The Flourish Movement The Flourish Movement

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Principal Louise Challis. Louise shares her initial struggles with guilt and reluctance to prioritise herself due to the demanding responsibilities of her role. We talk about some of the detrimental mindsets and expectations surrounding the role of a school leader, which perpetuate the myth of self-neglect and sacrifice as a badge of honour for educators.

Through reflection and support from her colleagues throughout The Flourish Movement program, Louise realised it had been a while since she had done something just for herself and for her own enjoyment. She shares key moments of realisation and the practical steps she took to practicing recovery and being able to prioritise the things that are most important to her. 

Her story serves as a powerful reminder that by prioritising their own wellbeing, educators not only sustain themselves, but also create environments where students and staff can Flourish.

A special thank you to the NSWPPA, our learning partner in this podcast.

In this episode, we talk to Simon Ellaby, the proud Principal of a Special Education School in Tasmania. Since joining the school, Simon has put a lot of time and effort into improving the culture of the school and the staff’s wellbeing. As a result of this, he saw significant reductions in absenteeism (200 days last year), the number of critical incidents, teachers want to come and work at his school and his current staff is engaged in their work. In times where schools are struggling to find staff, we dive into how Simon created a space that, not only retains, but also attracts staff.



A special thank you to the NSW Primary Principals' Association, our learning partner in this podcast.

We had to bring back Rebecca Challenor after we found out she won an incredible award for Best Remote Learning Program at the Australian Education Awards. During lockdown and remote learning, she had 100% attendance. In this episode, she will share the amazing things she and her school did during that time that led to the award. She also shares the lessons she has learned and the practices she used during lockdown and have now been put into place in face-to-face learning.



A special thank you to the NSW Primary Principals' Association for sponsoring this project.

In this episode, we welcome Mark Peterson. Mark is a very experienced Principal with the amazing ability to stay calm even in the most complex situations. As a leader, the way you show up to difficult circumstances can dictate the outcome you are going to get and how people perceive you as a leader. Hear from Mark the strategies he uses to ensure that his staff and community see him as the consistent, calm and reliable leader he tries to be. 



A special thank you to the NSW Primary Principals' Association for sponsoring this project.

This is a very special episode as we go back to the beginning of Flourish and welcome one of the people responsible for the creation of The Flourish Movement. Susan Hilliar has had a long career in education, though it hasn’t always been an easy, joyful one. Back in 2016, Susan hit a really dark place in her career. Detrimental mindsets like ‘I need to be everything to everyone’, ‘I can’t show weakness or vulnerability’, ‘I have to put on a strong face all the time’, as well as a real sense of professional isolation and loneliness, really drove her down to the point of considering walking out on the role she had always been so passionate about. Fast forward to 2023 and Susan is still working in education and is living the best years of her career. In this episode, she tells us about her journey and how she managed to turn things around.  



A special thank you to the NSW Primary Principals' Association for sponsoring this project.

Now, more than ever, it is critical that we look after the wellbeing and mental health of our school leaders. The Flourish Movement provides a space where leaders can take off their professional armour, sit with their colleagues, be supported and have real conversations to share their experiences and learn from each other.

Dr Adam Fraser is a peak performance researcher with a PhD in Biomedical Science. Along with Principal Bob Willetts, he will be introducing you to some of the amazing school principals that are teaching our kids and leading our schools all over Australia.

In this episode of our podcast, we delve into the remarkable story of Melissa Proctor, an incredible school leader who revolutionised the culture of her school by instilling clarity of purpose in every aspect of its operation. 

We know no one has ever gotten into education for the money and fame, they got into education for the passion of teaching, working with children and playing a crucial role in preparing our future generations for the years ahead. But all too often, and this is normal across all professions, we get caught up in the stress that comes with the job, and we start moving away from what drove us in the first place.  

Join us as we take an in-depth look at the 5 step strategy Melissa employed to ensure everyone in the school understood and embraced their roles in achieving a shared vision and how she keeps it at the very centre of everything the school does, and every decision made. 

A special thank you to the NSW Primary Principals' Association for sponsoring this project.