More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School

Laura Pitt & Dan Steele
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More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is an Australian podcast hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader from the Mornington Peninsula, in Victoria. Each fortnight, we share honest stories about school, ATAR pressure, career pathways, learning differences, parenting teens, and what success really means after school. Every guest shares their own path through school and, more importantly, beyond it: leaders, parents, athletes, entrepreneurs, and creatives who did not follow a straight line and still achieved success. If you are a parent watching your child leave school without a clear plan, worried they are "not academic", or navigating subject selection, a course change, or facing learning differences, this show is made for you. The message is simple: no score can sum you up, there is no one right path, and no one wants to peak in high school. New episodes fortnightly. Hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele.

  1. From School Struggles to CEO: Steve Younane on Strengths, Confidence and Leadership

    46m ago

    From School Struggles to CEO: Steve Younane on Strengths, Confidence and Leadership

    What if success has less to do with having a perfect plan and more to do with understanding your strengths? In this episode of More Than a Score, we sit down with Steve Younane: a business leader, CEO, musician, father, and someone whose pathway from school to leadership was far from predictable. Growing up as one of seven children in a family that deeply valued education, Steve felt the pressure that comes with looking up to high-achieving siblings and wondering whether you could ever measure up. At school, he wasn't driven by academic excellence. He openly shares how he struggled to focus, often felt distracted, and saw studying primarily as a way to get a score that would help him move on to the next stage. What he didn't realise at the time was that many of the strengths that would shape his future were already emerging. Through music, sport, leadership opportunities, and building relationships, Steve was developing skills that couldn't always be measured by tests or report cards. From forming a school band and leading teams to eventually leading major organisations and global brands, Steve's story is a powerful reminder that success rarely follows a straight line. This conversation explores comparison, confidence, self-awareness, leadership, and the importance of recognising that people contribute in different ways. For parents, it's a reminder that a child's future isn't determined by how motivated they are by school alone. For young people, it's reassurance that not having everything figured out doesn't mean you're falling behind. And for anyone navigating uncertainty, Steve offers a thoughtful perspective on finding your strengths, backing yourself, and building a meaningful life and career. What You'll Discover • What it was like growing up as one of seven children in a high-achieving family • Why Steve often felt distracted and disconnected from traditional study • The pressure of comparing yourself to siblings and peers • How music became one of the first places he discovered confidence and purpose • Why leadership often appears before we recognise it ourselves • The surprising lessons Steve learned from forming a band and leading teams • How strengths developed outside the classroom shaped his future success • The role self-awareness has played throughout his career and leadership journey • Why different people bring different strengths to teams • What Steve wishes young people understood about success and career pathways Recorded at Sabre Sound Studio A special thanks to the team at Sabre Sound Studio for hosting this conversation and providing a fantastic space for meaningful conversations like this one. If you're looking for a professional podcast, audio, or creative recording space, be sure to check them out. More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. New episodes fortnightly. Subscribe to follow along.

    1h 6m
  2. Backing Yourself Beats Following the Right Path: Athan Didaskalou, July Founder, on Success After School

    Jun 8

    Backing Yourself Beats Following the Right Path: Athan Didaskalou, July Founder, on Success After School

    If your teenager is unsure what comes next, this episode is reassurance that confidence usually comes after action, not before. It is for parents supporting a young person through big decisions. What if the right path only becomes clear once you stop chasing it? Athan Didaskalou, founder of the Australian luggage brand July, talks honestly about his uneasy relationship with school, the uncertainty he felt early on, and how curiosity and hands-on experience mattered more than perfect results. His story is a reminder that there is no single right pathway after school, that skills are built through experience rather than qualifications alone, and that one result never defines future potential. For any parent supporting exploration without pressure, or any young person rethinking their direction, this conversation offers a grounded, generous perspective. Success is built over time. In this episode, you’ll discover and learn: • Navigating uncertainty after school with no clear plan • Why confidence comes after action, not before • Building skills through experience rather than qualifications • How parents can support exploration without pressure • Why success looks different at every life stage Because school is only one chapter, and success is built over time. More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. New episodes fortnightly. Subscribe to follow along.

