Advertise on podcast: GeogPod

John Lyon is joined by Andy Zair, former head of year and geography teacher at the Royal Grammar School High Wycombe, now a wellbeing and performance coach and Director of School Relationships for the Living Project. They talk about mindfully curated adventures in wild places, from Knoydart and Dartmoor to the Isle of Lewis, Nepal and Slovenia, and why cooking around a campfire after a long day can teach young people as much about resilience, kindness and leadership as any summit. Andy explains the thinking behind 'adventure is relative', the value of slowing down and going phone-free, and the challenge of describing outcomes to schools when every student grows differently. He also reflects on his own path out of the classroom, his mindfulness training, and how a love of wild places has carried him through difficult times. Links from the podcast: The Living Project Get in touch with Andy: [email protected] The Living Project - Wild Island The Living Project - Life & Limb The Living Project - Live Wild

John is joined by Grace Phillips and Em Kendall from the Field Studies Council to unpick the road collapse at Slapton, Devon, where storm damage tore away part of the A379 in early 2026. They trace the shingle barrier's postglacial formation, the isostatic and eustatic processes behind it, and why the freshwater lake behind it isn't a lagoon at all. The conversation moves from longshore drift and sediment cells through to the community, wildlife and SSSI considerations now shaping decisions about how, or whether, the road gets rebuilt.

In this special episode of GeogPod to celebrate reaching over 100 episodes we've put together a selection of short clips to give you an idea of what GeogPod is all about. Our guests come from a wide range of backgrounds and share insights on diverse geographical topics. This sampler episode is introduced by our host John Lyon, alongside staff members of The Geographical Association. If you enjoy what you hear, why not explore the full episodes? We've listed all the featured episodes below, and there are many more to discover. Subscribe to GeogPod to hear all our episodes and stay up to date with new series releases! Episode #19: Mark Maslin - How to deal with climate change deniers and reasons to be hopefulEpisode #39: Professor Ben Hennig – Iceland, Worldmapper, Trump tweets and moreEpisode #53: Alan Parkinson and Paula Richardson – Fieldwork: a shared experience for everybodyEpisode #58: Narinder Mann – Geography teacher training and what makes a good geography teacher Episode #60: John Lyon – Drunk parrots, arterial routes, and finding your way through geographyEpisode #62: Richard Bustin, Alice Matthews and Charlotte Milner – Writing your first article in Teaching GeographyEpisode #66: Daanish Mustafa – Critical geographyEpisode #67: Alex Densmore – Learning from the landscapeEpisode #83: Black History Month with Pat, James & FranciscaEpisode #86: Jess Hill – Championing primary geography and embracing change (we also have a blog post inspired by this episode 'My journey from listening to GeogPod episode #86 and deciding to apply for PGQM')Episode #95: Dr Charlene Rose – Exploring superdiversity and identity through Caribbean foodEpisode #101: Tom Davies, GeoWizard – Geography games and adventures

In this episode, Professor Gwilym Pryce from the University of Sheffield explores the idea of 'social frontiers'. The boundaries that exist between communities, neighbourhoods and groups. Drawing on his research in urban economics, social statistics and data analytics, Gwilym discusses how these frontiers influence inequality, segregation and everyday life, while offering thought-provoking ideas for geography teachers and students about using data to better understand the places we live. Links A website dedicated to collating and disseminating research on ‘social frontiers’: https://danolner.shinyapps.io/ShinyMapScale/A video explaining the Social Frontiers project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFJvqFxmvdo

In this episode of GeogPod our host John Lyon talks to Tom Davies about his experiences of place and travel as GeoWizard on YouTube. They discuss how Tom became interested in geography and his first video upload playing the internet game GeoGuessr that started his channel. They go on to talk about the inspiration behind his current ‘straight line mission’ that challenges Tom to travel by foot in a straight line experiencing place in a unique way. Tom encourages young people to go outside and explore in their local area. Watch GeoWizard on YouTube here

In this episode of GeogPod, Jon is joined by Mark Enser, who is the national lead for geography, was a member of the Ofsted curriculum unit as well as a freelance writer. While in conversation, they discuss the topic of geography teaching in schools and how to develop, implement and support a high quality geography curriculum. They also talk about how teachers can be supported to create a curriculum that works for their cohort first of all and ways that long term teachers can break out of the cycle of teaching the same topics the same way, year on year.

