Lessons Beyond The Classroom

This is the story of why Lessons Beyond The Classroom exists.

Why did nobody teach us the stuff that actually matters? Not algebra or Pythagoras — how to handle failure, deal with loss, manage money, buy a house, back yourself when everyone's telling you to take the safe option, and know that being on your own can be a powerful thing.

In this solo episode I go right back to the beginning: how a PE teacher dating the art teacher quit to travel the world, where the name "Where's Hodgie" actually came from, and why I felt called to build a platform to share the lessons school never taught.

I get honest about the hard parts too — the imposter syndrome, the perfectionism, spending 8 hours on a video that gets 9 views, and the homesickness nobody puts in their travel highlight reel. And I share the moments that make it all worth it: the messages from former students saying it helped them, the free Ha Giang Loop tours, and the magic of building something real with your own face and name on it.

Plus what's next — the end of our Southeast Asia backpacking era, and the move to Australia to graft, earn, and keep building.

If you've ever thought about starting something of your own and been held back by the fear of what people think — this one's for you.

TODAY'S LESSON: The world is pouring knowledge — but only if you're looking for it. Go and find it.

If this episode helps you, or you know someone who needs to hear it, send it their way. That's how it reaches the people it's meant to.

Class dismissed. 🎓

Leaving the UK for a better life with two kids — this is how Kayleigh actually did it.

At 25, Kayleigh sold everything, pulled her family out of the rat race and left the UK in April to travel the world with her two young children. No safety net, no house to go back to, everything they own in a suitcase. In this episode she shares exactly why they left the UK, how homeschooling works (and how little it actually costs), what nobody tells you about travelling full-time with kids, and the lesson that changed everything: slow down.

If you've ever sat at home thinking there has to be more to life than this — this one's for you.

We talk homeschooling and home education in the UK, how to start, what support is out there, the real challenges of family travel, building income online, and why she believes anyone can rewrite their own life.

Give Kayleigh a follow and come along on their journey 👉 @kayleigh.living.free

📌 In this video: leaving the UK for a better life, homeschooling while travelling, family travel with kids, worldschooling, escaping the rat race, travelling full-time with children, how to start home education UK.

(0:00) You can rewrite your own life

(0:32) Meet Kayleigh

(0:55) Why we left the UK

(1:29) Living for two weeks a year

(3:18) Why we chose homeschooling

(5:12) What home education costs

(5:43) Where to start with home ed

(6:53) Taking kids out of school

(7:52) The hardest parts of travelling

(9:38) Food, health and stress

(11:02) The best moment of the trip

(11:43) Going all in, no plan B

(13:48) Building income online

(15:38) Using AI to teach yourself

(16:15) How affiliate marketing works

(16:50) The biggest lesson: slow down

(18:45) A message if you feel stuck

(19:20) What manifesting really means

(20:17) Wrap up

I'm a teacher — and I'm about to give you the most controversial options advice you'll hear this year: don't listen to your mum, your dad, or even your teachers.

When options time comes around, everyone's got a plan for your life. But you're the one who has to do the work, sit the exams, and live with the choice. So the only opinion that matters is yours.

In this episode I break down intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, why "do what makes you happy" is more than a cliché, and the one practical thing every student should check before they pick.

Class dismissed.

0:00 The most controversial advice

0:15 Everyone's got a plan for you

0:39 The only opinion that matters

1:12 Do what makes you happy

1:36 Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

2:14 Why good money isn't enough

2:43 The interview where you'll lie

3:06 What would you do for free?

3:49 Research the grades you need

4:29 When grinding is worth it

4:49 Do what makes you happy

5:11 Class dismissed

You're 19, 20, 21 and you've just stepped off the plane completely alone for the first time. No mum, no dad — just you against the world. It's the best feeling there is, and it's also exactly when people get caught out.

I've backpacked Europe, lived in America and New Zealand, and put myself in some silly situations along the way. In this episode I share the 10 safety steps I'd give anyone before they travel solo — plus the flesh-eating infection that nearly ended my trip in Thailand.

