Infinite Leaders: Live

Send us a Text Message.Mike Preston takes us a journey of self discovery, being brutally honest about his life and how self awareness and faith and helped to make him the person he is. Lewis and Alan discuss research, look at trends and have a good chat with the odd guest to support those working in education to be better educators and be better humans. Special thanks to our sponsor partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco teamwear brand. Thanks also to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork and Branding. #listenshareshare

Send us a Text Message.Paul talks about his amazing book "No Silver Bullets" giving us a huge insight into his vast leadership experience of working in MAT's in the UK. This pod is full of simple ideas for school leaders that can be implemented straight away to ensure some quick wins on your school improvement journey. Lewis and Alan discuss research, look at trends and have a good chat with the odd guest to support those working in education to be better educators and be better humans. Special thanks to our sponsor partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco teamwear brand. Thanks also to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork and Branding. #listenshareshare

Send us a Text Message.Steve Sallis retuns to the pod to talk about his new book "How Not to be a Leadership Dickhead". Steve offers a no BS and relationships driven approach to leadership. This episode discusses the dos and do nots of leadership in schools across a range of themes from Steve's new book including:- Ikigai - Toxic Teams - Managing upwards   Lewis and Alan discuss research, look at trends and have a good chat with the odd guest to support those working in education to be better educators and be better humans. Special thanks to our sponsor partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco teamwear brand. Thanks also to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork and Branding. #listenshareshare

Send us a Text Message. Dr Alexander Gardener-McTaggart simplifies the work of Pierre Bourdieu by discussing how educators can recognise, use and apply Bourdieu's concepts of 'habitus', 'field' and 'distinction' in our day to day interactions with all the school community. Lewis and Alan discuss research, look at trends and have a good chat with the odd guest to support those working in education to be better educators and be better humans. Special thanks to our sponsor partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco teamwear brand. Thanks also to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork and Branding. #listenshareshare

Send us a Text Message.In this episode Lewis and Alan use James Kerr's book: Legacy as a framework for discussing the question: How do you create a culture of respect in schools?  The All Blacks are the most successful sports team in the world but how can this be transferred to a school setting?  Phrases such as 'sweep the sheds', 'no d********s' and many more are discussed and contextualised.  Lewis and Alan discuss research, look at trends and have a good chat with the odd guest to support those working in education to be better educators and be better humans. Special thanks to our sponsor partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco teamwear brand. Thanks also to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork and Branding. #listenshareshare

Send us a Text Message.In the opener to the new series, Lewis questions Alan on why he embarked on his Masters degree and the impact of completing it. Alan discusses his motivations for doing it, the challenges he faced, and the impact this had on his practice. Lewis and Alan discuss research, look at trends and have a good chat with the odd guest to support those working in education to be better educators and be better humans. Special thanks to our sponsor partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco teamwear brand. Thanks also to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork and Branding. #listenshareshare

Send us a Text Message.Andy Sammons came to our attention through his book: 'The Compassionate Teacher'. We were gripped by his vulnerability to discuss his personal experience of 'burn out'. Andy talks about the worst year of his life and how he has used compassion focused therapy to recover from his trauma.  Andy raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of burnout and calls for leaders to possess the tools  to recognise this and act upon before it is too late. This podcast can help fellow educators to improve their own mental health and that of others.   Lewis and Alan discuss research, look at trends and have a good chat with the odd guest to support those working in education to be better educators and be better humans. Special thanks to our sponsor partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco teamwear brand. Thanks also to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork and Branding. #listenshareshare

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the phrase "ego is not the enemy".In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episodes Lewis and Alan discuss the concept of "Glass Ceilings"In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss one of their favourite phrases "You only know what you know", and the importance of this in relation to self awareness when working in a school.In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the phrase "spinning plates" and how this relates to managing a busy workload in schools.In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the phrase "Corners & Edges".In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the concept of "We Not Me".In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the phrase "You never get it wrong if you do the right thing".In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the phrase "common sense is not very common".In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the phrase "away from the lights" and what this means in an educational context.In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the quote from Rebekah Russell: "Time invested in people is never wasted time".In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the topic "Is there such a thing as 'non-negotiables'?"In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

In this episode Lewis and Alan discuss the concept of 'Being In The Arena'.In 'Sensemakers' Lewis and Alan make sense of previous episodes and draw upon their lived experiences in both life and leadership. Special thanks to our partners Tsunami Sport, the leading eco-team wear brand, to Stephen Jones for our dynamic content, and to Eloisa Keens for the Artwork.