In this episode, John Lyon is joined by award winning field studies tutor, Chloe Searl. They discuss Chloe's transition to fieldwork from the classroom, tips on how to help students to get the most out of the fieldwork experience and the importance of making sure that the fieldwork starts right from the classroom, not when they get off the bus. Find Chloe Searl here The Island Geographer - Resources, Fieldwork & CPD

In this episode of the podcast, John talks to Dr Edward Armston Sheret, historical geographer and researcher in the field of travel and exploration. They discuss the themes of his book, On the Backs of Others: Rethinking the History of British Geographical Exploration, which unpicks the narratives of exploration and heroism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to reveal the hidden figures of historical expedition and the unsettling colonial heritage of famous explorers. Find Edward here: https://www.edarmston-sheret.com/ And read his book here: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496230973/on-the-backs-of-others/

In this episode of GeogPod our host, John Lyon, talks with Philip Parker, Senior Environment Education Officer at the Wear Rivers Trust. They discuss Philip’s career, who the Wear Rivers Trust are and what they do as well as chatting about rivers, nature, pollution, farming, field trips, the importance of engaging children with nature and rivers and how they support teachers and schools. Links from the podcast: Wear Rivers Trust website Wear Rivers Trust education hub and resources https://www.riverflies.org/case-studies/south-burn - published project work on South Burn Roker, Sunderland beach video - river mouth and rockpooling trip at Sunderland beach Series 16 of GeogPod is proudly sponsored by Collins. Collins has been publishing high-quality educational books for over 200 years. Our accessible and inclusive range of market-leading resources support pupils throughout every stage of their school education, from early years to A-level. Discover atlases, student books, teacher guides, revision and more at collins.co.uk. collins.co.uk

In another special episode to round off 2025, John talks with three members of the editorial board for the GA's journal Teaching Geography to celebrate 50 years of the publication. Listen to conversation with Eleanor Rawling, Dr Emma Rawlings Smith and Katie Richardson and find out what makes Teaching Geography such an important publication for teachers and the GA community, with personal stories about getting involved with the GA, their favourite articles, and what's next for the journal. Inspired? Want to write for the GA? Get involved here: Read the latest issue Write for Teaching Geography Guidelines for your article

In this special episode, Dr Charlene Rose talks to John about her work on the geographies of Caribbean cuisine, which formed the heart of her thesis, and explore themes of superdiversity, creolisation, authenticity and identity. They discuss the interdisciplinary route she took to her research, through work, study and personal experience, and consider why the political, economic and cultural aspects of food make it a rich source of geographical enquiry. Links from the podcast: Charlene's research profile with School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, CENTRE-UB: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/gees/rose-charlene Geographical Association A-Level Teacher Toolkit and launch announcement: https://geography.org.uk/resources/caribbean-cuisine-and-superdiversity-in-ladywoodconstituency-birmingham https://www.centre-ub.org/news/launch-of-a-level-geography-teacher-toolkit-with-thegeographical-association-and-the-royal-geographical-society CPD Course (and CPD pack coming soon): https://www.centre-ub.org/news/gcse-and-a-level-geography-teacher-cpd-course-and-thecomplex-geographies-of-caribbean-food/ Blog piece for University of Birmingham Library and Resources team: “Well done, but you need to complete the corrections” – UoB PGR Development One Advanced STEM Day Panel Member: JCC & OneAdvanced Female STEM Day at the Thinktank – Joseph Chamberlain Royal Geographical Society Conference, Creative Methods in Food Geographies Panel and Reception: Royal Geographical Society Panel - Centre-UB And accompanying Eat Out Guide for the event: https://www.rgs.org/media/qugiqjtb/rgs-ibg-conference-eat-out-guide-final.pdf Kidney Care UK African and Caribbean Recipe Magazine - working group member https://kidneycareuk.org/get-support/healthy-diet-support/kidney-kitchen-magazines/kidney-kitchen-african-caribbean-recipes/

