Anne Pia is a former Teacher and HMI Schools and Colleges Inspector in Scotland but so much more besides!  She grew up in a Scots-Italian home in Edinburgh, describing herself as something of a hybrid.

She believes that magic happens in classrooms when teachers have the freedom to create, initiate and explore.  When children and young people don't feel stifled, or uninvolved, you'll find out what makes them tick, she advocates.  She has written a number of books and poetry collections, including her memoir, 'Language of my Choosing' as well as her new book, released on 19 November 2020, 'Keeping Away The Spiders'.  

Born in Kaitaia, New Zealand, Grayson Hart is a professional Rugby Union player for Bedford Blues.  He previously played for both Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby in the Pro 12, now Pro 14, as well as the Blues and the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby.  He latterly also turned out for London Scottish and Ealing Trailfinders.

Grayson has had it far from easy however.  How he has bounced back from personal and professional adversity is a story worth hearing.  He is a hugely positive yet reflective personality, which you'll hear as we talk about his late Dad Ian, and how this loss has affected his whole life since.  

He has some very definite views on education and he'll also tell us about his post Rugby career with Pure Sport CBD.

My guest on this weeks episode, Professor Ian Hardin, was born in Montrose Nursing Home in Glasgow but after following his American Army Dad to the US, with his Mum in 1946, he grew up in a very blue collar urban Alabama neighbourhood, surrounded by Iron and Steel fabricating industries. Nobody in the neighborhood had any parent who had gone to college, but his parents always said he was going to college, though with his Dad losing his job all too frequently he wasn’t so sure. However, Ian was a very good student and graduated from Woodlawn High School, ranked #2 out of 325 winning the award for Best Science Student (Baush-Lomb Award). This allowed for a couple of scholarships for Ian to go to Auburn University that made things financially possible.

After graduation, Ian spent over 43 years teaching fiber, textile and polymer chemistry at Auburn University and the University of Georgia.  

He is considered an expert in the use of enzymes as substitutes for conventional chemical processing, and in the development of enzymes  for unique treatments of fibers and fabrics.  He is also very active in the environmental chemistry of textiles and is frequently invited to conferences to speak on the work in his labs regarding the application of enzymes to reduce effluent loads and aquatic toxicity.

His service to places of learning and communities that he has served are breathtaking, both at home in Georgia and abroad, his record, as Ian’s favourite poet Rabbie Burns would say, is “as lang as his airm”!

Perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay to this down to earth, intellectual heavyweight is that yes, he is indeed Professor Emeritus Ian Russel Hardin but to those that know him, to family and friends he’s just Ian. 

A down to Earth, intellectual heavyweight from the U.S. on the day America goes to the Polls to elect a new President?! 

Chantal Mrimi is an author, essayist, public speaker, and philanthropist. Since settling in Scotland in 1999 as a refugee from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, she has become an active citizen in her adopted country of Scotland; she is often described as the stalwart of her community in Fife and is a passionate advocate of human rights, in particular the right of access to education for girls and young women in Africa. She continues to face her complex and traumatic background boldly and openly, something we will talk about.

Her book, The Journey of My Life From Rwanda: The amazing true story of an African woman's life, tells how Chantal was caught up in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, her family’s flight to get away from the tribal warfare there and how sadly, many of her relatives- in fact twenty-seven of them- lost their lives. 

This amazing lady has experienced domestic abuse, twice she has found herself homeless, she has battled alcoholism successfully, and dealt with mental health issues that, again, will be a privilege to talk with her about. 

Somehow she survived all of this, as well as extreme poverty, believing the only thing that would ever help her navigate dangerous events and make it to a better place, was education.  Chantal holds a first degree (with distinction) in Administration Management and an Honours Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE). Her alma-maters are Abertay University and the Open University. 

In September 2018, she was nominated by the public as the Scottish Woman of the Year, an award she won against some amazing competition.

Chantal is truly a unique survivor and we’re delighted that she is sharing some of her thoughts with us today.

Sandra Brown was brought up in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire in Scotland.  She was educated at Coatbridge High School, Hamilton College and the Open University, which awarded her an Honours degree in 1978 and a Masters in Education in 1996. She has worked as a primary school deputy headteacher and as a senior lecturer.

Sandra founded the Moira Anderson Foundation based in Airdrie in 2000, which is dedicated to supporting children and adults affected by childhood sexual abuse.  More of this later I am sure.

She has written a play called ‘One of our Ain’.  It recounts her childhood and the unexplained disappearance of Moira during a snowstorm in Coatbridge in 1957. The one-woman show, presented by Sandra herself, has been staged at the Soho Theatre, London, Oran Mor Theatre, Glasgow and during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sandra also wrote a best-selling book, (which personally I think should be required reading for every teacher and social worker in Scotland) about the same subject.  Called ‘Where There Is Evil’ it ensures that Moira’s memory remains in the public consciousness and highlights the need for best practice around and wider awareness of child protection issues.  Proceeds from the book provided the money which allowed Sandra to set up the aforementioned Foundation in Moira’s name.

In 2005, Sandra was voted Scotswoman of the Year by readers of the Glasgow Evening Times and in December 2006, she was awarded the OBE for services to child protection.

She is a Wife, Mum and Grandmother and In Sandra’s own words, It's a good time to interview her with the charity just having received Investors in People’s Platinum Award which only 9% of Scottish businesses hold, and of that lot only 2% have agencies with less than 23 staff- they have 14 plus all their volunteers - and charities come in at 0.5%. A rare thing indeed!