“Being a YouTuber: One Creator's Bumpy Road to 1M Subscribers”
The Not Old - Better Show
Paul Vogelzang
5 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 26 May 2025
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Being a YouTuber: One Creator's Bumpy Road to 1M Subscribers
The Not Old Better Show, Interview Series
Today on The Not Old – Better Show, Art of Living series, we’re joined by someone who didn’t just teach English to the world—she streamed it, posted it, subtitled it, and somehow made grammar go viral.
Jennifer Lebedev—known to millions as JenniferESL—has spent over 15 years turning dry textbook rules into relatable, real-life lessons on YouTube. But this isn’t a story about going viral overnight. This is the real story: about showing up, hitting “record” even when no one’s watching, and finding purpose through persistence.
Jennifer didn’t set out to be a YouTuber. In fact, she started making videos when YouTube still felt like a quirky side project, not a career path. And yet, somewhere between irregular verbs and idioms, she connected with millions—young learners, adult professionals, retirees brushing up before a long-awaited trip abroad. Maybe even you.
In this episode, Jennifer opens up about the early flops, the unexpected fan mail, the long road to 1 million subscribers, and why age has nothing to do with creativity online. She shares what she's learned—and unlearned—about teaching, patience, and what it means to be truly seen by a digital audience.
Plus, that familiar music you hear under me? That’s Just for a While — Magnus Ringblom Quarten—timeless, inventive, and quietly rebellious. Just like our guest.
So stay tuned—this one’s for the creators, the late bloomers, and anyone wondering, “Could I really do that, too?”
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Not Old Better Show on radio and podcast, the show covering all things health, wellness, culture, and more. |
| 0:12.8 | The show for all of us who aren't old, were better. Each week, we'll interview superstars, experts, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things, |
| 0:21.9 | all related to this wonderful experience of getting better, not just older. |
| 0:27.0 | Now, here's your host, the award-winning Paul Vogelzang. |
| 0:34.1 | Welcome to the Not Old Better Show Art of Living Interview series. |
| 0:39.1 | I'm Paul Vogelzeng. |
| 0:41.0 | And today we are joined by someone who didn't just teach English to the world. |
| 0:47.1 | She streamed it, posted it, subtitled it, and somehow made grammar go viral. |
| 0:57.6 | Jennifer Lebedev known to millions as Jennifer ESL has spent over 15 years turning dry textbook rules into relatable real-life lessons on YouTube. |
| 1:07.1 | But this isn't a story about going viral overnight or even grammar. |
| 1:12.6 | This is the real story about showing up, hitting record even when no one's watching and finding |
| 1:18.7 | purpose through persistence. |
| 1:21.7 | Jennifer Lebedeff didn't set out to be a YouTuber. |
| 1:24.2 | In fact, she started making videos when YouTube still felt like a quirky side |
| 1:29.3 | project, not a career path. And yet, somewhere between irregular verbs and idioms, she connected |
| 1:35.3 | with millions, young learners, adult professionals, retirees brushing up before a long-awaited |
| 1:42.1 | trip abroad. Maybe even you. In this episode, Jennifer Lebedev opens up about the early flops, |
| 1:49.3 | the unexpected fan mail, the long road to one million subscribers is an amazing accomplishment, |
| 1:56.2 | and YH has nothing to do with creativity online. |
| 2:01.3 | Jennifer Lebedev shares what she's learned and unlearned about teaching patience |
| 2:06.3 | and what it means to be truly seen by a digital audience. |
| 2:10.5 | Stay tuned. |
... |
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