Shadowing Practice: Everything I Learned From Being Around The Top 0.01% - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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From being a guest on Stephen Bartlett's number one ranked podcast, Bethany, why is this so important and what does
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that mean? to last week sitting in a room with one of the richest people on the planet, Jensen Wong.
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We achieved a $4 trillion market value.
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I've spent hundreds of hours in rooms with billionaires, founders, and performers in the top 0 .01%.
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And being around these people rewired my brain.
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My new way of thinking took me from being a college dropout to a multi -millionaire.
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And here's what I've learned from meeting five of them.
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Things that I either loved or completely hated.
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despise some of these people or how they act, you can still steal their secrets for your own life.
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Starting with Anastasia Soiree.
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The top 1 % hold their space no matter what room they're in.
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I was recently at an event where a sub portion of the event was highlighting books that speakers wrote.
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And one of the books they were highlighting was Anastasia Soiree's book, which was unbelievable because that meant that she was going to be there to do an interview.
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I had so many wins and I had was a sub event inside a massive conference.
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I don't think the planners really thought about the fact
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that they were putting a billionaire in a tiny room that had no more than 40 seats and wasn't very well publicized.
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So I got to this room after having met Anastasia the night before, and there was only 15 people there.
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The crazy thing is that normally you don't get within 50 feet of these people.
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And now there were 20 of us within five feet of each other.
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But here's the part that stuck with me.
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she acted as if there were thousands of people in that room.
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She was completely unfazed.
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She didn't make it seem like this was in any way disappointing, like it was a waste of her time.
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She brought the exact same presence to 20 people that she would have brought to if thousands were there.
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And my takeaway was that, This is her operating standard.
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If you have a standard, you do not let your environment shrink your standard.
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You always operate at that standard.
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But most people hype themselves up to match the level of the room that they're entering.
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If they're performing for a small audience, their level of effort plummets.
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Stepping out into a large stage, suddenly they bring everything that they've got.
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But the top 0 .01%, they operate from their standards.
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They're constantly going further faster because their standard comes from within them, not from whatever is happening around them.
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means that they don't allow for their performance to be affected by anyone or anything outside of their control.
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So if you want to operate like that, stop waiting for the perfect moment to give your full effort.
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Stop saving your best self for the big room or the next big presentation at work.
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Show up the same way at dinner with eight people as you would with a podcast for 30 listeners, as you would with a meeting with your team where there's only three people there.
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Over time, you get used to holding a certain amount of space for yourself.
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And if you let it get small, not guess about the richest people out there.
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They aren't required to be assholes.
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I was in an event recently with Jensen Huang.
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If you don't know him, he is the CEO of NVIDIA, and he's currently worth $185 billion.
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That makes him the eighth richest person on the planet.
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We fundamentally changed computing in the way how computing is done.
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By every measure, this is a guy who has earned the right to be distant, distracted, and kind of all above it.
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And honestly, nobody would blame him.
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met.
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He was present.
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He was thoughtful and kind in a way that didn't feel performative at all.
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He really didn't have to be, but it was evident that that's who he chose to be because that's who he is.
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And meeting him broke the stereotype that I didn't even realize that I was carrying.
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We've been told this idea that to make it to the top, you have to be cold, sharp elbowed, and willing to walk over people.
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And as a woman, I sometimes feel like I have to make myself sharper to prove a point.
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But what I kept seeing in these rooms is that some of the most wealthy people on the planet and decent people.
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And sure, some of them are genuinely awful to be around.
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But the money had nothing to do with which one they ended up being.
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That is a personal call.
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The media pushes this idea that wealth buys you a license to be a jerk.
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We've all seen the social media millionaires who drive around in their fancy cars, who are rude to every person that helps them, including their family.
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But the top 0 .01 % have learned to leverage what the common person thinks is optional the
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also pays to be good to people.
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Deals come down to people.
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So if you're chasing this kind of life, remember that you get to decide who you become along the way.
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You don't have to lose your warmth or your smile to grow your bank account.
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The two things are entirely disconnected, and there are real examples of people out there who are wildly successful and still good humans.
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So pick the version of successful that you actually want to be and then become that person.
