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Schools are full of worthwhile ideas. The hard part is deciding which ones deserve our time and attention, and what we need to let go of to do them well. My guest today is Michael Rosenbrock. Michael has spent more than 15 years working in and with schools as a teacher, leader and education consultant. His work focuses on helping schools put good ideas into practice. He’s also the author of The Pruning Principle, a book about strategic subtraction in education. In this conversation, we explore what it takes to make change stick, how leaders decide what to stop doing, and how schools make space for the work that matters most.

What helps students feel that their learning matters? And what happens when an educator steps away from work to ask the same question of her own life? In this episode, I speak with Loni Bergqvist, an educator and school development consultant who has supported more than 50 schools to rethink how young people experience learning. We explore what high-quality project-based learning looks like, how teachers build the conditions for student agency and belonging, and why lasting change depends on working together. Loni also shares the story behind The Sabbatical Diaries. We talk about stepping back, reconsidering the place of work in our lives and making room for the parts of ourselves we’ve put aside. It’s a conversation about meaningful learning, thoughtful change and finding your way back to yourself.

What if one of the most important things we give young people at school is the opportunity to struggle? My guest today, Nicole Dyson, believes classrooms should help young people build the confidence and agility to navigate uncertainty, challenge and change. This is the second time Nicole and I have spoken on The Art of Teaching, and I’m thrilled to welcome her back. Nicole is a multi-award-winning educator, entrepreneur and founder of Future Anything. Across two decades in education, she has worked with more than 130,000 students and teachers, helping schools design learning that builds agency, adaptability and confidence. Her recent TEDx talk explores why the classroom might be one of the safest places for students to struggle, stretch and learn how to respond when the answer is not obvious.

Alan Rogers is Director of Education for a multi-academy trust serving nine schools across the West Midlands and the founder of Kilter Leadership. Having worked as a teacher, headteacher, executive headteacher and trust leader, Alan has extensive experience of leading school improvement, developing people and creating the conditions in which teams can perform successfully.   Through Kilter Leadership, Alan explores how leadership can be made teachable at every level. His work brings together people, performance and wellbeing, helping leaders balance high expectations with strong relationships, clear systems and a healthy organisational culture. Alan is particularly interested in responsibility, leadership behaviour and the daily deliberate actions that shape how people experience an organisation. His approach is grounded in a simple belief: high performance and positive culture are not competing priorities- effective leadership enables us to make them both sustainable.   You can follow Alan on Instagram at @kilterlead. Readers in the UK can find his book, Kilter Leadership: A Balanced and Skilled Approach to Make Leadership Teachable at Every Level, at kilterleadership.com. Readers elsewhere in the world can order it through Amazon.   You can also listen to his conversations about leadership on the Spotify podcast Creating Leadership Futures Together. His guests and conversations span a wide range of high-performance environments, from elite Olympic cycling to Michelin-starred kitchens.

Today, I’m joined by Janine Stratford, recipient of the 2024 Most Influential Educator Award. Janine’s work brings together evidence-informed practice, personalised coaching and a deep understanding of professional growth. Through her thoughtful approach, she has supported educators and leaders to strengthen their capabilities, navigate career development and achieve meaningful goals. Janine is committed to creating inclusive learning environments where people feel supported, challenged and equipped to grow. Her influence reaches beyond individual coaching. She continues to develop leadership capacity, strengthen professional communities and contribute to better outcomes for educators and students. It is a pleasure to welcome Janine Stratford to The Art of Teaching podcast

What if the answer to feeling stuck was not a bigger goal, a clearer plan or greater certainty, but a tiny experiment? My guest today is Anne-Laure Le Cunff, a neuroscientist, researcher and the author of Tiny Experiments. Her work explores how curiosity and an experimental mindset help us navigate uncertainty, reconsider inherited definitions of success and make choices that feel more aligned with who we are. In this conversation, Anne-Laure shares how a serious health scare prompted her to rethink her relationship with work and achievement. We discuss identity, ambiguity, people-pleasing, procrastination and the pressure to have everything figured out. She also explains why action often teaches us more than reflection alone, and how small, time-bound experiments give us useful information without tying our self-worth to the outcome. This conversation encouraged me to think differently about success, certainty and the small choices that shape our lives. Here is my conversation with Anne-Laure Le Cunff.

Have you ever wondered How Leaders Create High-Performing Team Cultures? Dr Vanessa Druskat returns to The Art of Teaching Podcast for round two, this time for a deeper conversation about her book and the conditions that help teams thrive. Vanessa is an award-winning researcher, teacher and leading expert in team leadership. Across three decades of field research, she has examined the cultures that support trust, collaboration and high performance. This work led to the development of the Team Emotional Intelligence model, which has been used by leaders and organisations around the world. In this conversation, we explore why leaders need to stop trying to fix individuals and start shaping emotionally intelligent team cultures. Vanessa shares practical insights into building trust, strengthening collaboration and creating the conditions where people work well together. Vanessa serves on the faculty of the University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. Her book should be required reading for every teacher and school leader seeking to build stronger, healthier and more effective teams.