In this special episode of GeogPod, we turn the microphone over to the current presidential team: Hina Robinson - GA President 2024-25, Denise Freeman - Immediate Past President 2023-24, and Catherine Owen - GA Vice President and upcoming president for 2025-26. Join them as they talk about their special roles not only with the GA but as women leading geography in state schools and how their relationship with the geographical community has developed over time. Hear about their personal passions for working with other teachers and geographers, inspiring the next generations and how geography teachers are continuing to bridge the gaps to support each other and know the importance of the subject. Links from the podcast: Get involved with the GA through our volunteer groups: https://geography.org.uk/get-connected/volunteer-groups/ Read about Denise's Presidential Tour: https://ga-blog.org/2024/08/28/advocating-for-gis-in-schools/ Watch Hina's Presidential Lecture from this year's conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUvI1ckHpGY Check out Catherine's theme for 2025-6 and submit an idea for the conference: https://geography.org.uk/events-cpd/ga-annual-conference-and-exhibition/propose-a-session-for-the-ga-annual-conference/ Series 15 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Oddizzi. Oddizzi’s award winning resources include lesson plans, presentations, printable materials, and engaging quizzes. But here’s the real game-changer: our virtual fieldwork films bring locations such as the Amazon rainforest, an active volcano and even Antarctica right into your classroom. www.oddizzi.com

In this episode of GeogPod John Lyon speaks with Jenny Cooke, the founder of Oddizzi, about what inspired her to pursue geography and create Oddizzi. Jenny’s goal is to create adaptable, flexible and supportive resources for geography teachers that inspire young children and make them look forward to their lessons. To accomplish this Jenny and her team have visited some amazing locations, including the Amazon Rainforest, Antarctica, and more! Jenny gives us an insight into what it takes to create their resources and anecdotes from some of her trips. Find out what the 2041 School challenge is and the free videos about Antarctica that you can use in the classroom to inspire students to become Antarctica champions. Jenny also gives some clues about future projects to watch out for! Resources www.oddizzi.com https://www.oddizzi.com/features/virtualfieldwork/ www.2041school.com Series 15 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Oddizzi. Oddizzi’s award winning resources include lesson plans, presentations, printable materials, and engaging quizzes. But here’s the real game-changer: our virtual fieldwork films bring locations such as the Amazon rainforest, an active volcano and even Antarctica right into your classroom. www.oddizzi.com

Laura Young, Scottish Influencer of the Year 2022/2024 joins John in this week's episode to talk about all aspects of her 'portfolio career' focusing on climate through research, social media and making an impact in our day to day lives. She talks about how her academic career began with everyday geographies, taking her on to experience worldwide perspectives of place, space and communities and how this has affected her approach to climate activism, reaching out to students, adults and governments alike through the power of social and digital media. Find out more about her work here: https://lesswastelaura.com/ Instagram: @lesswastelaura X: @LessWasteLaura Series 15 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Oddizzi. Oddizzi’s award winning resources include lesson plans, presentations, printable materials, and engaging quizzes. But here’s the real game-changer: our virtual fieldwork films bring locations such as the Amazon rainforest, an active volcano and even Antarctica right into your classroom. www.oddizzi.com

In this episode, John Lyon is joined by Parvati Raghuram, Manu Lekunze and Melis Cin who are part of the team that developed the Global Inequalities and the Climate Crisis Lessons. They discuss how the project came to be, how we have now moved from a climate crisis to a climate emergency and how teachers can effectively educate their students without creating fear or anxiety. They also talk about how Cameroon posed as a near perfect field to study the relationships between global inequality and the climate crisis. The resource was produced in partnership with the Decolonising Education for Peace in Africa (DEPA) project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council’s Global Challenges Research Fund as well as Impact Accelerator Account funding from the University of Lancaster. You can find the free resource here: Global Inequalities and the Climate Crisis - Geographical Association Series 15 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Oddizzi. Oddizzi’s award winning resources include lesson plans, presentations, printable materials, and engaging quizzes. But here’s the real game-changer: our virtual fieldwork films bring locations such as the Amazon rainforest, an active volcano and even Antarctica right into your classroom. www.oddizzi.com