Consent Is Not a Dirty Word

What are Australian schools actually teaching children about consent? And what happens when adults with large online audiences tell young people that consent is something to dismiss?

In this episode of The Difficult Woman’s Guide to Education (and Life), Bronnie looks at Chanel Contos’s Teach Us Consent campaign, the age-appropriate lessons in the Australian curriculum, and the gap between having a curriculum and teaching it well. She also responds to comments made by Dr Joanna Howe and her husband James Howe about consent education and marriage.

From respecting a child’s “no” to recognising pressure in a teenage relationship, consent education gives young people words and skills they can use. This episode asks how we make sure every student actually gets that education.

Content note: Discussion of sexual violence and coercion. For support in Australia, contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or text 0458 737 732.

While politicians argue about immigration, children are sitting in classrooms listening.

In this episode of The Difficult Woman's Guide to Education (and Life), Bronnie explores what young people hear when immigration becomes a political battleground. Why does representation matter? What happens when "protecting Australian values" becomes a cover for exclusion? And what does belonging look like in a country built on migration and colonisation?

Part personal story, part educational reflection and part social commentary, this episode challenges us to think about the messages we're sending to the next generation.

Because every child deserves to know one thing:

You belong here.

In this episode of The Difficult Woman’s Guide to Education and Life, we’re talking about learning plans-what they are, what they should include, how they connect to the NCCD, and why parents should never be left out of the process. Short. Sharp. To the point. 

Because if a school says your child has a learning plan, but you’ve never seen it, never contributed to it, and don’t know what’s in it… that’s not collaboration.

That’s a problem.

This episode is for parents, teachers, advocates, and anyone who has ever sat in a school meeting wondering why the people who know the child best weren’t invited into the conversation.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme was built on the promise of choice, control, and meaningful support for people with disability.

But what happens when accessing that support becomes a full-time job?

In this episode, Bron unpacks the growing gap between what the NDIS was designed to be-and what families are actually experiencing. From the hidden emotional and administrative load placed on parents, to the very real consequences of systems that don’t talk to each other, this is an honest look at what it means to navigate disability support in Australia right now.

Bron also dives into the recent national conversation around NDIS “sustainability,” questioning what reform really means-and who it’s truly serving.

This episode is for parents, educators, and anyone who’s ever felt like they’ve had to fight just to be heard.

Because support shouldn’t feel like survival.

We teach kids how to solve equations… but not how to recognise control, coercion, or abuse.

In this episode of The Difficult Woman’s Guide to Education (and Life), I unpack the uncomfortable truth that we are preparing young people for exams-but not for relationships.

After attending a recent rally against violence towards women, I was left asking one question: why are we only having these conversations after the damage is done?

This episode explores what young people actually need to be taught-consent, boundaries, red flags, and emotional safety-and why avoiding these conversations is no longer an option.

Because if we don’t teach them… the internet will.

And it already is.

This is a conversation about responsibility, prevention, and the kind of education that doesn’t just inform-but protects.

When protection systems are overwhelmed, children pay the price. In this powerful episode, Bronnie examines the failings of Queensland’s Child Safety system, drawing on oversight reports, media insights, and a confronting real-life story from the classroom.  This episode explores why reports don’t always lead to intervention-and what must change to ensure every child is truly protected.

ADHD isn’t a behaviour problem-it’s a brain difference.

In this episode, Bronnie breaks down what ADHD actually is, how it affects the brain, why school can feel harder, and practical strategies that actually help.

This is the explanation every ADHD child and teen deserved. So if your a parent or caregiver of a young person with ADHD- sit and listen with them!

Something is shifting in our classrooms-and it’s not just behaviour.

In this episode, Bronnie unpacks the growing influence of the manosphere and incel culture in schools, and why reducing it to “poor behaviour” is missing the bigger picture.

From real-life experiences-like boys sending “jokes” about periods-to the subtle language showing up in classrooms, this conversation dives into where these beliefs are coming from, why young people are vulnerable to them, and how algorithms are shaping identity more than education.

This episode is not about blaming boys.

Because even with restrictions on social media, these narratives are still reaching our kids.

So what should schools be doing?

This is the conversation we can’t afford to avoid.

Children today aren’t just growing up in the world… they’re absorbing it in real time.

In this episode, I unpack what our kids are seeing and feeling as ongoing conflict in the Middle East plays out across their screens, homes, and classrooms. From my nephew questioning the point of school because “we’re heading for war,” to the constant stream of media our children can’t escape-this is a conversation we can’t afford to ignore.

Because it’s not just what they’re seeing.

We talk about how today’s children are growing up without the buffer many of us had, how global events are showing up as anxiety and “behaviour” in classrooms, and why asking better questions might be the most important thing we can do right now.

This isn’t about fear.

When “Bullying” Isn’t Enough: Duty of Care, Silence, and System Failure

We need to talk about bullying… but more importantly, we need to talk about what sits underneath it.

In this episode, I unpack a recent school incident that raises serious questions about supervision, duty of care, and how harm can go unnoticed for far too long. Because when something goes on for hours-it’s no longer just about student behaviour. It’s about system failure.

This is not a soft conversation.

But we also hold the complexity-because behaviour is still communication, even when it’s harmful.

If we want safer schools, we need to stop avoiding the uncomfortable questions.