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#14: “Couch Polyglot” Laura on Learning 7+ Languages, Building a Successful YouTube Channel, and Why Duolingo Won’t Make You Fluent

October 1, 2025

#14: “Couch Polyglot” Laura on Learning 7+ Languages, Building a Successful YouTube Channel, and Why Duolingo Won’t Make You Fluent

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In this episode, I sit down with Laura aka “Couch Polyglot”, a polyglot and YouTuber with over 44k subscribers who creates awesome language learning content whilst also working a day job. We explore how she balances both worlds: maintaining multiple languages as well as a growing channel without burning out. 

We dig into practical language learning techniques, why Duolingo might not cut it for serious learners, and how mindset often matters more than natural ability. Laura also shares what it’s really like building a YouTube channel, the unexpected challenges of content creation, and her best advice for anyone juggling creative work with a day job.

Resources

Chapters

  • (00:00) Intro
  • (01:03) Starting a YouTube Channel During the Pandemic
  • (03:09) From Teaching to YouTube
  • (09:35) Balancing YouTube and Full-Time Work
  • (13:42) Challenges & Realities of Content Creation
  • (26:20) Mindset and Approaches to Language Learning
  • (34:02) Is Duolingo Effective?
  • (35:48) Starting from Scratch: Learning Basics
  • (37:25) The Importance of Comprehensible Input
  • (38:37) Maintaining and Activating Languages
  • (39:57) Overcoming Language Learning Barriers
  • (42:11) Finding Fun
  • (46:58) Language Tandems
  • (01:02:32) Resources & Recommendations
#14: “Couch Polyglot” Laura on Learning 7+ Languages, Building a Successful YouTube Channel, and Why Duolingo Won’t Make You Fluent

Listen to this episode: