Conversations in Education is a space to think - not to be told what to think. A place where educators, researchers, leaders and thinkers can be honest about uncertainty, tension and the real complexity of working in learning spaces, with children and young people and the communities they are part of.
E44. Burnout, Boundaries and Building a Sustainable Life with Dr Emma Hepburn
Dr Emma Hepburn is a clinical psychologist and the illustrator behind Instagram's @thepsychologymum, known for bringing evidence-based psychology to a wider audience through her drawings, including her recurring character Brian the Brain. She's the author of several books, most recently The Anti-Burnout Book.
Together we explore:
How drawing for clients became an accidental platform
The decision to write about her own burnout in The Anti-Burnout Book
The specific signs of burnout, including ones that don't appear on a checklist
Wellbeing as an individual sitting inside a wider system, not just an individual responsibility
Teaching as a high-cognitive-demand profession without built-in space to think
Life-work interference, and keeping your own needs at the centre of a sustainable life
Emma's closing question: How do we put the wellbeing of teachers at the heart of our conversations and see it not as an add-on but an integral part of our role?
You can find Emma on Instagram at @thepsychologymum or via her website (https://dremmahepburn.com/ (https://dremmahepburn.com/)), which contains links to her books and products. You can read more from Emma on Substack at The Wellbeing Society (https://substack.com/@thepsychologymum).
The Anti-Burnout Book (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13965/9781529445442)
A Toolkit for Happiness (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13965/9781529416183)
A Toolkit for Modern Life (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13965/9781529410228)
A Toolkit for Your Emotions (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13965/9781529416213)
A Hug In A Box (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13965/9781529430523)
29 Sept 2026
E43. The Practice of Creating Spaces of Possibility with Sheila Ball
Sheila Ball is a doctoral researcher at Leeds Beckett University, where she leads the Flourish programme and her work centres on Nancy Kline's Thinking Environment. Her doctoral work is about cultivating spaces of possibility in education, and in this conversation we unpick what that actually looks like in practice.
Together we explore:
The role of attention in the Thinking Environment.
Why three minutes can be a surprising amount of time.
How judgment and pace work against thinking in schools.
Trust and equality as outcomes of practising together.
The Flourish programme and the value of imperfect, small-scale experimentation.
Why there’s no silver bullet, and what that means for how change actually happens
Sheila's closing question: How can schools be spaces where everyone genuinely feels they matter?
You can learn more about the Flourish Programme here (https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/research/collectived/), where you’ll also find vignettes from past participants.
15 Sept 2026
E42. Belief, Not Behaviour with Jenni Donohoo
Six years after our first conversation, Jenni Donohoo and I revisit collective efficacy - a term now used far more widely than it was, and often stretched beyond its original meaning.
In this episode, we explore:
Why construct integrity matters, and how collective efficacy gets diluted into collaboration, morale or "being on the same page".
Bandura's original definition and the four sources through which efficacy is built.
Three conditions for testing whether a team's confidence is actually warranted.
The common myths that surround collective efficacy.
The difference between evaluative, coaching, and appreciation feedback and where efficacy is actually built.
Trust as something that develops through joint work, rather than a precondition for it.
Jenni's closing question: What difference are we making, and how do we know it was us?
Connect with Jenni - https://jennidonohoo.com/ (https://jennidonohoo.com/)
Collective Impact: Overcoming the Twelve Enemies of Teacher Efficacy (2025)
Leading Collective Efficacy: Powerful Stories of Achievement and Equity (2021)
Quality Implementation: Leveraging Collective Efficacy to Make “What Works” Actually Work (2020)
Collective Efficacy: How Educators’ Beliefs Impact Student Learning (2017)
The Transformative Power of Collaborative Inquiry: Realizing Change in Schools and Classrooms (2016)
Collaborative Inquiry for Educators: A Facilitator’s Guide to School Improvement (2013)
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