In this episode, we were delighted to talk to Matt Lewis, Engagement Manager at Paignton Zoo. We borrowed him from a busy zoo full of teenagers to discuss conservation, their approach to education, inspiring young people, and why they kept their workshops outdoors after covid. We had a fantastic time chatting and hope you enjoy listening as much as we did having the conversation.

In this episode, I was delighted to visit The Husbandry School in South Devon to join one of the founders, Carole. We settled on a sunny veranda to discuss the principles of the ancient tradition of husbandry, how their project has grown over the years and their approach to working with young people with special educational needs. It was a beautifully thoughtful and gentle conversation and we hope that you enjoy listening as much as we did being there. You can find out more about what they do at www.husbandry.co.uk.

In this episode we were thrilled to be joined by Lewis Matthews, PT, author, and adventurer. We talked about his incredible accomplishment of running New Zealand’s 3000km Te Araroa trail, his thoughts on stoicism, what really matters in life, and the appeal of uncomplicated, simple living. You can read all about his adventure in his book ‘I Tried To Run Really Far: The physical and emotional battle of running New Zealand’s 3000-kilometre Te Araroa Trail’ and you can find out more about the amazing charity he was fundraising for at www.somewherehousesomerset.org.

In this episode, I went on tour to Escot and Totnes Forest School to talk to some of the young people at our Home Education groups. I spoke to them about how they find home education, what they like about forest school, and what their ambitions and dreams are. Impressive and entertaining in equal measures, this was a really fun episode to produce and we hope you enjoy listening to what our attendees had to say!

In this episode, we were delighted to be joined by Claire and Kate, two home educating parents who have 30 years and 6 kids worth of experience between them! They joined us to chat about why parents may choose to home educate, how it works in practice, and the challenges and highlights that their home education journeys have presented so far. We talked about some of the most commonly asked questions such as how do you make sure your kids socialise, what do you do about exams, and how do you know what to teach! This is a really interesting and potentially useful conversation for anyone wanting to know more about home education, particularly those considering it for their own children.

In this episode, we were delighted to talk to Dr Naomi Fisher, an independent clinical psychologist and EMDR consultant. Naomi specialises in trauma, autism, and alternative approaches to education. We had a fantastic conversation discussing everything from the psychology of learning to the importance of play, from what motivates young people to learn to the value of video games. This is a must listen for parents and educators alike, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we did having the conversation. Naomi’s new book ‘A different way to learn’ is out later this year so do check that out once it’s released.

In this, the first episode of our third series, we were delighted to be joined by Sam Kendall, Head of School Learning at the Eden Project. Sam chatted to us about the mission of the Eden Project, the educational work they do, their story based approach to education, and the what and why of their new programme for Early Careers Teachers. It was a fascinating and engaging conversation to have and we hope you enjoy listening to it just as much as we did! And if you’re interested, you can find out about their ECT weekends at https://www.edenproject.com/learn/schools/teacher-training-and-school-development/early-career-teacher-weekends

In this episode, I was delighted to be joined by Ben Weeks and Dougie Stein. Ben is the founder of Barefoot Crew 5k, a barefoot world record holder and better known as The Barefoot Daddy. Dougie is head of Pastoral at The Outdoors School and a barefoot and ice bath enthusiast. They joined me to discuss why people choose to go barefoot, the benefits of doing so and how people can get started. We also discussed Ben’s barefoot world record and his next upcoming challenge as well as getting a little distracted by nutrition, breathing, and cold water swimming on the way! You can follow Ben on Instagram at @thebarefootdaddy and Dougie at @teamstein_daddy!

In this episode, I was thrilled to be joined by Paul from the Devon Wildlife Trust and one of our directors, Tom Lowday. We had a chat about what the Devon Wildlife Trust does, their successful Wildlife Champions project and how he uses our Forest School Leader Training in the work he does. We also had a conversation about the idea of natural literacy and how to empower the young people we work with to be engaged changemakers. If you’d like to find out more about the work the trust do, please visit www.devonwildlifetrust.org!

In this episode, I was really privileged to amplify the voices of Em and Clare, two members of a group that have been working tirelessly to try and protect our right to wild camp on Dartmoor and to promote the Right to Roam Act. You may have seen in the news the recent case between a local landowner and Dartmoor National Park regarding wild camping and in this episode, we discuss what’s happened so far, why equal access to the outdoors is so important, the absolute joy that was the gathering on Dartmoor on the 21st January, and what is next for the movement. If you agree with what we’ve said, please do head over to www.righttoroam.org.uk to contact your MP and keep up to date with this particular case on instagram by following @thestarsareours.uk and @right.2roam