Karl Nova is a hip hop artist, performance poet and award-winning author.Karl works as an educator running hip-hop 'flavoured' creative writing workshops in schools all over the UK and abroad, he recently performed her in Riyadh. His debut collection of poetry and short stories 'Rhythm And Poetry' won the 2018 CLiPPA Poetry Award, and the book has been a huge hit with children.Karl is a brilliant story teller - join us as we hear amazing anecdotes of his life growing up in Nigeria and London and how he discovered the joy of poetic expression. Enjoy!

Halla Bint Khalid is an author and illustrator of children's books and an established painter.She created her own publishing house, releasing books in both arabic and english with her own illustrations. Halla is a frequent and cherished visitor to our school, sharing her stories of facing adversity and censorship in her work. She often blows us away with her authenticity, humility and bravery when telling her own unique story to adults and students of all ages. In this chat, we focus on the concept of 'Persistence'.

Jana Elghobary is a Year 13 student and part of the Student Leadership Group at BISR Al Hamra campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As well as studying for her A-Levels, Jana leads the school's Health and Wellbeing committee from Y7-13.Jana is reflective beyond her years and recently spoke about the concept of 'Perfectionism' at a TedX event here in Riyadh, alongside inspirational speakers from across the region. Jana has just returned from a life-changing service and trekking trip to Nepal and is looking forward to the next adventure as she prepares for her exams and life beyond school!

Sanjeev is a UK doctorate student and twice published author who has worked within professional sport, international education and the corporate world for over 5 years. He is driven by human flourishing and focuses on the Science of Wellbeing and Positive Psychology. Prior to his second professional innings, he worked in consultancy for Accenture in London and Deloitte in Dubai after graduating in Accounting and Financial Management. He recently achieved his dream of becoming the wellbeing coach for the Gulf Giants - the winners of the inaugural ILT20 cricket league in the UAE.In this episode Sanj chats with us about Positivity.

Nicolai is a passionate educator, entrepreneur, and mother of two girls.She has been in the education sector for 13 years and has been exposed to both local and international communities in the Philippines, as a student, teacher, and administrator. Nicolai graduated as a  "Master in Learning and Teaching" and recently went back to her hometown of Baguio and became the Principal of a Filipino-Chinese school, leading 40 teachers and staff, and 600 students. An uplifting conversation about approaches to Creative Leadership.

Ben Starosta is a friend of the show and a former professional footballer, having played of a number of clubs including Sheffield Utd, Brentford, Bradford City, Aldershot Town, Lechia Gdansk (Poland), Darlington, Dandenong Thunder (Australia), Miedz Legnica (Poland), Global FC (Philippines) and Nuneaton Town.  He is also a former Poland U21 international.We have a light hearted chat with Ben looking back on the role of 'self belief' throughout his turbulent career from breaking through in England to playing football abroad and the unpredictable world of football transfers!Ben now runs his own company - New Era Joinery & Home Improvements Ltd company -  joinery and home improvements firm, running commercial and domestic fit outs nationwide including home improvements. Go check it out!

Darren Davis was a Prison Custody Officer in a male-only high security prison for 21 years.In 2016, he was awarded the 'National Inspirational Tutor of the Year' award for his work helping young people gain qualifications whilst serving custodial sentences. After leaving the prison service in 2021, Darren joined The 3 Pillars Project as a mentor & coach. This charity delivers sports mentoring programmes for young people at risk of committing crimes.Darren now works in a local secondary school whilst also exploring life as an endurance athlete. He has participated in three arctic expeditions and a massive 3,493 miles cycle ride from Norway to Malta which took 55 days!Darren joins us to talk about the power of relationships and shares his perspectives on his transformative relationships with inmates including his relationship with John McAvoy, convicted armed robber turned world famous endurance athlete.

Matthew Cowley has a degree in Sport & Exercise Science from the University of Worcester and recently completed a Masters Degree in Strength and Conditioning at Loughborough.Matthew is currently working full time as a Strength And Conditioning Coach with Tonbridge Juddians rugby team. As an ex- student of ours, Matthew shares his experiences and challenges growing up as a 'Third Culture Kid' in an international school.Matthew co-hosts The Real Sport Science Podcast.

Paul Minter was a member of the British Army for 18 years after joining the Household Cavalry Regiment at 16 years old. He served with both Prince William and Prince Harry during his five front line tours, including spells both Iraq and Afghanistan.  Upon leaving The Army Paul lost several friends to suicide and suffered with PTSD. This prompted Paul to help set up the Head Up (www.head-up.org.uk) charity for which he has just completed a 5000 mile run around the coastline of the UK. A phenomenal effort, which earned him national acclaim during the recent ‘Pride of Britain' awards. In this episode we talk about challenge and mental health.

