Well-Led Schools

About Well-Led Schools

As the rates of professional stress and burnout increase for school leaders, teachers and staff, the solution lies in how we lead our schools and prioritise workplace wellbeing to become "Well-Led" Schools - those that lead with “wellbeing in mind.” Join experienced Wellbeing Consultant, Strategist, Speaker and School Leader Adrienne Hornby for a host of inspiring conversations with experts and forward thinkers. Covering all things teacher wellbeing, school leadership and culture building - you'll walk away with ideas and recommendations on ways to evolve your leadership, create a mentally healthy workplace and ultimately influence the lives and learning of our students.

Publisher

Adrienne Hornby

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Jan 2023

Latest episode

19 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

83 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Oct 2026

   Stop Going to Curriculum Courses and Start Leading Your People with Jenny Cole

   Across Australia, the perception that leaders build trust sits at just 58%, and the staff carrying the most did not ask for less work. They asked for better communication, better people management and leaders who hold the line on below-the-line behaviour. When we look beneath the surface of workplace strain, the data points at people skills. This week I’m joined by Jenny Cole, leadership coach, self-described “recovering principal”, and author of Teach, Lead or Leave. Jenny spent twenty years in special education before walking out of a crisis meeting and never going back. Her advice to leaders is unpopular, and she knows it: once you step into leadership, stop going to courses on curriculum and behaviour. Your job now is to lead people, and nobody trains you for that. In this episode, we explore: Why trust comes before results, every time The professional learning leaders actually need (and where to find it) The five people every school leader needs around them Why norms don’t stick, and the two-minute meeting practice that fixes it Above and below the line behaviours and personal accountability to notice when you dip What makes frameworks last beyond the staff meeting A one-page user manual for every staff member to unlock hidden strengths About Jenny Jenny Cole is a leadership and executive coach, facilitator and educator. After twenty years as a teacher and principal in special education, she founded Positively Beaming and Beam Consulting, and works alongside school leaders across Australia to embed the leadership practices that make a difference to staff wellbeing and culture. She is the author of Teach, Lead or Leave (2026). LINKS AND RESOURCES Book: Teach, Lead or Leave by Jenny Cole https://www.teachleadleave.com.au/ (https://www.teachleadleave.com.au/) Jenny's webinar Series: https://www.teachleadleave.com.au/webinarseries (https://www.teachleadleave.com.au/webinarseries) Tune into her Podcast, Positively Leading: https://positivelybeaming.com.au/podcast (https://positivelybeaming.com.au/podcast) Brené Brown, Dare to Lead: The BRAVING Inventory: brenebrown.com/resources/the-braving-inventory (http://brenebrown.com/resources/the-braving-inventory) Article: Who Owns Staff Wellbeing and Why Leaders Must Make the First Move  https://adriennehornby.com.au/who-owns-staff-wellbeing-why-leaders-must-make-the-first-move/ (https://adriennehornby.com.au/who-owns-staff-wellbeing-why-leaders-must-make-the-first-move/) Report: State of the Nation: Staff Wellbeing Across Australian Schools (2026) https://mailchi.mp/adriennehornby/band-report-full (https://mailchi.mp/adriennehornby/band-report-full) Connect with Jenny Website: https://positivelybeaming.com.au (https://positivelybeaming.com.au) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennycole-beaming/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennycole-beaming/) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/positivelybeamingjenny/ (https://www.instagram.com/positivelybeamingjenny/) Email: Jenny@positivelybeaming.com.au (mailto:Jenny@positivelybeaming.com.au) Connect with Adrienne Website: https://adriennehornby.com.au (https://adriennehornby.com.au) LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/adrienne-hornby-a4126a205 (https://linkedin.com/in/adrienne-hornby-a4126a205) Well-Led Schools Partnership Program: https://adriennehornby.com.au/school-partnerships (https://adriennehornby.com.au/school-partnerships)

2. 