Joel Birch is a creative facilitator, learning designer, educator, and self-described benevolent troublemaker who believes people do their best thinking through play. After years supporting creativity in classrooms and helping schools navigate digital transformation, Joel shifted his focus to helping teams across industries think more openly, communicate more honestly, and collaborate with greater courage. As a Certified Facilitator and Pro Trainer of LEGO® Serious Play®, Joel works with teams on strategy, innovation, vision, and change. Across education, enterprise, leadership, and youth programs, he helps people bring their ideas to the table and build something better together.

David is one of the world’s leading authorities on personal and organisational productivity. He is the creator of Getting Things Done, widely known as GTD, and the bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Ready for Anything and Making It All Work. His work has helped millions of people manage commitments, reduce mental overload and create greater clarity in their work and lives. David is the founder and chairman of the David Allen Company, which delivers GTD training and coaching around the world. More recently, he co-authored Team: Getting Things Done with Others, extending the principles of GTD into collaboration, leadership and shared work. This is the second time I have had the privilege of speaking with David. In our first conversation, we explored the foundations and practical application of GTD. This time, we look back at the origins and evolution of his work, consider how we sustain clarity in an increasingly complex world, and reflect on meaningful goals, attention, direction and what matters most now.

Amber Fuller is a substantive Deputy Principal, currently working as a HALT Talent Pipeline Advisor with the NSW Department of Education. She is a Highly Accomplished Teacher and serves as a committee member of the NSW HALT Association.   Amber is committed to growing expert teacher capacity across the NSW public education system by supporting aspiring and accredited HALTs through innovative, practical approaches that embed the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers into everyday practice. She is passionate about teacher quality, professional learning, and developing teacher leaders who create lasting impact for students, colleagues, and schools.

Andy Brown is currently a Senior Education Officer in Education Scotland, with a specific interest in Mathematics.  Andy was appointed as the first National Specialist Adviser for Mathematics to the Scottish Government in 2024. In that role he bridged policy and practice, working closely with ministers, policy officials, academics, schools and settings, and wider stakeholders. Much of Andy’s current work focuses on the Curriculum Improvement Cycle for Mathematics in Scotland. Andy has been involved in education for over 20 years. He has held roles as a Secondary Teacher of Mathematics, Faculty Head, Depute Head, and Interim Head Teacher of two schools in the Highlands of Scotland. Andy has worked for Education Scotland since 2019 as a Senior Education Officer of Numeracy and Mathematics, and Senior Education Officer of Curriculum Innovation.  He was also appointed as Fellow of the Academy for Mathematical Sciences as part of their inaugural cohort. Here are a few links to the resources we talked about in the episode:  Curriculum Improvement Cycle – Education Scotland Next steps in curriculum improvement - gov.scot Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC): Early Draft Sample materials June 2026 – Curriculum Improvement Cycle

Glenn Solomons helps educational consultants scale and school systems design professional learning that works. He started his career as a high school teacher and school leader before moving into educational consulting, working with organisations including Catholic Schools NSW, the University of Sydney, and the Tasmanian Department of Education. Today, Glenn runs Cheeky Learning, where he helps educational thought leaders design scalable online courses and learning systems that extend their impact well beyond the room. He's worked with more than 50 organisations to turn deep expertise into learning experiences that are practical, engaging, and built to last, because he's convinced that professional learning doesn't have to be dry to be rigorous, and that brilliant ideas shouldn't be gatekept by geography or budget

Today I am joined by Shane Leaning. Shane is a Shanghai-based organisational coach who works with international schools around the world. He supports school leaders and teams to strengthen culture, collaboration and meaningful change. He is the co-founder of Work Collaborative and co-author of the best-selling book Change Starts Here. Shane also hosts Education Leaders, a podcast featuring impactful interviews with renowned thought leaders and deep dives into school trends and strategies from around the world, all designed to support school leaders in their leadership journey. Through his work across Asia, the UK and beyond, Shane brings a rich international perspective and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing school leaders today. Shane’s book, Change Starts Here: https://workcollaborative.com/get-the-book/ Leadership Intensive Programme: https://educationleaders.co/intensive/ Education Leaders Podcast: https://educationleaders.co/podcast/

Lottie Dowling is the Director Of Education at Culture Agents, the Australasia Lead at Inspire Citizens and a life long learner specialising in Global Citizenship/Competence, Intercultural understanding and Student Leadership. She has worked in education 25 years+ as an educator and PD facilitator on a global, national and regional levels and run networks of schools working on pedagogical change and whole school improvement. She designs student programs and works with young people to build their global capabilities. She believes in the transformative power of education for all young people.

Today, I’m joined by Scott D. Anthony, Clinical Professor of Strategy at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, whose work focuses on the adaptive challenges posed by disruptive change. Scott is the author of nine books, including his latest, Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World. The book was selected for JPMorgan’s Next List, which recognises cutting-edge ideas across technology, business, financial markets, the arts and culture. Before joining Dartmouth, Scott spent more than 20 years at Innosight, the growth strategy consultancy founded by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen. His influence on the field of innovation is widely recognised. Thinkers50 named Scott the world’s fifth most influential management thinker in 2025, after naming him the world’s leading innovation thinker in 2017. In this conversation, we explore the innovations that have shaped modern life, what history teaches us about disruptive change, and how leaders can respond thoughtfully when the future feels uncertain. It is a privilege to welcome Scott D. Anthony to The Art of Teaching.