In this new episode, Tara and Vicky are so happy to welcome Polly Netto who has been making a huge difference at her school. She is a secondary school teacher in the UK with over ten years experience in both pastoral and academic provision. Polly is the whole school Mental Health and Solution Focused lead, PSHE Lead, Head of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics, and Deputy Head of Sixth Form.

As part of her school’s mental health strategy, Polly, a trained solution focused practitioner, was inspired to share with staff, students and parents, how SF promotes positive engagement, collaboration and success with practical strategies that are easily implemented on a daily basis. Her work demonstrates the impact of being heard and positively noticed in a climate where everyone is valuable and adds value. Strength-based communication amplifies personal resources, focusing on what is working, with a sense of curiosity and possibility. Polly also speaks to noticing what individuals want and helping them to discover paths to success in progressive steps.

Polly Netto’s work brings hope to all schools to prioritize communication as a vehicle for overall success. We had a great conversation and hope you will enjoy it as well! Thank you Polly!

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In this new episode, it was such a joy for Tara and Vicky to host two very inspiring women - Marcella Stark and Linda Metcalf – researchers, counselors, professors and authors. They are leaders in Solution Focused Brief Therapy and its applications in schools and workplaces. They shared their wonderful journeys, insights and stories with us. They also recently co-authored an exciting new book - Solution-Focused Strategies for K-12 Leaders – Improving School Climate, Teacher Confidence and Student Wellness.Join us in an interview that celebrates personal and professional growth, and the power of developing relationships and making an impact with Solution Focus.

Linda Metcalf, M.Ed., PhD, is graduate of Baylor University, BA, Texas Christian University, M.Ed., and Texas Woman’s University, PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is a certified school counselor, licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, and currently, a Professor in graduate counseling at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of Solution Focused Narrative Therapy and ten other books. She has presented to school counselors and clinicians extensively in the United States, Australia, Japan, Newfoundland, Germany, Scotland, England, Norway, Amsterdam, Singapore, UK, Canada, Thailand and more. She specializes in using solution focused narrative therapy in schools to assist students and teachers to engage, hopefully creating peaceful classrooms and stop school violence. Her website is https://solutionfocusedschool.com

Marcella Stark is a Professor of Counseling at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She teaches in the Counseling & Human Services Program and serves as its Program Coordinator. This program emphasizes a solution-focused approach to counseling. As such, her research examines applications of the solution-focused approach, exploring its use in school administration, clinical supervision, student affairs work, and issues of political disagreement. She is a past President and Conference Chair for the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association (SFBTA).Her research may be located at https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4263-1487

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In this new episode, Tara Gretton and Vicky Essebag have the pleasure of interviewing Sonja Pullen. Sonja's journey through teaching, school leadership, coaching and consulting has equipped her to support students and teachers across Canada, Ethiopia, and Australia. Based in Toronto, she is the founder of SP Coaching and the Canadian consultant for the world-renowned Instructional Coaching Group led by Jim Knight. Sonja is dedicated to advancing coaching and professional development in education so that students and educators everywhere have the support they need to flourish. A certified coach in education, Sonja holds the European Mentoring and Coaching Council’s Global Accreditation award at the Practitioner level. She is a Senior Mentor Coach and facilitator with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Mentorship Program at the University of Toronto. Guided by values of respect, kindness, and empathy, Sonja sees the best in others and believes in the limitless potential of every individual she serves. Outside of work, she loves fitness, time with family and friends, cheering on local sports teams, and is on a mission to keep her plants alive!

In this conversation, through her powerful storytelling, Sonja brings to life remarkable shifts that can take place in schools when educators are given the opportunity to receive mentorship and provide it to their peers. We thank Sonja for generously sharing her wisdom and expertise with us!

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In this new podcast episode, Tara Gretton and Vicky Essebag have the pleasure of interviewing Tamiko Nettles. Tamiko is a lifelong educator, innovative thinker, and author who empowers individuals and organizations to excel and create solutions in education, staff engagement, community and life. For over 20 years, she has created high impact programs that ensure all students and staff are valued, heard, and recognized in her roles as a teacher, coach, advocate for educators, and advisor to principals and executives. Tamiko is Founder and CEO of her educational consulting and coaching firm, Let Go-Be Great, LLC offering customized "client-centered" solutions to drive change, build trust, empower, and transform organizational cultures through the power of storytelling. In addition, she serves as Executive Director of a grassroots homeless initiative providing feminine hygiene products and toiletries monthly to homeless shelters, schools, and organizations throughout Illinois. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia who received her undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Oxford College and Emory University and her Master’s degrees from Northwestern & American College of Education in Education, Social Policy, and School Leadership. Although these degrees and experiences equip Tamiko to be at the top of her field, she considers her major accomplishments to be more about what she has done for others in and around her community. In her treasured time, she loves journaling, Salsa dancing, discovering new recipes and road trip ventures with her daughters, creating themed events to give back to others, and always has an open door policy to listen and encourage. Welcome Tamiko!

