In this episode with Steven Trotter, we dive into how school leaders can move from overwhelm to clarity, create momentum for change, and lead with both purpose and wellbeing in mind:

• The SKIM Model, a simple, powerful leadership model that helps shift teams from resistance to momentum
• Why self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership and personal wellbeing
• How to lead through pressure without turning it into stress or burnout
• The idea of “agency”. Personal strategies to reset, refocus, and stay grounded
• Why adult learning should energise, not exhaust and how to design PD that actually works
• How to make leadership more intentional (and less reactive) to improve both impact and culture

More About Steven

Steven Trotter is an award-winning educational system and executive leader and author of ‘The Art of Skimming Stones: Leading Sustained Improvement in Schools’ With over a decade of experience as a school principal and system leader across diverse educational settings from large suburban schools to small rural communities and residential programs.

Apart from leading his own successful and high performing schools, Steven is renowned for supporting leaders to move from overwhelm and reactivity to strategic clarity and confident decision-making. His work focuses on helping leaders navigate complexity, reduce cognitive load, and drive sustainable improvement.

With a Master’s in Education and a background in designing impactful adult learning architecture, Steven co-designed a leadership framework that accelerates growth through coherence, accountability, and purposeful reflection. He regularly presents at national conferences, contributes to leadership publications, has been honoured as ACEL New Voice in Educational Leadership scholarship (2024), and an Awardee in the National Education Awards in the category of Principal of the Year – Primary, Government.

Steven’s unique approach blends research, storytelling, and practical tools. Whether through his writing, coaching, or speaking, he empowers leaders to find a better way of leading, one that lifts others while staying grounded in meaning and self-awareness.

Linkedin: Steven Trotter
Website: Steven Trotter

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In this episode with Sagar Bahadur, we dive into the future of international education, student mobility, and how institutions can better support learners across cultures, especially in India and South Asia.

Here are seven key takeaways from the conversation:

1. Only 2% of India’s 40 million higher education students currently study abroad, yet 58% aspire to access international education. This gap presents a major opportunity to rethink how global learning can be delivered within India.
   
2. Internationalisation is evolving beyond travel. Students are increasingly engaging with global education through short-term programs, hybrid learning, foreign faculty, international certifications, and local branch campuses.
   
3. India’s education landscape is vast and competitive, with limited university spots creating pressure for students to achieve high academic results, especially for elite institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology.
   
4. The Indian government is focused on expanding access by promoting vocational education, skill development, and international collaborations, including mutual recognition of qualifications with countries like Australia.
   
5. Student wellbeing is a growing focus. Institutions are now offering more robust pre-departure and post-arrival support to help students navigate academic pressure, cultural change, and independent living.
   
6. Cultural transitions can be overwhelming for first-time international students. Sagar highlights the importance of preparing students not only academically, but emotionally for challenges like managing finances, homesickness, and balancing part-time work with studies.
   
7. Universities are being pushed to innovate. Acumen, Sagar’s organisation, is helping institutions explore new regions, delivery models, and partnerships from setting up campuses to building school pipelines and transnational programs.
   

More About Sagar

Sagar Bahadur is a recognised leader in global education strategy, with a 15-year track record of shaping and scaling international higher education initiatives. As the Executive Director for India, South Asia, and South East Asia at Acumen, he leads the region’s growth and expansion strategy for Sannam S4/Acumen, a premier global partner for strategic and sustainable international education. His work focuses on building bridges between institutions, governments, and students across borders, with a strong emphasis on long-term partnerships and high-impact outcomes.

Acumen is widely regarded as a sector-leading firm, supporting over 100 global institutions across key education markets.
Sagar’s visionary leadership led to the successful launch of Gradstar Global Education in 2022, securing over 40 global university collaborations and delivering rapid growth. His prior experience includes an 8-year tenure with Amity Education Group, where he played a key role in establishing multiple international campuses. At The University of Queensland, he redefined their India strategy, setting a benchmark for higher education market engagement across Asia. He also worked closely with MDIS Singapore, supporting their market development and institutional outreach across the region.
Educated in Singapore, and further trained at UCLA and ISB India, Sagar brings a global outlook combined with deep regional insight.