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The next mindset you can steal from the wealthy is the way that you handle the small things is
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people compromise on both.
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I've been business partners with Grant Cardone since 2019, and I've watched him build a multi -billion dollar real estate portfolio,
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sell out arenas, and close deals on his terms that most people just wouldn't believe.
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But the moment that actually changed the way I think had nothing to do with any of that.
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It was at a Starbucks.
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Grant ordered a coffee, it came back wrong, and he sent it back.
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Most people in that situation would just drink it.
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worth the hassle.
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It's just coffee.
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Don't be that person.
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Grant sent it back without thinking twice and then he got it the second time and it was still wrong.
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What do you think he did?
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He sent it back.
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At first glance, this might seem ridiculous.
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It's coffee. Who cares?
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But that moment stuck with me
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because I started watching him do the exact same thing in rooms where millions of dollars were on the table.
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The same energy, the same certainty, the same refusal to accept something that wasn't what he asked for.
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I've sat in meetings with Grant where partners were pushing across the table, we're trying to get him to bend, and he just doesn't.
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Not because he's difficult, because he knows exactly what he wants.
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He's certain about what it needs to look like, and he's not going to pretend that he's okay with something that he's not okay with.
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And here's what most people get wrong.
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They think that compromise is professionalism.
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They think that saying yes, when they mean no, is how you keep deals alive, how you keep relationships smooth, how you keep things moving.
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But that's what I've learned watching Grant, is that every time you compromise on something you actually care about, you're not being professional.
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You're training yourself not
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The reason that Greg can walk into any room with that level of certainty isn't because he was born with it.
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It's because he's built it.
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Every time he's refused to accept less than what he wanted, even on the small stuff, even on a coffee, he was reinforcing his own belief in his own standards.
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That's the part that people miss.
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Stop compromising on the things that actually matter to you just because you're afraid of being difficult.
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Stop drinking the wrong coffee.
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Stop saying that's fine when it's not fine.
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walk away.
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Let them walk away.
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The strength to hold your own ground on a billion dollar deal doesn't show up out of nowhere.
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It gets built in every small moment where you either stand by what you want or you don't.
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And this can start with the little things like saying the thing that you think in the meeting, like not nodding along when you actually disagree.
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Because every time you hold the line on something small, you build the muscle you need when the stakes are massive.
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And the people who win the biggest deals close the hardest negotiations and build things that everyone wishes
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you from the brains of the most successful people on the planet is probably the hardest skill to actually pull off.
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The world's top performers are also the best at saying no, and they never feel bad about it.
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I put together a list of top podcast guests that I want to have within the next 12 months.
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And just a few weeks ago, I was at an event where I was on my way to listen to this presentation.
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And to my right, I saw Brad Gerstner.
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And if you don't know who Brad Gerstner is, you - He runs Altimeter Capital, which manages billions of dollars,
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and was an early investor in companies like Snowflake and Grab.
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- We're close to the end.
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of what has been the most parabolic rate hike cycle in
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the last 50 years in this country that's been hugely destabilizing the financial market.
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He is on the forefront of talking about AI.
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So when I walked past him, I thought, this is my shot.
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Instead of cold emailing him, I'm just going to introduce myself.
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So he was talking to somebody and I waited about 15 minutes for my window to talk to him.
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And when I finally got it, the conversation lasted maybe 90 seconds.
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He said something like, send me an email with the show details and my team will look it over.
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We get a lot of pitches.
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That was it.
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Now, let's be clear.
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show eventually.
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That will happen because I am completely relentless.
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But that's not the point.
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The point is this.
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He didn't feel a drop of guilt about saying no to me.
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He didn't soften it.
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He didn't apologize.
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He didn't pretend like he was going to make it happen.
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And honestly, it was the right call for him.
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He's running a massive fund.
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He's getting asked to do a podcast and appearances every single day.
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People pitch him constantly.
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And if he said yes to every person who waited 15 minutes for a conversation, he would get nothing done.
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So his no is what protects everything that's place.
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Most people I know can even say no to bad things.
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Their friend asks them to go out to the club on Friday night and they say yes, even though they feel exhausted.
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Family asks them to do something and instead of doing the work that they wanted to do, they cave and just say yes.
