The Tattooed Teacher

Phil Murdoch
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  • Education

The Tattooed Teacher Podcast is a conversation‑based podcast exploring the person behind the educator. Hosted by a teacher who knows there’s more to life than the classroom, each episode goes beneath the surface on identity, purpose, creativity, educator wellbeing, burnout, growth, and what it really means to show up as yourself in education. You’ll hear honest conversations with teachers and inspiring guests from around the world—sharing real stories and lived experiences that challenge the traditional image of what an educator “should” be.

  1. 5d ago

    From Classroom to Content Creator: Joy, Authenticity and What It Really Takes with Josiah Hein

    On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with my good mate Josiah Hein, teacher, content creator, TikTok sensation, and the man behind “Jesus loves you baby”, about what it looks like to build an authentic life in public without losing who you actually are. And yes, this is episode 75. Fortune had it that Josiah landed the milestone. Couldn't have picked a better one. Josiah came to Australia to get a visa. Teaching was on the critical skills list, he had a business degree, and one more year of study seemed like a pretty good trade for residency. That was over ten years ago and he's still in classrooms, still bringing the joy, and somehow also appearing on Channel 9 couches, red carpets for Paramount, and TikTok feeds across the country. We explore what really matters when you're building something real: how a promise made at a best mate's funeral at age thirteen brought Josiah to Australia, and what happened when he got here the video filmed on a plane coming back from his sister's funeral that hit five million views, and the luggage carousel video that changed everything an hour later why he says Jesus loves you, baby at the end of every video, and the story behind it that you won't see coming what overnight success actually looks like when it takes seven years of posting every single day to get there why the classroom keeps pulling him back even when the red carpet is calling, and why he reckons he's called to bring the party wherever he goes We also get into staying grounded when the algorithm tries to change you, what authentic content creation actually costs in hours per day, why you have less to lose than you think when you take a risk, and the world trip that started with a video of a car engine block in minus forty-five degree Canadian winter. A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important: the clout, the fame, and the opportunities are just a byproduct. If you lose your purpose and who you are, you lose everything. This is a fun, honest, and genuinely joyful conversation for teachers, content creators, and anyone who needs reminding that a good life is built one real moment at a time. #TheTattooedTeacher #Podcast #ContentCreation #TeacherLife #Authenticity #Education #EducationAustralia #SocialMedia You can find Josiah https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahhein/ https://www.instagram.com/josiahhein/ https://www.youtube.com/@JosiahHein https://lnk.bio/josiahhein josiahheincollab@gmail.com you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE Follow DJ Fruit Salad: https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/ Sponsored byThe BUSY School This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.  If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.  Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠ Supported by The Design & Technologies Resource Site An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators. https://andacod.com.au/ TeacherPD Australia https://teacherpd.com.au/ Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

  2. Sep 24

    Let Teachers Teach: Why Voice, Time, and Trust Are Disappearing from Education with Brad Gaynor

    On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Brad Gaynor, an educator, author, executive leadership coach, and current PhD candidate who's spent over three decades in Australian schools, from the classroom to the principal's office. We explore: Why the negative narrative around education sticks, and what educators can do to flip the story themselves Brad's two burnouts, the "mask" he wore driving to and from work, and the moment a psychologist finally gave him language for what he was going through What "professional dignity" actually means: voice dignity, time dignity, and behavioural dignity, and how much of it schools have quietly stripped away His approach to coaching school leaders: building trust before advice, letting leaders speak last, and using rehearsal to prepare for hard conversations The PhD he's just started, researching "leadership moral injury" and the toll that implementing policies you don't believe in takes on the people running schools Give teachers and leaders back their voice, their time, and the trust that they already know their students and their craft, and the profession starts to heal itself. This one's for teachers feeling the weight of the job, and for school leaders wondering if the exhaustion they're carrying finally has a name. #Education #SchoolLeadership #TeacherWellbeing #Burnout #ProfessionalDevelopment #Education #EdLeadership #thetattooedteacher #podcast You can find Brad https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-gaynor-92b68b53/ https://bradgaynor.com.au/ you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE Follow DJ Fruit Salad: https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/ Sponsored byThe BUSY School This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.  If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.  Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠ Supported by The Design & Technologies Resource Site An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators. https://andacod.com.au/ TeacherPD Australia https://teacherpd.com.au/ Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

