In this episode of the Walkabout Elevations Podcast, I sit down with Toby Johnson, Founder and Director of Education at USA English, whose work spans over 16 years building English learning systems across China and now Vietnam.

But this conversation is about what actually happens when people try to learn.

Toby spent over a decade in Beijing working inside one of the most competitive private education markets in the world. What he saw there (and what most people miss) is a fundamental gap in how reading is taught.

We break down why so many students spend years studying English but never become confident readers… and what actually needs to change.

We also explore:

• The reality of building an education business in China vs Vietnam
• Why “easy words” aren’t actually easy for most learners
• The phonics gap and what it means for second-language learners
• The Science of Reading movement and why it matters now
• How Toby built Phunics and why decodable books change everything
• The role of technology, data, and phoneme tracking in modern learning
• What parents should really look for when choosing English programs for their kids

This is a conversation about systems, not shortcuts.

If you’re a parent, educator, or someone interested in how people actually learn, this one will shift how you think.

🎙️ Walkabout Elevations Podcast
Real conversations about performance, mindset, and growth.