Shadowing Practice: I’ve failed so I come back stronger - Learn English Speaking with Video

I wish that we normalized setbacks, like the real setbacks, the ones that are super devastating, not the small obstacles that are inconvenient,

but the ones that make you question your worth, that makes you feel like a failure, and especially the ones that make you question who you are

because the thing that you are known for or good for might be taken away from you.

That happens all the time in my job.

I'm a professional athlete, and we experience setbacks all the time, but no one normalizes it.

I remember when I was a rookie, no one looked out for me.

It was almost like this weird competition within the team.

And it's so counterintuitive because when you play a team sport, you would think that you want the whole team to win.

But when you're participating in such a competitive environment, your setback can be an advantage to someone else.

It could be someone else's opportunity.

So when you experience a setback, usually you don't tell other people you might want to hide because it looks like weakness.

It looks like you're giving someone else an advantage and you don't want that, especially when you're young, especially when you're a rookie.

You are scared to admit that because you see people older than you that feels like they have it all figured out.

But the thing that people don't understand when they start their career is that even when you're older as a veteran, you experience setbacks all the time.

it never stops but no one normalizes that

and that's why i feel like a personal responsibility to my younger teammates to go to them

and tell them about the setbacks

that i'm experiencing for example last year i wasn't playing in games i was benched

and this year i'm a starter i'm a captain i'm a huge role model within my team

but that wasn't always the case and the people

that know me from this year they think that everything's going great

when they don't even realize that last year it was a really difficult year for me

and i'm seven years into my career as a professional athlete

but no one normalizes that and the thing is

when you pursue goals it's so normal that you're going to experience setbacks

because you are trying to achieve something very ambitious you're already in the top one percent

and then you're trying to be you know the best version

of you it's hard it's a hard journey to be on

so it's inevitable that you face the setbacks

but no one really prepares you for how painful they are

and no one is really there to support you when they happen

and another and another thing that people don't talk about in the professional environment is

that it is a very fun environment to be in we laugh

so much like i'm so grateful every single day for the job

that i have because i truly enjoy it i smile every day i laugh every day like even

when things are hard

while we train it's still with this pure feeling of you're playing a game

that you love so i have a really amazing job

but on the other end of it people don't get as vulnerable as you think they might

because we say that we're a family but think about your family

or someone else's family sometimes a family doesn't necessarily mean

that you're the most honest

and vulnerable with a lot of people in their family they

can't even be honest about what they think what they want who they are

so it's the same thing in a team environment it's not always a family

and i'm not here talking about my personal experience this year

at the club i'm at i'm talking about every soccer team

i've been on from college to all my four professional teams

i've played on to the national team i've lived to some

extent the same version of what i'm talking about in every team that I've played on.

And I want to normalize this because first of all, people need to understand that when you help other people feel better, when you help them win,

it also helps you win.

And it sounds bad because it's like, well, you're doing it for yourself.

No, because the source and the intention for why you want the other person to win matters.

But at the end of the day, why can't we all win?

When I help my teammate to normalize their setback, they're going through a hard time maybe they're being asked to

go on alone maybe it's the first time they're not dressing for a game

when I tell them that it's very normal

and it's part of the journey

and this doesn't mean anything for their future it creates this sort of bond this sort of connection

that you can sense when you're on the field when you play

and you have that connection with your teammates you have this feeling

that you will do anything to play for the other person and that feeling is something that is unmatched.

We just played a team not that long ago and you can tell that that team they don't like each other.

You can tell on that team that everyone's out there for themselves

and they don't really play together but

when you watch us play as a team we're a very good connected team because we make the effort to be vulnerable, to normalize these kind of setbacks,

to be a little bit different than the other clubs

and I want to keep encouraging that too because whatever personal goal you have

If the other person is in their best place possible mentally,

physically, spiritually, if they are confident and they are resilient and they are their best self, it helps your performance.

I'm thinking about my rookie year.

My team was so good.

