The Common Room - Where the World Teaches

Joshua Darryl Sussex

A podcast for international educators exploring leadership across cultures, the realities of life and career abroad, and the conversations the sector needs to have. Hosted by Joshua Sussex, school leader and doctoral researcher, with a decade of experience across five countries on three continents.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    What the Hand Touches, the Brain Remembers — A Conversation with Gavin McCormack

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Common Room, Joshua Sussex sits down with Gavin McCormack — Montessori Australia Ambassador, founder of nine schools and three teacher training centres in Nepal, and bestselling author of "The Potential in Every Child" — for the show's widest-reach conversation yet. Gavin shares the moment that changed his career, teaching refugee children in Sydney who'd fled Libya, Afghanistan, and Syria, and the random school inspection that revealed he'd been running a Montessori classroom without even knowing it.  He and Joshua dig into what parents actually want from a school — safety, intelligence, happiness, in that exact order — and why so many schools, chasing rankings, get the order backwards. Gavin explains the "contagion principle," why children can sense an unprepared teacher before a word is said, and the neuroscience of why your brain deletes almost everything you learn in a day unless it involved emotion, risk, choice, or something you physically touched. This is a genuinely wide-ranging conversation — covering authenticity, trust, resilience, and what Gavin would throw out first if he built a school from scratch tomorrow. Subscribe for new episodes of The Common Room, every Tuesday, 5pm Malaysia time. #TheCommonRoom #InternationalEducation #Montessori #CulturallyMediatedLeadership The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    What the Hand Touches, the Brain Remembers — A Conversation with Gavin McCormack

  2. Aug 6

    The Same Thing, Said Differently — A Solo Reflection

    Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode of The Common Room, host Joshua Sussex steps away from the interview format to reflect on the first nine conversations of the show — what he's learned, what's changed since launch, and what comes next. Joshua revisits the moments that stayed with him most: Matt Allio on how cultural differences when it comes to business , Dr. Howard Stribbell on transparency versus clarity, a trailing spouse's story on identity and sacrifice, Izyan on holding trust between staff and school, and Chris Hoare on adapting the same leadership instinct across three continents.  Each is read back through Culturally Mediated Leadership (CML) — the framework Joshua is developing through his doctoral research at the University of Bath — showing cultural reflexivity, symbolic sensitivity, stakeholder interpretation, strategic mediation, and adaptive bridging quietly present in every conversation, whether the guest had heard of CML or not. Joshua also shares an honest update on the podcast's first month — over 350 downloads and 5,000+ direct interactions in four weeks with zero paid promotion — and announces The Common Room's move to a weekly release, every Tuesday, 5pm Malaysia time. Next episode: Joshua is joined by Gavin McCormack — Montessori Australia Ambassador, founder of nine schools and three teacher training centres in Nepal, and bestselling author of "The Potential in Every Child" — for the show's widest-reach conversation yet, on what actually makes a lesson, or a life, stick. Subscribe for new episodes of The Common Room. #TheCommonRoom #InternationalEducation #CulturallyMediatedLeadership The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    The Same Thing, Said Differently — A Solo Reflection

  3. Aug 4

    Hard Truths of Authentic Leadership — A Conversation with Dr Howard Stribbell

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Common Room, Joshua sits down with Dr. Howard Stribbell — a school leader with over 28 years in international education, from classroom teacher to head of school, to strategic advisor to the owners and boards who shape the sector from the top. Howard grew the International School of Macau from 300 to 1,400 students over 12 years, and is now founder of Hive School International and the Canadian Overseas Schools Association. He holds a PhD in educational leadership from Assumption University and is the author of The Loneliest Seat, a book about what it really means to lead, and what it costs. Together, we explore the side of school leadership that rarely gets spoken about — the weight of accountability without a genuine peer to carry it with, the gap between what leaders believe and what the role demands they project, and the slow, quiet cost of trying to lead authentically inside an institution that often asks you to do something else. In this conversation, we cover: The night Howard first felt the full weight of the "loneliest seat" — sitting alone in his office at 9pm, and the mouse that kept him companyWhy he wore a mask of confidence early in his career, and the moment it started to feel more real than who he actually was underneath itThe difference between authenticity and oversharing — and why what your team actually wants from you isn't transparency, it's clarityResponsibility, Accountability, and Liability — the framework Howard uses to explain why teachers, heads, and owners each carry a different kind of pressure, and why understanding the difference changes how decisions get made"It's not what you intend, it's the consequence" — Howard's mature leadership lesson on owning impact instead of hiding behind good intentionsWhat it really takes to build other leaders, rather than just holding onto the work yourselfWhy a school's culture shouldn't depend on the personality of the person at the top — and what happens when it doesWhether you're currently sitting in the loneliest seat yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply trying to understand what leadership actually costs beneath the calm exterior, this is an honest, unguarded conversation about the weight most leaders carry alone. A huge thank you to Howard for his candour, his hard-won wisdom, and for reminding us that the mask we wear to appear capable often costs us more than we realise. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Hard Truths of Authentic Leadership — A Conversation with Dr Howard Stribbell