  3. Sep 17

    Neurodiversity, AI and Authentic Learning with Pip Cleaves

    On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Pip Cleaves, Systems and Practice designer, CEO and founder of her own company, and content specialist for Canva. Pip shares her journey through education, her innovative teaching methods, and her insights on integrating AI and neurodiversity into learning, and why authentic, personalised learning has the power to transform student engagement and success. Pip and I actually met face to face at TEDx Burleigh Heads, and I've been following her work on LinkedIn for a while. This conversation did not disappoint. We explore what really matters when it comes to learning, neurodiversity, and AI in education: why authentic learning has to solve real problems that exist in the world around young people, not problems decided on someone's sofa at 10pm on a Saturday night what it means to be neurodivergent in a school system that moves you by bells, sits you under bright lights, and wonders why you explode by week eight of term why we're doing more and more for neurodiverse students but almost nothing for neurodiverse teachers, and what supporting a teacher's nervous system could do for the whole profession how Pip uses AI not to think for her, but to get her started, keep her present, and handle the low-level tasks that would otherwise drain everything she has why the first answer AI gives you is never the one you should use, and what the to and fro of getting it right actually teaches young people about thinking We also get into project-based learning, sensory profiling, ADHD diagnosis in mid-life, using Gen AI to design a pottery stamp in ten minutes, and why a to-do list is really just a wish list that never ends. A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important: AI works best when curiosity drives it, not shortcuts. This is a warm, honest, and genuinely energising conversation for educators, school leaders, and anyone who's ever wondered if there's a better way to support the humans doing the teaching, not just the ones doing the learning. #Neurodiversity #ADHD #AIinEducation #TeacherWellbeing #Education #Teaching #ProjectBasedLearning  #thetattooedteacher #podcast You can find Pip https://www.linkedin.com/in/pipcleaves/ https://www.patternandthread.com.au/ you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE Follow DJ Fruit Salad: https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/ Sponsored byThe BUSY School This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.  If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.  Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠ Supported by The Design & Technologies Resource Site An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators. https://andacod.com.au/ TeacherPD Australia https://teacherpd.com.au/ Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

  4. Sep 10

    What 20 Years of EdTech Research Actually Tells Us About Teaching with Dr Damian Bebell

    On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Dr Damian Bebell, Assistant Research Professor at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and a Senior Research Associate at the Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy, about what twenty years of educational technology research actually tells us about what works in classrooms and what doesn't. Damian has designed and conducted numerous research and evaluation studies investigating the effects of 1-to-1 technology programs (laptops, iPads, etc.) and other computer-based technology tools on teaching and learning in a wide range of educational settings.  He has spent his career following teachers as we innovate in real time with kids, leadership looking in the door and parents looking over our shoulder. He's not a classroom teacher. He's never been in educational leadership. He's the researcher asking the simple but profound questions that most of us are too busy to stop and answer. We explore what really matters when it comes to educational technology and research: why the teacher is the fulcrum of every educational technology program in the world, and what the research consistently shows about what makes the difference between a program that works and one that doesn't the mission, implementation, assessment framework and why most schools nail the first two but completely lose the plot on the third how the tools of research have been democratised, and why any teacher can now collect, analyse, and share meaningful data about their own classroom without an academic institution or a budget why screen time limits miss the point entirely, and why what a student is doing on a screen matters infinitely more than how long they're doing it what the Apple Distinguished Schools research revealed about teacher burnout, efficacy, and what actually keeps great teachers in the profession We also discuss what every school should ask before making a technology investment, why young teachers are not necessarily better with technology than experienced ones, and why a teacher who uses technology for creative, collaborative projects is statistically less likely to leave education. A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important: technology can amplify great teaching and lead to results you could never achieve without it, but it cannot fix a teaching problem. That part is still all us. This is a rich, wide-ranging, and genuinely fascinating conversation for classroom teachers, school leaders, and anyone trying to make sense of what the research actually says about educational technology. You can find Damian https://www.linkedin.com/in/damian-bebell-2403259/ https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/about.html A summary of Damian's published research can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Damian_Bebell/research?ev=prf_act  you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE Follow DJ Fruit Salad: https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/ Sponsored byThe BUSY School This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.  If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.  Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠ Supported by The Design & Technologies Resource Site https://andacod.com.au/ TeacherPD Australia https://teacherpd.com.au/

