PiXL Pearls

The odds of rolling three consecutive double sixes are 1 in 46,656.  In the seventh episode of PiXL Pearls Series 10, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) starts with a dice game between two kings, both called Olaf, both claiming the same island, both agreeing to settle it without bloodshed. What followed was either extraordinary luck, divine intervention or a very suspicious pair of dice. The Norwegian...

In 2000, Blockbuster laughed Netflix out of the room.  In the sixth episode of PiXL Pearls Series 10, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) takes on the story most people think they know and complicates it. The Netflix origin story is neater in the retelling than it ever was in reality. The late fee, the flash of inspiration, the obvious idea: none of it was quite like that. What it was, was messy, uncer...

A single poem, published in 1798, changed the reputation of an entire species.  In the fifth episode of PiXL Pearls Series 10, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) starts with the albatross, a bird that was once considered a symbol of luck and protection by sailors, that became, thanks to Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a byword for burden, guilt and inescapable consequence. A reputation sh...

The clue was in the box all along.  In the fourth episode of PiXL Pearls Series 10, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) takes on one of leadership's most overused phrases and turns it inside out. Because thinking outside the box is only half the story. The other half is what Christopher Clayton Hutton did in World War Two, when he hid silk maps, compasses, files, real currency and a tiny saw inside a d...

A $327 million spacecraft was lost because two teams were using different units of measurement.  In the third episode of PiXL Pearls Series 10, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) uses the 1999 Mars Climate Orbiter disaster as a starting point for something far closer to home: the misunderstandings that quietly derail teams, erode trust and cause things to go wrong, not through incompetence, but throug...

The most magical place on earth was not an accident.  In the second episode of PiXL Pearls Series 10, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) takes a look behind the curtain at Disney: not the rides or the fireworks, but the leadership principles that make the whole thing work. From windows set at child-eye height to rubbish bins placed exactly 27 feet apart, Disney's magic is designed, taught and delibera...

Most people who changed the world never made the history books.  In the first episode of PiXL Pearls Series 10, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) opens with Josephine Cochran, the woman who invented the dishwasher in 1886, not because she was an engineer, but because a problem needed solving and nobody else was solving it. Widowed, working against every social limitation placed on her, she got the jo...

PiXL Pearls returns for series 10. Host Rachel Johnson, author, leadership thinker and CEO of PiXL, shares eight new stories built to challenge and inspire the school leaders of today and tomorrow. This series steps outside education to find its lessons. How did a board game help win a war? How much faith do we really place in dice? Why does the albatross have a PR problem? And what can Disney's b...

Making mistakes is inevitable, but making amends is a choice. In the final episode of PiXL Pearls Series 9, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) explores one of the most deceptively difficult leadership skills: saying sorry well. Using the Deepwater Horizon disaster as a case study in what happens when responsibility is deflected and empathy is absent, this episode examines why a poorly handled apology can d...

Episode 7 of PiXL Pearls Series 9, hosted by Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO), takes an unexpected route into a leadership superpower of fostering better conversations. Using the rise, reinvention and return of speed dating as the lens, this episode explores what research reveals about connection: why four minutes can be enough to build rapport, how affirmation and well-timed interruption can deepen unde...

Charm is powerful. Discernment is paramount. This episode of the PiXL Pearls Series 9 explores how charm can connect and elevate – and how it can also distract, manipulate and conceal what really matters. Hosted by Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO), this episode uses the story of Enron to examine what happens when magnetic personalities, weak oversight and silence create the perfect conditions for ethical...

Episode 5 of PiXL Pearls Series 9 steps into the beauty industry’s meteoric rise and asks what its “glow up” can teach leaders about real, lasting change. Hosted by Rachel Johnson, this episode moves beyond products and playlists to the inner work of transformation – the shift from awkward starts to confident practice, and from solo excellence to helping others shine. Tune in to hear how an indust...

One small habit built, one major leap for leaders. In Episode 4 of this series of the PiXL Pearls, Rachel Johnson explores the lesser-known side of astronaut Chris Hadfield’s story. Not the rockets and headlines, but the rituals, humour and learning that kept him steady when the stakes were highest. Selected for Canada’s space programme without any certainty of ever flying, Hadfield ‘turned himsel...

