A real pleasure to chat with Stephen Tierney who I would describe as an education thinker and innovator.  Super active on Twitter under his handle @Leading Learner and a prolific writer and contributor to the education world. Stephen was a Headteacher of a Blackpool secondary school for many years and then became CEO of a multi-academy trust.  Now in retirement Stephen is continues to affect positively through his consultancy work, books and social media activity.

Stephen's has a clear sense of purpose and focus still - in this first part I take Stephen back to his influencers and we chat through the lens of his childhood.

Enjoy! 

A reflection on the times in our life where we are presented with decisions - being at a crossroads.  However not just the bigger, more impactful decisions but those everyday opportunities to shape our future that we maybe miss.  You will see more crossroads after this...

How do you see time?  A reflection on how different people perceive time slightly differently that may help explain why some people are always late to the frustration of others!  And also why some people are far more able to live in the moment rather than wish time away... enjoy!

In Part 2, Mark tells us about his basketball experiences in life including playing in the USA and meeting Lebron James!  Mark reflects on his 'obsessive' tendencies and feels it's an essential part of the drive to being successful.  He acknowledges though there are some downsides to this...

Mark has some fascinating views - especially for one of his age (I hope he doesn't mind me saying).

A true blessing to spend time with him.

Mark was born in 1990 - making him a 33 year old, 6'6" giant of a man!  Mark's life has been defined by sport and the lessons he has learnt through his experiences and encounters of sport.  He has played professional basketball in the UK having perfected his craft in USA - but Mark is also a serial entrepreneur and you can hear that in his spirit and zest for life.

I have known Mark since he was a school boy when he came to NBC camps to impress his coaches with his raw talent and enthusiasm - and he certainly did that.  I was struck by Mark's honesty in talking about his upbringing, specifically the fact he was adopted and how that has impacted upon his life.

I am sure you will enjoy part one of Mark Rangeley - Everyone has a story...

What is potential?  What determines your potential?  Are you seeing this as being affected by external factors like your environment, job market, parents, where you live?

Consider the derivation of the word - 'potent' coming from the latin word meaning 'power'... do YOU actually have the power to a achieve your potential without any external factors?

"The thing you are holding on to is the thing that is holding you back" Zen Proverb

What do we hold on that prevents us from going in the direction we want?  Are we even aware of these things that are inhibiting our progress?

Seema takes us deeper into her journey, exploring spirituality and faith and explaining how here recent struggles have re-energised her interest in this area.  Seema speaks frankly about race and the role of women and challenges us all to have higher expectations for girls and women in society.

Seema's story is a fascinating one that resonates with so  many of us too - she is warm, honest and passionate.  Get yourself booked into Dale in Poulton very soon!!

I first came to now Seema Dalvi when we taught together in a Blackpool school – Seema taught maths to teenage children but it was clear to see she had so much more to give them in terms of cultural education and so I was delighted when she agreed to come with me taking a group fo school children to Nepal – it’s a trip I have done many times before and I knew that she would be fantastic with our own students in getting them to understand what life is like living in Nepal.

Fast forward to today – Seema is an mum to two beautiful children, wife to husband Krish who we will find more about and award winning Chef-patron of Dalvee in Poulton.

Seema opened her Dalvee in Poulton in 2020: her main passion around bringing Indian street-food to our north-western British palates. 

Seema is an inspiration to girls and women alike – showing that with grit, determination and a dream – just about anything is possible.

Everyone has a story – this is Seema Dalvi

Do you believe that truth is complete and singular.  Do you believe that we should see things as black or white, right or wrong, guilty or innocent?  It's hardly surprising then that might bring about conflict in our world...