For this week’s Summer ReRun, we’re heading back to a very personal episode of The School Run, and this time Liv is taking over.

Instead of Jane asking the questions, Liv turns the tables on her mum to find out more about the woman behind Little Voices and the journey that brought her to where she is today.

And what a journey it has been.

Jane talks about discovering her love of singing as a little girl, training as an opera singer, performing on stage and eventually studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

But, as is so often the case with the stories we share on The School Run, life didn’t follow the plan.

There’s the London Marathon, an experience Jane credits with teaching her some of her biggest lessons about resilience and determination. There’s the devastating aftermath of what should have been a straightforward operation, which led to numerous surgeries and the possibility that she could lose part of her leg.

Then there’s the realisation that the career she had spent years preparing for might not actually be the life she wanted.

What followed was teaching, motherhood and, eventually, a conversation around a coffee shop table in Blackburn that would lead to the creation of Little Voices.

What began with a couple of classes in 2007 grew into something far bigger than Jane could ever have imagined, helping children across the country find confidence, friendships and, most importantly, their own voice.

It’s a wonderfully honest conversation between mum and daughter about dreams changing, overcoming difficult chapters, following opportunities and recognising that the destination you originally had in mind isn’t always where you’re supposed to end up.

And there’s another reason we wanted to bring this one back...

If you’ve ever wondered what Jane actually sounds like after all those years training as an opera singer, make sure you stay until the end.

There’s a rather special performance waiting for you.

A lovely trip back into The School Run archives, and an episode that captures perfectly something we’ve believed since the very beginning:

You really don’t have to have it all figured out at school.

Podcasts for us are all about learning, sharing stories and starting conversations. They are, of course, completely free to listen to.

If you enjoy The School Run and would like to buy us a virtual cup of tea (or Liv’s favourite, a chocolate fudge brownie frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream!) while we’re planning future episodes, you can support us here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun

Get in touch:

We always love hearing from our listeners. You can find us on Instagram @theschoolrun_official and @mrsjanejames, search for Jane James on Facebook, or email us at mrsjanejames@icloud.com.

For information about Jane’s company, Little Voices, visit:

http://www.littlevoices.org.uk

Podcast Production:

The School Run Podcast is edited and produced by Mike Roberts at Making Digital Real.

makingdigitalreal.co.uk

Disclaimer:

All views expressed in this podcast are shared as respectfully as possible and are those of the individual participants. The information, opinions and recommendations presented are for general information only. We are simply a mum and daughter sharing our thoughts, personal experiences and conversations with guests we respect. Please seek appropriate professional advice where needed.

For this week’s Summer ReRun, we’re heading back to a conversation that means an enormous amount to both of us.

Jane and Liv are joined by Veronica Simister, affectionately known as V, the founder and custodian of The Olive Jar, a six-week transformational course that listeners to The School Run will have heard us talk about many times.

But this episode is about much more than a course.

V has become a huge part of our lives, and looking back at this conversation reminds us just how much of an impact she has had on the way we think, reflect and understand ourselves.

We talk about The Olive Jar, personal growth, the stories we tell ourselves, understanding who we really are and what can happen when we give ourselves the space to stop, look inwards and begin making changes.

There are some podcast conversations that stay with you long after you have stopped recording. This is most definitely one of them.

We feel incredibly lucky and grateful to know V, and very privileged to be bringing this conversation back as part of our Summer ReRun series.

To find out more about The Olive Jar, you can contact V at veronica@veronicasimister.com.

You can also find the digital Olive Jar course at:

https://theolivejar.online/

Podcasts for us are all about learning, sharing stories and starting conversations. They are, of course, completely free to listen to.

If you enjoy The School Run and would like to buy us a virtual cup of tea (or Liv’s favourite, a chocolate fudge brownie frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream!) while we’re planning future episodes, you can support us here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun

Get in touch:

We always love hearing from our listeners. You can find us on Instagram @theschoolrun_official and @mrsjanejames, search for Jane James on Facebook, or email us at mrsjanejames@icloud.com.

For information about Jane’s company, Little Voices, visit:

http://www.littlevoices.org.uk

Podcast Production:

The School Run Podcast is edited and produced by Mike Roberts at Making Digital Real.

Disclaimer:

All views expressed in this podcast are shared as respectfully as possible and are those of the individual participants. The information, opinions and recommendations presented are for general information only. We are simply a mum and daughter sharing our thoughts, personal experiences and conversations with guests we respect. Please seek appropriate professional advice where needed.

For this week’s Summer ReRun, we’re heading back into The School Run archives for a brilliant conversation with Rachel Haslam, founder of Team Academy and self-proclaimed Director of Awesomeness.

Rachel’s experience of school was far from easy. Traditional learning simply didn’t work for her, and she left school with no GCSEs. But while the classroom might not have recognised her strengths, they were already there. She was entrepreneurial, creative, brilliant with people and determined to do things differently.

We talk about learning styles, understanding your personality, surrounding yourself with the right people, building great teams and why education and workplaces need to recognise that we simply don’t all learn, communicate or perform in the same way.

Rachel also shares a piece of advice that has stayed with us ever since:

“If it scares you, run towards it.”

And, in true School Run fashion, the episode ends with a deeply personal memory of a conversation with Rachel’s mum on the journey home from school that had a profound impact on her life.

Funny, moving, refreshingly honest and packed with things to think about. This is exactly the kind of conversation our Summer ReRuns were made for.

Podcasts for us are all about learning and sharing, of course free to listen to.

We have some small costs to cover so if you would like to buy us a virtual cup of tea and Chocolate fudge brownie Frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream (Liv’s favourite) when we are planning them out please click here ….. ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun⁠⁠

**Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials @‌theschoolrun_official / @‌mrsjanejames on Instagram, or search and follow Jane James on Facebook. We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at **⁠⁠**mrsjanejames@icloud.com **⁠⁠

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Links: For information of Jane’s company Little Voices head to ⁠⁠http://www.littlevoices.org.uk⁠⁠

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This podcast is edited by Mike Roberts from ⁠Making Digital Real⁠

Disclaimer: All views expressed in this podcast are of the participants themselves. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We are just a mum and daughter, sharing their thoughts and chatting with guests that we really respect and sharing our personal stories and insights. Please seek professional advice if you need it.

Thanks to Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real, our remarkable editor, for his skilful work on each episode. Mike's expertise ensures our podcast is always a great listen. Thanks, Mike, for being an essential part of The School Run Podcast! Contact him on Making Digital Real : https://makingdigitalreal.co.uk/