Own your voice
Celebrate your Accent
Podcast about language, identity
and everything in between.
We explore how language shapes our lives, the stories behind the voices we hear, and the wonderfully imperfect ways we communicate across cultures.
Joana Estrela
Finding freedom inside constraints
What if language wasn’t something to get right, but something to play with?
In this episode, we spoke with Portuguese illustrator and author, Joana Estrela, about creating between languages, adapting within constraints, and finding freedom in the process.
What we talk about on this episode
— When did you realise that you wanted to dedicate your life to illustration?
— And I wanted to know how is the freelancing as an illustrator in a country where three languages are spoken… How is this experience from a creative from Portugal to Belgium?
— Is participating in illustration markets and design events helps you to connect with other creatives and does that help you make your work visible? and possible find clients and collaborators in general?
→10th Episode
Based in Brussels, Belgium From Penafiel, Portugal
From navigating freelance life in a new country to building community through illustration events, our guest shares how connection, vulnerability, and simply “being a good person to work with” can matter just as much as talent.
We also explore a beautiful part of her process: writing in English to feel less judged, and how working in another language can unlock creativity in unexpected ways.
A conversation about honesty, mistakes, and the courage to create without needing to be perfect.
Stephanie Wieland
Languages it is just my world
In this episode, we welcome Stephanie Wieland, a graphic and motion designer with a great eye for storytelling. We invited her to share how languages have shaped her life and creative journey.
Stephanie grew up in a multilingual family: her mother is from Latin America and her father from Europe. From a young age, she spoke Spanish with her mom and German or Swiss German, a dialect, with her dad. This mix of languages became her everyday world, but it also sparked deep questions: Where do I actually come from?
What we talk about on this episode
— What tips or strategies do you use to make your lessons more inclusive?
— You mentioned having your own tricks to help students learn better. Do those same strategies help you when learning or improving a language yourself?
— You’ve said before that language isn’t just a school subject. Why do you feel that way?
→9th Episode
Based in London, UK From Peru and Switzerland
For Stephanie, learning different languages wasn’t something unusual, it simply felt natural, part of who she is. In this episode, she shares how that multilingual background influenced the way she sees identity, belonging (home), and creativity (motion design and illustration)
Jeanne Brochard
Choose your people on the road, not t home. That’s my advice.
What if language wasn’t something you studied, but something you lived?
In this episode of Bad Accent, we sit down with Jeanne Brochard, a French language teacher and free spirit who has lived in seven countries and now calls Buenos Aires home.
What we talk about on this episode
— What tips or strategies do you use to make your lessons more inclusive?
— You mentioned having your own tricks to help students learn better. Do those same strategies help you when learning or improving a language yourself?
— You’ve said before that language isn’t just a school subject. Why do you feel that way?
→8th Episode
Based in Buenos Aires, Argentine From Canchy, Normandy, France
Jeanne shares what it really means to live outside your comfort zone: learning languages in the street as much as at school, building a sense of home beyond borders, navigating solo travel as a woman, and choosing people not based on where you’re from, but on who you become along the way.
We talk about teaching languages online with empathy, why language shouldn’t feel like a school subject, what it’s like to be French far away from France, and how creativity, shapes the way we communicate.
Gabriela Milewski
Saudades of all the places that made us through learning and leaving home
In today’s episode, we meet Gabriela Milewski, a Senior User Researcher from Madeira who has lived across Lisbon, Milan, Melbourne, and now Barcelona. Growing up between Portuguese and Spanish shaped her curiosity for language, identity, and all the funny misunderstandings that come with “fake friends.”
What we talk about on this episode
— When did you decide to dive into languages as a teacher and moderator of conversation tables?
— What advice would you give to teachers to motivate students to learn a new language?
→7th Episode
Based in Barcelona, Spain From Madeira Island, Portugal
She shares how living abroad changes you, why creativity opens unexpected doors, and what it truly means to “matar saudades” of the places that made us.
A warm end-of-year conversation about belonging, growth, and the untranslatable feelings we carry with us.
Frédéric Lahaut
“There is no age limit to learning a language” — Our guest
In this episode, we meet Frédéric Lahaut, a Belgian language teacher who challenges himself and his students to navigate life in three languages. From the heart of Wallonia, he shares what it is like to teach French, Dutch, and English in a country where language can both connect and divide communities.