We made it to the final and we had a star player on my team, Sam Kerr.

She's one of the best players in the world.

She was world-class, probably like at a huge peak in her life at that point.

and the thing is she wouldn't have been successful on her

own she needed the playmakers behind her to feed her the

balls for her to become the leading goal scorer in the

league you can't win a team sport by yourself like we know

that so to root

or to be you know somewhat feeling threatened by someone else's

success is kind of like hurting you at the end of the day because you can't win without your teammates.

So that's why when you see someone experiencing a setback, it is your responsibility to come in and help them

and bring them up because you can't get to your goals by yourself.

And this sport has a problem to be extremely lonely.

This sport, even though it's a team sport, a lot of people have individual goals and it's very strange to navigate

because you want the team to win but if you're not playing

and you're not performing

or you're not dressing it can feel very hard to root for your team

but this is where I have learned to navigate this

because I have experienced so many setbacks in my career

so many setbacks from my rookie year into my seventh year

a lot of them were injuries sometimes being cut from teams sometimes

being a sub for a season sometimes being told I the club doesn't want me anymore I've had

so many things happening to me.

I've had teammates that weren't really good teammates.

I've had coaches that's been abusive.

So there's a lot of things that's happened

100

that I had to be very resilient to keep going and to be where I'm at, which is another example why those setbacks really don't define you.

101

They can shape you.

102

A lot of people have to understand that the setbacks are part of the journey.

103

There's no professional athlete that's made it a long time without experiencing setbacks

104

and even the people that you look up to or maybe

105

that you want to be a part of maybe you want

106

to be part of the mbps maybe you want to be like trinity rodman i can guarantee

107

that she's not satisfied with her performances i can guarantee

108

that she wants more for herself no matter who you are you can't compare yourself to others

109

because everybody else is struggling in their own way everybody else is having tough periods they have periods of peak

110

and periods of struggle.

111

It's very normal.

112

But the people that stay at the bottom

113

or they don't succeed in their career are the people that let those setbacks define them.

114

A lot of people experience their first setbacks once they become pro because when they're pro,

115

they finally get tested for the first time throughout their whole life.

116

Even in college, that was me.

117

You were like a star.

118

You were like the best player on your team.

119

And then when you get to the pros, you're in the top of 1% or 0.1% of the people.

120

So it's going to be a different game and everyone there is talented.

121

Everyone there has what it takes to be a pro.

122

So what makes someone different than the other?

123

It's your mindset.

124

It's how you view your setbacks specifically.

125

Anyone can thrive when they're doing well, but when things are not doing well,

126

it's the mindset that you need to have that determines how you will come out of it.

127

People in professional sports, especially team sports,

128

need to let go this scarcity mindset and realize that someone else winning doesn't take away from you losing

129

and I know I'm talking a lot about sports right now

130

and you might not be an athlete but I assume

131

that you're capable of using my analogies to your life it doesn't matter what you do

132

if you are a high performer

133

if you're ambitious you are going to be in a competitive environment and if you want to compete,

134

you can't have this scarcity mindset where you're afraid of yourself and you're afraid of your opportunities if someone else is winning.

135

If anything, that person can compliment you.

136

That person can elevate you.

137

That person can give you insights that you need.

138

You can talk to that person.

139

And if they don't want to talk, well, eventually it's on them and it's going to bite them back in the ass.

140

I truly believe that if you like hoard things for yourself and you're not helping others, I don't understand that mindset, but you don't want to surround yourself by people like

141

that anyways but i'm saying like this is your journey

142

and you are meant to win

143

if you want to win you just have to not let your mind go against you

144

and compare yourself or feel like you have less opportunities

145

or just find excuses you can't let your brain go there

146

because your brain will lie you lie to you all the

147

time your brain wants to protect your failures protect you from feeling bad about yourself

148

or if you're really down bad it's going to make you feel like of failure

149

and will convince you that this wasn't for you.

