In this rich crossover conversation, Chris Braitch and Dr James Mannion interview one another about trauma, healing, and the deep structural shifts needed in education.
Chris Braitch is a father of three whose mission is to move himself and others towards connection and compassion. He works as an emotional health coach, a leadership coach with Compassionate Leaders Global, and is the founding director of Seen & Heard, a not-for-profit supporting the wellbeing of past and present pupils of the private school system - many of whom have experienced institutional neglect, emotional harm or abuse.
After two decades in global sales and marketing, Chris realised that his life had been shaped by powerful, unexamined forces: early separation, boarding school culture, unresolved childhood experiences, and profound personal grief. Through coaching, men’s groups, the Emotional Freedom Technique, and a life-changing spiritual awakening, he discovered a new sense of purpose rooted in authenticity, service, and compassion. This journey transformed his parenting, his perspective, and the work he now offers to others.
James shares the origins of the Rethinking Education Podcast, his work with the Learner Effectiveness Programme, slice teams, implementation science, and the Education Policy Alliance, and explores why so many top-down reforms fail to shift what actually happens in classrooms.
Together, they explore:
- The “myth of privilege” and why suffering in elite institutions is so often minimised
- How early separation and boarding school cultures shape adult hypervigilance, self-protection, and leadership
- The emotional and spiritual turning points that redirected Chris’s life
- How Seen & Heard supports former pupils, works with schools, and campaigns for safer legislation
- Why spoken language (oracy) is an overlooked equity issue
- Why the system keeps “locating the problem in the child”
- How learner-effectiveness, self-regulation, and holistic education can transform outcomes
- The cultural assumptions baked into British schooling and politics
- Why compassion-centred leadership matters now more than ever
This is a deeply human, hopeful conversation about trauma, awareness, systemic change, and learning to live - and lead - with compassion.
LINKS
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of past pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheard.org.uk
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of present pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheardschools.org.uk
- Chris’s coaching business where I support men and women through 1-2-1’s and groups – https://growthwave.uk
The Compassionate Leader Pathway Course - designed to help people lead with purpose, perform with clarity and live with integrity. https://compassionateleadersglobal.com
CREDITS
- The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
- Outro track: How it is and how it should be by Grit Control
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love.
If you’d like to support the podcast or convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/repod
All content for Rethinking Education is the property of Dr James Mannion and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this rich crossover conversation, Chris Braitch and Dr James Mannion interview one another about trauma, healing, and the deep structural shifts needed in education.
Chris Braitch is a father of three whose mission is to move himself and others towards connection and compassion. He works as an emotional health coach, a leadership coach with Compassionate Leaders Global, and is the founding director of Seen & Heard, a not-for-profit supporting the wellbeing of past and present pupils of the private school system - many of whom have experienced institutional neglect, emotional harm or abuse.
After two decades in global sales and marketing, Chris realised that his life had been shaped by powerful, unexamined forces: early separation, boarding school culture, unresolved childhood experiences, and profound personal grief. Through coaching, men’s groups, the Emotional Freedom Technique, and a life-changing spiritual awakening, he discovered a new sense of purpose rooted in authenticity, service, and compassion. This journey transformed his parenting, his perspective, and the work he now offers to others.
James shares the origins of the Rethinking Education Podcast, his work with the Learner Effectiveness Programme, slice teams, implementation science, and the Education Policy Alliance, and explores why so many top-down reforms fail to shift what actually happens in classrooms.
Together, they explore:
- The “myth of privilege” and why suffering in elite institutions is so often minimised
- How early separation and boarding school cultures shape adult hypervigilance, self-protection, and leadership
- The emotional and spiritual turning points that redirected Chris’s life
- How Seen & Heard supports former pupils, works with schools, and campaigns for safer legislation
- Why spoken language (oracy) is an overlooked equity issue
- Why the system keeps “locating the problem in the child”
- How learner-effectiveness, self-regulation, and holistic education can transform outcomes
- The cultural assumptions baked into British schooling and politics
- Why compassion-centred leadership matters now more than ever
This is a deeply human, hopeful conversation about trauma, awareness, systemic change, and learning to live - and lead - with compassion.
LINKS
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of past pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheard.org.uk
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of present pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheardschools.org.uk
- Chris’s coaching business where I support men and women through 1-2-1’s and groups – https://growthwave.uk
The Compassionate Leader Pathway Course - designed to help people lead with purpose, perform with clarity and live with integrity. https://compassionateleadersglobal.com
CREDITS
- The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
- Outro track: How it is and how it should be by Grit Control
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love.
