PiXL Pearls

Giants may seem indestructible, but we just have to fight in ways that work for us. Embark on a journey exploring the overwhelming giants and the courageous underdogs that rise to slay them. PiXL Pearls are short reflections on life and leadership, in schools. They are here to inspire, encourage, motivate, and challenge. The PiXL network spans thousands of schools across key stages 1-5. We collabo...

When we disregard 'dumb questions' we impede our ability to effectively communicate with our teams. Join our CEO Rachel Johnson in this episode of PiXL Pearls as she takes us on a journey of how even NASA have been caught out by dismissing 'dumb questions'. Mistakes happen to everyone, but what do you do to make sense of that mistake? PiXL Pearls are short reflections on life and leadership, in sc...

Schools are natural hubs for fostering unity in many ways, from fundraising for charities to coming together in assemblies. In this episode, Rachel Johnson connects three incredible human stories from Sarajevo, The Titanic and the war in Ukraine to spotlight the importance of community and the impact that taking the time and space to reflect can have in our lives and classrooms. PiXL Pearls are sh...

We may not think it at first, but we are all juggling quite a lot, quite frequently. Join Rachel Johnson as she explores the cycles of juggling we find ourselves in, and how we can better focus our energy to ensure that we don't throw more than we can catch. PiXL Pearls are short reflections on life and leadership, in schools. They are here to inspire, encourage, motivate, and challenge. The PiXL...

How often do you stop and see what you are doing through the eyes of different children with different needs? Empathy is a cornerstone of successful and effective leadership. In this next episode, Rachel Johnson delves into the story of Innovation Architect Doug Dietz, the history of the CT scanner machine, and the power of empathy. PiXL Pearls are short reflections on life and leadership, in scho...

Have you ever followed someone, peeked behind the scenes, and been surprised? Or waited for validation, just to find you didn't need it as much as you initially thought you did? Join Rachel Johnson as she uses the story of the Wizard of Oz to explore the roles of 'Wizards' in society and in education, and the things that perhaps we need to watch out for. PiXL Pearls are short reflections on life a...

PiXL Pearls is back for season 4. November 13th. Are you breaking the status quo? If you're not, what is stopping you? How can we create moments of joy that make everyone in our schools feel elevated and proud? What are the giants around you, and how do you slay them? As we return to a 4th series, we explore answers to all these questions. Join us fortnightly, as we embark on an adventure through...

Interestingly, only in recent history has working hard signalled pride rather than shame. In this episode, Rachel Johnson digs into what we consider 'hard work' in the 21st century and why we might all be very wrong in the assumption that being busy is being productive. She asks us to think about the time we allow for thinking and processing (being vs doing), and why it is important we try and car...

Have you heard of Mike Lazaridis? Probably not - but perhaps the story would be different if he had been open to change. Mike is the founder of Blackberry, who in 2009 had complete market dominance but by 2014 had only 1% market share. There are many lessons we can learn from Blackberry's demise - that 'what got you here won't get you there'. How comfortable are you with being wrong? Are you willi...

In the education profession, we face many challenges that require us to come together as a team - and it is quite remarkable what we have dealt with recently. In this episode, Rachel Johnson uses the ingenious behaviour of a little yellow fish as a basis for explaining how important our team dynamic is to surviving and thriving in tough times. However, she also makes the case that it is just as im...

We've all heard of Winston Churchill - but you may not know about his wife, Clemmie, and the powerful influence she had on her husband. This episode allows us to consider who we have in our lives that can tell us the uncomfortable truth from a place of kindness, and nurture us to be better. Whether it be at home or in work, it is crucial we allow feedback and honesty from those around us. PiXL Pea...

Drawing upon the story of the tragic 1949 wildfire at Mann Gulch, Rachel Johnson explores how firefighter Foreman Dodge's ways of thinking in the literal heat of the moment can have some resonant applications to our own life and leadership. The episode asks us to consider our own physical and mental readiness for the crises we so often face in school leadership, and what metaphorical baggage we ca...

