What does confidence really look like?

Is it appearing calm, capable and completely in control?

Or is real confidence being prepared to step into the unknown, knowing you might fail, and giving it a go anyway?

In this episode of The School Run, Jane is joined by Phil Holdcroft, founder of High Performance Journey, former Royal Air Force pilot, endurance athlete, speaker, husband and dad.

And Phil’s story is quite a journey.

At school, he didn’t have his future mapped out. He studied biochemistry, found himself on a graduate programme in London with the salary, company car and mobile phone that should have meant he was doing brilliantly... but he was deeply unhappy.

Then came the Royal Air Force.

Phil describes it as discovering “the thing I never knew I always wanted to do”, beginning an incredible two-decade military career and finding a sense of purpose he hadn’t experienced before.

But one of the biggest challenges of Phil’s life happened away from the military when his youngest daughter, Isla, was diagnosed with leukaemia at just 22 months old.

Suddenly, all the toughness and resilience Phil thought he understood were tested in a completely different way.

As Isla began her journey towards recovery, Phil set himself five increasingly difficult physical challenges over five years, raising money for the charities and people who had helped his family.

The final challenge?

Rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.

Phil and Jane talk about resilience, purpose, leadership, mental fitness and the importance of human connection. They explore what happens when an identity that has defined you for years changes, and why leaving the military forced Phil to think carefully about who he was without the uniform.

There’s also a fascinating conversation about the advice we give young people and how even loving, well-intentioned words can sometimes create beliefs about what we are and aren’t capable of achieving.

Today, through High Performance Journey, Phil uses everything he has learned about leadership, performance, teamwork and resilience to help individuals and teams discover what they are capable of.

And his definition of confidence might just change the way you think about it.

Confidence isn’t the absence of fear.

It’s having the courage to show up, step into the arena and try, even when success is far from guaranteed.

An inspiring, moving and wonderfully honest conversation about purpose, family, identity, connection and discovering just how much might be possible when you’re prepared to have a go.

If you enjoy The School Run, please follow the podcast, leave us a review or share this episode with someone who might need to hear Phil’s story.

You can find out more about Little Voices, our classes, our work with schools and how we help children build confidence for life at:

littlevoices.org.uk

Follow The School Run on Instagram:

@theschoolrun_official

If you’d like to support the podcast and help us keep these stories flowing, you can buy us a virtual coffee at:

buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun

Podcast Production:

The School Run Podcast is edited and produced by Mike Roberts at Making Digital Real.

makingdigitalreal.co.uk

Disclaimer:

All views expressed in this podcast are shared as respectfully as possible and are those of the individual participants. The information, opinions and recommendations presented are for general information only. Please seek appropriate professional advice where needed.

What if the thing you’re naturally brilliant at is something you haven’t fully recognised yet?

In this episode of The School Run, Jane is joined by photographer and entrepreneur Sarah Aires for a wonderfully warm conversation about confidence, creativity, education and finding the path that actually feels like yours.

Sarah’s journey certainly hasn’t followed a straight line.

At school, she was academic and initially thought her future might lie in science, medicine or law. But something didn’t feel quite right. A brave decision to change direction became one of the first steps towards understanding something that would take her years to fully appreciate: just because you’re good at something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s where you belong.

Sarah shares how her career took her through business, sales and account management before she eventually discovered the combination that really worked for her: creativity and people.

Today, she brings those strengths together as a professional photographer, with a fascinating approach to capturing people at their most natural. She even creates professional headshots remotely, photographing people and teams without needing to be in the same room.

But this conversation goes much deeper than photography.

Jane and Sarah talk about comparison, creativity, trusting your instincts, finding your own “superpower” and why we can spend far too much of our lives looking sideways at what everyone else is doing.

Sarah also shares the story of unexpectedly homeschooling her two daughters for two years and what that experience taught the whole family about education, different learning styles and bringing the wonder and excitement back into learning.

And when Jane asks Sarah what confidence really means to her, her answer is beautifully simple:

“Knowing your worth.”

Because perhaps confidence isn’t about being the loudest person in the room.

Perhaps it’s about knowing who you are, understanding what you bring and being comfortable enough to stay in your own lane.