  4. Aug 4

    Bridging China—US Education — A Conversation with Matt Allio

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Common Room, Joshua sits down with Matt Allio — an American educator who spent over two decades as a classroom teacher and head of school in California, before stepping into a very different role: senior advisor to schools across China on leadership training, teacher coaching, and Western pedagogical practices. Matt holds a fellowship from Columbia University and a master's degree in elementary education from California State University, Northridge. Over the past two years he's visited schools across China ranging from elite urban campuses to government experimental schools, building a rare, ground-level view of how two very different education systems actually work. Together, we explore what changes — and what stubbornly stays the same — when you stop applying one country's template to another's classroom, and why genuine cross-cultural leadership starts with observation, not expertise. In this conversation, we cover: The story of how Matt's first entry into Chinese education wasn't really about education at all — and what it taught him about doing business across culturesWhy fluency in language shapes far more than communication — affecting cadence, trust, and the ability to genuinely read a room"Bob" — the story of a brilliant, overlooked student in a Chinese classroom, and what he reveals about who a system is really built to reachWhat each system — American and Chinese — could genuinely learn from the other, without romanticising either oneThe "don't boil the ocean" principle, and why leading with curiosity opens more doors than leading with answersWhy the language of "no problem" doesn't always mean what it says — and how to navigate diplomacy, face, and trust when working across culturesHow Matt measures success in a role where he doesn't own the outcome, only the suggestionWhether you're leading in a system that isn't your own, working to bridge two educational cultures, or simply trying to understand what genuinely transfers across borders and what doesn't, this is a grounded, honest conversation about what it actually takes to lead well in someone else's context. A huge thank you to Matt for his candour, his curiosity, and for reminding us that the best cross-cultural leaders are the ones who spend more time listening than talking. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Bridging China—US Education — A Conversation with Matt Allio

  5. Aug 1

    Leading Across Cultures — A Conversation with Chris Hoare

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Common Room, Joshua sits down with Chris Hoare — an international school leader with experience across the UK, the Middle East, and Latin America. Chris currently serves as Head of Upper School at Colegio Peruano Británico, a Nord Anglia Education school in Lima, Peru, having previously been part of a founding leadership team in Dubai. He teaches on NPQ programmes for international school cohorts and is a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Chartered College of Teaching. With a career built across three very different regions, Chris brings a grounded, honest perspective on what it actually takes to lead when the context keeps changing beneath your feet. Together, we explore what leading across cultures really demands — and why the approaches that earn credibility in one place can land completely differently in another. In this conversation, we cover: Why asking "what do you think?" empowers a team in one culture and signals incompetence in another — and what that reveals about assumptions leaders carry without knowing itThe behaviour management example that shows how the same policy can mean something entirely different to parents depending on where in the world you areThe VAC framework — Visible, Accessible, Credible — and why Chris's father, a police training officer, gave him the best leadership advice he's ever receivedPsychological safety in schools, and why Joanna Povall's Kind Leadership challenges the idea that kindness and authority can't coexistAuthenticity as the one thing that holds constant across every culture — and the parent who came back a month later to say he respected a decision he didn't agree withWhy nobody teaches you how to make decisions — and what's genuinely missing for ambitious younger leaders in international educationWhether you're navigating your first international leadership role, stepping into an established school community with its own deep-rooted culture, or simply trying to figure out what kind of leader you want to be, this is a practical and honest conversation about what the job actually asks of you. A huge thank you to Chris for his openness, his energy, and for reminding us that admitting what you don't know is one of the greatest strengths a leader can have. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Leading Across Cultures — A Conversation with Chris Hoare

