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On this weeks episode I am joined by the wonderful, joyous and inspirational Matt Dechaine. Matt who lives in Kent with his husband and much loved pets has a long standing history in education. As a previous headteacher, current chair of governors, and leadership and executive coach, Matt and I spoke about life’s challenges in and outside of education, the power of coaching, and the importance of  'Building Yourself a Lighthouse' for when life gets tough! I truly mean it when I say I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Matt, he was a JOY to speak to and I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did!  Enjoy! Books referenced;  Effective Coaching: Lessons from the Coaches' Coach- Myles Downey.  The Coaching Manual: The Definitive Guide to the Process, Principles and Skills of Personal Coaching- Julie Starr. If you would like to find out more about Matt and how he can assist you or your organisations you can follow him on Twitter @mattdechaine or visit his website at www.mattdechaine.com    

On this weeks episode I am joined by my lovely friend Ilaria Petrucci. Ilaria is a leadership and confidence coach, specialising in inner child healing and unmasking trauma.  Throughout this episode we discuss her journey into coaching, her 'why', her personal experiences and professional attributes. We spoke about Leadership, confidence, the importance of modelling behaviours and expectations, self-esteem, comparison, self-limiting beliefs, the importance of our environments, the need for validation, the power of vulnerability, authenticity and understanding our values.  We spoke about leadership traits and how a culture of confidence comes from the top. We also diverted in our conversation to discuss the impact the modern world is having on self-esteem and confidence of our young people and how we can best support them emotionally as parents, teachers and leaders.  A jam packed episode!! Ilaria shares so much knowledge and wisdom and I hope you enjoy!  Books referenced;  'The Untethered Soul'- Michael A. Singer 'Facing co-dependence'- Pia Mellody.  If you would like to learn more about Ilaria and her work you can find her on Instagram @ilariapetrucci_coaching or you can email her at [email protected] 

On this weeks episode I am joined by Wellbeing SUPERMODEL, #WomenEd and #HeforShe advocate Patrick Ottley-O'Connor.  Husband to Mel and dad to FIVE young men, Patrick has a long standing career in education starting out as a PE and Dance teacher, before going on to work in leadership for many years; currently as headteacher and leadership coach.  Patrick is a wellbeing ambassador, and advocate of the teacher 5-a-day movement and passionate in his support for diversity in education. We discuss his numerous passions beyond his day job and how he manages to find the balance.  We discussed how we can best support our own wellbeing, menopause, food, exercise and of course Hurricane, the most famous tortoise on Twitter who continues to bring joy to so many! Enjoy! Books referenced;  'The Teacher Toolkit'- Ross Mc Gill. 'Leadership Matters'- Andy Buck. 'Riding the Waves'- James Hilton. '10 Traits of Resilience'- James Hilton.  'The Big Book of whole school wellbeing'- Evans, Hoyle, Roberts, Yusuf. 'Safeguarding Lead book'- Clare Arasmus.  'Cultures of Staff wellbeing and mental health in schools'- Steve Waters.  'The Wellbeing Toolkit'- Andrew Cowley.  You can follow Patrick on twitter @ottleyoconnor.

On this weeks episode I am joined by Personal Development coach Paul Cope.  Paul began his career as a very successful lawyer, establishing his own law firm in his 20s. In addition to a thriving business, he was married, had a beautiful home and drove a nice car. From the outside Paul Cope had it all. He joins us in this episode to tell us of his story from life in the corporate world to becoming a personal development coach helping people who feel just like he did. Author of two books and creator of a successful coaching business Paul has transformed his life and the lives of many people around the world. Ask yourself this; Do you ever feel as though your life isn’t what it was meant to be? Do you ever feel as though no matter what you’ve achieved it’s never enough? As though there’s something missing? A hole deep inside you can’t fill no matter what you do? Do you feel unfulfilled, alone or stuck? Do you feel as though no-one really understands you or knows who you really are? Do you ever worry about what other people think of you or spend your time thinking too much about what other people are doing? Do you drink too much alcohol or use other substances to get you through the week? Do you find yourself compulsively picking up your phone to check for messages or to scroll mindlessly through social media accounts? Do you gamble or work too many hours? Do you struggle to sleep, or do you have chronic health problems? Do you ever explode with anger at what later feels like the smallest thing? Do you lie? Do you cheat? Do you manipulate? Do you need to be in control of everything around you? Do you bite your tongue and not say what you really want to say? If you could start your life all over again, would you make different decisions? Would you change the life you have if you could do it without anyone ever knowing how you really feel? If you answered yes to one or more of my questions, today’s guest Paul Cope knows exactly how you feel.  I can't wait for you to hear his story!  Enjoy!  Books referenced: 'How to solve any problem in your life: The root causes to everything'- Paul Cope. 'The 7 Secrets to change your career: Escape your pain and build a dream life'- Paul Cope.  'Letting Go'- David Hawkins. 'The Power of Vulnerability'- Brene Brown. You can contact Paul via his website paul7cope.com and follow him on social media at paul7cope.