If you’d like to support the podcast or convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/repod
Nick Covington and Kate McAllister on Restoring Humanity to Education
Rethinking Education
2 hours 1 minute 5 seconds
2 weeks ago
Nick Covington and Kate McAllister on Restoring Humanity to Education
Nick Covington and Kate McAllister on Restoring Humanity to Education
What does it mean to restore humanity to education?
In this rich and wide-ranging three-way conversation, James is joined by Kate McAllister – co-founder of The Human Hive and lead educator at The Hive in the Dominican Republic – and Nick Covington, co-founder of the Human Restoration Project in the US.
Together, we explore:
The dehumanising effects of traditional schooling models
What human-centred education looks like in practice – both inside and outside the mainstream
Self-regulation, executive function and building trust with students
The role of flow in learning, and why it's missing from most education policy discussions
The Third Coast Learning Collaborative – a US-wide, government-funded project using project-based learning, portfolio assessment, and student-led exhibition
The power of authentic audience and interdisciplinary learning
How progressive educators can embrace data to strengthen their case for change
The importance of courageous school leaders and communities of practice
We also talk about Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession, mangled chicken coops, flow states, poetry circles, grant funding, and catapults launching frisbees across middle school campuses.
Education doesn’t have to be this way. Across the world, a quiet revolution is taking place – one built on trust, flow, curiosity and care. This episode offers a glimpse of what’s possible when we restore humanity to learning.
LINKS
Follow Nick - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-covington/
Follow Kate - https://www.linkedin.com/in/misskatemcallister/
Follow James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/
Human Restoration Project - https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/
The Hive – Dominican Republic - https://www.thehiveadventure.com/
The Third Coast Learning Collaborative - https://www.thirdcoastlearning.org/
Ron Berger on 20 years of 'An ethic of excellence' - and ending the trad-prog debate! - https://www.rethinking-ed.org/ron-berger
Gallup Student Poll data on engagement, hope and belonging: https://msnpro1.gallup.com/report-generator/GSP/1.3/En-US?districtId=229403046&schoolId=229403048&cohortId=231774178
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. Drop us a line at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
CONVEY YOUR APPRECIATION FOR THE POD :)
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
Rethinking Education
In this rich crossover conversation, Chris Braitch and Dr James Mannion interview one another about trauma, healing, and the deep structural shifts needed in education.
Chris Braitch is a father of three whose mission is to move himself and others towards connection and compassion. He works as an emotional health coach, a leadership coach with Compassionate Leaders Global, and is the founding director of Seen & Heard, a not-for-profit supporting the wellbeing of past and present pupils of the private school system - many of whom have experienced institutional neglect, emotional harm or abuse.
After two decades in global sales and marketing, Chris realised that his life had been shaped by powerful, unexamined forces: early separation, boarding school culture, unresolved childhood experiences, and profound personal grief. Through coaching, men’s groups, the Emotional Freedom Technique, and a life-changing spiritual awakening, he discovered a new sense of purpose rooted in authenticity, service, and compassion. This journey transformed his parenting, his perspective, and the work he now offers to others.
James shares the origins of the Rethinking Education Podcast, his work with the Learner Effectiveness Programme, slice teams, implementation science, and the Education Policy Alliance, and explores why so many top-down reforms fail to shift what actually happens in classrooms.
Together, they explore:
- The “myth of privilege” and why suffering in elite institutions is so often minimised
- How early separation and boarding school cultures shape adult hypervigilance, self-protection, and leadership
- The emotional and spiritual turning points that redirected Chris’s life
- How Seen & Heard supports former pupils, works with schools, and campaigns for safer legislation
- Why spoken language (oracy) is an overlooked equity issue
- Why the system keeps “locating the problem in the child”
- How learner-effectiveness, self-regulation, and holistic education can transform outcomes
- The cultural assumptions baked into British schooling and politics
- Why compassion-centred leadership matters now more than ever
This is a deeply human, hopeful conversation about trauma, awareness, systemic change, and learning to live - and lead - with compassion.
LINKS
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of past pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheard.org.uk
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of present pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheardschools.org.uk
- Chris’s coaching business where I support men and women through 1-2-1’s and groups – https://growthwave.uk
The Compassionate Leader Pathway Course - designed to help people lead with purpose, perform with clarity and live with integrity. https://compassionateleadersglobal.com
CREDITS
- The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
- Outro track: How it is and how it should be by Grit Control
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love.
If you’d like to support the podcast or convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/repod
