Maverick School Podcast

By maverickschoolpodcastEducation Self-Improvement

Maverick School Podcast episodes

September 28 EP16 ’The Truth About AI That Big Tech Isn’t Telling You’ — White House Award-Winning Tech Co-Founder R. Shawn Williams
Big Tech is hiding something that you need to know.— R. Shawn Williams Artificial intelligence is moving extraordinarily quickly. And depending on who you listen to, it's either about to solve humanity's biggest problems — or take everybody's jobs. But what if both versions are missing something important? In this episode of the Maverick School Podcast, Karl sits down with R. Shawn Williams, award-winning product designer, technology leader, entrepreneur and co-founder and CPO of Ubora Thrive AI. With more than 20 years of experience across product design, user experience and emerging technology, Shawn has built his career around one deceptively difficult question: How do we make powerful technology actually work for human beings? His work has received major recognition, including a White House award, and through Ubora Thrive AI he's now exploring how human-centred artificial intelligence can help people turn their existing knowledge, expertise and ideas into meaningful outcomes. This isn't a conversation about the latest shiny AI tool. It's about what happens to us when the tools become extraordinarily powerful. In this episode, you'll discover: 🤖 What's really happening with AI beneath the sensationalist headlines and Big Tech hype — and why the reality is more complicated than “AI will take everyone's jobs” 👤 Why completely removing human beings from the workplace may be impossible — and what that tells us about the skills young people should be developing now 🚀 Why young people may need to stop waiting for traditional institutions to create opportunities for them — and start learning how to create opportunities themselves 🎓 Why using AI isn't automatically “cheating” — and a healthier way to think about the relationship between human intelligence and artificial intelligence 💼 How AI could reshape the traditional 9-to-5 career — and what young people can do now to prepare for a labour market that may look radically different 🧠 Whether relying on AI really is destroying our ability to think — and how to use these tools without outsourcing your critical thinking 🛠️ Where someone completely new to AI should actually start — and which tools and capabilities are worth learning The central question running through this conversation isn't simply: “What will AI be capable of?” It's: “As machines become more capable, what becomes more valuable about us?” Because the future may not belong to AI. It may belong to the people who learn how to combine human expertise with AI leverage. Discover Ubora Thrive AI
1 hr 12 min
September 14 EP15 'AI Should Never Replace Human Stories' — Author & Education Entrepreneur Natalie Chama-Pupé
If AI Can Write a Book in Seconds, Why Should Humans Bother? — Natalie Chama-Pupé
What happens to books when machines become capable of writing them?
Artificial intelligence can already produce stories, articles and entire manuscripts in seconds. As the technology improves, an uncomfortable question emerges for the next generation of writers:
Why spend months or years mastering the craft of writing when a machine can generate thousands of words almost instantly?
In this episode of the Maverick School Podcast, Karl sits down with Natalie Chama-Pupé to explore why the answer might have less to do with technology — and more to do with what makes us human.
Natalie is an author, educator, entrepreneur and founder of Chama Tuition, where she works with young people to help them develop academically and fulfil their potential. She is also the author of several books and releases her latest, Identity, in September 2026.
Together, Karl and Natalie explore the future of books, reading and human creativity in the age of AI — and why becoming an author can offer advantages that have surprisingly little to do with the number of books you sell.
In this episode:
📚 Why representation in literature matters — and what happens when young people rarely encounter characters, experiences and voices that reflect their own
🚪 Why writing a book can become a surprisingly powerful form of career leverage, opening doors and creating opportunities far beyond publishing
🤖 Whether AI-generated books should carry an “ingredients label” so readers know when — and how — artificial intelligence contributed to what they're reading
❤️ The surprising relationship between reading, loneliness, stress and empathy — and whether books could have a role to play in an increasingly disconnected society
