Shadowing Practice: This is how you come back to you | Mel Robbins - Learn English Speaking with Video

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47 sentences
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When's the last time you felt like yourself?
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Not mom, not the boss, not an employee, not the spouse, not the helper, just you.
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Because even though you're running all over the place, you're still in there.
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You're just buried under the to-do list and the pressure
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and the constant motion and all the fires you gotta put out and all the things you need to do.
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Well, I wanna tell you the three simple things that I do that always bring me back to myself at home, on the road, wherever I am,
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no matter how busy life can be.
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Number one, take yourself for a walk.
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You don't have to go for 10,000 steps.
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You don't have to break a sweat and make this a workout.
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This is just taking yourself for a walk because that's what you do for you.
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And that one walk, it's going to give you more energy.
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It'll improve your mood.
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It'll help your focus and it will boost your health over the long term.
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The second habit that is on my list that always instantly makes me feel like myself again, fit in friends.
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Here's a trick you can steal from me.
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Whenever I'm in the car and I'm driving, I keep a list of people that I haven't talked to in a while.
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And it's not the same people every week.
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I rotate it.
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Last week, I was running errands.
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I had exactly eight minutes from the grocery store to get back to my house.
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And I thought, you know, I wonder what Lisa's up to.
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And the old me would have said, oh no, no, no, you don't have enough time.
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I thought, you know what, screw it, I've got eight minutes.
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I'm just gonna fire off the call.
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So I called Lisa, we caught up, I felt connected, I felt like me, I fit in my friend.
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That's how you do it.
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Make it happen, because it matters.
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And the third habit that I have, in the middle of a busy life, whenever I'm traveling, that makes me feel like me, tuck yourself in.
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You need something that you're doing to signal.
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Okay, day's over.
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And for me, what does that look like?
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How do I tuck myself in?
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Oh, number one, a bath.
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I don't care if I'm at home or a hotel room.
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I run hot water, I slip into the tub, and I just breathe.
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You know what I love about it?
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It immediately slows my thoughts, my nervous system.
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It's like the pace of life goes .
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Maybe for you, tucking yourself in means, okay, I'm gonna stretch, or I'm gonna journal, or I'm gonna turn on this beautiful,
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quiet, angelic music before bed.
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Whatever it is, protect it.
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When you rest, you're not doing nothing.
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You're doing something essential.
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You're taking care of you.
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You don't need life to slow down in order to feel grounded.
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You just need a few habits that travel with you.

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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

Learning English with YouTube is a fantastic way to practice real-world communication, and this video from Mel Robbins is perfect for english speaking practice. Her warm, conversational tone makes it easy to follow, while her relatable topics—like reconnecting with yourself—give you meaningful context to mimic. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to sound more natural, shadowing her (repeating aloud as she speaks) helps build fluency and confidence. You’ll learn to express personal ideas clearly, a key skill for both daily life and exams!

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The video is packed with useful phrases and structures. Here are 3 to focus on:

  • "When's the last time you felt like yourself?" This question structure is great for starting conversations. Practice using "When's the last time..." to ask about experiences (e.g., "When's the last time you tried a new hobby?").
  • "You don't have to go for 10,000 steps." "Don't have to" is a gentle way to reduce pressure. Use it to give advice: "You don't have to rush—take your time."
  • "I thought, you know what, screw it, I've got eight minutes." Informal phrases like "you know what" and "screw it" make speech sound natural. Try adding them to your own stories to sound more conversational.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Mel’s American accent has a few tricky spots to watch for. Let’s break them down:

  • "Buried" (pronounced "BERR-ee-ed"): Don’t skip the second "r"—it’s easy to mispronounce as "BEE-ed."
  • "Errands" (pronounced "AIR-uhndz"): The "a" sounds like "air," not "eh." Practice saying "I ran errands" to get it right.
  • "Nervous system": The "v" in "nervous" is soft—don’t overemphasize it. Link "nervous" and "system" smoothly: "NERV-uhs SIS-tum."

Shadowing these words will help you improve english pronunciation and sound more like a native. Remember, practice makes progress—keep at it!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around nowyou're running · is just taking · I'm driving
Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see comingit's going to give · gonna fire · gonna stretch
Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessaryneed to do · have to go · have to break
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or predictionIt'll improve · It'll help

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →