're fifteen, we do stupid things like we don't have a sense of our mortality. I think I think that kicks in somewhere around like thirty or so. I don't know, sir.

I don't think some people don't have it, but yeah.

Yeah, we just take these huge physical risks and we just don't it doesn't faze us. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I love it. I love it. OK, Lindsay, do you have another question. I mean did you have any favorite shows or maybe movies at that time. It's hard for me to think back to that. It's funny, you know, I think it's and you know this about me, Lindsay.

I'm a very nostalgic person. So unfortunately, in some ways in some ways I'm still fifty, OK?

I like all the same stuff, like I'm old. I mean, obviously, I love friends. I mean, I still think that I feel like all of these things are still new.

So I'm like, oh yeah. The show friends, have you seen it? Like it's a new boy?

No, I think a lot of people have moved past friends, but not everyone. I mean, now it's apparently it's cool again. It's cool again. Who's this?

Well, my husband works a lot of a lot of kids and teenagers and he says that it's that it's cool again. But he said interesting. It was on Netflix.

I will. Yeah. I mean, I will say that there's something about friends that's comforting because like, for example, last Thanksgiving, I think I share this on the show. I was at home with my parents at their home on the South Shore. And, you know, there are all these there's the news on which was stressful because of Donald Trump. And there's is like intense crime shows that we could watch. And then there's just friends like it's on TV.

It's simple and straightforward. It's not to embarrass me in front of my parents. And I like having that on. Because it's just kind of tame, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah, even though there are some embarrassing parts there there.

But yeah, no, I loved Friends and I mean Seinfeld, all the things that I still like today.

Backstreet Boys, I would say like I think Seinfeld comedy guys, if you haven't watched Seinfeld, add that to your routine, your English learning routine. I think Seinfeld comedy might just hold up over time. I'm not sure about Friends, but Seinfeld, it may just be it's really is my opinion. It's good writing. You know, Seinfeld was a comedian. He's a good comedian. Oh, well, he's the best I.

I love him, too. I love both of those shows. Leslie, what about you? What were some of your favorite shows? Are you. Oh, my gosh. I don't even remember. I don't think I watched so in high school. I don't even know Michelle. I don't know what I watched on TV in high school. I know when I was young, I watch Saved by the Bell. Oh, yeah. And then in college, I guess we had a few shows, but I can't Felicity, it was a show that was on.

But in high school it's kind of like a blank spot in my mind. I don't know.

I have no yeah I did I did an Instagram story a while back and I think it was towards the end of November where I talk about Saved by the Bell being one of my shirts.

Yes, I was. Oh, my gosh. Oh yeah. And then. And then. All right. Should we do one more? Yeah.

I like this question about what did you really want at fifteen, because this one lets you get a little deeper with the person. You know is if you are going to take today's episode and make use of it with your connections, you know, you're going to want to sit down and dig in and get to know someone talk about your past. This next question would let you go one level deeper. So let's take that one, Michele.

All right, Lindsey. So what is the question?

So what did you really want at fifteen? This is really interesting because it gets into the person's psychology.

Wow. At fifteen, I was dying to drive. Yes. I mean, that's all I could think about.

I remember I failed my first learner's permit test.

Oh, you did the written part. And I think I didn't know what a yield sign.

And I felt I was so heartbroken.

I remember I was so in that. And like I remember my mom having to comfort me saying, you know, at some point in time, this is just going to be a memory. And yeah, now, now. Oh, man, if I could be that age again and just be dealing with, you know, those kinds of things, that would be great.

So but other than driving, I really wanted to be like a famous singer, famous actress, things like that.

And yeah, my interest changed over time, but I still, you know, enjoy performing and things like that if I ever get a chance.

That's interesting. Yeah. I mean, for me, what I really this is going to give our listeners a lot of insight and this is the last one here before we finish up, guys, but it'll give us a lot of insight into American culture. As for me to add 15 or I guess 16, what I wanted, I was the first among my friends to have a car and to drive because I was a year older than that grade I was the last year.

OK, so the opposite experience. I was the one with the car. I had an old Volvo and I wanted to drive everyone around, like I wanted to be the one to go pick up all my friends, drive around. I was like my yeah. My ideal evening, my ideal Saturday night. I you could see a lot of teenagers lives revolve around getting them. I said yes in sixteen. And then you have this sense of control over your life.

In a way.

Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah it is. It's an amazing feeling. Very exciting. So amazing. Yeah.

So Michelle, what's the takeaway for today for our listeners? How should they use this episode?

Well, if you're really like getting to know someone, I mean, maybe at least I want to say these are like necessarily small talk questions. Right, right. Although they could be in some ways, but is a really good conversation.

Questions to have a conversation with somebody about what they were like as a teenager.

I mean, people like to reminisce and talk about themselves at different ages. And I think the teenage years are especially fun because they're kind of embarrassing, kind of silly.

And so it's fun to talk to people about them.

So you can try out these questions with a friend and think about how you have changed, you know, over time since you were fifteen. And also how you've changed is on all year English listener like we were talking about our show.

How have you changed as a listener since you started listening?

And I mean, even if you haven't listened to all fifteen hundred episodes, definitely how you have changed as an all ears English listener and since as a person, since you've started listening.

Right. What's been going on in your life and what do you hope will happen soon?

Well, that's a great question, Michel. So guys, come back to the blog. Let us know how you've changed since you started listening to all ears English and make use of today's episode. Use these phrases the way we phrase the questions to go one level deeper with someone you know, when someone can share with you what who they were in their teen years or their 20s, you can build that connection that we all want. And that's what we want you guys to have in English.

OK, so awesome.

And guys, remember to share all your English with a friend. Yeah, for sure. OK, Michelle, thanks for hanging out today.

All right. Here's to the next fifteen hundred. All right, stand, but. Thanks for listening to all ears English, if you are taking Eilts this year, get your estimated Vänskä with our two minute quiz. Go to all ears English dotcom, slash my score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.