On this week's episode I am joined by Counsellor, Teacher, Author, and Researcher Dr John Wilson. John is a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) accredited counsellor/psychotherapist. Until John semi-retired in July 2017, he worked as a bereavement counsellor at Saint Catherine’s Hospice Scarborough, and he now works as the Director of the Bereavement Service at York St John University Counselling and Mental Health Clinic (CMHC), and in addition is an honorary research fellow of the university. In 1973 John gained an honours degree in education from the University of Sheffield and worked as a primary school teacher for 15 years, during which time he gained an MSc in Education from Sheffield Hallam University. From 1988 to 1997 he was a Senior Lecturer in Education at Leeds Metropolitan University and completed counselling training between 1994 and 1997 and qualified with a Higher Education Diploma in therapeutic counselling from Leeds Metropolitan University. In 2017 John completed his Doctorate in counselling. John describes the publication of his first book ‘Supporting People Through Loss and Grief: An Introduction for Counsellors and Other Caring Practitioners’, as the fulfilment of a longstanding dream and has recently followed this with a small pocket self-help book for grieving people. John joins us today to educate us further on the process of grief, so that we can understand ourselves and others as we navigate what can feel like an indescribable sense of pain and loss that can impact all areas of our lives.  Enjoy! Books referenced;  Supporting People Through Loss and Grief: An Introduction for Counsellors and Other Caring Practitioners’ - Dr J. Wilson. The Plain Guide to Grief- Dr J. Wilson. Bereavement (4th Edition) - Colin Murray Parks. Continuing Bonds- New Understandings of Grief- D. Klass.  The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life After Loss- George A. Bonanno. Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death and Surviving- Julia Samuel. The Madness of Grief: A Memoir of Love and Loss- Rev. Richard Coles. You can contact John via his email at [email protected] or via twitter @jwilsononline. 

On this weeks episode I am joined by Steve Waters, the founder and CEO of the Teach Well toolkit.  Steve works in partnership with schools to implement a culture of staff wellbeing through his unique programmes. Steve has 40 years' experience in education, including 30 years as a secondary English teacher, Head of Department and Assistant Principal and a further 6 years as a school improvement consultant within a local authority. Steve holds the NPQH and is an online and project assessor for the NPQML and NPQSL qualifications. He is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and an elected council member. He is also a qualified Counsellor, a wellbeing coach and a Mental Health First Aid Instructor. Steve's book 'Cultures of Staff Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools' was published in June 2021 and contains 32 case-study chapters written by headteachers or wellbeing leads, describing how their school developed a staff culture of wellbeing.  Steve passionately believes if we look after the wellbeing of our staff, they will be able to teach well and care for the wellbeing of our children and I couldn’t agree more.  Enjoy!  You can connect with Steve via Twitter @teachwellall, On LinkedIn at Steve Waters or via his website at teachwelltoolkit.com. Books referenced; -The Cultures of Staff Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools- Steve Waters. -The BIG Book of Whole School Wellbeing (Corwin Ltd)- K. Evans, T. Hoyle, F. Roberts, B. Yusuf. -Teacher Burnout Turnaround- Strategies for Empowered Educators- Patricia Jennings. 

