<p><strong>You understand Dutch.</strong></p><p>But speaking? That’s where you freeze.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode I share something personal.</p><p>Not a language tip. Not a grammar rule.</p><p>But an identity shift.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>After spending a month in New Zealand with my family, something clicked for me.</strong></p><p>A belief I had held for years quietly disappeared.</p><p>And that matters for you too.</p><p>Because the reason you still don’t speak Dutch is often not your level.</p><p>It’s the story you tell yourself about who you are when you speak.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>In this episode you’ll hear:</strong></p><p>- Why your identity around speaking Dutch is not fixed, and how the story “I understand Dutch but don’t speak it” is something you learned, not who you are.</p><p>- Why more studying won’t help anymore, because knowledge is no longer the problem; hesitation is.</p><p>- What actually needs to shift - so you stop freezing, stop switching to English, and start speaking even when it’s not perfect.</p><p>- How an identity shift creates real movement - without forcing yourself or “just pushing through.”</p><p><br></p><p>If you’ve been living in the Netherlands for years, understand almost everything, and still hesitate every time you open your mouth - this episode is for you.</p><p>At the end, I’ll also tell you about the Dutch Breakthrough Week:</p><p>a focused challenge where we work on identity, mindset, perfectionism and finally speaking - instead of staying stuck in your head.</p><p>Get in via https://dutchspeakingacademy.nl/dutch-challenge/  </p><p>And if this lands: follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs this shift too.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>