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They've just never built that muscle of saying no. Meanwhile, people at the top realize that you have to start saying no to good things to build what you want.
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Things that look like opportunities, the kinds of things that most people would jump at.
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Because the top 0 .01 % live by this rule, fit the vision, saying yes is actually a cost.
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So if you want to build something serious, you have to get so comfortable with actually disappointing people.
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Not in a rude way, just in a clear way.
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Start saying no to the plans that you don't actually want to be at.
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Say no to the projects that don't move your life forward.
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Say no to the meetings and the favors that drain you.
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Every yes you give is a no to something else.
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And the most successful people in the world are extremely picky about where their yes goes.
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And the last lesson is one I had to learn the hard way.
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Last year, Diary of the CEO, which is one of the world's biggest podcasts.
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I started the podcast because I believed in the medium of podcasting to communicate ideas
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and to tell stories and to connect with an audience.
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I walked out of that recording feeling incredible.
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There are moments of the conversation I genuinely loved, things I was proud of, things I couldn't wait for the world to hear.
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But when the episode actually aired, it was edited.
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The parts that I cared about most got completely cut out on the final version.
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And my realization was that's how every big media works.
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When you're the guest, you don't control the cut.
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And it hit me in that moment because I realized that I lost control of my own narrative.
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Someone else had decided which version of me the audience would see, and I had zero say in it.
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The top 0 .01%, they refused to let anyone else write their story.
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Everyone says content is king, but that's only half true.
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Content is the asset.
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Distribution is the leverage.
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And if your distribution runs through someone else's filter, my own audience, my own edit,
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so that no matter what conversation I want to have, nobody can cut the part that I care about most.
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And if you're building anything, a business, a brand, a career, and you want to operate at the highest level, you have to control your own narrative.
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Stop putting your voice in the hands of other people who want to change it and take control of your story.
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You have to start creating your platform where no one else can ever filter you.
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Because when you build the thing, you control it.
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A newsletter, an email list, a podcast, a direct relationship with the care about.
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It doesn't have to be massive.
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It just has to be yours.
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Because every other lesson I share in this video doesn't matter
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if someone else gets to decide the version of you the world actually sees.
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If you want more on how the wealthiest people actually think, I have a full video breaking down the money rules I've picked up over the years.
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I'll link it right here.
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Go check it out.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 182 sentences and 2387 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:44. The speaker talks fast, about 203 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| compromise noun | /ˈkɑmpɹəˌmaɪz/ | The settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions. |
| wealthy adjective | /ˈwɛl.θi/ | Possessing financial wealth; rich. |
| sharp adjective | /ʃɑɹp/ | Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| muscle noun | /ˈmʌs.əl/ | A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement. |
| pitch noun | /pɪt͡ʃ/ | A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| narrative noun | /ˈnæɹ.ə.tɪv/ | The systematic recitation of an event or series of events. |
| refuse verb | /ɹɪˈfjuːz/ | To decline (a request or demand). |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| presentation noun | /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/ | The act of presenting, or something presented. |
| edit verb | /ˈɛdɪt/ | To change a text, or a document. |
| filter noun | /ˈfɪltɚ/ | A device which separates a suspended, dissolved, or particulate matter from a fluid, solution, or other substance; any device that separates one substance from… |
| rude adjective | /ɹuːd/ | Lacking in refinement or civility; bad-mannered; discourteous. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| walk away verb | To withdraw from a problematic situation. |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. |
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| come down to verb | To reach by moving down or reducing. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| pull off verb | To remove by pulling. |
| put together verb | To assemble, construct, build, or formulate. |
| run through verb | To summarise briefly. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 54 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, didn't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: wealthy /ˈwɛl.θi/, smooth /smuːð/, eighth /eɪtθ/, thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfəl/, warmth /wɔɹmθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: sharp /ʃɑɹp/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, optional /ˈɑp.ʃə.nəl/, negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/, realization /ˌɹɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, millionaire /ˌmɪl.i.əˈnɛə(ɹ)/, ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like podcast, compromise, wealthy.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've spent · I've learned · has earned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be affected · aren't required · is done |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | book, which was · guy who has · people who win |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.