They also explore why school can sometimes destroy a child's enjoyment of reading, why young people's relationship with books may be changing again, whether human-written books will retain their value as AI improves, and the three books Natalie believes every young person should consider reading.
But underneath the conversation sits a much bigger question:
If machines can produce unlimited content, does authentic human creativity become less valuable — or more?
For aspiring writers, parents, educators and anyone wondering what creativity looks like in the age of AI, this is a conversation about much more than books.
It's about voice, identity and why having something uniquely human to say still matters.
Enjoy the episode!
Website: https://www.chamatuition.com/
1 hr 2 min
August 31 EP14 7 Things I Wish I Could Tell My 23-Year-Old Self
7 Things I Wish I Could Tell My 23-Year-Old Self
At 23, Karl lost his job.
For the next six months, he scratched around for a living, signed on for Jobseeker's Allowance and tried to work out what on Earth he was going to do next.
More than 20 years later, he sees that period very differently.
In this special episode of the Maverick School Podcast, Karl looks back at that younger version of himself and shares seven things he wishes he'd known at 23.
Not seven life hacks.
Not seven steps to success.
But seven lessons about what happens when life doesn't turn out quite how you expected.
And there's one lesson in particular that took him more than 20 years to understand.
If he'd known it at 23, it might have changed everything.
For anyone trying to work out what they're doing with their life — or wondering how on Earth they ended up where they are — this episode might be exactly what they need to hear.
33 min
August 17 EP13 'AI Won't Wait for Our Education System to Catch Up' — Tatler-Nominated Headteacher Suzannah Cryer
How do you prepare a child for a world that nobody has experienced before?
Artificial intelligence is transforming how people learn, work and communicate. The skills employers demand are changing, misinformation is becoming increasingly difficult to detect, and today's children could eventually enter careers that don't yet exist.
So is our education system changing quickly enough?
In this episode of the Maverick School Podcast, Karl sits down with Suzannah Cryer, Head of Highfield and Brookham School, to explore one of the defining educational questions of our time: what should schools actually be preparing young people for in the age of AI?
Suzannah is a highly respected educational leader with more than 17 years' experience spanning mainstream education, SEND, primary and secondary settings. Her innovative leadership has seen her shortlisted for Tatler's Best Head of a Prep School.
She also helped co-author an ambitious white paper submitted to the Department for Education calling for curriculum reform that responds to technological and societal change while protecting the distinctly human capabilities that could become increasingly valuable in an AI-driven world.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Karl and Suzannah explore:
🎓 Why the exam system may be measuring the wrong things — and the radically different ways we could assess young people instead
💼 What leading businesses actually want from the next generation of employees — and why exam results might only tell part of the story
🤖 Why banning AI from the classroom could spectacularly backfire — leaving young people less prepared for the very workplaces they're about to enter
🧠 The huge bottleneck nobody can ignore if we genuinely want every young person to receive a high-quality AI education
📱 The hidden social crisis playing out amongst young people — and why technology may be making an already difficult problem even harder
This isn't a conversation about tearing down the education system or blaming teachers.
It's about recognising that schools and educators are being asked to prepare young people for circumstances that previous generations never faced — and asking whether the structures surrounding them are evolving quickly enough.
Because the world has changed.
Education must do too.
If you're a young person trying to understand the future, or a parent, educator or employer thinking about how we prepare the next generation for it, this is an episode you won't want to miss.
LinkedIn: Suzannah Cryer
Suzannah’s White Paper: https://highfieldandbrookham.co.uk/app/uploads/2026/06/White-Paper-Education-for-a-Changing-Society.pdf
51 min
August 03 EP12 ‘The Traditional 9-to-5 is Dead’ Content Creator This Food Bangz
‘The traditional 9-to-5 is Dead’ Content Creator This Food Bangz