A warm, honest and uplifting conversation about finding your strengths, doing things differently and becoming more comfortable with exactly who you are.

Podcasts for us are all about learning, sharing stories and starting conversations. They are, of course, completely free to listen to.

If you enjoy The School Run and would like to buy us a virtual cup of tea while we’re planning future episodes, you can support us here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun

Get in touch:

You can find us on Instagram @theschoolrun_official.

For information about Little Voices, visit:

http://www.littlevoices.org.uk

Podcast Production:

The School Run Podcast is edited and produced by Mike Roberts at Making Digital Real.

Disclaimer:

All views expressed in this podcast are shared as respectfully as possible and are those of the individual participants. The information, opinions and recommendations presented are for general information only. Please seek appropriate professional advice where needed.

For this week’s Summer ReRun, we’re heading back to a very personal episode of The School Run, and this time Liv is taking over.

Instead of Jane asking the questions, Liv turns the tables on her mum to find out more about the woman behind Little Voices and the journey that brought her to where she is today.

And what a journey it has been.

Jane talks about discovering her love of singing as a little girl, training as an opera singer, performing on stage and eventually studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

But, as is so often the case with the stories we share on The School Run, life didn’t follow the plan.

There’s the London Marathon, an experience Jane credits with teaching her some of her biggest lessons about resilience and determination. There’s the devastating aftermath of what should have been a straightforward operation, which led to numerous surgeries and the possibility that she could lose part of her leg.

Then there’s the realisation that the career she had spent years preparing for might not actually be the life she wanted.

What followed was teaching, motherhood and, eventually, a conversation around a coffee shop table in Blackburn that would lead to the creation of Little Voices.

What began with a couple of classes in 2007 grew into something far bigger than Jane could ever have imagined, helping children across the country find confidence, friendships and, most importantly, their own voice.

It’s a wonderfully honest conversation between mum and daughter about dreams changing, overcoming difficult chapters, following opportunities and recognising that the destination you originally had in mind isn’t always where you’re supposed to end up.

And there’s another reason we wanted to bring this one back...

If you’ve ever wondered what Jane actually sounds like after all those years training as an opera singer, make sure you stay until the end.

There’s a rather special performance waiting for you.

A lovely trip back into The School Run archives, and an episode that captures perfectly something we’ve believed since the very beginning:

You really don’t have to have it all figured out at school.

Podcasts for us are all about learning, sharing stories and starting conversations. They are, of course, completely free to listen to.

If you enjoy The School Run and would like to buy us a virtual cup of tea (or Liv’s favourite, a chocolate fudge brownie frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream!) while we’re planning future episodes, you can support us here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun

Get in touch:

We always love hearing from our listeners. You can find us on Instagram @theschoolrun_official and @mrsjanejames, search for Jane James on Facebook, or email us at mrsjanejames@icloud.com.

For information about Jane’s company, Little Voices, visit:

http://www.littlevoices.org.uk

Podcast Production:

The School Run Podcast is edited and produced by Mike Roberts at Making Digital Real.

makingdigitalreal.co.uk

Disclaimer:

All views expressed in this podcast are shared as respectfully as possible and are those of the individual participants. The information, opinions and recommendations presented are for general information only. We are simply a mum and daughter sharing our thoughts, personal experiences and conversations with guests we respect. Please seek appropriate professional advice where needed.

For this week’s Summer ReRun, we’re heading back to a conversation that means an enormous amount to both of us.

Jane and Liv are joined by Veronica Simister, affectionately known as V, the founder and custodian of The Olive Jar, a six-week transformational course that listeners to The School Run will have heard us talk about many times.

But this episode is about much more than a course.

V has become a huge part of our lives, and looking back at this conversation reminds us just how much of an impact she has had on the way we think, reflect and understand ourselves.

We talk about The Olive Jar, personal growth, the stories we tell ourselves, understanding who we really are and what can happen when we give ourselves the space to stop, look inwards and begin making changes.

There are some podcast conversations that stay with you long after you have stopped recording. This is most definitely one of them.

We feel incredibly lucky and grateful to know V, and very privileged to be bringing this conversation back as part of our Summer ReRun series.

To find out more about The Olive Jar, you can contact V at veronica@veronicasimister.com.