150

But if there's a part in your heart that knows that it is for you and that you want this really badly,

151

well, that's a sign that it's meant for you and you got to keep going and you have to stay resilient.

152

Having so many setbacks have put me in so many moments of introspection and I've seeked a lot of therapy,

153

a lot of sports, psychology, work with my mental coach.

154

I've really worked on the mental side of the game and I really truly believe that when you are successful,

155

the thing that makes you go from good to great is your mental discipline because you have the skills and yeah, you can keep working on those skills,

156

like it's never going to end, but that's the easy part.

157

The hard part is disciplining your mind.

158

So I've seeked a lot of help throughout the years.

159

I literally started doing therapy in 2016,

160

2017 in college when I had a lot of anger issues on the field and the anger issues was towards myself.

161

I couldn't stop swearing at myself.

162

I talked really poorly about myself.

163

I had

164

negative self-talk and that just shows how much what I did

165

and my performance was tied to who I am and

166

that is a huge problem and the reason why I'm giving this insight is

167

because throughout the years I have developed a lot of tools through those therapy sessions like for example angers

168

and emotion it comes and visits you it's not who you are things like that and those are all practical

169

But it wasn't until this year, after all these years of therapy,

170

that I truly understood what's important when you experience a setback is not necessarily how you respond to it.

171

But it's thinking a little bit deeper about who is the person that responds to this setback.

172

It's about the person that you are that experiences the setback because the setback itself is not who you are.

173

And I think sometimes that's why you get pulled down the rabbit hole

174

because you start associating yourself with what happened to you.

175

So you experience a failure.

176

So you think that you are a failure.

177

You've made a mistake.

178

So you feel like you are unworthy.

179

You've played bad.

180

You think that you are invaluable, like not valuable.

181

so it's very natural to high performers to associate what happens to you to who you are

182

but that's where you have to remove yourself

183

and that's why I feel no threats to people succeeding on my team

184

and I'm genuinely rooting for them because one it makes me feel

185

so much peace to operate from this place of I love them

186

and I want the best for them two it allows me to feel better about myself

187

because I don't feel like I'm in competition with my teammates.

188

But lastly, I realized that ultimately everything is about the person that I am every single day,

189

how I show up because who you are, if you want to feel good about who you are, it's by the decisions you make every single day.

190

It's how you show up.

191

And that is within your control.

192

And the thing is

193

when you don't have this focus and you focus on who you are as the results that you produce, well, those results are never fully within your control.

194

People don't realize that winning is never really your doing.

195

What you did is you put in the work.

196

What you did is that you played a game.

197

What you did is you showed up for the moment, but the result itself doesn't belong to you.

198

the result is just the result I don't know

199

if you can follow me here but you have to detach yourself from outcomes

200

because that means if you don't do that

201

when something bad happens your brain won't be like oh well I won't associate with bad

202

and I'll just associate with a good no your brain will associate with a bad as well

203

and that's where it brings you to failure actually to quitting

204

to mental illness because the setbacks are inevitable and you're going to experience them and they're going to hurt really, really bad.

205

And that's what I did for years.

206

And that's why it's been so painful.

207

My journey as a professional athlete, I feel like I've enjoyed it less than I've enjoyed it.

208

Does that make sense?

209

Like it's, it's been more painful than joyful to play as a professional athlete

210

because I tied all my self-worth to my performance so then

211

when I wasn't playing when I wasn't like the player

212

that I thought I was it really took such a big hit to my ego

213

that I would isolate myself and I felt very lonely

214

but I didn't realize the opportunities

215

that I would have to still work on the person that I am while I'm experiencing that setback so I would

216

instead back then I would be more indifferent I would you know not care

217

and feel like I didn't really care about the results

218

or didn't really care about not playing but that didn't really help

219

because I do care I really want to win I want to succeed I want my team to succeed

220

but I was pretending otherwise because I was protecting myself because it was so painful to care.

221

So now instead of caring about the results, I'm caring about how I show up.