Is content creation one of the most misunderstood careers of the modern economy?
For many people, social media still looks like entertainment.
But behind every successful creator is an entrepreneur, storyteller, marketer and business owner building value in one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
In this episode of the Maverick School Podcast, Karl sits down with award-winning digital creator Eli, founder of This Food Bangz, to explore why the creator economy has become a genuine career pathway—and what every young person can learn from it.
With millions of views across his platforms, partnerships with global brands and tourism boards, and recognition as one of the UK's leading food and drink influencers, Eli has built a career that simply didn't exist a generation ago.
Together, Karl and Eli explore:
• Why content creation is becoming one of the biggest career opportunities in the modern economy
• The three characteristics every successful creator needs—and why they're valuable in almost every profession
• The hidden pitfall that catches out creators and anyone trying to build a career online
• How young people can stop scrolling and start using social media as a tool to create opportunities and gain leverage
• Why success in the creator economy has far more to do with resilience, storytelling and problem-solving than expensive equipment or luck
This isn't just a conversation about YouTube, Instagram or TikTok.
It's a conversation about entrepreneurship, creativity and how young people can build valuable skills in a rapidly changing world.
If you've ever wondered whether content creation is a real career—or what it can teach us about the future of work—this is an episode you won't want to miss.

YT: This Food Bangz
Instagram: @thisfoodbangz
TikTok: @thisfoodbangz
1 hr 12 min
July 20EP11 'The #1 Money Belief That Holds Most People Back' The Money Lady Sacha Dsane
Why do some people build wealth while others struggle—despite earning similar incomes?
The answer may have far less to do with money than most people think.
In this episode of the Maverick School Podcast, Karl sits down with award-winning financial educator and entrepreneur Sacha Dsane, better known as 'The Money Lady', to explore the psychology behind money and why so many of us reach adulthood without the financial education we truly need.
After nearly two decades working in senior roles across Lloyds Bank, Barclays, Halifax, Templar Financial Planning and advising high-net-worth clients, Sacha came to a surprising conclusion:
People rarely struggle because they lack money. And the answer is a lot more straightforward than people realise.
Today, through her organisation Financial Harmony, she delivers game-based, psychology-driven financial education to young people, parents and communities, helping people build healthier relationships with money and create better life outcomes.
In this conversation, you'll discover:
The surprising psychological reason many people remain financially stuck—even when their income increases
Why our earliest experiences with money often shape our financial future more than our education does
The financial lessons schools rarely teach—but every young person needs before entering adulthood
What so many people get wrong about cryptocurrency and what that could cost them everything
Simple, practical strategies to build confidence, improve financial decision-making and create long-term financial wellbeing
This isn't another conversation about budgeting or saving.
It's a conversation about confidence, behaviour and understanding the hidden beliefs that influence every financial decision we make.
If you've ever wondered why money feels so complicated—or how to give young people a healthier financial future—this is an episode you won't want to miss.
LinkedIn: Sacha Dsane
Website: https://financialharmony.co.uk/
1 hr 18 min
July 06EP10 ‘The Jobs Market Changed. Schools Didn't.’ Further Education Consultant Olivia Saunders
"Traditional careers education doesn't work anymore."
It's a bold statement—but is it true?
Young people are entering one of the most challenging job markets in a generation.
Youth unemployment has reached 16.2% nationally, and almost one in four young people in London are unemployed. Meanwhile, Alan Milburn's recent NEETs report warns that more than one million young people are currently out of education, employment or training, with that figure projected to rise to 1.5 million by 2030.
If the world of work has fundamentally changed, shouldn't the way we prepare young people change too?
In this episode of the Maverick School Podcast, Karl sits down with education consultant Olivia Saunders to explore why many of the assumptions underpinning careers education are no longer fit for purpose—and what needs to replace them.
Drawing on her experience across education, safeguarding, inclusion and system-wide school improvement, Olivia shares why she believes we need to rethink the journey from classroom to career.
Together they explore:
Why traditional careers education struggles to prepare young people for today's economy
The innovative MBacc curriculum and how it could transform pathways into employment
Why conventional work experience often misses the mark—and what meaningful employer engagement should look like instead
How forward-thinking employers are embracing AI as a skill rather than treating it as a threat
The exciting, high-value career opportunities that are often overlooked by schools and careers programmes
This is a conversation about far more than employment.
It's about giving young people the knowledge, confidence and opportunities to navigate a rapidly changing world.
If you care about the future of work, education and the next generation, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

