How the Pandemic Led Me to Create Pep Talk Radio

An international language learning community

Pep Talk Radio
3 min readAug 2, 2023
Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash

The year 2020 brought unprecedented challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic spread globally. Like many, I found myself isolated and wrestling with anxiety and depression.

Out of that loneliness grew an unexpected source of joy — a worldwide community of language learners.

When the pandemic hit, I was the only one left in my 16-unit apartment complex. My roommate had moved out, neighbors fled to relatives, and I remained alone.

I was working from home and I needed a good connection, so I couldn’t leave my empty building. After two months, I didn’t even want to call or talk to my family members.

As the pandemic stretched on, my work hours reduced to just 3–4 hours a day. I even stopped talking to colleagues as our conversations worsened my sadness.

In those quiet moments, I stumbled upon Duolingo Events — later renamed to Duolingo Classes (Closed permanently on 18th January, 2023).

I joined some Spanish events simply to hear someone new. Most events and hosts that I liked were in different time zones, so I stayed up late into the night to attend their events.

Their enthusiasm was contagious. For the first time in months, speaking with complete strangers about something other than the pandemic was energizing.

I made my first international friends, realizing how much I craved human connection.

I was super excited about Duolingo’s events. Inspired, I decided to become a host myself! I applied and was accepted by Duolingo in July 2020.

Initially, I created two weekly events, one for English and another for Spanish learners. To my surprise, many people started joining.

As attendees grew, I created a WhatsApp group that hit its limit only in 2 days. Soon there were 5+ WhatsApp groups and many Telegram groups too!

These wonderful attendees quickly became friends.

We played online games, cooked meals together virtually, sang karaoke, and celebrated holidays and birthdays over Zoom.

Sometimes our Zoom calls ran for nearly 24 hours, with new people rotating in and out. We just restarted the following day, unwilling to lose our social lifeline.

My new international friends kept me going.

I asked particularly engaged attendees to become co-hosts and admins. Together our team grew to host over 2000 Duolingo events across 10+ languages in just 2.5 years.

The above image is for one of our accounts which I used to host English language events. And there were a few more to easily organize events in all the languages.

According to Duolingo statistics, over 15,000 learners from 85+ countries attended our events.

After hosting a few events, I realized I had a domain name PepTalkRadio.com that I never used. I decided to write about our Duolingo events and hosts, leading to the creation of this website.

The name may not directly relate to language learning, but surprisingly, it still worked out.

As pandemic restrictions slowly lifted, we shifted from daily to weekly recurring events. But the relationships continued, especially through the WhatsApp and Telegram groups.

We currently have more than 10 WhatsApp groups and multiple Telegram groups.

Now in 2023, many original members have busier lives. But we still gather weekly through the Pep Talk Radio website and chat groups. Old friends frequently pop in to say hello, even if they can’t stay long.

What started as a pandemic boredom cure evolved into a supportive global community that outlasted isolation. We continue providing a space for people worldwide to connect, share languages, and uplift each other.

Our group weathered the pandemic through compassion and resilience.

I’m endlessly grateful to each person who contributed their energy, empathy, and spirit when we needed it most.

Pep Talk Radio will always have open doors for any seeking knowledge, friendship, or solidarity.

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Pep Talk Radio
Pep Talk Radio

Written by Pep Talk Radio

Free online language learning events. Learn a language now! Website: https://www.PepTalkRadio.com/ Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PepTalkRadio

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