We love it when previous guests want to come back and give us more gems of wisdom. In this episode we welcome back Dr Lori Koerner, 18 months after our first chat, to talk us through some of her work developing a 'Culture Of Care' whilst leading an eastern school district.

Eva Cartwright is the founder of Platinum Training & Consultancy. Their motto is 'Be Inspired, Be Inspirational'. Eva strives to inspire Teaching Assistants and Early Years Practitioners to ensure they are current and have the skills to be truly inspirational for the children they work with every day.

Kendall Zoller is an Author, global presenter, trainer, coach, keynote speaker, and teacher. He Specialises in Communicative Intelligence (CI), leadership, adult learning theory, and inquiry models of learning. Kendall has presented across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia to International Schools, public and private schools, universities, corporations, city and state agencies.His book “The Presenter's Atlas” offers a focused and concise view into the skills for the 7 Essential Abilities of Communicative Intelligence and he has also Co-authored the popular book, “The Choreography of Presenting”.Throughout this episode Kendall shares his expertise on all things presenting...Let us know what you think

Helen Street created the Positive Schools Initiative in 2007 which advocates for educational reform to better support equity, motivation, and wellbeing in young people. At the core of The Positive Schools Initiative are ‘The Positive Schools Conferences' which have become known as Australia's leading mental health and wellbeing events for educators.As an academic social psychologist, Helen has carried out research exploring motivation and social cognitive causes of depression. Her theory of Conditional Goal Setting explains how misunderstandings of motivation can lead to a lifelong vulnerability to depression and anxiety.In 2017, Helen published her model of 'contextual wellbeing'. She stresses the need for educators and policy makers to pay more attention to school context in their consideration of social-emotional learning.Helen has also worked with schools and colleges around the world and continues to edit The Positive Times as a free online resource for teachers. 

Martin Brockman was an international athlete who represented Great Britain in the decathlon for almost a decade. He competed at two Commonwealth Games and finished 3rd to win a bronze medal for England in Delhi in 2010.Throughout his own athletics career, Martin was a coach at his local athletics club and after attaining his degree in Sports Science and Business Management, Martin became the lead field events coach at Brunel University before moving to Aspire Academy in Doha, Qatar where he is currently the Head of Athlete Development. This episode talks about the concept of being a 'generalist'.

Andy Vasily is Teacher, Performance Coach, and presenter of the Run Your Life podcast. He has a proven track record of bringing positive change in the way programs are delivered in education and business. Andy's TEDX talk on Transformative Moments illustrates his bravery in starting tough conversations. Our conversations take a deep dive into the subject of FEAR from multiple perspectives linked to research and our life experiences. We explore the meaning of fear, the reason we experience fear, and ways we may be able to overcome it.View Andy's TEDX talk here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiWMGi3bmks

Iain Sallis is an experienced educational leader who has worked in 7 differing contexts across a 23-year career. Iain has experienced the full spectrum of teaching roles and his leadership pathway reads: classroom teacher, advanced skills teacher, Head of Department, Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, Headteacher, Principal, and now his new role as the regional managing director for International Schools Partnership in Malaysia.Iain is passionate about collaboration and partnership work, facilitating and training leaders for the NPQH and NPQSL qualifications. He also has written materials for UK National programmes to help improve senior leadership in UK schools and sits on the board of the British High Commission Education group.This episode focuses on 'big decisions'.

Jennifer Abrams is a former high school English teacher, who has become a communications consultant and author. Jennifer works with a multitude of people to develop effective collaboration skills, and has written numerous publications including the powerful book ‘Having Hard Conversations'.  Jennifer has been invited to keynote, facilitate and coach at schools and conferences worldwide and has been named one of the “18 Women that All K-12 Educators Should Know,” by the ‘Finding Common Ground'' blog. This episode focuses on ‘hard conversations'.

Will Swaithes has over 20 years of experience in education with previous roles including; Advanced Skills Teacher, Specialist Leader in Education, Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, and Head of PE and Achievement for the Youth Sport Trust. Will recently completed his Masters in Educational Leadership and is a senior lecturer in Physical Education at Birmingham City University whilst also contributing to PGCE programmes at Loughborough and Buckingham Universities. He is a proud partner of the PE Scholar website which seeks to bridge the research-practice gap and help physical education thrive. This episode focuses on curriculum design. 