  6. Jul 31

    What Moving Countries Does To The Mind — A Conversation With Dean Wall

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Common Room, Joshua sits down with Dean Wall — an international educator with over a decade of experience living and teaching across Egypt, Ireland, Alaska, and Vietnam. Dean has taught subjects including ESL, Global Perspectives and Sociology, and is currently completing an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London. With a rare dual lens of lived international experience and current academic study in psychology, neuroscience, and mental health, Dean brings a genuinely reflective account of what repeated relocation actually does to identity, belonging, and the mind. Together, we explore what moving countries really does to a person psychologically — and why the effects rarely show up when you expect them. In this conversation, we cover: Why culture shock often doesn't hit until months into a new country — and what that "six-month mark" actually feels likeHow resilience can quietly tip into exhaustion, and why constantly "pushing through" isn't the full pictureThe revolving door of the expat community, and why friendships built fast can also dissolve fastHow loneliness can exist as a hidden, almost invisible layer beneath an outwardly full and adventurous lifeWhat sobriety taught Dean about identity, socialising, and rebuilding friendships without alcohol as the glueWhy therapy, journaling, and boundary-setting became essential tools for staying grounded across multiple movesWhether you're an educator considering your first move abroad, someone already deep into expat life wondering why things suddenly feel harder, or simply curious about the psychology of belonging, this episode is a genuinely honest look at what the international life doesn't often get said out loud. A huge thank you to Dean for his time, his openness, and his reminder that vulnerability — not just resilience — is often what actually builds community. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    What Moving Countries Does To The Mind — A Conversation With Dean Wall

  7. Jul 30

    Pastoral Care in the Middle East — A Conversation with Gavin Taylor

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Common Room, Joshua sits down with Gavin Taylor — Assistant Head of High School Pastoral at Emirates International School Jumeirah in Dubai, where he leads student wellbeing, behaviour, student leadership and the broader student experience across the secondary school. With over 16 years in education and eight years living and working in the Middle East, Gavin brings a rare combination of pastoral expertise and genuine lived experience of international life. Together, they explore what it actually means to build a school community where every student feels they belong — and why that question looks very different when your classroom contains 30 nationalities, multiple faiths, and families who have rebuilt their lives thousands of miles from home. In this conversation, we cover: Why the core principles of pastoral care stay the same — but almost everything else changesThe biggest mistake new staff make when arriving in the Middle EastHow to build genuine trust with parents from vastly different cultural backgroundsThe "customers not students" mindset shift that changed how Gavin approaches his workWhat living in the UAE taught him about pastoral care that no training ever couldWhy positive communication matters more than any system or policyWhat it really means to create a school where students feel they belongWhether you're a teacher considering a move to the Middle East, a pastoral leader looking to sharpen your practice, or a school leader thinking about student experience and culture, this episode is full of honest, practical insight from someone who has genuinely built something worth belonging to. A huge thank you to Gavin for his time, his warmth, and his reminder that if years after leaving school a student can say — that school believed in me — then you've done a good job. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Pastoral Care in the Middle East — A Conversation with Gavin Taylor

  8. Jul 29

    Why Great Educators Stall as Leaders — A Conversation with Greg Parry

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Common Room, Joshua sits down with Greg Parry, founder and director of Global Services in Education — an international school development, management and advisory firm operating across more than 35 countries. Australian by background, Greg led schools as head of school and CEO before moving into the investment and development side of the sector, working with investors, developers and operators across the GCC, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe. Together, they unpack the commercial layer that sits underneath every school — and why understanding it isn't a betrayal of the educational mission, but arguably the most important thing a school leader can do to protect it. In this conversation, we cover: The ceiling most educators hit that has nothing to do with classroom abilityWhy departments get cut and good staff get lost — and how to prevent itWhat investors actually assess when they look at a schoolThe financial literacy every school leader should haveHow to speak the language of investors without losing your educational valuesThe colonialism problem hiding in international school expansionGreg's own journey from teacher to global school developer — and why impact, not position, drove every decisionWhether you're a teacher curious about how schools actually work financially, a senior leader wanting to build commercial confidence, or a head of school navigating the space between education and investment, this episode will change how you think about the business of schooling. A huge thank you to Greg for his time, his candour, and his generosity in sharing what the other side of the table actually looks like. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Why Great Educators Stall as Leaders — A Conversation with Greg Parry