   5 Oct 2026

   What Menopause Support Actually Looks Like in Schools with Mary Coustas

   Women make up 72% of Australia's school workforce, and every one of them will navigate perimenopause and menopause. Many do so during peak leadership years, carrying symptoms easily mistaken for burnout. With one in two educators reporting burnout and fewer than half feeling encouraged to discuss health at work, this is a psychosocial safety issue, not just a health conversation. If you are a male leader or early career educator, do not skip this. Building sustainable, psychologically safe schools requires understanding what impacts nearly three-quarters of our colleagues. To open Term 4 and mark Menopause Awareness Month, I am joined by Mary Coustas. Best known for her iconic character Effie, Mary is also an acclaimed author and advocate. After a decade-long IVF journey, Mary met menopause immediately upon entering motherhood. It didn't just hit her; it king hit her. She wrote MaryPause to make sense of it, then co-founded UnPause, a digital health platform connecting women with menopause-literate doctors, now partnered with Teachers Health. In this episode, we explore: Mary's story navigating IVF, motherhood, and sudden menopause The three biological phases and when to pay attention Symptoms beyond hot flushes, from rage to imposter syndrome Why women are misdiagnosed with depression when depleted How burnout and perimenopause work in cahoots What genuine organisational support looks like in schools Streamlined clinical care via UnPause and Teachers Health About Mary Mary Coustas is an iconic Australian actor, writer, and comedian, celebrated for her Logie Award-winning character Effie, who debuted in Wogs Out of Work before headlining the television sitcom Acropolis Now. Alongside her extensive stage and screen career, Mary is an accomplished author. Her memoir, All I Know, documented her decade-long journey through 23 rounds of IVF, the loss of her daughter Stevie, and her path to motherhood. In 2025, Mary published MaryPause, transforming her experience into an open, national resource. That same year, she co-founded UnPause, a digital health platform that gives women direct access to specialised clinical care, symptom tracking, and ongoing midlife support. Mary continues to tour nationally, currently performing in her stage show Frigid to Feral, using comedy, candour, and lived experience to dismantle systemic stigmas. LINKS AND RESOURCES UnPause: Telehealth Menopause Care, Australia-wide: unpause.com.au/?srsltid=AU7gw4U4aYsznwkcQbC1DqoW2qCZr-cUvrYox_hO1QSRsKsJFI4lEpNz (https://unpause.com.au/?srsltid=AU7gw4U4aYsznwkcQbC1DqoW2qCZr-cUvrYox_hO1QSRsKsJFI4lEpNz) Book: MaryPause by Mary Coustas: unpause.com.au/marypause?srsltid=AU7gw4WF_tP9kOwEzuNzrM_F_cL3zqJFqF65ihU1yNQi-PE08aC3iNTD (https://unpause.com.au/marypause?srsltid=AU7gw4WF_tP9kOwEzuNzrM_F_cL3zqJFqF65ihU1yNQi-PE08aC3iNTD) Connect with Mary Websites: www.maryandeffie.com unpause.com.au LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mary-coustas-43347938b/?isSelfProfile=false Instagram www.instagram.com/mary_coustas/ www.instagram.com/unpauseposse/ www.instagram.com/effiegoodthanks/ www.instagram.com/unleashed.show/ Connect with Adrienne: Website: adriennehornby.com.au LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adrienne-hornby-a4126a205 Staff Wellbeing Survey: adriennehornby.com.au/staff-survey Well-Led Schools Partnership Program: adriennehornby.com.au/school-partnerships

3. 

   14 Sept 2026

   What 4,536 Australian Educators Told Us About School Staff Wellbeing

   Only 57% of Australian school staff report that work positively affects their mental health, and 1 in 2 are currently experiencing burnout. When I sat down to write the Staff Wellbeing Across Australia report, I originally set out to produce a concise 10-page summary. One hundred and ten pages later, the data made one thing undeniably clear: we cannot keep treating systemic workplace conditions as individual coping failures. In this solo episode of the Well-Led Schools Podcast, I walk you through the key findings, surprising insights, and critical takeaways from our analysis of over 4,500 educators across ICSEA bands. We move beyond broad national averages to examine the actual psychosocial hazards driving the erosion of morale in our schools, and more importantly, what staff are actually asking for to fix it. In this episode, I share: Why a short summary turned into an extensive national breakdown and the specific numbers that led to the deep dive into the state of staff wellbeing in each setting How breaking data down by ICSEA bands reveals the true, nuanced reality of workplace stressors Why resilience and wellbeing workshops and training ranked at the bottom of staff requests, and what educators actually want instead An honest look at the demand, capacity, and leadership challenges in below average ICSEA secondary schools and specialist settings Why 67% morale and 77% positive culture in one specific setting proves that workplace conditions are changeable How moral injury and self-determination theory explain who is leaving the profession and why How to take radical responsibility, conduct your own staff assessment, and use this report to drive meaningful change LINKS AND RESOURCES Read the full report: https://mailchi.mp/adriennehornby/band-report-full (https://mailchi.mp/adriennehornby/band-report-full) Read the summary report: https://mailchi.mp/adriennehornby/band-report-summary (https://mailchi.mp/adriennehornby/band-report-summary) Connect with me via: Website: adriennehornby.com.au (http://adriennehornby.com.au) LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-hornby-a4126a205/ (http://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-hornby-a4126a205/) Email: hello@adriennehornby.com.au (mailto:hello@adriennehornby.com.au) School Partnerships: adriennehornby.com.au/school-partnerships/ (http://adriennehornby.com.au/school-partnerships/)

Who has been a guest on Well-Led Schools

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• David Kolpak
• Dr Pete Stebbins
• Brad Gaynor

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

24 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

56

Social presence

94

YouTube

0

Engagement

77

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