In this episode, Frédéric helps us understand Belgium’s complex linguistic landscape and highlights the importance of knowing your “why” when learning a new language. For him, good teaching goes far beyond grammar; it is about adapting to people, cultures, and stories. That mindset makes him not just a teacher but a lifelong learner.
What we talk about on this episode
— When did you decide to dive into languages as a teacher and moderator of conversation tables?
— What advice would you give to teachers to motivate students to learn a new language?
→6th Episode
Based and from Namur, Belgium
He also shares practical tips for anyone starting a new language and reminds us that there is no age limit to learning. Whether you are 8 or 80, picking up a new language is one of the best ways to exercise your brain, strengthen your memory, and enrich your life.
A conversation full of warmth, honesty, and the beautiful complexity of multilingual learning.
Sophie Paiges Hughes
“How you tell your storytelling is the most vital part. Do you believe in it, by calling yourself?” — Our guest
From South Wales to Barcelona, Sophie Paige Hughes, speaks six and a half languages (yes, the half counts!) and radiates the kind of energy that makes everyone feel seen and included.
Sophie shares how her passion for languages shaped her career in HR and DEI, her journey with Women in Tech, and what it means to build truly inclusive spaces, both professionally and personally.
What we talk about on this episode
— Growing up bilingual, embracing the “messy” side of language learning.
— How communication, love, and community all intertwine, from queer collectives to inclusive workplaces
→5th Episode
Based in Barcelona, Spain
from South Wales, UK
One of Sophie’s reflections:
“I think it’s genuinely interesting human beings that pushes me to learn more languages.” – Sophie
Ash van Ierssel
“Dad, I don’t want to speak English at home anymore. I want to speak Dutch.” — Our guest
In this episode with Ash van Ierssel, we explore what it means to grow up between cultures. From moving countries at the age of 7, learning one language while forgetting another, and working with multinational teams, Ash shares how empathy and adaptability shaped their journey. Traveling the world, meeting people from all walks of life, and discovering what truly represents you, this is a story about identity, resilience, and perspective.
What we talk about on this episode
Growing up between cultures and adapting to a new country at the age of 7.
The challenge of forgetting one language while learning another
Working with multinational teams and the power of empathy.
Traveling the world, meeting new people, and finding out what truly represents you.
→4th Episode
Based in Bergen, Netherlands
from Kunming, China
One of Ash’s reflections:
“It really opened my view to what else the world had to offer.”
Deyanira Guerrero
‘Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres’.
Learning German and its culture since high school opened the doors for Deya to move to Vienna, Austria, in search of a better future and quality of life. In her daily life, she navigates two non-native languages, sharing with us the fascinating relationship she has with each.
At Bad Accent, we felt that Deya was exactly the kind of profile we wanted to explore and ask questions. She’s a naturally curious person, someone worth getting to know and sharing with our listeners and language community.
→3rd Episode
Based in Austria, Vienna
from Barranquilla, Colombia
In today’s episode, “Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres”, wherever life takes her, Deya embraces it fully. From holistic therapy to UX/UI design, she blends cultures, ideas, and experiences like a well-shaken cocktail. We are like a mix of everything, and in this episode, we talk about mental health, creativity, and the beauty of living between worlds.
Jari Asselaman
Something Belgian, Belge, Belgisch… It is very difficult to say.
Jari’s deep curiosity about his own country, Belgium makes him the perfect guest for Bad Accent. With him, we go beyond the boundaries of Brussels to explore the wider Belgian landscape: What is Wallonie? —What is Flanders? And many other stories.
So in this episode, Bad Accent takes a journey from the local to the international journey. Jari’s unique perspective and passion for languages play a special role in helping us better understand Belgium’s diverse culture and regional identities.
→2nd Episode
Based in Aalst
— Belgium
Jari has just released his book, Gniffelen in ‘t blauw. Many of the character names in this book originate from his hometown, Aalst—a place known for its distinctive dialect within Flanders, as Jari explains during our conversation.
Nobuki Hironiwa
Architect and cultural exchange as a university student
This time on bad accent, we’re hanging out with our good friend and brilliant architect Nobuki Hironiwa joining us all the way from Tokyo.
We explored how languages shape the way we design and connect, the secrets behind public spaces in Japanese architecture, and took a sweet trip down memory lane to our university days sharing tiny rooms and big dreams in Lisbon.
→1st Episode
Based in Osaka
— Japan
Want to share your language journey on one of our episodes?
→ Project collaboration with
Sofia Vieira
Podcast co-host + producer
UX/UI Designer
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