The insurance I use is SafetyWing — covers long-term travellers across Southeast Asia for about £2 a day. Discount code in the show notes.

Class dismissed.

0:00 You against the world

0:30 Travel is the greatest classroom

0:44 The 10 steps

1:58 1. Tell people where you're going

2:23 2. Keep your passport safe

2:50 3. Don't keep money in one place

3:14 4. Research before you go

3:56 5. Trust your gut

4:20 6. Alcohol & partying

5:35 7. Use official transport

6:12 8. Keep your phone alive

6:52 9. Don't advertise what you've got

7:59 10. Lock up your stuff

8:30 The thing that matters most

8:45 The infection that nearly got me

9:50 Why you need insurance

10:09 The insurance I use

11:02 Class dismissed

You're probably stressed right now — and you don't even realise it.

A few hundred years ago we worried about food, fire and family. Now it's notifications every two minutes and the world's tragedies in our pocket. Your brain was never built for 2026, and the low-level stress it creates runs quietly in the background of your whole day.

This isn't "delete social media." It's about noticing the stress you didn't know you were carrying — and the small, practical changes that actually help: phone-free mornings, killing notifications, journaling, and switching off before bed.

Recorded outside in Ubud, Bali, with a coffee and my journal.

Class dismissed.

0:00 You're stressed and don't know it 0:07 Village life vs 2026 0:48 Feeling stress through a screen 1:33 Why your phone is the culprit 2:08 How low-level stress builds up 2:33 Scrolling before bed 3:12 Practical tips 3:55 Swap the phone for something mindful 4:50 My morning routine in Ubud 5:08 The simplest gratitude practice 6:42 Turn off your notifications7:23 Why I journal 7:54 Being intentional with the news 8:23 Tonight's challenge 10:01 Class dismissed

At 17, I snapped my leg in half on a football pitch and thought my life was over. I was completely wrong — that was the night everything actually began.

This episode is all about the butterfly effect: how one moment ripples out and shapes everything after it. I walk through my own story — the injury that ended my football dream, Camp America, two years in New Zealand, six months alone in a camper van, and retraining as a teacher — and why every experience is either a win or a lesson.

If you're at a low point right now, this one's for you.

If you're struggling, Samaritans are free, 24/7, on 116 123.

Class dismissed.

He's been to prison, lived on park benches, and stolen food just to survive — and today Brodie Nitro is a self-made millionaire. This might be the most powerful conversation I've had on the podcast yet, and could be the exact spark that someone listening in their lowest point needs to hear right now..

I'm Mr Hodge, a former UK teacher who swapped the classroom for the road. On Lessons Beyond The Classroom I sit down with people who've lived extraordinary lives — and Brody's is one you won't forget.

He grew up in a broken home on the Gold Coast, was taken from his mum at 10, ran away at 16, and ended up in prison — before rebuilding his life from absolute rock bottom into a successful online business. He opens up about his lowest point, the best friend he lost, what prison is really like, the coach who became his role model, and the mindset shift that changed everything: you can't outgrow a circle you're standing in the middle of.

If you're at a low point or stuck in the wrong circle, this one's for you.

This episode touches on suicide and mental health. If you're struggling, you're not alone — please talk to someone you trust, or a support line in your country (in the UK: Samaritans, free on 116 123, any time).

Today's homework: who in your circle is pulling you up — and who's holding you back?

Find Brodie: @brodie.nitro on Instagram.

(0:00) Rock bottom to where he is now (0:49) A rags to riches story (1:39) Wrong role models & prison (2:20) What we all have in common (3:14) Losing his best friend (3:46) Back to prison (4:26) Hitting rock bottom to turn around (5:17) "I'm going to do something about it" (6:04) What prison is really like (7:05) The turning point: martial arts (8:16) Change your circle, change your life (9:41) His perfect day: then vs now (11:18) The vision for the next 10 years (12:04) His message to the world (12:48) Where to find Brody & outro

Class dismissed.

