Conversations with influential figures from the UK’s education sector, about the issues affecting teachers, school leaders, and the wider school system, in a time of tremendous pressure. Here you’ll find solidarity in the stories of educators just like you; discover evidence-based tools to alleviate stress and stay ahead in your career. Hosted by Maria Brosnan, an Educational Health and Wellbeing Specialist with over 30 years experience.
Episodes
Friday May 14, 2021
Friday May 14, 2021
"Life will work for us, rather than against us. The more you allow that to happen, the more it does happen."
Mark Taylor has been a professional percussionist for 25 years and has performed with some of the UK’s finest orchestras and theatre companies.
He is also a teacher; vice-chair of the National Association for Primary Education and host of the Education on Fire podcast.
Mark shares his wisdom from years as a musician, teacher, and podcaster and the numerous conversation he had with people who all had one common purpose - to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for children and young people.
In this wide-ranging and deeply personal episode, Mark shares;
- How a person's beliefs and their environment combine to influence their wellbeing;
- How the atmosphere of a school was transformed by a simple exercise;
- How this deeply affected the relationships across pupils and staff (so simple, you could try it in your school);
- And his personal story as a parent with a child who suffered with mental illness, and attempted to take her own life.
You can connect with Mark
On Twitter @taylormapps
His website is www.educationonfire.com
Mark created a list of podcasts that may be of interest to you, which you can find at www.educationonfire.com/pursuit-wellbeing
Connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Friday May 07, 2021
Friday May 07, 2021
"What we need to remember is that effectively, we are just well-dressed neanderthals."
This is an episode with a difference!
What does a survival specialist know about the struggles of teachers or leaders right now? How can nature help us when we’re feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or just fed up?
Quite a lot as it happens!
Mental Health Awareness Week is May 10-16, and the theme this year is Nature.
Toby Cowern has lived in the North of Sweden for the last 15 years. He fuses nature engagement, applied wilderness and urban survival skills. He's also a Certified Facilitator in Lego® Serious Play®.
In this fascinating and practical episode, Toby shares:
- How our connection to nature is hardwired into us.
- Why so many of us found ourselves 'sleepwalking into the natural environment' during lockdown.
- How nature can bring us sanctuary, peace and calm.
- How we can weave nature into our daily lives, especially in urban environments.
- A simple practice we can do over a cup of tea.
- The key to developing a deeper connection to nature.
- Why it's important to recognise that a lot of people are feeling like you are.
- How layers of fatigue are building without our normal ability to wash them away, and how nature can help us with this.
- Why now, more than ever, it's so important to get the fundamentals right (good nutrition, hydration, movement and sleep). Not for some 'namby-pamby' reason, but because our nervous system desperately needs it.
- And so much more...
"We are a part of the natural world. Stop separating yourself from it."
You can connect with Toby
On LinkedIn Toby Cowern
Connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Friday Apr 30, 2021
Friday Apr 30, 2021
"Leaders need to make schools permeable to the best ideas. Not just incoming ideas but sharing ideas out - breaking down silos everywhere. It’s the art, the craft, and the science of pupil development."
David Weston is the founder and Chief Executive of the Teacher Development Trust, and the Chair of the Department for Education’s Teacher Development Expert Group. They recently published a working paper, 'A Culture of Improvement' exploring the key factors that improve outcomes for pupils.
In this practical and very 'human' episode, David shares:
- The 5 key findings from their working paper 'A Culture of Improvement';
- The 4 guiding principles and conclusions they draw from their research;
- What does 'school culture' mean?
- What does it mean to 'thrive'?
- Practical ways to improve the culture in your school;
- The key skill of having difficult or 'fierce' conversations and why they're critical to building a healthy and high performing school culture;
- Why it's so important to learn to receive feedback better;
- And how all of this impacts your wellbeing AND pupil progress.
You can connect with David
On Twitter @informed_edu
You can find his book Unleashing Great Teaching where all great books are sold.
Visit the Teacher Development Trust website tdtrust.org
Read the working paper 'A Culture of Improvement' on the website tdtrust.org/coi
Other mentions in this podcast are
Coleshill Heath Primary School
Thanks for the Feedback (Book)
Connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Friday Apr 23, 2021
Friday Apr 23, 2021
"We want “flexible living” not flexible working. We want people to live really well; to be healthy and happy and feel like they can contribute."
Emma Turner has been in primary teaching for 23 years, during which time she has worked as a classroom teacher in multiple schools and in many different leadership roles including forming one of the UK's first all-female co-headships.
In this episode, we explore three main themes - flexible working, doing leadership differently, and 'Being More Toddler' (also the title of her first book.)