You can also find the digital Olive Jar course at:

https://theolivejar.online/

Podcasts for us are all about learning, sharing stories and starting conversations. They are, of course, completely free to listen to.

If you enjoy The School Run and would like to buy us a virtual cup of tea (or Liv’s favourite, a chocolate fudge brownie frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream!) while we’re planning future episodes, you can support us here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun

Get in touch:

We always love hearing from our listeners. You can find us on Instagram @theschoolrun_official and @mrsjanejames, search for Jane James on Facebook, or email us at mrsjanejames@icloud.com.

For information about Jane’s company, Little Voices, visit:

http://www.littlevoices.org.uk

Podcast Production:

The School Run Podcast is edited and produced by Mike Roberts at Making Digital Real.

Disclaimer:

All views expressed in this podcast are shared as respectfully as possible and are those of the individual participants. The information, opinions and recommendations presented are for general information only. We are simply a mum and daughter sharing our thoughts, personal experiences and conversations with guests we respect. Please seek appropriate professional advice where needed.

For this week’s Summer ReRun, we’re heading back into The School Run archives for a brilliant conversation with Rachel Haslam, founder of Team Academy and self-proclaimed Director of Awesomeness.

Rachel’s experience of school was far from easy. Traditional learning simply didn’t work for her, and she left school with no GCSEs. But while the classroom might not have recognised her strengths, they were already there. She was entrepreneurial, creative, brilliant with people and determined to do things differently.

We talk about learning styles, understanding your personality, surrounding yourself with the right people, building great teams and why education and workplaces need to recognise that we simply don’t all learn, communicate or perform in the same way.

Rachel also shares a piece of advice that has stayed with us ever since:

“If it scares you, run towards it.”

And, in true School Run fashion, the episode ends with a deeply personal memory of a conversation with Rachel’s mum on the journey home from school that had a profound impact on her life.

Funny, moving, refreshingly honest and packed with things to think about. This is exactly the kind of conversation our Summer ReRuns were made for.

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 virtual cup of tea and Chocolate fudge brownie Frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream (Liv’s favourite) when we are planning them out please click here ….. ⁠⁠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 **⁠⁠**mrsjanejames@icloud.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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This podcast is edited by Mike Roberts from ⁠Making Digital Real⁠

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.

Thanks to Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real, our remarkable editor, for his skilful work on each episode. Mike's expertise ensures our podcast is always a great listen. Thanks, Mike, for being an essential part of The School Run Podcast! Contact him on Making Digital Real : https://makingdigitalreal.co.uk/

In this episode we revisit the special episode when Jane & Liv were lucky enough to chat with the founder of Temple Spa, Liz Warom.

Liz has been married to Mark for 47 years and founded her wonderful British skincare brand in February 2000.

The Temple Spa story began in the Mediterranean. Believing that your body is a living temple the brand now provides an experience so that you can look the best version of yourself.

Jane & Liv ADORE this brand and Jane has used it for over 20 years and naturally introduced Liv to it from an early age. This is a fabulous conversation.

To contact Temple Spa visit www.templespa.com

They are also on all social media platforms

We encourage you to check out their spa experience at home, their spa’s around the country and the opportunity of working with Temple Spa as a consultant.

This episode is sponsored by Colour Me Beautiful and you can take advantage of an amazing discount on your Colour Analysis, a gift voucher or any service they offer if you ring CMB Head Office and quote THE SCHOOL RUN.

For more information and to take advantage of a special DISCOUNT please contact the CMB Head Office and QUOTE: THE SCHOOL RUN , please contact: Cliff Bashforth +44 (0)1772 750 052 email: ⁠⁠cliff@cmbdirect.co.uk⁠⁠ web: ⁠⁠http://colourmebeautiful.co.uk⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠http://colourmebeautifuldirect.co.uk⁠⁠

Instagram @‌colourmebeautuk

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 virtual cup of tea and Chocolate fudge brownie Frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream (Liv’s favourite) when we are planning them out please click here ….. ⁠⁠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 **⁠⁠**mrsjanejames@icloud.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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This podcast is edited by Mike Roberts from ⁠Making Digital Real⁠

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.

