What if school had taught us that confidence isn’t about having all the answers, but about finding your voice, staying curious and having the courage to do what feels right?

In this episode of The School Run Podcast, Jane chats with Jack Mellor — CEO of Personnel Checks (PC Group), parent to a two-year-old, and someone she has worked alongside through Little Voices for many years.

Jack shares his journey from wanting to become a chef, to studying French, living and working in Paris, and eventually returning home to lead the family business. Together, Jane and Jack explore confidence, communication, leadership, parenting and why life rarely follows the path we imagine at sixteen.

They also discuss the importance of recognition, building a positive workplace culture, learning through practical experiences and how becoming a parent has given Jack a fresh perspective on curiosity, communication and lifelong learning.

This conversation is full of wisdom for parents, young people, business owners and anyone who has ever wondered whether they really have it all figured out.

Episode Highlights: Confidence, Leadership, Communication and Curiosity

● Why life and careers are rarely linear

● Following what genuinely interests and excites you

● The value of learning languages and embracing new experiences

● Returning to lead a family business

● Building a positive workplace culture through recognition

● What confidence really means in leadership

● Why communication is such an important life skill

● The importance of curiosity and lifelong learning

● Why practical experiences can help learning stick

● Finding your voice and having the courage to speak up

● Reflections on parenting a two-year-old and seeing the world through a child’s eyes

● The lessons Jack would share with his younger self

● Why some of our most valuable memories are made on the school run

Favourite Quotes

“Confidence is having the courage to do what you know is right.”

“I was never chasing a particular job. I was just chasing the skill of learning to speak French.”

“You can teach yourself so much today if you stay curious.”

Guest Links

Connect with Jack Mellor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackmellor/

Find out more about Personnel Checks (PC Group) at:https://www.personnelchecks.co.uk/

Marketing@personnelchecks.co.uk

Listen to Jane’s guest appearance on Jack’s podcast through the links in the show notes.

Support The School Run Podcast

If you’ve loved this episode and would like to support the podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here:www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun

It helps us keep bringing these uplifting, honest and inspiring conversations about confidence, leadership, communication and parenting to life.

Connect With Us

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @theschoolrun_officialFollow Jane: @mrsjanejamesEmail Jane: jane@littlevoices.org.uk

About Little Voices

This podcast is brought to you by Little Voices, where we nurture confidence and big futures through drama and singing.

Find out more about our classes, school partnerships and franchise opportunities at:www.littlevoices.org.uk

Disclaimer

The conversations shared on The School Run Podcast are based on personal stories, experiences and opinions. They are intended to inspire, encourage and open up meaningful conversations, but they should not replace professional advice where needed.

Editing Credit

This episode was edited and produced by Mike Roberts from Making Digital Real. We are so lucky and privileged to work with Mike and highly recommend him.

What if school had taught us that life, learning and careers don’t have to follow a straight line?

In this episode of The School Run Podcast, Jane chats with Arthur Moore — award-winning professional maths tutor, qualified secondary school teacher and founder of an online tutoring business.

Arthur shares his journey from school, to Microsoft, to Teach First, to teaching in the UK and Thailand, and eventually into tutoring. Together, Jane and Arthur explore what education really means, why so many young people feel pressure to have everything figured out, and why confidence is built through both support and challenge.

They also talk about maths anxiety, why “I’m bad at maths” can become a damaging story, and how adding the word “yet” can change everything.

This conversation is full of wisdom for parents, teachers, tutors, young people and anyone who has ever wondered whether it’s too late to change direction.

In this episode, we talk about:

● Why careers and life paths are rarely linear

● The pressure young people feel to make big decisions early

● Why schools are brilliant and challenging places

● The importance of supporting and challenging young people

● What maths anxiety really is

● Why confidence is about making decisions for yourself

● How teachers can make learning “stick”

● Why progress matters more than perfection

● Arthur’s advice for teachers thinking about life beyond the classroom

● The power of asking for help and finding mentors

● Arthur’s own podcast with his children about Formula One

Favourite Moments

“Learning is hard — and if you’re finding something challenging, you’re probably in the right place.”

“Confidence is making a decision because you believe it is the right decision, not because you need someone else to approve it.”

“It’s not that you can’t do maths. It might just be that you can’t do it yet.”

Guest Links

Find Arthur Moore on LinkedIn by searching Arthur Moore Tutor.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-moore/

Arthur’s Formula One podcast with his children is called A Little Moore Formula One Chat.

Support The School Run Podcast

If you’ve loved this episode and would like to support the podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here:www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun

It helps us keep bringing these uplifting, honest and inspiring conversations to life.

Connect With Us

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @theschoolrun_officialFollow Jane: @mrsjanejamesEmail Jane: jane@littlevoices.org.uk

About Little Voices

This podcast is brought to you by Little Voices, where we nurture confidence and big futures through drama and singing.

Find out more about our classes, school partnerships and franchise opportunities at:www.littlevoices.org.uk

Disclaimer

The conversations shared on The School Run Podcast are based on personal stories, experiences and opinions. They are intended to inspire, encourage and open up meaningful conversations, but they should not replace professional advice where needed.

Editing Credit

This episode was edited and produced by Mike Roberts from Making Digital Real. We are so lucky and privileged to work with Mike and highly recommend him.

From Shy Girl to Leadership Coach: Gina Cole on Confidence, NLP & Finding Your Voice

What does confidence really mean?

And what do you wish school had taught you about emotions, self-belief, vulnerability and finding your own voice?

In this inspiring episode of The School Run Podcast: Little Voices, Big Stories, Jane is joined by Gina Cole, strategic organisational development consultant, founder of Goal Centred Development and NLP trainer.

Gina has over 20 years of experience in learning, development, leadership and organisational culture. But her own journey began with a shy little girl who found her voice through singing, theatre and performance.

From classical singing lessons at the age of eight, to playing Maria in West Side Story, to later helping women, leaders and organisations understand themselves more deeply, Gina’s story beautifully connects the dots between the arts, confidence, personal growth and leadership.

This episode also dives into Gina’s journey through sociology, psychology, childcare, Sure Start, children’s centres, organisational development and neuro-linguistic programming, also known as NLP.

It is a powerful conversation about learning, self-awareness, vulnerability, women’s leadership, emotional wellbeing and why our own story is always worth sharing.

About Gina Cole

Gina Cole is a strategic organisational development consultant with over 20 years of experience in learning, development, leadership and organisational culture.

She is the founder of Goal Centred Development and works with individuals, women, leaders, coaches, teams and organisations to support growth, confidence, connection and compassionate leadership.

Gina’s work includes coaching, coach training, coach supervision, NLP, mental fitness, leadership development and organisational culture work.

Podcasts for us are all about learning and sharing, of course free to listen to.

We have some small costs to cover so if you would like to buy us a coffee…..

⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun⁠⁠

Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials @‌theschoolrun_official / @‌mrsjanejames on Instagram, or search and follow Jane James on Facebook. We’d love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at

liv@schoolrunpodcast.com

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Links: For information of Jane’s company Little Voices head to

⁠⁠http://www.littlevoices.org.uk⁠⁠

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Disclaimer: All views expressed in this podcast are of the participants themselves. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We are just a mum and daughter, sharing their thoughts and chatting with guests that we really respect and sharing our personal stories and insights. Please seek professional advice if you need it.

This episode is edited by Mike Roberts of [⁠Making Digital Real⁠](https://vault.makingdigitalreal.co.uk/