222

I'm caring about the process.

223

And the reason why I know this works is because when in preseason, I was having a really good preseason in my own opinion.

224

Okay.

225

I was showing up every day.

226

I was doing the work.

227

It was really intense, but I loved my process.

228

I loved how I showed up.

229

And in my mind, I was so ready to

230

I was so ready and confident because of how I see myself show up every single day.

231

And it was our first preseason game of the year.

232

And the coach didn't start me.

233

I was so confused because I knew I performed.

234

And then I started feeling like it was unfair because I'm like, well, the coach puts the players that she knows or the coach puts his,

235

her favorite players that, you know, is international, whatever.

236

but then I took a step back and I told myself, be ready, just be ready, because in the past, I've made the mistake of,

237

okay, this is unfair, which might have been, but I would just not care, I would just be like, okay, whatever, and then I wouldn't show up as ready as possible for the game,

238

so now I just changed, and I was like, just be ready, and you know what happened?

239

One of my teammates sadly got injured in the first 10 minutes of the game

240

and suddenly the coach asked me to sub in

241

so I was really excited

242

because mentally I was sharp I was ready to jump on my opportunity

243

and I had it right then and there

244

and I was like wow God is real

245

because I was praying to have him have my back

246

and to make me ready for my opportunity if it did come

247

and then I had a great game

248

and from then on I've been a starter crazy and that's something

249

that I did very differently in the past

250

because I would attach my worth to starting or not

251

and in the past because I wouldn't have started I would have just beat myself up

252

and just feel bad and then maybe waste my chance of actually being ready for

253

when my opportunity came but now it's different

254

because I'm focusing on the person that I am I'm focusing on my process I'm focusing on preparation

255

mentally and physically so then I really am capable of jumping on the opportunities

256

that are in front of me I think a lot of athletes don't realize

257

that and you know recently there's been a few players

258

that I know that's been going on loans on my team

259

or on different teams and it's a very difficult place to be in

260

because when a coach asks you to be on a loan it's almost as

261

if they're saying well we don't see you in our plans here

262

or we don't value you enough to stay here

263

so we want to ship you somewhere else so you can like play

264

and be more useful you know but you really don't have to read into

265

that because one business is business opportunities are opportunities you can't really beat yourself up for the situation

266

that you're in because there are so many factors at play

267

and if you have the proper mindset of like okay the place

268

that you will be next on the loan can be the

269

place where you develop where you get to reinvent yourself be more of a leader try different things you know

270

if you have the proper mindset it could be the best thing

271

that can happen to you so the whole video was about setbacks

272

and I think it's very important to talk about

273

because we don't normalize it enough in sports we don't normalize it enough in high performance life people

274

that have big goals they know that they will experience setbacks

275

but they don't understand how painful it's going to be

276

and this is like my way to come in

277

and be like hey it's going to be hella painful

278

but you can make it easier for yourself

279

if you don't attach what happens to you to who you are

280

and you actually focus on keep showing up

281

and controlling what you can not spending your energy controlling the narrative of what people think of you

282

or how unfair it was not spending your energy on staying

283

bitter this is something i had to learn a lot

284

and really let go of those things and focus on yourself like the person

285

that has high standards how would a true professional show up

286

every single day it's really asking yourself who am i going to become

287

when a setback inevitably happens who are you going to be okay not necessarily what you're gonna do

288

because that stems from who you're gonna be

289

so i hope this gave you the resiliency that you were looking for

290

if you are experiencing a setback right now you are not alone anyone

291

that is a high performer is going through this it's

292

so normal and i don't want you to give up if you know that this thing is meant for you, don't give up.

293

Because if you just pivot and start something new, you'll get the dopamine of starting something new.

294

But you're going to experience setbacks there as well

295

because you're a high performer and you're going to try to be the best.

296

Setbacks are always going to happen.

297

You need to focus on who you are and your opportunities will come again.

298

You can't give up.

299

Your opportunities will come.