    1h 3m
  3. When School Says Your Child Talks Too Much: Sarah Pound on Turning a Label Into a Career

    May 31

    When School Says Your Child Talks Too Much: Sarah Pound on Turning a Label Into a Career

    If your child is told off for the very things that make them, well them, this is for you. The traits flagged at school are often the foundations of a thriving life later. What if the qualities that make your child different at school are exactly the ones that help them thrive in life? Sarah Pound, known as Wholesome by Sarah, is a nutritionist, author, educator and mum of three whose report cards often said she talked too much. That trait became the foundation of a career built on communication, connection, storytelling and community. Sarah reflects on the adults who believed in her, the times she was told she could not do something, and the many pivots that shaped her path. It is honest reassurance for parents raising children whose strengths do not always fit a classroom. 🎧 What You'll Discover In this episode: • Why Sarah never worried too much about being the "perfect student" • How being told she talked too much eventually became a professional strength • The role friendships, connection, and community played during her school years • What happened when she was told she wouldn't be able to manage a Year 12 subject early • How proving people wrong became a powerful source of motivation • Why different learners don't always thrive in traditional classroom environments • The impact of supportive parents who encouraged effort without applying pressure • Sarah's journey through multiple careers, pivots, and reinventions • What building Wholesome by Sarah has taught her about backing herself • Why success isn't about following the expected path • A reassuring message for parents raising children with different strengths and personalities • How to recognise and nurture qualities that may not always be rewarded at school In the words of Sarah: it's a cracker of an episode! Know someone with an interesting or unique pathway? Tell us about it via an email to morethanascorepod@gmail.com or DM on Insta at @morethanascorepod. More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. New episodes fortnightly. Subscribe to follow along.

    1h 14m
  4. You Don't Have to Get It Right the First Time: Stephanie Pahl on Sport, Change and Finding Your Path

    May 25

    You Don't Have to Get It Right the First Time: Stephanie Pahl on Sport, Change and Finding Your Path

    If your child does not love the classroom or does not have a clear plan, they are far more normal than they feel. This episode is for parents of a young person who shines outside school. What if success is less about getting it right the first time and more about staying open to opportunity? Stephanie Pahl is an athlete, captain, coach, and fitness professional whose confidence and identity came through sport, teamwork, and belonging rather than academic accolades. Since school, her path has wound through university course changes, coaching, high-performance sport, and the fitness industry. It is a conversation about accepting change, trying different things, and understanding that progress does not need to be perfectly planned. For parents, it is a reminder that success is not one size fits all, and not loving school does not mean your child is behind. What you'll discover: • When school doesn't reflect your child's strongest qualities • How sport, teamwork and belonging build a young person's identity • Why not loving school doesn't define your child's future • Changing university course and finding a new direction • Building adaptability and resilience through change • Shifting the measure of success from results to fulfilment More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. New episodes fortnightly. Subscribe to follow along.

    46 min
  5. When Success Stops Feeling Like Success: Melissa Lozanovski, Founding Principal, on Ambition and Wellbeing

    May 19

    When Success Stops Feeling Like Success: Melissa Lozanovski, Founding Principal, on Ambition and Wellbeing

    If your child quietly compares themselves to high-achieving siblings or peers, this honest conversation will help. Note: It briefly discusses suicide, so please choose what feels right for you. What happens when the thing you worked so hard to achieve makes you question what success even means? Melissa Lozanovski is an educator, leader, former founding principal, and mum. At school, she compared herself to academically high-achieving siblings and carried quiet pressure to measure up. She entered teaching young, led early, and built a new school from the ground up, while privately navigating grief, burnout, and a health scare that forced harder questions about what matters. Her framework of becoming, belonging, and lifelong learning offers parents a hopeful way to think about success beyond grades, titles, and recognition, and why every child's path unfolds differently. 🎧 What You’ll Discover In this episode: • How comparison with siblings and peers shapes a child's confidence • Why one adult believing in a young person changes everything • The emotional weight that can sit behind outward success • Protecting wellbeing while chasing achievement • Why belonging and emotional safety matter for growth • Thinking about success beyond grades and titles Know someone with a unique story or path? Share it with us at morethanascorepod@gmail.com! If this conversation brings anything up for you, support is available: • Lifeline Australia (24/7) https://www.lifeline.org.au or 13 11 14 • Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au or 1300 22 46 36 • Kids Helpline (for people aged 5–25): https://kidshelpline.com.au or 1800 55 1800 More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. New episodes fortnightly. Subscribe to follow along.