Angie McQuillin is a confidence and career success coach. She helps professionals overcome self-doubt to accelerate their careers and create a life they love. She is hired by companies to deliver confidence related workshops or public speaking events on the topics of resilience, assertiveness and imposter syndrome; topics we have regularly encountered on the podcast. In this episode we focus on the concept of ‘Self-worth'. Angie speaks openly about her own story, including the struggles and internal conflicts she experienced as she learned to handle her own responsibilities of setting boundaries and respecting herself.Angie describes how our brain can work against our own needs, wants and desires to please others and shares useful tips on how we can change the way we feel, react and reflect to put our personal integrity first.This episode is packed with information across a range of Self-worth topics including people pleasing, patterns of behaviour, cognitive dissonance  and decision making.Learn more about Angie McQullin on the following platforms:YoutubeLinkedIn Learn more about Lewis and Alan here - www.theinfinitelearners.com

In this episode we talk about 'leading Holistic Schools' and explore idea around creating points of connection, how to bring out the best in people both in and out of the classroom and supporting students pursue their 'Masterchef' skills!www.theinfinite learners.com

Lee Sullivan is a Head of PE from Slough in the UK and author of 'Is PE in Crisis?'In this episode, Lee talks about his inspirations and motivations to write the book along with sharing his own anxieties and feelings about becoming a published author. 

Sean is a qualified life coach and experienced Pastoral leader currently working at Royton & Crompton Academy, in the UK. We speak to Sean about 'Perseverance' and his incredible experiences as a participant in the Channel 4 TV show 'SAS Who Dares Wins'.  Sean is also a motivational speaker, and has recently set up his own brand - Sean Anthony Health & Wellness. See more content at www.theinfinitelearners.com

In this episode we talk to High School Principal of HKIS Dr David Lovelin about 'leading from the side' to empower others and create a culture of care.Discover more at www.theinfinitelearners.com

Nicholas McKie is an Associate Professor, Professional Certified Coach and the author of 'All Ways Coaching'.In this episode we focus on 'Coaching' as tool that can be effectively utilised as a leader.Read more about Nicholas and 'All Ways Coaching' here - https://www.persyou.com/book

To celebrate 52 shows in 52 weeks, our first ever guest Simon Mann joins us one year on, to host a reflective anniversary special.

Liz is Head of Secondary at Tenby International School on the island of Penang, Malaysia. Liz takes some time with us to share her journey from being a young girl mad about Basketball to being in the big job, as a Headteacher of a secondary school.Liz shares how her experience has helped develop a range of transferable skills, shaped her own core values and provided an unexpected pathway into leadership. She tells us what she expects from colleagues, talks us through ‘leading from the bench' and explains how valuing opinion from people ‘in the arena' helps her to keep some clarity.We also hear how knowing the person you are employing is crucial, especially on the island of Penang!

Terry is a human behaviour specialist, performance coach and motivational speaker, He is based in the UK.From working ‘down the pit’ to supporting elite athletes develop a positive mindset, Terry talks to us about the values that shaped his practice and his journey into psychology.Using the theory of ‘Balanced Thinking’ Terry shares how the language we use and our own internal dialogue can influence the world outside our heads, suggesting top tips on building habits, replacing negativity with positivity and reframing the whole concept of ‘retirement’.

Mike is Deputy Headteacher at GEMS World Academy and the author of ‘The Power Of Rapport’. He is based in Singapore.Mike talks with us about the importance of rapport in relationships.He shares top tips on recruitment, creating a positive culture in the workplace and how to handle tough conversations.Mike tells us why intentionality is key in building rapport and how relationships require consistency and lots of work!

Chris is the Principal of Shrewsbury International School, Bangkok Riverside. He is based in Bangkok, Thailand.Chris joins us to talk about his journey from PE teacher to International School Principal.Chris speaks of his enthusiasm around supporting people to create a ‘play what you see’ culture, and how regular coaching sessions are positively impacting his leadership.  We learn about the power of his favourite phrase ‘why not?', and how it allows schools to try new approaches and learn from the experience.Chris also tells us why you shouldn't scratch some itches and gives his reasons for inviting Maggie Thatcher to dinner!

Phil is Director of Sport at Brighton College. He is based in Al Ain, UAE.We chat with Phil about his journey through sales and the transferable skills he’s applied to teaching. We discuss servant leadership, empowering others, and of course PE and school sport!

Richard is currently Her Majesty’s Deputy Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, he is based in Saudi Arabia. We chat with Richard about leading with courage, feedback and being the best version of yourself.

Steffan Jones is the Director of Sport Performance at Wellington School. He is also the fast bowling development coach for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Steffan is based in the UK.Steffan chats with us about nurturing young people to enjoy sport, the dangers of early specialisation, and why we need to work hard to find every child’s talent.We discuss the role of PE, discuss elitist vs elite sport and explore why ‘Dare To Be Different’ is a maxim Steffan has applied to his career in professional sport and teaching.