In this practical (and at times funny!) episode, Emma shares:
- How she has always worked flexibly, not just when she became a Co-Head (and how you can too)
- How to approach flexible working as both an employer and an employee
- Why change feels like '3 steps forward, 2 steps back' at times
- A simple and practical questions to ask when thinking of flexible working
- The biggest barrier to flex
- What the Department for Education is doing to support flexibility
- Why she really can't stand the term "flexible working"!
- How to think about your life in the profession, from graduate to retirement (around the age of 87!)
- Why it's so important to be yourself as a leader and stop pretending that you’re something you’re not
- The skills she observed in her toddlers, that directly translate to school leadership
- And so many more pearls of wisdom from her career as a senior leader and a mother of three young children.
You can connect with Emma
On Twitter @Emma_Turner75
You can find her books Let's talk about Flex and Be More Toddler or where all great books are sold.
Other mentions in this podcast are
DfE Flexible Schools Ambassador program
TES Business Manager of the Year - Louise Barber
Abby Bayford - Letter to my NQT Self
Connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Friday Apr 16, 2021
I was delighted to be a guest of the Key Voices podcast with the lovely host Caroline Doherty. We recorded this podcast as part of Stress Awareness Month.
“Sleeplessness is a feature of the stress response… if we’ve had a stressful, busy, exhausting day, those hormones of stress stay in our bodies for hours and hours. So we lie down and expect to go to sleep but it’s like having a pint of espresso in our bodies! So how do we learn the skills to manage stress?“
This week we talk to Maria Brosnan, an educational leadership and well-being specialist. We discuss in some detail what happens in the body when we experience stress, plus Maria shares some practical techniques that can help us manage our response. We also consider coaching as a way of resolving issues, the importance of sleep and the ongoing impact of anxiety linked to the pandemic.
We talk about:
- Maria’s background in well-being and her work in schools
- Why school staff can sometimes find it hard to practice genuine self-care
- The physiology of what happens to our bodies when we react to stress
- The different biological ways men and women respond to stress
- The impact of chronic stress and anxiety, and a demonstration of a technique for self-regulation
- How to take a holistic approach to your well-being
- Why coaching can be an effective tool for feeling more in control of your life
- How Maria’s work has changed since the pandemic and how she is currently supporting school leaders, including with her work on sleep
- The importance of nuance and compassion when dealing with others at this difficult time.
Special thanks to The Key for hosting this episode and having me on as their guest.
You can connect The Key
Via their website thekeysupport.com
Connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Friday Apr 09, 2021
Friday Apr 09, 2021
"We’re all going to fail. Spoiler alert.
It’s how we engage with failure that’s important. Ask yourself: what can I learn from this? How can I use this knowledge?"
Sam Moinet is a former History teacher and the founder of 'Student Breakthrough'. As an international speaker and coach, his aim is to transform emotional support for young people and create lasting change for future generations.
In this episode, Sam shares his journey into teaching, and out of it as he discovers his passion for student wellbeing through his own painful journey.
- How a medical diagnosis cut short his dreams of a military career;
- How he became a reluctant teacher;
- What changed him from 'dipping his toe in the water' professionally, to 'cannonballing' back into teaching;
- What he started to recognise in his students that concerned him;
- What he did to help them, whilst still teaching;
- And ultimately why he left and set up his own coaching program for children and young people leading the revolution in student well-being";
- He shares the 3 B's of well-being coaching that can help you as a teacher or leader, or help you help your students.
- And much more.
You can connect with Sam
On LinkedIn Sam Moinet
On Facebook @studentbreakthrough
On Instagram @studentbreakthrough
His website is www.studentbreakthrough.com
Connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Thursday Apr 01, 2021
Thursday Apr 01, 2021
"I heard a Headteacher on the radio say "I can't go on", and thought, we've got to do something about this now. (But) how do you actually make a difference to the wellbeing of your Headteacher? That's when I came up with the idea of the short Sabbatical."
Anne Hudson is a human resource professional with over 25 year's experience in HR, much of it working in education with schools.
In this short and incredibly practical episode, Anne shares her thoughts on:
- The two likely outcomes if we do nothing to support Headteachers;
- How and why she believes a short sabbatical can help;
- Why 2-3 weeks is the ideal length;
- The difference between a sabbatical and a holiday;
- Important contractual considerations, such as why it should be paid;
- When is the best time to take a short sabbatical;
- How to plan for it and what it should include;
- How to communicate to staff and colleagues;
- And much more.
Anne has prepared some key documents to help you consider and implement a short Sabbatical for your Headteacher. Please contact her directly using her email below.
And I, as a coach, have prepared two coaching sessions specifically to bookend your Sabbatical, to ensure it achieves your intended purpose. Please contact me directly at maria@pursuit-wellbeing.com
You can connect with Anne
On LinkedIn Anne Hudson
Her email is anne@gapartnership.co.uk
Connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Friday Mar 26, 2021
Friday Mar 26, 2021
"(Our) mojo is a positive collision of all the different facets of what we care about, what we enjoy doing, how we can carve out a way of being that brings together that purpose, passion, and fulfilment."