LinkedIn: Olivia Saunders Baker Dearing
1 hr 3 min
June 22 EP9 'We've Defined Success Too Narrowly — And Young People Are Paying The Price' Psychotherapist Daniel Alves
"Society has created such a narrow definition of success that many people spend their lives chasing goals they never chose."
In this thought-provoking episode of the Maverick School Podcast, host Karl explores the psychology of modern life with Daniel Alves, a Cambridge-educated psychotherapist and content creator.
At a time when young people are navigating economic uncertainty, AI disruption, social comparison, and a growing mental health crisis, Daniel offers a fresh perspective on what it means to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Together, Karl and Daniel unpack a pressing question:
Why are so many young people struggling when they've never had more information, opportunities, and technology at their fingertips?
This wide-ranging conversation explores:
🧠 How the subconscious mind shapes everyday decisions, behaviours, and relationships
🌑 Why confronting our "inner darkness" can become a powerful catalyst for personal growth
💰 The surprising reason that chasing money and external success can leave us feeling unfulfilled
🤝 The friendship green flags that can positively influence the course of our lives
📱 The hidden psychological costs of social media and what its long-term impact may be on society
Rather than offering simplistic solutions or motivational clichés, Daniel provides something far more valuable: a framework for understanding ourselves and the world around us.
This is a fascinating conversation for parents, educators, young professionals, and anyone trying to make sense of modern life in an increasingly complex world.
Expect fresh insights, challenging ideas, and plenty of moments that may change the way you think about success, happiness, and what it means to thrive in the digital age.

YT: Deeper Perspectives
59 min
June 08 EP8 The Ganondorf Paradox
What if we've been teaching young people to navigate the modern economy using a map from a different century?

For generations, success followed a relatively simple formula:

Work hard.
Get good grades.
Pick a career.
Climb the ladder.

But what if there is no ladder anymore?

What if the modern economy looks less like a career path... and more like an open-world game?

This week on the Maverick School Podcast, Karl explores one of the most important questions facing young people today:

Are we thinking about careers completely the wrong way?

The timing couldn't be more important.

Former MP Alan Milburn's latest report reveals that more than one million young people in the UK are currently not in education, employment or training — with that number projected to rise significantly over the coming years.

The traditional playbook isn't working for everyone.

So where do young people go from here?

In this thought-provoking solo episode, Karl uncovers the surprising parallels between the gaming industry and the modern economy, arguing that some of the best career lessons may not come from careers advisers at all...

...but from the games many young people are already playing.

Inside this episode:

🎮 Why the career ladder may be one of the most outdated ideas in modern work

🎮 The surprising connection between open-world gaming and the way opportunities now emerge in the real economy

🎮 What The Legend of Zelda can teach us about careers, exploration and building valuable skills

🎮 Why becoming "the expert" may no longer be the safest strategy in an AI-powered world

🎮 The simple decision-making framework used by the richest man on Earth — and how it can help you make smarter choices when the future feels uncertain
And perhaps most importantly:

🎮 How young people can stop worrying about finding the perfect path and start building the skills to thrive no matter what path appears next.

If you're a young person (or a person who works with them) trying to make sense of an increasingly unpredictable world, this episode might completely change the way you think about work, opportunity and success.

Because in an open-world game, the people who win aren't always the ones with the best map.

They're the ones willing to explore.
42 min
May 25EP7 'The System is Not Designed to Develop Everything You Need' Character Guru Adrian McClean
"The system is not designed to develop everything you need.

And you have to take ownership of that."

Karl’s second interview was with Adrian McClean. Executive leader. Character education specialist. Absolute powerhouse.

Let’s be blunt here.

Our current education system is making less and less sense as the days go by. AI is already taking massive chunks out of the jobs market. Our young people (and many adults) need alternative approaches to thrive in the Digital Age.

So Karl had the honour of sitting down with Adrian to figure out what those approaches actually are.

After a glittering career in education, he's branched out to holistically develop young people and educators for what's coming next.

Here's what we broke down in this interview:
Why the "stable" systems of the last century are obsolete. And what we now need to do to prepare for the "wicked world" ahead. The old playbook is gone.
Why intrinsic values like kindness, empathy, and discipline have more real-world value than our current grade systems. Not soft skills. Survival skills.
Why most people look at "struggle" completely wrong. And why struggle is actually essential for flourishing. Adrian's framing will dhange the way you look at difficulty
Why the new world belongs to those who can self-educate and are willing to fail at scale.

Adrian dropped some 💎💎💎’s that will help anyone young and old navigate their careers during this intense period.

Enjoy!

Adrian McLean links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-mclean

https://www.instagram.com/character_guy1/
1 hr 4 min

About Maverick School Podcast

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School prepared us for exams.
But the world young people are entering today looks completely different.

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Maverick School Podcast

Maverick School Podcast episodes

About Maverick School Podcast