"Quit your job and back yourself." That's the first thing Patrick Keating says in this episode — and after the life he's lived, he means every word.

I'm Mr Hodge, a former UK teacher who swapped the classroom for the road. On Lessons Beyond The Classroom I sit down with people living life on their own terms — and today's guest is one of my best friends in the world.

Patrick has spent 15 years travelling the world studying martial arts — Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu across Thailand and Brazil, living with shamans in the Peruvian jungle, yoga in India. He then built a career as a carpenter in New Zealand, hated every second of it, and last year sold every tool he owned to reinvent himself into online sales and back himself completely.

We go deep on freedom, health, reinventing yourself at any age, honouring your lowest moments, and why quitting the life everyone told you to want might be the best thing you ever do.

If you're stuck in a job you hate or scared to step into the unknown, this one's for you.

Today's homework: what's one thing you'd do if you backed yourself completely?

Find Patrick: @patrickkeating33 on Instagram.

(0:00) Quit your job and back yourself (0:48) 15 years travelling the world (3:34) How martial arts changed him (4:16) First Muay Thai fight in 2 weeks (5:05) Finding himself in the mountains (7:16) Quitting carpentry & selling tools (8:41) Burning the boat to back himself (9:47) Reinvent yourself every 7 years (10:49) Pillar one: freedom (11:33) Why health is everything (12:11) Generosity & giving it all back (14:07) If you're stuck in a rut (14:46) Honouring your darkest moments (15:34) Kill the version holding you back (16:47) Don't listen to your teachers (17:59) The "blinkers off" analogy (19:10) The coolest place he's been (20:00) His most powerful moment (22:31) Mr Hodge's flying fish moment (23:49) Where to find Patrick & outro

Class dismissed.

Press play, get comfortable, and let yourself arrive. A short 5 minute guided meditation to help you slow down, find calm, and come back to the present moment.

This is a bonus from Episode #5, where I spoke with Amir Khamseh — a former Tesla engineer who turned the grief of losing his mum into a new life as a meditation teacher. We did this short meditation together before recording, and it felt too good not to share on its own.

New to meditation or a daily practitioner, this is a simple reset you can return to any time. (Please don't listen while driving.)

Listen to the full conversation with Amir in Episode #5.

Hosted by Matt & Beth — two UK teachers exploring life beyond the classroom.

He had it all at Tesla — then his mum passed away, and it changed everything. This is the story of Amir Khamseh on turning grief into power.

In this episode we talk with Amir Khamseh, a former Tesla engineer who walked away from his career after losing his mother — and rebuilt his life around meditation, healing and helping other people. We get into grief, the courage to start over, what mindfulness really taught him, and how he's turning his hardest chapter into purpose as a life coach.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Intro: Iran to Canada to Tesla

(02:27) The 4am call: "your mum is sick"

(04:20) A stage four diagnosis

(05:36) Losing his mum, back at Tesla

(07:08) "Using only 20% of my potential"

(08:22) His first meditation, at 5am

(09:56) Meditation as medicine for grief

(11:49) Talking to the voices in your head

(14:01) The dark night of the soul

(15:51) Life before: money & emptiness

(19:34) Matt's story: a broken leg

(22:05) When trauma becomes a gateway

(26:26) The unworthy six-year-old

(30:21) "Just being is enough"

(33:04) Why bad habits protect you

(35:30) Meditation: a workout for the mind

(39:50) Respond, don't react

(40:56) Relax and release (Michael Singer)

(44:09) Why he became a life coach

(45:31) The courage to quit Tesla

(49:23) The science of following your heart

(54:11) His message at rock bottom

(56:50) Where to find Amir & outro

A conversation about loss, reinvention, and the lessons that only pain can teach.

Find Amir on IG - @Amirkhms

Follow the show for new episodes on grief, growth, mindset, meditation and reinvention. Hosted by Matt & Beth — two UK teachers exploring life beyond the classroom.