It's About Language, with Norah Jones
Insightful conversations on the nature and impact of language and culture with creative leaders in the fields of education, business, arts, and science. Their stories shed light on how language makes us human - and brings hope.Find your voice. Enter the conversation. Find your superpower.
Episodes
145 episodes
S6E7: Onward Together: The Energy Behind Language Advocacy & Collaboration with Joy Peyton
There’s a noticeable shift happening in language education—and this conversation captures it.Right after Language Advocacy Days, Norah sits down with Joy Peyton to talk about what stood out most. Not the challenges, but the energy. The c...
S6E6: Power of Young Voices | Students at Language Advocacy Days
What happens when you give students the space to just… speak?At Language Advocacy Days 2026 in Washington, DC, a group of students from across the country did exactly that. No script. No formal panel. Just a circle, a microphone, and a w...
S6E5: It’s Not Just What You Say: The Hidden Power of Language and Communication with Charlie Hanchett
What starts as a simple story about being snowed in turns into something much bigger, as Charlie walks through the early decisions that shaped his career. He shares how he ended up teaching abroad, and how a series of unexpected turns eventuall...
S6E4: From Library French Lessons to Global Impact with Maureen Manning.
Dr. Maureen Manning joins Norah Jones for a wide-ranging conversation about language as a life-shaping force—and why the stories we tell about language learning matter as much as the learning itself. From Maureen’s earliest memory of being pull...
S6E3: Learning Language at the Speed of Being Human with James Mattiace.
In This EpisodeIn this episode of It’s About Language, Norah Jones interviews James Mattiace. He is an educator, assessment reformer, and lifelong language learner. They discuss what languages reveal, not just abou...
S6E2: Language as a Bridge: Lessons from Senegal with Katy Wheelock
Norah Jones talks with Katy Wheelock, a French educator with 30+ years of classroom experience and the founder of Vive l’Experience, about why language learning is ultimately about connection, not perfection—and how centering Fran...
S6E1: The Voice of French-Speaking Africa
What happens when a team of passionate French educators travels to Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to create authentic, lived-experience-based resources for teachers across the U.S.? In this episode, Norah Jones speaks with Steve Sacco, M...
S5E11: I Just Want to be Heard- A Conversation with Sharon Deering Williford
How language, identity, and patience shape our healing and humanity.In this deeply personal episode, Sharon Williford returns to the podcast nearly five years after her first appearance. Then, she was freshly navigating l...
S5E10 Language is About People - A Conversation with Paul Frank
“People don’t want to abandon who they are in order to have a better future. Language gives them options—and dignity—to be both rooted and reaching.”– Paul FrankIn this powerful episode, Nora...
S5E9: The Soul of the Mangyan Ambahan
In this moving and powerful episode of It’s About Language, host Norah Jones welcomes a panel of cultural advocates and storytellers to explore the poetic traditions and philosophy of the Mangyan people of Mindoro, Philippines. From pe...
S5E8: Casa Areyto Taino Language & Culture Live
In this episode, we welcome Priscilla Colón, a writer, artist, and educator with over 20 years of experience in language programs. She has trained and empowered diverse learners, from government personnel to public school students...
S5E7: Playful, Unexpected – Planet Word Museum with Anne Friedman
In this episode of It’s About Language, I sit down with Ann to hear how her love of language led her from working in Beirut and Jerusalem as a translator, to teaching young students, and finally, to founding a first-of-its-kind muse...
S5E5 Its About Language : Embrace Your Gifts | Guest Ana Lucia Lico
What if maintaining your heritage language is the key to unlocking a deeper sense of belonging and cultural identity? Join me as I sit down with Ana Lucia Lico, a fervent advocate for heritage language preservation. Ana shares her compelling jo...
S5E4 Megan Diercks, Steve Sacco: Open All the World with Vision and a Grant
Curious about how storytelling can transform education and create global citizens? Join us as we chat with Megan Diercks and Steven Sacco, who are on a mission to enrich language curricula through a Fulbright-Hays grant. They share their am...
S5E3 Gianny Morales | Making a Home in Two Worlds
Imagine embarking on a life-altering journey through the Mexican desert as a child, and then finding yourself in a new and unfamiliar country. Gianny Morales takes us through his remarkable story moving from Medellín, Colombia to New Jersey, th...
S5E2 Shuhan Wang: A New Framework for Language Education
In another place in our conversation, she says, "It's very hard to crystallize the function of language in our life, because everybody uses it. You cannot really conceptualize the function of language. It's only when you learn another langu...
S5E1 What Makes Us Human, a Conversation with Victor D.O. Santos, Ph.D.
Season 5 kicks off with Norah Lulich Jones hosting Victor Santos, author of What Makes Us Human. Explore how Santos uses riddle in both words and images to engage and delight children (and adults) with the power of human language.
Ep126 Humans, Language,Technology: a conversation with Noemí Rodríguez
Join the conversation with language education innovator Noemi Rodriguez, who draws on her own story of nurturing a childhood passion into shaping the future of AI in the classroom. We traverse the landscape where artificial intelligence and hum...
Ep125 Taking Proficiency Seriously, with Paul Sandrock
Embark on a linguistic journey that promises to redefine your understanding of language proficiency with the guidance of Paul Sandrock, an esteemed language educator. Dive into the heart of what it truly means to speak another language, moving ...
Episode 124 Language Warriors - A Conversation with Brandon Locke
Join the conversation with the visionary Brandon Locke, 2024's World Language Supervisor of the Year, and embark on a linguistic journey that spans the icy expanses of Anchorage, Alaska. Unlock the transformative power of language education as we ...
LAMA Leadership: A Conversation with Tal Gale
Discover a new dimension of leadership where language is the compass guiding us through the maze of human connection. TK Gale, founder of LAMA Leadership, joins us to illuminate the profound influence language has in shaping our realities and i...
Episode 122 Your Language Niche: A Conversation with Gregory Nedved
Welcome to Episode 122 of "It's About Language"! In this episode, we sit down with Gregory Nedved to explore his unusual linguistic journey. Starting as an adult language learner, Gregory's path led him to become an award-winning Chinese sp...
Episode 121. Lorie Roule: Advocating for Sustainable Language Programs
Join us on a journey through language and culture with Lorie Roule, a multilingual expert from the intelligence community. From her fascination with French in fifth grade to her proficiency in Russian, Arabic, and Turkish, Lorie shares insights...
Episode 120 : Christopher Howell The Pulsera Project
Discover how the simple act of creating and sharing handmade bracelets can bridge cultures and empower communities as we sit down with Christopher Howell, co-founder of the Pulsara Project. Prepare to be inspired by stories that transcend the m...
