First of all, thank you for the support and feedback across the last 50 episodes. I haven't been as consistent as I hoped since the podcast launch, and at times considered pulling things right back. But I'm glad I persevered and I'm very grateful to have hit this milestone. We've got a big announcement in the coming weeks around some changes and additions to the podcast which I think is going to make the podcast significantly better and help bring you even more stories of amazing educators, leaders and influencers.
But, it's time to introduce today's guest. If you consume my content on a regular basis, you will know I talk about this person a lot, and hold them in very high regard. She has had a massive influence on my career, more so than I think she actually realises.
One thing each and every one of us share, is the fact that we have leaders in our lives. Regardless of where you find yourself, or what stage of life you're at, leaders will play a big part in shaping your day to day. Some of us even have the privilege of leading others, and if you're one of those lucky people I have no doubt that your leadership is shaped in some part by a leader who has had a really positive impact on you. Prue Kelly is that leader for me. She was my very first Principal as a teacher and I quickly established she was someone I could always go to for support. She took a risk on me on more than one occasion, and despite the mistakes I made or difficulties I found myself in, knew she would always go into bat for me.
Leadership to me, is making those people around you better. Prue cared immensely about her staff, and she fostered a rich learning environment that I'm still yet to see replicated elsewhere. We touch on this towards the end of the podcast, but her annual hand written Christmas letters to every single staff member showed her strong leadership, and passion for growing better people.

In today's episode I chat with Dale Sidebottom from Energetic Education.
I love books. I love reading them, listening to them, recommending them and giving them away. I love the story that is woven in your imagination when you read them. And I love that there is nothing you can experience in life, that somebody hasn't already experienced before, and written about it in a book.
Another person that shares my passion for books, is Dale. Hes no stranger to the podcast or the work I do, and I am fortunate enough I get to learn from him and work with in some form or another every day. We decided to do something different this time around, and that was record a podcast episode about our passion for a good book!
We share our thoughts on five or six books that aren't necessarily educational focused, but can give great life lessons that will still be applicable in the classroom. Through the books we share, Dale and I dive into a number of themes throughout the episode include productivity, mental health, happiness, goal setting and philosophy.
Books we talk about in the podcast:
I will always write back by Martin Ganda and Caitlin Alifirenka.Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh.10X Rule by Grant Cardone.The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll.The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
Check out Dale via Energetic Education and also his new Jugar Life Daily Mission Cards!

In today's episode I chat with Dale Sidebottom from Energetic Education.

I love books. I love reading them, listening to them, recommending them and giving them away. I love the story that is woven in your imagination when you read them. And I love that there is nothing you can experience in life, that somebody hasn't already experienced before, and written about it in a book.

Another person that shares my passion for books, is Dale. Hes no stranger to the podcast or the work I do, and I am fortunate enough I get to learn from him and work with in some form or another every day. We decided to do something different this time around, and that was record a podcast episode about our passion for a good book!

We share our thoughts on five or six books that aren't necessarily educational focused, but can give great life lessons that will still be applicable in the classroom. Through the books we share, Dale and I dive into a number of themes throughout the episode include productivity, mental health, happiness, goal setting and philosophy.

Books we talk about in the podcast:

I will always write back by Martin Ganda and Caitlin Alifirenka.

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh.

10X Rule by Grant Cardone.

The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Check out Dale via Energetic Education and also his new Jugar Life Daily Mission Cards!

Today we’re talking to Sam Forward from Ellesmere College in Christchurch. I have been fortunate enough to develop a nice friendship and working relationship with Sam over the last few months. We both attended the Japan Sports Forum spending a few weeks exploring Tokyo and I was quite impressed with Sam’s no nonsense approach and ability to apply a critical lens to many of the situations and engagements we found ourselves in. This critical approach is an important skill both in life and probably more importantly in front of our students where we should be role modelling this as much as possible.
We spend a little time recapping our trip to Japan, discussing the differences between New Zealand and Japanese approaches to Physical Education and Sport. But most of our discussion is related to Sam’s experiences as an Across School Lead Teacher for his Ngā Mātāpuna o te Waihora Kahui Ako.
Sam is a passionate educator who adds tremendous value not only to the Physical Education community, but to teaching across New Zealand in General.
Follow Sam on Twitter.