It is a common pitfall of individuals, teams and organisations to overcomplicate or overthink ideas to the point that we don't ever take the first small step towards changing the way we do things. This episode of PiXL Pearls explores the idea that all we really need to do is invite curiosity, be open to new methods, and simplify in order to stay fresh and innovative. PiXL Pearls are short reflecti...

Using the story of the Wright Brothers (but not quite the story you are likely to have heard of before!) Rachel Johnson explores the difference between relationship and task conflict. Many of us are very conflict-averse, yet the inventor brothers found challenging each other's beliefs resulted in valuable improvements to the overall plane design. How can we encourage good relationships and healthy...

This episode is for far more than just the football fans among you. In it, Rachel Johnson tells Gareth Southgate's story and leadership style. In his career, Southgate has had a few instances that haven't gone according to plan. Overcoming disappointment and regret is a powerful thing to master for ourselves, and for the people we lead. There is a lot we can learn from his approach to failure, tea...

You might not have heard of the subject of this Pearl, Architect Charles Barry, but he has an amazing story that has lots of lessons and metaphors for us in our own lives and leadership. What would you emulate from what you already see, and what would you turn to ash? Start building and developing your personal infrastructure now, before your next opportunity presents itself. PiXL Pearls are short...

Creating magical moments is painstaking work – it requires vision, direction, concentration, and perseverance and even then, not everything goes according to plan. Drawing on a story about the floating candles seen in the Harry Potter films, Rachel Johnson helps us think about the moments in our leadership where the vision was not the reality and how we can move forward after disappointment. PiXL...

In this episode, Rachel Johnson shares the story of high jumper Dick Fosbury. At first, he was branded a failure in the eyes of the media and sporting community but then something remarkable happened. Taking inspiration from one man's journey from failure to success, how can we also find a way when it looks like there is no way? How can we turn our 'flops' into successes? PiXL Pearls are short ref...

Welcome to Series 3 of the PiXL Pearls podcast. Drawing on the story of Trump's unwillingness to climb the stairs to the 2nd floor offices in the Whitehouse from 'Landslide' by Micheal Wolff, this first episode examines what we may be missing out on if we choose to do the same in our own leadership. PiXL Pearls are short reflections on life and leadership, in schools. They are here to inspire, enc...

PiXL Pearls is back for season 3. November 14th. PiXL Pearls are short reflections on life and leadership, in schools. They are here to inspire, encourage, motivate, and challenge. The PiXL network spans almost 3,000 schools across key stages 1-5. We collaborate, share best practice, and equip leaders throughout the educational system. Series 2 and 3 are presented by Rachel Johnson, CEO of PiXL, a...

Wouldn't it be great if human beings had trip switches? Just imagine it: you notice when faults begin appearing in your system. Your internal trip switch then turns on and tells you how to fix the problem. But sadly, we often don't stop and mend things before it spirals into a bigger issue. In this last episode of PiXL Pearls Series 2, Rachel Johnson uses the extended metaphor of power cuts to hig...

Why are we doing this, and what is the point? These two small, but very important, questions often get left by the wayside. In this episode, Rachel Johnson tells the stories of two businesses who forgot 'the point', and what we must do as leaders to communicate the ultimate purpose and vision we all work towards, and keep the team focused on the 'why'. PiXL Pearls: Short reflections on life and le...

Did you know, every woodland has a 'hub tree' that is connected to all the other trees through a hidden underground network of fungi? In this episode, Rachel Johnson tells the incredible story of trees and how they care for those who are vulnerable or distressed. Trees stand alone, yet they are connected. As school leaders, we can often feel isolated, but, just like the trees, you are part of a mu...

In this episode of PiXL Pearls, Rachel Johnson tells us the real Lord of the Flies story, where six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months. Instead of assumed carnage, they established three things in particular which are the focus for this 10-minute episode: they agreed the roles of the team, created a system for handling conflict, and took deliberate steps to keep morale and hope high. What is it w...

The most intelligent animals exhibit the most playful behaviour. The difference, however, is that adults too often condition themselves out of it as they grow up. Why have we stopped having playful behaviour? And why is that a problem? In this episode of PiXL Pearls, Rachel outlines why fun and laughter are essential to both our personal wellbeing and our relationships with others. Human beings ha...