From Priest to Viral Spanish Teacher on Instagram |
🎙️ In this episode, I sit down with Javier Benavides (@yourspanishwithjavier), a Colombian Spanish teacher with an incredible story.
He was about to become a priest, but life took him in a completely different direction — one that led him to teaching Spanish online and inspiring thousands of students around the world.
We talk about his time in the seminary, faith, love, and how the pandemic changed everything. But also about Colombia’s culture, the Caribbean accent, the difference between “vos, tú and usted”, and how every Spanish-speaking country gives words like mozo or chorro a totally different meaning.
Javier is not only a talented teacher, he’s also a genuinely kind and thoughtful person, and that’s exactly what makes this conversation so special.
It’s real, relaxed, and full of insights about language, culture, and what it means to follow your calling.
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it 🙌
📲 New podcast IG 👉 @argentinespanishpodcast
🔥 Support the podcast → www.patreon.com/argentutor
🔗 Find Javier here: 👉
Instagram/YouTube: @yourspanishwithjavier
00:00 – Intro
00:30 – Meet the guest (Javier, Colombia)
02:30 – His story: from seminary to Spanish teacher
10:00 – Beliefs and Colombian culture (big-picture)
15:00 – Daily life & fitness routine
18:30 – Language talk: “vos / tú / usted” & regional accents
22:00 – Teaching style & short-form content
24:00 – Words that change by country (mozo, chorro, etc.)
27:30 – Social media, monetization & creator sustainability
45:30 – Colombia: what he loves vs. challenges
48:00 – Quick true/false: Colombian culture myths
51:02 – Where to find Javier & closing