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Tara Gretton and Vicky Essebag have the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Morgenthal, an award-winning podcast host and blogger, positive psychologist, and resilience coach who helps people and organizations navigate change, build resilience, and reconnect with what truly matters. She is the creator of Resilience Gone Wild, a podcast that blends captivating stories from the natural world with powerful, science-backed tools for human thriving—recognized as DiscoverPods’ 2024 Podcast of the Year and Best Science Podcast.

Jessica is also a systemic team coach, consultant, speaker, and author with a background in strategic identity consulting, marketing research, and futurism. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree from Harvard, and has served on numerous nonprofit boards. Her work brings a rare blend of strategic insight and soulful wisdom to the worlds of leadership, sustainability, and social impact.

She is a dedicated volunteer at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Florida, where she helps guests fall in love with the ocean and its extraordinary creatures—part of her broader mission to use nature’s wild wisdom to inspire more compassionate, connected, and regenerative ways of living and working.

Whether recording podcasts, leading workshops and retreats, or simply telling the story of a sleeping parrotfish, Jessica invites us to find our power, our purpose, and our next step forward—by looking to nature.

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In this new episode, Tara and Vicky have the pleasure of interviewing Keita Demming. Keita is an award-winning author, educator, and coach dedicated to transforming companies into spaces that are idea-driven and people-centered. He is Partner and Director of Development and Innovation at the Covenant Group. His book, Strategy to Action, is described as a practical methodology that will turn your biggest ideas into real offerings in your business and life. One of Keita's proudest achievements is helping build the community around TEDxPortofSpain, part of the global TED Ideas festival. Under his leadership, it has become one of the most successful TEDx events in the world, fostering a space where ideas flourish and connections thrive. Keita hosts the widely acclaimed podcast Conversations with Keita Demming. He firmly believes that learning from others’ experiences makes our own journeys easier and more rewarding. Through his work, he continues to inspire individuals and organizations to bridge the gap between vision and execution, helping them unlock their potential to achieve meaningful results in both their business and personal lives.

Welcome Keita!

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Our special guest on the podcast this week is Shane Leaning, an organizational coach based in Shanghai, supporting international schools globally, with extensive experience in the UK and Asia, and a background in teaching and regional teaching development (Nord Anglia Education). As a recognized voice in international education, Shane is a public speaker, instructional leader, consultant and coach, who shares his passion for productive change in schools. He is co-founder of Work Collaborative - a research and advocacy group that inspires and empowers schools to lead change for themselves as a community. Shane Leaning hosts the chart-topping school leadership podcast, Education Leaders. He is a CollectivEd Fellow, Teacher Development Trust Associate, and TEDx speaker. Shane is co-authoring "Change Starts Here: What if Everything your School Needed was right in front of you?" (with Efraim Learner - Routledge publishers - to be released this summer). To learn more about Work Collaborative or to pre-order the book, go to https://workcollaborative.com/#work-collaborative, and/or any of the online bookstores.

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In this episode, Tara and Vicky have the pleasure of interviewing Adam Gretton. Adam founded More Trees Banes in 2008 as a passion project and a response to climate change. Bringing children into the world made him want to make the world a safer place. Adam was motivated by the need to offset carbon, by the great comfort he found in working the land, and by members of his family who were also tree lovers (arborists and tree surgeons). Over the years, and as this incredible tree cultivating and planting project has developed and expanded throughout Bath (UK), Adam has also noticed how great friendships have been forged as the community has come together to support and implement such a meaningful cause.

Adams professional career is in business development, where he takes innovative hiring technologies and solutions to market. In his downtime, he enjoys spending time with his family, taking his dog for walks, gardening and DJ-ing.

Thank you, Adam, for joining us on the podcast and for inspiring us to translate our own concerns over the environment into action, with small concrete steps that effectively build upon themselves.

For more information or to make a donation to the More Trees Banes registered charity, please go to https://moretrees.earth/team-member/adam-gretton/

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