On this my first episode of the New Year I am thrilled and honoured to be joined by a very good friend of mine, Teacher of almost 20 years, Author, Cognitive behaviour specialist and NLP life coach Pauline Ronan. Pauline and I go back a long time having met through the Irish teaching world in Liverpool almost 20 years ago. In addition to her many hats, Pauline is most importantly a wife to Kev and mum to Shea. Pauline who hails from Cullaville Co Armagh, lives in Crosby, Merseyside and she joins us today to share with us the huge value she is delivering through her exciting new business ‘Step Forward Coaching’ a business that grew from her kitchen island. An island that I myself sat at for advice on numerous occasions always leaving feeling enlightened, empowered and having a clearer sense of direction, and it is no surprise to anyone who knows her, that Pauline is using her God given talents far beyond the classroom. Pauline shares with us how she balances a full time teaching career with her private work, whilst being a mother, wife, one of 6 siblings and a runner and instils belief in us that with the right attitude and self-belief we really can do whatever we put our mind to. Pauline is an inspiration to everyone who knows her, and I know you are going to love this episode!  You can contact Pauline at [email protected], visit her website at Step Forward Coaching or you can connect with Pauline via LinkedIn at Pauline Ronan as well as via Step forward coaching on Instagram.   Enjoy!  Books referenced; Mindset- Carol Dweck. Feel the Fear- Sue Jeffers. Positivity and Reframing- Pauline Ronan.  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pocket-Book-Positivity-Reframing The Choice- Edith Eger. Mans Search for Meaning- Victor Frankl.

On today’s episode I am joined by the wonderful Kelly Hannigan, founder of Mind Work Matters. Kelly and I connected recently at the Optimus Education conference in London. Kelly is the warmest, most supportive and positive person and she just radiates joy! Kelly has a long standing history in education, and as a child who experienced ACEs herself in her own childhood, her passion is to help children who are experiencing the same. Kelly's outreach in the education wellbeing world is huge. She works not only through her own company Mind Work Matters to share awareness and tools in schools at all stakeholder levels be it pupils, staff, parents and governors, but through a number of other organisations both nationally and internationally. Kelly joins us to day on this Christmas edition to share with us why she truly believes wellbeing in education underpins all else and how we can look after ourselves this Christmas season. She has lit up my life since entering it and I hope she brings some joy to yours too! I wish all my listeners a very happy, healthy and safe Christmas and I look forward to joining you again in the New Year! Enjoy!  Books/links/websites shared; The Wellbeing Curriculum- Andrew Cowley, fore word by Kelly Hannagan. The Wellbeing Toolkit- Andrew Cowley, fore word by Jill Berry. The Big Book of Whole School Wellbeing- Kimberley Evans, Therese Hoyle, Frederika Roberts and Bukky Yusuf. The Teach Well Planner- gracekellyeducation.com. The Education People- https://www.theeducationpeople.org Heads Together- https://www.headstogether.org.uk You can also follow Kelly on Twitter @mindworkmatters LinkedIn- Kelly Hannagan.

On this weeks episode I am joined by CEO of T-Cup, Edwyn van Rooyen, Ed is a successful tech entrepreneur, having set up and run a number of very successful organisations. With a background in legal and financial services and a keen interest in sport, Ed is passionate about creating successful teams who thrive within the workplace. Ed is most recently the CEO of T-Cup, a wellbeing organisation which stemmed from a question he was asked by his good friend and international rugby player Lee Mears, “What is it you want?” with Ed replying “I don’t know, All I know is that I want to be healthy, happy and successful." And their trademark formula He, Ha, Su was born!  People are at the heart of everything they do within T-Cup, Ed and his team are passionate about helping people thrive in their daily lives. It's the reason T-Cup exists. Improving the wellbeing of individuals and teams, including their own is at the heart of what they do. Ed’s team are INCREDIBLE! A group of motivated individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds including Academia, Elite Sport, HR Executives, Business Leaders, Clinical Physicians and Technologists. They have amalgamated their areas of expertise and distilled them into simple and easy-to-use tools to help individuals and organisations improve their wellbeing. I cannot wait for you to listen to this one! You can contact Ed and his team at tcup.co.uk or email him directly at [email protected]. Enjoy! 