300

I'm promising you this.

301

They always do.

302

So believe in yourself.

303

I believe in you, but it doesn't matter that I do.

304

You need to believe in yourself, okay?

305

You got this.

306

Cool.

307

Thank you so much for listening.

308

I hope that these videos about my professional life helps you understand your life better.

309

That is really my intention.

310

If you're an athlete, let me know.

311

I'm really curious if I have athletes watching these videos because I'm gonna keep doing these kind of videos.

312

They really speak to me and they've been very valuable lessons in my life.

313

So my hope is that it just gives some little gem in yours. So, okay.

314

Thank you so much for listening.

315

I love you and I will see you so so soon in a new video

✨ Aanbevolen Video

625 zinnen

The Most Valuable 40 Minutes You’ll Spend This Year (Hormozi x Williamson)

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

230 zinnen

Self-Sabotage, Self-Forgiveness & Why the Way You Talk to Yourself Is Everything

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

316 zinnen

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

This video is a goldmine for english speaking practice because it blends raw emotion with everyday conversational flow. The speaker, a professional athlete, shares personal setbacks and triumphs in a relatable, unscripted tone—perfect for mastering real-world communication. Whether you’re learning to express vulnerability or talk about challenges, the dialogue mirrors how native speakers share stories. Using the shadowing technique (or "shadowspeak") here helps you mimic natural pacing, intonation, and emphasis, making your speech sound more authentic. Plus, the mix of casual phrases and reflective language gives you practice with both informal and thoughtful communication styles.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Let’s break down key structures to boost your English:

"I wish that we normalized setbacks": The subjunctive mood ("normalized") is used to express a desire for a different reality. Practice this to talk about hopes or hypothetical situations.
"It could be someone else's opportunity": "Could" here softens a possibility, common in sharing observations. Use it to avoid sounding too direct.
"even when you're older as a veteran, you experience setbacks all the time": The contrast "even when" emphasizes unexpectedness. It’s great for highlighting surprising truths in your own stories.
"no one really prepares you for how painful they are": "Prepares you for how + adjective" is a useful structure to describe emotional or challenging experiences. Try it when talking about life lessons.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Improving english pronunciation means tackling tricky sounds. In this video, watch out for:

"devastating": The "v" and "th" sounds can blend—make sure the "v" is voiced (lip vibration) and "th" is soft (tongue between teeth).
"counterintuitive": Stress the third syllable: "coun-ter-in-TU-i-tive." Misplacing stress can make it hard to understand.
"vulnerable": The "l" is silent in the middle—say "VUL-ner-uh-bul," not "VUL-ner-al-bul."

Try shadow speak by pausing the video and repeating lines immediately. This trains your mouth to form sounds like a native and builds fluency. The speaker’s natural rhythm makes it easy to follow, so you’ll quickly notice improvements in your own speech!

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

Structuur	In de video
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt	i've been · i've played · have learned
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	are known · was benched · being asked

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →

Shadowing Practice: I’ve failed so I come back stronger - Learn English Speaking with Video

The Most Valuable 40 Minutes You’ll Spend This Year (Hormozi x Williamson)

Self-Sabotage, Self-Forgiveness & Why the Way You Talk to Yourself Is Everything

life update

ENGLISH SPEECH | NICK VUJICIC: If you fail, try again (English Subtitles)

Maybe It's Time To Start Again

The Secret Fuel of your Emotional Reactivity

Why Being 'Behind' in your 20s is Brilliant.

STOP ROMANTICIZING BURNOUT - how to rest without sabotaging your productivity

5-Minute English Shadowing Practice | Episode 8: "Bounce Back" (B1-B2 Level)

Watch This Before You Give Up On Yourself | Novak Djokovic Motivation

Face Setbacks With Courage | Virat Kohli Motivational Speech

If I Wanted to Outwork My Excuses, I'd Work 28 Hours a Week

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Common Pronunciation Traps

Grammatica in deze video

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?