    1h 12m
  6. You Don't Need a Perfect Plan After School: Ben Amos, Teacher Turned Entrepreneur

    May 11

    You Don't Need a Perfect Plan After School: Ben Amos, Teacher Turned Entrepreneur

    If you are watching your teenager leave school without a clear direction, this episode is a reassurance that they are not behind. It is for any parent worried about the missing plan. What if success was never about the perfect plan, but learning to adapt when the plan changes? Ben Amos is a teacher turned entrepreneur and digital storyteller who built his career by staying curious and figuring things out as he went. The path he first wanted did not work out, teaching became the fallback, and that backup became the foundation of a career spanning education, entrepreneurship, and creativity. Ben reframes failure as feedback, draws a line between passively hoping and actively creating opportunities, and shows why adaptability can matter more than certainty. If your child has not figured it all out yet, this will help you breathe. 🎧 What You’ll Discover In this episode: • Why a school score doesn't define your child's future • How a fallback plan can become a launching pad • Helping teenagers handle real responsibility • Why adaptability matters more than certainty after school • Reframing failure as feedback, not a final verdict • Supporting a child who has no clear plan yet More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. New episodes fortnightly. Subscribe to follow along.

    43 min
  7. When School Labels Your Child "Lazy": Myfanwy Fitzpatrick on Undiagnosed Dyslexia and Dyspraxia

    May 5

    When School Labels Your Child "Lazy": Myfanwy Fitzpatrick on Undiagnosed Dyslexia and Dyspraxia

    If your child has ever been labelled at school, this episode is for you. Being called lazy was never the real story. It is a reassurance for any parent advocating for a child who learns differently. Called lazy, placed on the lowest table, and told she would not succeed. The truth was very different. Myfanwy (Van) Fitzpatrick struggled at school not because she lacked ability, but because her dyslexia and dyspraxia went undiagnosed. She absorbed those early labels into her identity for years. Then, despite being written off, she completed multiple university degrees, became a teacher and moved into counselling. This is a conversation about how labels shape a child, the hidden impact of undiagnosed learning differences, and the critical role parents play in advocating when the system gets it wrong. Intelligence is not the grade you get. What you'll discover: • What to do when your child is called lazy at school • Signs of undiagnosed dyslexia and dyspraxia in school • How early labels shape a child's identity and confidence • The turning point of finally being diagnosed and understood • How to advocate for a child who learns differently • Why intelligence is not the grade you get More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. New episodes fortnightly. Subscribe to follow along.

    1h 6m
  8. What If You Leave School With No Plan? Jasper Nettlefold on Building Success Over Time

    Apr 27

    What If You Leave School With No Plan? Jasper Nettlefold on Building Success Over Time

    If your teenager left school without a clear sense of what success looks like, they are more normal than they feel. This is for parents who want to support without forcing a path. What does it look like to navigate school, life, and identity when the path is not clear? If your teenager left school without a clear sense of what success looks like for them, they are far more normal than they feel. For Jasper Nettlefold, school often felt like a minefield, something to get through rather than connect with. He left without a clear plan and without a strong sense of what he wanted. If that sounds familiar, either for you or your child, this conversation will land. What followed for Jasper was not a perfectly mapped journey. It was a series of experiences through sport, different jobs, travel, and relationships that gradually built his confidence, perspective, and sense of who he was. Success, in his story, was not handed to him at the end of school. It was shaped slowly through the choices he made, the people he surrounded himself with, and his willingness to keep moving even when he was unsure where it was all heading. We explore what it feels like when school does not quite fit, why not having a plan after school is far more common than most families assume, and how everyday jobs and experiences can quietly build identity and confidence. Jasper is open about the role of mentors and relationships, and about how comparison to others can hold a young person back from finding their own definition of success. For parents, there is a clear and gentle message: you can support your child without forcing a path. For students and anyone who did not follow a straight line, this is reassurance that taking a different route does not mean falling behind. You do not need to have it all figured out. You just need to keep moving forward and trust that it will come together. What you'll discover: • When school doesn't fit and feels like something to get through • Why having no plan after school is more common than you think • How everyday jobs and experiences build confidence and identity • The role of mentors and relationships in finding direction • Supporting your child without forcing a path • Why taking a different route is not falling behind More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. New episodes fortnightly. Subscribe to follow along.

    1h 1m
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More Than a Score: Redefining Success Beyond School is an Australian podcast hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele, a former teacher and award-winning school leader from the Mornington Peninsula, in Victoria. Each fortnight, we share honest stories about school, ATAR pressure, career pathways, learning differences, parenting teens, and what success really means after school. Every guest shares their own path through school and, more importantly, beyond it: leaders, parents, athletes, entrepreneurs, and creatives who did not follow a straight line and still achieved success. If you are a parent watching your child leave school without a clear plan, worried they are "not academic", or navigating subject selection, a course change, or facing learning differences, this show is made for you. The message is simple: no score can sum you up, there is no one right path, and no one wants to peak in high school. New episodes fortnightly. Hosted by Laura Pitt and Dan Steele.

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