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Ever feel like your office door never gets a moment's peace? You're not alone — and this week, we're tackling it head-on.

We sat down with Sue Kurtovich, one of the most trusted voices in early childhood education, to work through the real, sometimes tricky questions leaders ask us about building team capability. Like this one: "My teachers constantly interrupt me and come to the office for every little question they should be able to handle without me. What can I do?"

Sound familiar?

In this episode, Sue shares practical, no-fluff strategies you can start using today to help your team grow in confidence, judgement, and independence — so you can lead, not just troubleshoot. If you've ever wondered how to build a team that thinks for itself, this one's for you.

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Ever watched a toddler throw something for the tenth time and wondered, “is this just chaos, or is there something more going on?”

In this episode, we sit down with early childhood educator and advocate Kimberley Crisp to unpack the powerful urges driving toddler behaviour and what it really means to support them. Kimberley challenges us to move beyond managing behaviour and start reading it, offering practical, compassionate strategies for educators who want to meet toddlers where they are.

Whether you're in the thick of the toddler room or leading a team of educators, this conversation will shift the way you see the small humans in your care.

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Sleep. It seems simple, until a parent hands you a sleep plan at drop-off. In this episode, we sit down with Alex Weehuizen, sleep consultant and early childhood teacher, to unpack one of the most common tensions in early childhood education: what happens when home sleep routines meet the realities of care. From settling struggles to the "please wake my child after 20 minutes" conversation, Alex brings practical insight, real talk, and a whole lot of reassurance for educators navigating sleep every single day.

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How the way a mentor sees, the lens they bring to a student teacher, and to the learners in their classroom, shapes practice in ways that ripple far beyond a single placement. From supporting teachers new to Aotearoa, to seeing neurodiversity as strength rather than deficit, this episode explores what it really means to look closely and lead with that. Proudly sponsored by NZTC.

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What if the moments we rush to fix are actually where the deepest learning happens? In this episode, we explore how educators can step back and support children to navigate conflict on their own. Through practical strategies and grounded in child development theory, you’ll learn how to guide without taking over - helping children build confidence, empathy, and lifelong problem-solving skills.

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This podcast session brought to you by NTZC in partnership with ECE Learning Unlimited, supporting Associate Teachers in your important work with student teachers.

Mentorship has the power to shape careers, confidence, and the future of teaching itself.

The Art of Inspiring Mentorship explores what meaningful, values-driven mentorship looks like for both associate teachers and student teachers across early childhood, primary, and secondary settings.

This talk goes beyond requirements and checklists, focusing instead on belief, reflection, vulnerability, and partnership. It speaks directly to associate teachers about the influence they hold, encourages student teachers to step confidently into their learning, and highlights the lasting ripple effect that strong mentorship creates within the profession.

Whether you’re welcoming a student teacher into your classroom or stepping into placement for the first time, this guide is a reminder that great mentorship doesn’t just develop skills - it builds identity, resilience, and inspired educators for the future.

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In this easy-listening, laugh-while-you-learn episode, Jess - mum of three young kids (including twins) and long-time ECE teacher and leader - lifts the lid on what leadership really feels like.

She explores why some leaders accidentally send staff into fight-or-flight mode, and how emotionally steady, human-centred leadership can completely change the vibe of a centre. With humour, honesty, and real-life stories, Jess shows how tiny everyday actions create teams who feel safe, supported, and genuinely happy to see their leader walk through the door.

A must-listen for anyone leading in ECE… or anyone who’s ever considered hiding in the cupboard at work.

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When the room goes feral and every adult looks like they’re one noise away from crying, it’s time for a reset. In this funny and instantly useful episode, Jess shares how to calm the chaos by resetting the adults first, then the environment, then the children. Real, practical, and totally relatable for anyone who’s ever walked into a room and thought, “Absolutely not.”