Trisha Lee is the founder and artistic director of Make Believe Arts, a theatre and education company, and the charity behind Helicopter Stories. Trisha created MakeBelieve Arts in 2002, based on the idea that “story has the power to change lives”. She is a writer, a speaker, a trainer, and is a trained secondary school drama teacher although now the children she works with are mostly in the Early Years. Tricia achieved a Master’s in Writing for Young Children (you can find her books on her website) and has now worked in the Early Years sector for 24 years.

Trishas Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@TheListeningClassroom⁩ 

Ben Kingston-Hughes, is the director of Inspired Children, and has over 30 years of experience working with young people. He is a trainer, speaker, and author, and has written everything from books to strategies for Local Authorities to articles for Nursery World. He is the winner of the 2019 National Playwork Awards Training Award and was a finalist for the Nursery World Trainer of the Year in 2020. His latest book "Why Children Need Joy" was also a finalist for the Nursery World Best Professional Book award in 2024.

Ben's Email:

[email protected]

Ben's books:

A Very Unusual Journey Into Play

Why Children Need Joy: The Fundamental Truth about Childhood

Brett Wigdortz OBE is the co-founder and CEO of Tiney, the biggest childminder agency in England. He is also the founder and former CEO of Teach First, a charity that works to address educational disadvantage by placing graduates in low-income schools. Brett is the Co-Founder of Teach For All and the Fair Education Alliance and received his OBE for services to education in 2013. He says that his lifelong mission is to help every child access an excellent education.

Joss Cambridge-Simmons is a multi-award-winning nanny, Early Years educator, and the founder of Jossy Care. Joss is passionate about self care, mental health, well being, love, and of course, childcare and education. Joss is also a DJ as well as a writer and a speaker, and content creator - you can find him on all your favourite social media platforms. Joss is a 7 times award-winner and 16 times award-nominee, he recently won the Role Model of the Year 2025 at the Multicultural Inspire Awards - huge congratulations!

Nanny Q

https://www.instagram.com/the.singingnanny/?hl=en

Healing Hands

https://www.instagram.com/healinghandschildcare/?hl=en

Femi

https://www.instagram.com/bistmorgan/?igsh=YjJ2dm1nb3cxbmpo#

Pete is a professional sculptor, author, researcher, and trainer, and has a passion for creative education and woodwork in the Early Years. After working with a local nursery part-time, he fell for the Early Years and now runs Irresistible Learning, an Early Years Creative Consultancy. He is Chair of the Early Childhood Woodwork Association, and founder of the Big Bang Project, which advocates for woodwork provision in education.

Pete's website:https://irresistible-learning.co.uk/resource/holistic-creativity-framework/

Cheryl has over thirty years of experience in the Early Years sector as a nanny, family support, LA advisor, SENCO, trainer, assessor, lecturer, and quality inspector. Cheryl was awarded ‘Trainer of the Year’ at the 2022 Nursery World Awards and has written a book called Neurodiversity in the Early Years. She does speaking, writing, and consultancy for parents and Early Years settings, as well as guesting on podcasts.

Links:aperiontraining.co.uk

instagram.com/aperion_training/

Book:

Neurodiversity in the Early Years: Practical and Proven Strategies to Enable Neurodivergent Children to Thrive.

Jan is an Early Years expert, consultant, trainer & writer. He is the Programme Director for hey! at Hempsall’s and, in 2018, the Times Educational Supplement named him as one of the ten most influential people in British education. He has decades of experience in the sector, as a Nursery, Reception and Year 1 teacher in schools across Britain and then leading teams as an Early Years coordinator. He is the former Head of National and International Development at Early Excellence, and now works as an independent speaker, consultant, trainer and author focusing on Early Years policy, pedagogy and practice.

Dr. Alistair Bryce-Clegg, otherwise known as ABC, is an international early years consultant and trainer with three decades of experience in the sector. He's an author, a speaker, and author of the PlayList. He's advised the government's Education Select Committee on Early Years policy and practice and even the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. He has even had a debut on the TV in the BAFTA-winning Old People's Home for Four-Year-Olds.

Email us at:

[email protected]

Link from the episode:

https://abcdoes.com/

Prerna is a global Early Childhood expert and founder of Together We Grow. In this episode of the Tiny Chair Podcast, Matt and I are joined by Prerna Richards of Together We Grow. We talk about spotting stress, deep breathing, and how to find more joy in the day-to-day.

Customer stories

https://www.famly.co/customers

Prernas website

https://togetherwegrow.online/free-downloads/

Prernas Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@TogetherWeGrow108/videos

Book mentioned

Maybe - Kobi Yamada

Dr June O'Sullivan is the CEO of the London Early Years Foundation. June has headed projects involving intergenerational care, parents in prisons, sustainability, bringing more men into the EY sector, engaging dads, ratios, Ofsted, the role of chefs, and many, many more. June has an OBE for services to education, recently got her doctorate in developing sustainability sustainability, informed staff, and has co authored many, many guides and books, including the Twoness of Twos.

Links in the episode

Prison article - https://www.leyf.org.uk/news/what-has-prison-got-to-do-with-early-years/

LEYF prison pack download - https://mailchi.mp/4364d5fb0b61/a5bv48km0o

Article - https://kinderly.co.uk/2024/06/18/changing-the-world-through-love-and-nurture-in-the-early-years/

Book - https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/love-and-nurture-in-the-early-years/book287047