In the context of Japan, he has played a leading role in efforts to elevate Japan’s visibility and competitiveness as a global study destination, especially across South Asia. His work focuses on building institutional capacity, enabling two-way...

In this episode with Isabella Portolesi, we dive into what it truly means to action Positive Education in the classroom, through both daily routines and intentional teaching. Isabella shares her journey from psychology to education, offering practical insights that every educator can relate to and apply.

6 Key Takeaways

• Isabella transitioned from a clinical psychology focus to teaching because she was drawn to the proactive, preventative side of supporting young people. Positive Psychology allowed her to focus on building strengths, belonging, and meaning, rather than only addressing what’s broken.
• A strong culture of belonging is at the heart of Isabella’s teaching. She uses inclusive classroom rituals, encourages student-led sharing, and ensures every student feels recognised for their individuality. These daily practices create a safe space where connection and learning can thrive.
• Isabella emphasises the importance of both embedding wellbeing language across everyday interactions and explicitly teaching skills like gratitude, resilience, and character strengths. The two approaches work best when used together and revisited regularly.
• By creating low-stakes challenges without instructions, such as origami or puzzles, Isabella helps students become aware of their inner dialogue. These reflective activities build confidence and demonstrate how mindset impacts learning and achievement.
• Isabella reassures educators that Positive Education often isn’t something “extra.” Many of its principles are already happening in schools, through relationships, support and daily care. The key is to notice, refine, and build upon what’s already working.
• Living the values of Positive Psychology is just as important as teaching them. Isabella believes modelling wellbeing through how we treat students, colleagues, and ourselves is what makes the biggest impact. Her approach is rooted in authenticity, purpose, and consistency.

More About Isabella

Isabella holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology, complemented by qualifications in Psychological Science and Education. In collaboration with PeopleQ, her Master’s research explored the intersection of organisational psychology and wellbeing science, with a focus on how trust and team dynamics contribute to thriving workplace cultures.

Driven by a genuine belief that everyone deserves a meaningful and purpose-filled life, Isabella brings warmth, curiosity, and evidence-based practice to her work. She is particularly passionate about helping individuals uncover their strengths and reach their full potential, whether in the classroom, in professional settings, or through collaborative research.

As an educator, Isabella values the opportunity to create safe and supportive environments where individuals are encouraged to grow, connect, and flourish.

Since 2020, Isabella has been an active member of the PESA SA Chapter, committed to championing system-wide wellbeing initiatives and expanding access to wellbeing science across all schools.

Linkedin Isabella Portolesi

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In this episode with Matt Pitman, we dive into the transformative power of connection in schools, what it really means, how it can be intentionally built, and why it’s essential for students, staff, and families. Matt shares practical strategies and leadership insights drawn from his experience as a head of school and author of The Connection Curriculum.

6 Key Takeaways

• Connection isn’t a buzzword, it’s a framework.
  Matt outlines connection as a journey of relationships, belonging, and meaning, and shows how schools can intentionally support all three.
• Human-first leadership matters more than ever.
  In a world focused on tech and outcomes, Matt reminds us that the person in the middle. The student, staff, or parent, must remain the focus.
• Face-to-face interaction is underrated.
  Emails and calls have their place, but real connection comes from shared space, especially when working with families.
• Leaders build connection by asking, not telling.
  Rather than providing quick answers, great leaders coach staff through reflection, helping them grow their own confidence and solutions.
• Culture is created through the small things.
  From knowing a student’s weekend plans to welcoming parents at events, genuine connection grows through consistent, human moments.
• You can sense connection when it’s there.
  While it’s not always easy to measure, signs of connection show up everywhere, in staff morale, student engagement, alumni returning, and parent relationships.

More About Matt Pitman

Matt Pitman is the Head of Senior School at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs, a Catholic secondary school in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, and the author of The Connection Curriculum published by Amba Press. An experienced educational leader and a doctoral candidate researching connections across school communities, Matt’s experience is varied, from the leadership of curriculum teams and programs to student wellbeing, student improvement and community engagement portfolios. He has led Positive Education and student support programs and has a passion for working with students, parents, and staff to develop new understandings of the needs of young people in the 21st century.

