In this episode, Clare talks to Shaheen Myers, founder of Balance:ed, about the human side of school leadership.

They discuss the pressures faced by school leaders in the current educational climate, and how this can contribute to overwhelm and burnout. Shaheen also highlights the interplay between culture and wellbeing and suggests ways for school leaders to best support themselves and others.

Shaheen Myers is a leadership wellbeing advisor, keynote speaker, and former system leader in education with over two decades’ experience across schools and children’s services. She previously served as a Deputy Director for Learning within a large city’s Children’s Services, where she led strategic work to improve inclusion, wellbeing, and outcomes for more than 100,000 children and young people.

Shaheen is the founder of Balance:ed, an organisation dedicated to improving wellbeing, culture, and connection across schools and academy trusts. Through keynote speaking, training, coaching, wellbeing supervision, and organisational audits, she supports headteachers, CEOs, and education staff to navigate the pressures of modern leadership while building healthier, more sustainable school cultures.

She is also the author of, The Human Side of School Leadership, where she explores how care, culture, and connection can transform schools into environments where leaders and staff feel seen, heard, and valued.

Find out more about The Human Side of Leadership Conference here.

Shaheen shares three top tips in the episode:

• It’s ok to look after yourself and to prioritise your own wellbeing.
• Reflect on the role of connection within teams and across your organisation.
• Lean into the ‘humanness’ of your role.

The Team Teach podcast shares the latest thinking in behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use in your setting.

Find out how Team Teach can help your organisation.

The Team Teach podcast is created in the UK, adhering to UK law and guidance. Practitioners should exercise their professional judgment to determine the appropriateness of any Team Teach material for their specific sector and geographic region, and be aware of the applicable laws and guidelines governing their organisation.

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In this episode, Clare talks to Murray Hodge-Neill, Assistant Director of the PBL team at the ACT Education Directorate, Australia, about restorative approaches in education.

In Part 2 of a two-part series, they discuss reasons for resistance to change amongst staff, and how we can successfully shift mindsets in our schools, especially around behaviourist approaches and the notion of consequences.

Murray is a teaching professional in Canberra, Australia. He is an accredited Team Teach trainer and currently manages Team Teach training for all 93 schools in the ACT Education Directorate, including supporting approximately 150 Foundation trainers.

Murray has expertise in restorative processes in schools and is a trained Restorative Conference Facilitator. Murray leads the Restorative School Communities initiative in ACT schools, providing professional learning and implementation support directly to schools.

He shares three top tips for practitioners:

• A restorative disposition is more important that specific practices.
• Don’t attempt restorative facilitation beyond your training, skills, and experiences, and seek professional guidance when required.
• Start with having a restorative mindset in both your personal and professional relationships.

Murray also recommends some books for further reading:

Brummer, J. & Thorsborne, M. (2024) Becoming a Trauma-Informed Restorative Educator: Practical Skills to Change Culture and Behavior. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Evans, K., & Vaandering, D. (2022) The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education: Fostering Responsibility, healing, and Hope in Schools. New York: Good Books.

Kelly, V. C., & Thorsborne, M. (Eds.) (2014) The Psychology of Emotion in Restorative Practice: How Affect Script Psychology Explains How and Why restorative Practice Works. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Moore, D. B., & Vernon, A. (2024) Setting Relations Right in Restorative Practice: Broadening Mindsets and Skill Sets. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

The Team Teach podcast shares the latest thinking in behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use in your setting.

Find out how Team Teach can help your organisation.

The Team Teach podcast is created in the UK, adhering to UK law and guidance. Practitioners should exercise their professional judgment to determine the appropriateness of any Team Teach material for their specific sector and geographic region, and be aware of the applicable laws and guidelines governing their organisation.

Warning: This episode includes candid discussions around suicide and self-harm which some listeners may find distressing. Please use discretion when listening and take a break if needed.

In this episode, Clare talks to Marie Greenhalgh, Relationships Director at Inclusion Education, about how to have sensitive conversations around suicide and suicide prevention.

Marie explains what ‘suicidal ideation’ means and what some risk factors might be. They discuss the role that education can play in suicide prevention and the importance of training, to help prepare staff to have sensitive conversations and keep everyone safe.

Marie also highlights the need to look after our own mental and emotional wellbeing as practitioners, as suicide can be an upsetting topic for everyone involved.

Marie is Relationships Director at Inclusion Education, where she has worked for over 16 years, building programmes and education provision that support young people with mental health needs and neurodivergence.

She was Project Lead for Baton of Hope Tour, Basingstoke in 2025 and co-authored ‘All the Things They Never Told You About Teaching: Facilitating Sensitive Conversations with Our Learners’ and 'Supporting Bereaved Children in the Primary Classroom’, both of which are published by Routledge.

She is also a Community Ambassador for Winston’s Wish, and monthly columnist for Fusion Magazine UK. Marie is passionate about diversity, inclusivity, wellbeing, and challenging the stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental health and suicide.

You can find Marie on LinkedIn or go to Inclusion Education to find out more about how to support children and young people in your organisation.

Marie also shares three tips during the episode:

• Normalise discussing suicide and practise having sensitive conversations, as talking can save lives.
• Get to know the warning signs that indicate someone might be struggling with their mental health.
• Look after your own mental and emotional wellbeing.

The Team Teach podcast shares the latest thinking in behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use in your setting.

Find out how Team Teach can help your organisation.

The Team Teach podcast is created in the UK, adhering to UK law and guidance. Practitioners should exercise their professional judgment to determine the appropriateness of any Team Teach material for their specific sector and geographic region, and be aware of the applicable laws and guidelines governing their organisation.