In this episode, Adele and Keith dig into what it really means to value and support TAs and other support staff around behaviour. They talk about how the TA role has changed over the last few decades, from “general classroom help” to one‑to‑one support, behaviour support and intervention work, and how that shift has created a lot of confusion about what TAs are actually there to do. 

Adele and Keith share stories of TAs being underused, misused, or dropped into high‑risk behaviour-management roles with little training, alongside examples of TAs who are among the strongest behaviour practitioners in the building. They explore how leaders can involve support staff properly in behaviour plans and policy, give them access to meaningful CPD (not just the “leftover” training), and create spaces where TAs can learn from each other rather than feeling isolated.

This episode also introduces ABEducation’s TA conferences, and why it matters to give TAs a whole day focused on their role, and how follow‑up sessions help turn that one day into lasting change back in school.

Hosted by Adele Bates

Guest: Keith Bates

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In this episode, Adele and Keith talk with education leader and coach Shaheen Myers about what real inclusion and humane leadership look like in schools.

Shaheen shares how, during her time as Deputy Director of Education in Leeds, a citywide inclusion model contributed to a period of zero permanent exclusions and what it took culturally and structurally to get there. They explore how behaviour becomes the pinch point for inclusion, why “early intervention” must be more than a light‑touch programme, and how high‑stakes accountability is pushing many heads to the edge.

Shaheen also introduces her current work through her book The Human Side of School Leadership, focusing on coaching, wellbeing supervision and practical ways to lead with care, connection and courage without burning out.

Hosted by Adele Bates

Guests: Keith Bates, Shaheen Myers

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In this episode, Adele speaks directly to leaders, whether you’re in a school, college, MAT, or any organisation working with young people with SEMH needs, trauma, or behaviour that really stretches staff.

Building on her first book, “Miss, I don’t give a sh*t” Engaging with Challenging Behaviour in Schools, and looking ahead to the next one, she steps back from one-to-one strategies to ask a bigger question: what does whole‑school (or whole‑organisation) behaviour support actually look like in real life, not just on paper?

Hosted by Adele Bates

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In this episode, Adele unpacks “martyr syndrome” in education. She frames martyrdom as a shadow “victim” archetype. It’s presented as a coping mechanism that feels virtuous and important but ultimately burns staff out and makes them less effective. Using real examples, she shows how over-giving becomes normal in underfunded systems that quietly rely on it.

Adele offers a counter‑model starting with your own nourishment so you can be a genuinely steady presence for pupils. She talks about why the to‑do list will never end (and why that can be freeing), how our behaviour sets the tone for colleagues and young people, and how pupils, especially those with trauma or SEMH needs, are highly tuned into whether adults’ words and actions match. 

Hosted by Adele Bates

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In the Season 2 opener of Change the Narrative, Adele sits down with wellbeing specialist Maria Brosnan to unpack the physiology of stress and what it really means for school and college leaders. Maria explains how the autonomic nervous system and hormones shape our emotional states, and why chronic stress, menopause and personal pressures can so deeply affect leaders’ behaviour, confidence and capacity.

She also shares how her work in schools, combining monitoring tools with leadership programmes, helps restore resilience, and reflects on how coaching with Adele gave her business renewed focus, structure and sustainability.

Hosted by Adele Bates

Guest: Maria Brosnan

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In this special, quick and easy episode, Adele hands the mic to guest Dr LJ Ducksbury, who shares a deceptively simple but powerful idea: before you worry about pupils, staff or parents, you have to manage your own state. Dr Ducksbury walks through a three-part “state triangle” made up of physiology, focus, and language to transform how you show up in classrooms, meetings and beyond.

Hosted by Adele Bates

Guest: Dr LJ Ducksbury

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In this unusually gentle, quick and easy episode, Adele does something a little different. Instead of another fast-paced strategy, she offers five minutes of calm. Drawing on her research into how the brain needs downtime to learn. The episode becomes a small, practical reminder that pausing, especially in hectic school seasons, is not a luxury but a tool, giving both body and brain a chance to reset before you dive back into the work.

Hosted by Adele Bates

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In this quick and easy episode, Adele shares how she won the Best Storyteller 2025 Speaker Award. Drawing on her early years in theatre and opera, some painful rejections, and a wobble of self-doubt over one lukewarm feedback comment, she shows how backing yourself and applying anyway is the real difference-maker and invites you to consider where you're ready to step forward next.

Hosted by Adele Bates

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In this quick and easy episode, Adele shares a simple way to engage the student you know is likely to disrupt – before they do. With this simple tip, she turns potential disruption into purposeful participation. It’s about offering a genuine reason to be in the room, building a connection early, and changing the tone of the lesson from the outset.

Hosted by Adele Bates

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John

In this quick and easy episode, Adele shares a simple but powerful relationship strategy - deliberately building positive contact before any behaviour issue or tricky conversation arises. She also shares how small, consistent habits, like ending the week by reaching out with genuine positives, can quietly shape relationships over time. The same principle applies to colleagues and to parents and carers, so that when a difficult conversation does come, it lands on an existing foundation of trust rather than arriving out of the blue.

Hosted by Adele Bates

Recorded via Riverside

Music by Pocketbeats Music, @pocketsbeatsmusic on Instagram

Production Support by Susan Outlaw

Operational Support by Hannah John