I’ve just left Day 1 of the Queensland Association of Special Education Leaders conference (QASEL) at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. I’m speaking on Day 3 (“The Dark Arts of Engagement”), so I snuck in early to get a feel for the room—and wow, the energy is brilliant.

My big takeaways

1. Housekeeping ≠ snoozefest. Use memes/pop-culture to make admin memorable. Simone modelled this perfectly (Coldplay, Taylor Swift, even “no horses in the bathrooms”—gold).
2. Secondary trauma is real—and rampant in education. Adam’s research hit home. I loved this line: “You don’t need to know the story to support me.”
3. Resist the detail spiral. When heavy news hits, fight the urge to collect every detail. Curiosity can compound distress. Ask: “What do you need from me right now?” instead of “What happened?”

Try-it-today prompts

• Swap three housekeeping slides for three memes. Keep it clean, current, and contextual.
• Set a “detail diet”: limit doom-scrolling on tough stories; focus on presence over particulars.
• Practice the support script: “I’m here. I don’t need the whole story to stand with you.”

People + shoutouts

• MC: Simone Coogan
• Keynote: Dr Adam Fraser (author of The Third Space)
• Designer: Ruby Olive – “Colour Your World”
• Listener: Tracy Davies (thanks for saying hi!)

I’m back on Day 3 with The Dark Arts of Engagement—I’ll report back with what lands (and what I learned).

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