  9. Jul 27

    Behind The Contract — A Conversation with Izyan Ronedin

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Common Room, Joshua sits down with Izyan, Head of Human Resources at an international school in Singapore. With thirteen years of HR experience — the last four spent in international education — Izyan brings a rare, practitioner's view of what really happens behind the closed doors of HR, and why keeping it human matters more than ever in an increasingly automated world. Together, they unpack the realities of relocating for international teaching roles: the contract clauses candidates often skim past (and shouldn't), the hidden costs that never quite make it into the offer letter, and what genuine onboarding support looks like when someone is building a new life on the other side of the world. In this conversation, we cover: - The notice period clause most candidates overlook  - The hidden costs of visa applications that rarely get mentioned upfront - What good HR communication looks like before, during, and after a contract is signed - The biggest misconception staff have about what HR is actually there to do - How AI is changing HR — and why it's making the role more human, not less - The challenges expatriates face settling into a new country, and Izyan's advice for anyone considering the move Whether you're an academic staff member curious about what goes on behind the scenes, or you're weighing up your own move into international education, this episode offers honest, practical insight from someone who has genuinely walked alongside hundreds of staff through that journey. A huge thank you to Izyan for her time, her honesty, and her generosity in sharing what HR looks like from the inside. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Behind The Contract — A Conversation with Izyan Ronedin

  10. Jul 26

    Leading Between Two Systems — A Solo Reflection

    Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode of The Common Room, host Joshua Sussex steps away from the interview format to unpack what leading within a British-branded school in China actually taught him about leadership — the mistakes, frustrations, and hard lessons along the way — as well as how it ignited his passion, motivation, and curiosity to research in that space.  Joshua introduces Culturally Mediated Leadership (CML) — a framework being developed through his doctoral research at the University of Bath — built around five practical lenses: Cultural Reflexivity, Symbolic Sensitivity, Stakeholder Interpretation, Adaptive Bridging, and Strategic Mediation. Each is grounded in examples, from senior leadership decisions to everyday moments any staff member will recognise, regardless of role or country. This framework is for anyone leading — or working — across cultural, generational, or institutional difference, which is most people in international education, most of the time. Next episode: Joshua is joined by Izyan Ronedin, Head of HR at an international school in Singapore, for "Behind the Contract"  — HR, Misconceptions, and the Human Side of AI" — covering what to look out for in a contract before signing, common misconceptions about HR, and where the human side of HR is headed as AI reshapes the profession. Subscribe for new episodes of The Common Room. #TheCommonRoom #InternationalEducation #CulturallyMediatedLeadership The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Leading Between Two Systems — A Solo Reflection

  11. Jul 25

    Why International Education? — A Conversation with Ian Hopkins

    Send us Fan Mail In the very first episode of The Common Room, host Joshua Sussex sits down with Ian Hopkins — a school leader with almost 30 years in education and over 20 years in senior leadership across the UK, Africa, the Middle East, China, and Malaysia.  Ian has served as Headteacher, Principal, and Acting Principal in British and international schools, leading learning from Early Years to Year 13 across British, Cambridge, and IB curricula. He is currently Primary Principal at Sri KDU International School Penang and is completing an MBA at Heriot-Watt University. Together, Joshua and Ian unpack the question: why international education? From a sports injury that accidentally led Ian into teaching, to headship in the UK, to thirteen years leading schools across Kenya, Jordan, China, and Malaysia — this conversation covers culture shock, the hidden challenges of the "trailing spouse," what it really means to live out of a suitcase, and the shift from being done to, to being done with, when it comes to leadership and accreditation. This episode also explores the human side of international education: third culture kids, family sacrifice, and why wellbeing — not just career progression — has become the real measure of success for leaders working abroad. Whether you're a teacher considering your first international move, or a school leader trying to build a stronger sense of belonging for your staff and families, this conversation offers an honest, grounded starting point. Next episode: Joshua goes solo, unpacking leading in British-branded schools in China and introducing Culturally Mediated Leadership — a framework being developed through his ongoing doctoral research at the University of Bath. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Why International Education? — A Conversation with Ian Hopkins

  12. Trailer

    Welcome to The Common Room — Trailer

    Send us Fan Mail An introduction to The Common Room — Where the World Teaches. A podcast for everyone living abroad and part of international education, hosted by Joshua Sussex. The Common Room is hosted by Joshua Sussex — Deputy Head of Secondary and EdD candidate: researching leadership in international schools. Follow along and get in touch: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrylsussex Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_common_room_podcast/ New episodes released regularly — subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation.

    Welcome to The Common Room — Trailer

Trailer

About

A podcast for international educators exploring leadership across cultures, the realities of life and career abroad, and the conversations the sector needs to have. Hosted by Joshua Sussex, school leader and doctoral researcher, with a decade of experience across five countries on three continents.

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