I came across a blog, Regaining Your Mojo by Hannah Wilson, that sparked the thread of the conversation on this episode. Many people are understandably feeling 'mojo-less' right now.
Hannah is a former Executive Headteacher and currently a leadership development consultant, coach and facilitator.
She is well known for her work around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She's a collaborator across a number of networks including those she co-founded such as #WomenEd and #DiverseEd.
Hannah shares her insights in this wonderfully wide-ranging episode:
- Key things to do to regain your mojo;
- The most important things she does to take care of herself (and you can too);
- Why boundaries are so important, and how to set them;
- Why and how she co-founded WomenEd and DiverseEd;
- How we wake up the school system to the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion;
- How can we create a sense of belonging and psychological safety for everybody in our schools, not just the children?
- Why we don’t have a recruitment crisis, we have a retention crisis;
- Her REAL coaching method for Resilient, Authentic, Empowered Leaders;
- And much more.
You can connect with Hannah
On Twitter @Ethical_Leader
Her website is www.hannah-wilson.co.uk
Other links mentioned
WomenEd website is www.womened.org
DiverseEd website is www.diverseeducators.co.uk
Hannah's blog Regaining your Mojo
Benny Kara The Little Guide to Diversity in Schools
Marie Kondo Sparking Joy
Connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's new book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Friday Mar 19, 2021
Friday Mar 19, 2021
"The reason I lead the Chartered College of Teaching is that the profession very often knows best and too often we’re subject to external interference."
Professor Dame Alison Peacock is Chief Executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, a new professional body that seeks to raise the status of teaching through celebrating, supporting and connecting teachers to provide expert teaching and leadership.
In this frank and insightful episode, Alison shares her reassurance and wisdom for everyone in the profession. Here are some quotes from the episode:
- "The teaching community has been subject to ridiculous targets to recover lost learning.
- I don’t think it’s enough for the secretary of state to say 'this year we’ll trust teachers not algorithms'. It's a very snappy little phrase (but) to ask teachers to do this without a framework in place is a very risky and stressful process for everyone involved.
- I’m not calling for a revolution; I’m calling for greater professional responsibility.
- An element of competition is an energiser, but not when stakes have become so high that if you falter you completely fail.
- I don’t think we need to have the inspection system reinstated in the autumn in the way that it was before the pandemic. That kind of hyper-accountability means everyone is constantly looking over their shoulder.
- We need to be really loving to our current set of leaders because they’ve done so much. They deserve our recognition and support.
- We had to stop for a while and consider what really matters in my life? This was a universal realisation for so many of us. Listen to those important things. They are much more important than pleasing Ofsted."
- And much more.
Prior to joining the Chartered College, Alison was Executive Headteacher of The Wroxham School in Hertfordshire. Her career has spanned primary, secondary and advisory roles. She is an Honorary Fellow of Queens College Cambridge and a Visiting Professor of both the University of Hertfordshire and Glyndŵr University.
You can connect with Dame Alison Peacock
On Twitter @alisonmpeacock @charteredcoll
On LinkedIn Dame Alison Peacock
The Chartered College of Teaching website is chartered.college
For any membership enquiries, the Chartered College of Teaching email is hello@chartered.college
You can connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
On Instagram @pursuitwellbeing
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's new book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.
Friday Mar 12, 2021
Friday Mar 12, 2021
"What is it that I’m bringing into this room that’s making my class resist the learning that I'm bringing to such an extent?"
20 years ago, Steve Carr was an English teacher and experienced his class completely rebel to the point he simply gave up. He sat down and waited for the lesson to finish so he could go to the Head's office, walk out and never come back.
In those final minutes of the class, he witnessed something profound happen to his students that changed the way he approached teaching and learning forever...
Steve Carr has a Masters in Emotional Factors of Learning and Teaching and Organisational Psychology. He founded "A Mind to Teach" in 2018 on the principle that good relationships drive great learning.
Steve helps teachers understand the dynamics that underpin successful teaching and learning relationships, which he does beautifully in this thought-provoking and insightful episode.
- What is the role of the teacher in the classroom?
- The 3 key things that all students want and need to feel.
- Why the 'inner world' of the teacher is so important.
- The key driver of every human.
- Practical ways to help you prepare for lessons.
- And much more.
You can connect with Steve
On Twitter @scar25161
Instagram @stevecarrtraining
On LinkedIn Steve Carr
His website is amindtoteach.com
You can connect with Maria
On Twitter @Mariabrosnan
On LinkedIn Maria Brosnan
Find out more about our 5-step Wellbeing Action Plan for teachers online course.
And Maria's new book, The Pursuit of Sleep for teachers, is available now.