  5. Sep 3

    A Human-Centred Approach to AI and Design Thinking in Education with Rashan Senanayake

    On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Rashan Senanayake, founder of Inspired Education, lecturer and author, about two of the most important conversations happening in education right now: how design thinking actually works in a school context, and what AI should and shouldn't be doing in our classrooms. Rashan works at the intersection of human-centred design and artificial intelligence, and this conversation cuts through the noise to help educators trying to make sense of both. We explore what really matters when it comes to AI and design thinking in education: why design thinking is human-centred innovation at its core, and why empathy, collaboration, and experimentation are the three pillars every educator needs to understand how to bring design thinking into any subject area, not just creative ones, and why the messy, non-linear process is exactly the point why AI should be bolstering the human relationship in schools, not replacing it, and what a proper AI literacy and governance framework actually looks like the difference between what AI is genuinely good at, speed, scale, and information, and what only humans can do, judgment, ethics, relationships, and creative thinking what the OECD, World Economic Forum, and United Nations all agree on when it comes to the skills every student needs right now A key thought through the episode is simple but important: design thinking and AI both work best when the human stays at the centre. Remove that and everything falls apart. This is a practical, and genuinely important conversation for educators, school leaders, and anyone trying to figure out where AI and design thinking actually fit in a school. #AIinEducation #DesignThinking #EdTech #HumanCentredDesign#FutureOfEducation #thetattooedteacher #podcast You can find Rashan https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashansenanayake/ https://rashansenanayake.com/ https://i-edu.com.au/ you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE Follow DJ Fruit Salad: https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/ Sponsored byThe BUSY School This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.  If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.  Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠ Supported by The Design & Technologies Resource Site An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators. https://andacod.com.au/ TeacherPD Australia https://teacherpd.com.au/ Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

  6. Aug 27

    The Human-Centered Approach to School Leadership with Aimee Presnall

    On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher podcast I chat with Aimee Presnall, founder of Well-Nest and host of the Reflections of School Leaders podcast. Aimee shares her journey from classroom teacher to education leader, emphasizing the importance of human-centered leadership, mental health, and sustainable practices in education. Discover insights on leadership challenges, mindset shifts, and practical strategies for supporting school leaders. We explore: How leaders actually land in the role - aspiring, anointed or accidental - and why that path shapes how they lead The imposter syndrome that follows almost every leader, and why sitting with it beats ignoring it What principals carry that nobody else in the school ever sees, and the cost of always being the first person everyone offloads to Why transparency in a school is harder than it sounds, and where the line sits between honesty and confidentiality The power of pausing before reacting, and why that pause might be one of the bravest things a leader can do Leadership isn't just a title, it's a weight and the schools that thrive are often the ones that help their leaders carry it well instead of alone. Great listen for anyone in a leadership role, thinking about stepping into one, or supporting the people who are. #education #schoolleadership #educationalleadership #Wellbeing #leadership #humancentered #thetattooedteacher #podcast You can find Aimee https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-parkinson/ https://well-nest.com.au/ you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE Follow DJ Fruit Salad: https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/ Sponsored byThe BUSY School This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.  If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.  Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠ Supported by The Design & Technologies Resource Site An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators. https://andacod.com.au/ TeacherPD Australia https://teacherpd.com.au/ Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