Thanks to Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real, our remarkable editor, for his skilful work on each episode. Mike's expertise ensures our podcast is always a great listen. Thanks, Mike, for being an essential part of The School Run Podcast! Contact him on Making Digital Real : https://makingdigitalreal.co.uk/

In this heart-warming and inspiring episode, we revisit the episode when Jane and Liv sat down with Megan Cooper-Colvin — a former Little Voices pupil from 17 years ago, now a business woman following a video that went viral online from her own wedding.

Megan shares her remarkable journey from childhood musical theatre classes to her work with Sky Sports, her time at Loughborough University, and her career in the media industry.

The conversation dives into:

• ​🎤 How Megan’s early love for music & drama at school and Little Voices shaped her life
• ​📺 Behind the scenes of working in media and television
• ​💡 The reality of building a personal brand online
• ​👩‍👧‍👦 Motherhood and managing life’s many roles
• ​📲 The pros and pitfalls of social media
• ​🌟 How her sung wedding “thank you” speech performance went viral with 15 million views and kickstarted her online business

Megan’s story is a testament to passion, perseverance, and the power of authenticity. Whether you're a creative, a parent, or someone navigating your own journey, this episode will leave you feeling inspired and empowered.

Links & Mentions:🔗 Megan's viral wedding video https://www.youtube.com/c/JamieandMegan🔗 Follow Megan on Instagram: @meganandjamie

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 virtual cup of tea and Chocolate fudge brownie Frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream (Liv’s favourite) when we are planning them out please click here ….. ⁠⁠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 **⁠⁠**mrsjanejames@icloud.com **⁠⁠

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Links: For information of Jane’s company Little Voices head to ⁠⁠http://www.littlevoices.org.uk⁠⁠

---

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

Summer Rerun: Suzy Rowntree

For this Summer Rerun, we're heading all the way back to Episode 9 of The School Run Podcast and a conversation that feels just as relevant today.

Jane and Liv are joined by Suzy Rowntree, a senior people leader whose own journey is a brilliant reminder that success rarely follows a neat, predictable path.

Suzy talks openly about struggling at school, failing GCSEs and A-levels, and the end of a promising career in rhythmic gymnastics after reaching national level. What felt like failure at the time, however, became part of a much bigger story.

From studying media and dreaming of becoming a TV presenter to eventually discovering a career centred around people, leadership and culture, Suzy shares what she's learned about finding your strengths, taking opportunities, embracing change and refusing to let academic results define you.

And there's a question running through the whole conversation that remains at the heart of The School Run Podcast:

What if school helped young people understand who they are, not simply what grades they can achieve?

A warm, funny and thought-provoking trip back to one of our earliest episodes, and a conversation well worth hearing again.

SUPPORT THE SCHOOL RUN PODCAST

For us, podcasting has always been about learning, sharing stories and having conversations that matter. Our episodes are completely free to listen to, but there are some small costs involved in creating the podcast.

So, if you fancy buying us a virtual cup of tea, or perhaps Liv’s favourite Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream, while we’re planning future episodes, you can support us here:

⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun⁠

GET IN TOUCH

We genuinely love hearing from you.

You can find us publicly or privately on our socials:

@theschoolrun_official @mrsjanejames on Instagram

Or search for and follow Jane James on Facebook.

If you have a story you think we should hear, please get in touch with us directly at:

⁠mrsjanejames@icloud.com⁠

LITTLE VOICES

For more information about Jane’s company, Little Voices, visit:

⁠http://www.littlevoices.org.uk⁠

PODCAST PRODUCTION

The School Run Podcast is edited and produced by Mike Roberts from Making Digital Real.

There’s quite a bit of magic that happens behind the scenes before each episode reaches you, from enhancing the audio and editing the conversations to creating the show notes, titles and getting everything ready for release.

We’re incredibly grateful to Mike for being such an important part of The School Run Podcast team.

Find out more about Mike and Making Digital Real:

⁠https://makingdigitalreal.co.uk/⁠

DISCLAIMER

All views expressed in this podcast are those of the individual participants.

The information, opinions and recommendations presented are for general information only, and any reliance on information provided in the podcast is at your own risk.

We’re simply a mum and daughter sharing our thoughts, experiences and personal stories, while chatting with guests we genuinely respect.

Please seek appropriate professional advice whenever you need it.