Taylor Swift is not just a global music icon; she is one of the most strategically astute leaders of our time. In this episode of PiXL Pearls, Rachel Johnson explores what truly sits beneath Swift’s extraordinary success. Beyond the record-breaking tours, the cultural moments and the internet-breaking releases lies a carefully crafted approach to ownership and energy. From identifying an uncontest...

Unintended consequences are inevitable. Unintended opportunities are optional. In Episode 2 of this series of the PiXL Pearls, Rachel Johnson uncovers the lesser-known effects of Abraham Lincoln’s now-iconic beard and the extraordinary story of the man it nearly ruined. When Lincoln took the advice of an 11-year-old girl and changed his appearance, one small printing business collapsed almost over...

In the opening episode of Series 9, Rachel Johnson revisits an extraordinary moment in history: an 11-year-old girl’s bold letter to Abraham Lincoln that altered not only his appearance, but the public imagination of a future president. Weeks before the 1860 election, young Grace Bedell wrote to Lincoln with a candid suggestion: that he grow a beard to soften his “thin” face and win the favour of...

We think we know what strength looks like – superheroes, boxers, bodybuilders. Search online and the images confirm it: muscle, might and physical power. But real strength often looks very different. From Evander Holyfield to Rio Ferdinand, some of the world's most celebrated athletes quietly turned to ballet to sharpen their balance, focus and flexibility. Strength, it turns out, is as much about...

Three men. One destination. Three very different approaches. The early 20th-century Race to the South Pole has fuelled endless books, films and leadership lessons. Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen each chased the same goal, but history has judged them in radically different ways — heroes to some, flawed men to others. In this episode of the PiXL Pearls Podcast, Rachel Johnson (CEO, PiXL) explores ho...

We say we value kindness. We talk about ethics, creativity, and community. Yet in the push for results and profit, these often slip through our fingers. Can you really be both principled and profitable? In this episode of the PiXL Pearls Podcast, Rachel Johnson (CEO, PiXL) explores the paradox at the heart of Lush – a business that makes bubbles and bath bombs while building an "oasis of kindness....

We say we want more holiday. We plan for rest. Yet, when the chance comes, we fill the space with busyness – or feel guilty for stopping. Why do we struggle so much with something so simple? In this episode of the PiXL Pearls Podcast, Rachel Johnson (CEO, PiXL) explores the paradox of rest. From Netflix's experiment with unlimited holidays to the seven types of rest we all need, this conversation...

In this energising episode of the PiXL Pearls Podcast, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) explores what it means to reinvent. Delve into a true tale of transformation that will inspire you to make a change – not by starting from scratch, but by reimagining how we present who we are and what we do. From Coca-Cola's brand strategy to school leadership, this episode is a masterclass in storytelling, relevance...

Who really takes the heat when the pressure's on? In this thought-provoking episode, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) explores the hidden world of "flak catchers", the people who quietly absorb chaos, complaints and conflict to protect others and keep things moving. Inspired by Pixar's early days and grounded in real school life, this episode highlights the critical (but often overlooked) role flak catch...

Dive into the surprising science behind compassion. The research is clear: kindness doesn't just feel good, it does good. It reduces anxiety, improves recovery, lowers stress, boosts mental health and might even help you live longer. So what does that mean for schools? For the students navigating silent struggles? For the staff carrying invisible loads? Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) unpacks the eviden...

In this reflective opening to Series 8, Rachel Johnson delves into the fascinating and emotional relationship we all have with time. From the stillness of Miss Havisham's clocks in Great Expectations, to W.H. Auden's desperate plea in Stop All the Clocks, and the structured rhythms of school life, this episode blends literary insight, cultural reference and leadership experience to explore the dif...

In Series 8 of the PiXL Pearls Podcast, we dive into eight powerful human stories designed to inspire, motivate and challenge both the people of today and the leaders of tomorrow. This series explores the real and raw moments behind leadership — from empathy and compassion to time management, handling complaints, and navigating polarised thinking. You'll hear Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) explore a ra...