  7. Aug 20

    How to Write and Publish an Education Book with Alicia Cohen, Amba Press

    On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Alicia Cohen, Managing Director and Founder of Amba Press, about what it actually takes to turn an educator's ideas into a published book and why she believes every teacher has a story worth putting out into the world. Alicia has spent 25 years in publishing, working everywhere from the Queen's publisher in the UK to Cambridge University Press to Routledge, before coming back to her roots in educational publishing and founding Amba Press on maternity leave after a phone call from Dr Michael Nagel. She now works with some of the most respected names in Australian education, helping them get what's inside their heads onto the page. We explore what really matters when it comes to educational publishing and putting your ideas out there: how Alicia spots a book in someone's conference presentation and what she does about it the writing process she walks every author through: start with a mind map, build your table of contents, write the chapter that flows out of you first, and iterate from there why imposter syndrome hits hardest when you're deep in the writing, and why getting the dirty draft out fast is often the best thing you can do the difference between a rejection and a redirection why print is not dead, what reading does to your brain that scrolling doesn't, and why she sends every author the same email when their page proofs arrive We also get into the publishing process from manuscript to typeset page, what makes a book land for teachers versus academics, how LinkedIn and Substack can be the first step toward writing something bigger, and why Alicia thinks every educator should be publishing something, somewhere. A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important: every teacher has something worth sharing. The question is just whether you're ready to get it out of your head and onto the page. This is a warm, practical, and genuinely fascinating conversation for any educator who has ever thought about writing a book and talked themselves out of it. You can find Alicia https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-cohen-10110211/ https://ambapress.com.au/ you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE Follow DJ Fruit Salad: https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/ Sponsored byThe BUSY School This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students. If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠ Supported by The Design & Technologies Resource Site An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators. https://andacod.com.au/ TeacherPD Australia https://teacherpd.com.au/ Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

  8. Aug 13

    Why the Trades Have Never Been More Exciting for Women in Australia with Tenille Reilly

    On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Tenille Reilly, Women in Trades Manager at Busy At Work and member of the National Association of Women in Construction Australia, about what it really takes to get women into trades and keep them there long enough to build something meaningful. Tenille shares how she went from being pushed into hairdressing as her only trade option at school, to now leading a program that has seen over 250 women come through the Busy Sisters platform in just seven months. This is a conversation about breaking down barriers, building real pathways, and changing the way industry thinks about who belongs on a work site. We explore what really matters when it comes to women in trades and disengaged youth: why girls have always been more inclined to mask their disengagement at school, and what that means for how we identify and support them the difference between reactive support and the proactive mentoring model Tenille is building, one that supports both the apprentice and the employer from day one why grit and resilience matter more than size, gender, or background when it comes to making it in the trades how the traditional school grading system quietly erodes confidence in young people who think differently why Tenille believes trades will become the most sought-after career pathway in Australia and university degrees will start to lose their edge We also talk about neurodivergence, the importance of finding your people, why a D on a report card can take years to undo, and why some of the best recruiters in the business are the ones who stop hiring for the obvious candidate. A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important: once someone finds their purpose, your job is done. They will be self-motivated, self-propelled, and they will find joy and purpose in work. This is a rich, energetic, and personal conversation for educators, parents, industry leaders, and anyone who believes the trades deserve far more respect than they get. #womenintrades #apprenticeships #vocationaleducation #tradeswomen #busysisters #educationaustralia #disengagedyouth #tradescareers #thetattooedteacher #podcast You can find Tenille: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenille-reilly-01095b232/ https://busysisters.com.au/ https://www.busyatwork.com.au/ you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/ YouTube https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE Follow DJ Fruit Salad: https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/ Sponsored byThe BUSY School This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students. If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠ Supported by The Design & Technologies Resource Site An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators. https://andacod.com.au/ TeacherPD Australia https://teacherpd.com.au/ Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

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About

The Tattooed Teacher Podcast is a conversation‑based podcast exploring the person behind the educator. Hosted by a teacher who knows there’s more to life than the classroom, each episode goes beneath the surface on identity, purpose, creativity, educator wellbeing, burnout, growth, and what it really means to show up as yourself in education. You’ll hear honest conversations with teachers and inspiring guests from around the world—sharing real stories and lived experiences that challenge the traditional image of what an educator “should” be.

Information

  • Creator
    Phil Murdoch
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    75
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Phil Murdoch
  • Show Website
    The Tattooed Teacher