Dan Popping is a young teacher from the Waikato currently working at Rototuna Senior High School. I first met Dan when I attended one of his sessions at PENZ conference in 2018 down in Dunedin. Since that session I have seen him be a really visible educator on social media as he adds value to our learning area by sharing his experiences.
His experiences at Rototuna High School paint a picture of a teacher that is collaborative, has a lot of passion for his students, and cares about the people he works with. The focus of the episode was an integrated approach to teaching Physical Education and Health, which he describes in depth. The set up at Rototuna is fascinating for someone like me who is based in a much more traditional Secondary School and I think the stories he shares will motivate a number of you as we move into the holiday period.
Dan on Twitter.
Win with Augmented Learning.

Dan Popping is a young teacher from the Waikato currently working at Rototuna Senior High School. I first met Dan when I attended one of his sessions at PENZ conference in 2018 down in Dunedin. Since that session I have seen him be a really visible educator on social media as he adds value to our learning area by sharing his experiences.

His experiences at Rototuna High School paint a picture of a teacher that is collaborative, has a lot of passion for his students, and cares about the people he works with. The focus of the episode was an integrated approach to teaching Physical Education and Health, which he describes in depth. The set up at Rototuna is fascinating for someone like me who is based in a much more traditional Secondary School and I think the stories he shares will motivate a number of you as we move into the holiday period.

Dan on Twitter.

Win with Augmented Learning.

Rocky Biasi is a former teacher who practically stumbled across a career in counselling after finding himself suffering depression and anxiety and needing help. He quickly grew passionate about counselling, eventually formalising his professional development approach and created the Accidental Counsellor Training.
The premise of the Accidental Counsellor Training is that as educators we often find ourselves in counselling situations by accident, but are not always equipped with the tools, knowledge or understanding to support our students. My chat with Rocky was both insightful and eye opening for me, particularly our discussion around a solutions focused approach. We also explore topics such as growth mindset and failure.
Rocky's knowledge here is second to none, and I encourage you action some of the suggestions Rocky explains throughout the episode.

Rocky Biasi is a former teacher who practically stumbled across a career in counselling after finding himself suffering depression and anxiety and needing help. He quickly grew passionate about counselling, eventually formalising his professional development approach and created the Accidental Counsellor Training.

The premise of the Accidental Counsellor Training is that as educators we often find ourselves in counselling situations by accident, but are not always equipped with the tools, knowledge or understanding to support our students. My chat with Rocky was both insightful and eye opening for me, particularly our discussion around a solutions focused approach. We also explore topics such as growth mindset and failure.

Rocky's knowledge here is second to none, and I encourage you action some of the suggestions Rocky explains throughout the episode.

Last month I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Claire Amos who is the Principal at Albany Senior High School. Claire is an innovative leader and educator who is doing fantastic things for both her students and staff.
We touch on a number of key topics throughout the episode including: the transition from Deputy Principal to Principal, some of her many "hats" in education, her "lens on powerful learning", future focused education and what that could look like moving forward.
We also had the opportunity to discuss DisruptED - the Social Learning Experience which Claire and several other educational leaders launched earlier in the year. DisruptED is a unique take on professional learning where educators can drop in and out of as they please, contributing to the learning in a number of different ways. Do make sure you sign up to the DisruptEd Facebook Group, and check out Claire on Twitter!

This week I head off to Japan with some stunning Physical Educators to explore Tokyo and deepen physical education teachers’ awareness, of culture, traditions and society in Japan. This is part of the Japan Sports Forum by the Asia New Zealand Foundation as part of their education programme, which supports teachers and students in understanding the diversity of and opportunities in Asia..
Yasheeka works for the Foundation and is leading the trip to Tokyo this Friday. She spends some time with me talking about what we can expect in Japan, some of the culture surrounding education there and also some of expected outcomes as we explore the region.