Website:: mattpitman.com.au
Linkedin Matt Pitman
Book:The Connection Curriculum

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In this episode with Jacqui Clarke, we dive into how money impacts teacher wellbeing, the importance of building healthy financial habits, and how we can teach students the value of financial literacy, no matter their age.

Key Takeaways:

• Why financial wellbeing is directly tied to overall wellbeing, and how it often goes overlooked in schools
  
• The importance of knowing your “open the front door” cost to feel more in control of your money
  
• Simple, realistic habits teachers can use to build financial confidence and reduce money stress
  
• How educators can introduce financial literacy in the classroom through practical, age-appropriate activities
  
• Key financial concepts like compound interest and dollar-cost averaging, and how they can set students up for success
  
• How to normalise money conversations with kids to build healthy lifelong attitudes toward money

More About Jacqui Clarke

Jacqui Clarke FCA, FTI, GAICD, JP, International award-winning author of Stop Worrying About Money (Wiley), is a trusted advisor, board member, executor and veteran business executive. As a personal wealth and money management expert and over three decades of experience, 25 years at Deloitte and PWC helping high-net-worth families, individuals and business owners to build, manage and preserve their wealth. Her message is simple: with careful planning and effort, you can manage your money, so it doesn’t manage you.

Website:: jacquiclarke.me/
Linkedin Jacqui Clarke
Book:Stop Worrying about Money

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In this episode with Tansel Ali, we dive into how teachers can sharpen their memory, boost mental clarity, and use practical memory techniques to connect more deeply with students and teach more effectively. Tansel shares actionable tools that can be applied immediately in the classroom, for both educators and students.

Key Takeaways:

• Memory is a skill, not a gift.
  Anyone can improve their memory using proven techniques like visualization, association, and storytelling.
• Remembering student names builds stronger connections.
  Tansel shares simple strategies to help teachers recall names quickly and with confidence.
• Mind mapping reduces overwhelm and boosts comprehension.
  Organising information visually helps students and teachers retain and understand complex material more easily.
• Speed reading improves learning by turning words into images.
  The goal isn’t speed for speed’s sake—it’s better comprehension through visual encoding.
• Teachers don’t need to master every subject.
  Being just one step ahead of students is enough to teach effectively and reduce overwhelm.
• Managing overwhelm is key to memory and focus.
  Practical tools like the “one-minute rule” help overcome procrastination and build momentum.

More About Tansel Ali

Tansel Ali is recognised as one of the world’s leading memory experts — helping individuals enhance their mental performance and sharpen their minds to succeed. He is a 4-time Australian Memory Sports Champion and the international bestselling author of The Yellow Elephant and How To Learn Almost Anything in 48 Hours.

Tansel is best known for his incredible feat of memorising two entire Yellow Pages phone books in just 24 days.

With over 20 years of experience training individuals and organisations, Tansel is a trusted advisor for those seeking a cognitive edge. His memory systems and practical strategies are used around the world and have been featured in bestselling books including Deep Work by Cal Newport, Tony Buzan’s Official Biography, and Like, Comment, Share, Buy by Jonathan Creek — as well as across television, documentaries, podcasts, and global media.

As a keynote speaker, Tansel delivers powerful and engaging talks worldwide, teaching people how to think faster, remember more, and learn better. He has led transformational initiatives such as the Australian Memory Championships, School Mind

Games, The FutureMinds Project, and TEDxDocklands, and has proudly served as a Celebrity Ambassador for Crohn’s & Colitis Australia and the AFL — inspiring people to live happier, healthier lives.

Tansel holds dual Master’s degrees in Information Systems Management (MISM) and Business Administration (MBA). He combines deep expertise in memory science and performance coaching to help people from all walks of life master memory, accelerate learning, and perform at their peak.

Website:: https://tanselali.com/
Linkedin Tansel Ali
Tansel Ali Tedx Talk:Click to Watch

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