On this weeks episode, I am delighted to be joined by the hugely inspirational educator, coach, public speaker and consultant Suneta Bagri.  Suneta helps teachers and senior leaders in education gain clarity and focus, build confidence and take control of their wellbeing, so they can start (or continue) living a fulfilled life, regardless of how busy and overwhelmed they are. As a former headteacher herself, helping teachers and school leaders to navigate their way to a mindful lifestyle is something she is incredibly passionate about. In this overwhelming arena, she knows it can be challenging to manage your own mental, physical and emotional health.  Having experienced the education sector for 20 years as a teacher and senior leader, Suneta took to managing wellbeing as her own priority to survive the challenges of the profession. Now as an educator, coach, public speaker and consultant, she offers specialised programmes and training which enhance personal and professional performance. Suneta is trained and certified as a leadership and wellbeing coach, First aid for mental health instructor, a mindfulness teacher, health champion and is a fellow of the chartered college of teaching. As a busy working mum of three, she fully understands and appreciates the pressures teachers are under to find that work/life balance and I am so excited that she is joining us today to share her wisdom especially in this extra challenging term as we make our way to the Christmas break. Books/people/websites referenced: You Can Heal Your Life- Louise Hay. The Road Less Travelled- M. Scott Peck. Prof. Christina Maslach, University of California. Teach Well Toolkit (https://www.teachwelltoolkit.com/) Cultivate Coaching Consultancy- (https://sunetabagri.com/) And you can email Suneta at; [email protected]  Enjoy! 

On today’s episode I am joined by Jade Kelly. Jade joined my department as a student teacher six years ago and we have stayed friends ever since. I have been around to witness Jade's growth as she embarks on her 5th year in teaching. Jade is someone who not only struck me as being very intelligent, but someone who is a real hard worker, who has an abundance of grit and determination but also someone who is sociable, outgoing, and a lover of life and adventure… and it was due to her love of life and adventure that Jade is now teaching and living in Dubai. Jade joins us today to share with us her experience of moving internationally to teach, the pros and cons that accompany this decision and to find out what have been the biggest learning curves and life forming lessons she has experienced to date! If you are someone who may be sitting on the fence in making a decision to teach internationally this may be for you! We talk resilience, adventure, wellbeing and grabbing opportunities as they present themselves in our lives!   Books and podcasts recommended in this episode; The Code of the Extraordinary Mind: 10 Unconventional Laws to Redefine Your Life and Succeed on Your Own Terms by Vishen Lakhiani and Simon & Schuster. 'Sinead Says' podcast- I Tunes.  Enjoy!

In this week’s episode I am joining you solo to bring to you a range of books that have assisted me on my own personal development journey. I have lost count how many people have asked me to point them in the direction of a good Personal Development book, so I have tried my best to condense my go-to list for you today, all whilst giving you a quick overview of each. I aimed for ten…. and realised afterwards that I stopped at sixteen!! There are just so many which have impacted my life in some way!  If you are listening to this and you want to start investing in your own personal development or wish to disseminate more of this work across your school, I would highly recommend you begin with adding some of those recommended today to your reading list!  You can find each of my recommended books below;  Enjoy!     Recommended reading; The Chimp Paradox- Dr Steve Peters Atomic Habits- James Clear Man’s Search for Meaning- Viktor Frankl Self-Confidence- Paul Mc Gee The S.U.M.O secrets to becoming a Positive, Confident Teenager' - Paul Mc Gee Emotional intelligence- Daniel Goleman,  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Steven Covey Start with 'Why'- Simon Sinek Mindset- Carol Dweck Miracle Morning- Hal Elrod Grit- Angela Duckworth Feel the Fear and do it Anyway- Susan Jeffers Awaken The Giant Within- Tony Robbins Who Moved my Cheese? - Dr Spencer Johnson  Teacher Wellbeing and Self Care- Dr Emma Kell and Adrian Bethune,  Live Well, Teach Well- Abigail Mann  The Elephant in the Staffroom- Chris Eyre