The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast

Quality has become one of the most talked-about words in early childhood education but, somewhere along the way, many educators have been left wondering whether we're actually creating quality - or simply chasing it. In this episode, I sit down with Narelle Nettelbeck of Bugs and Bare Feet - early childhood consultant, mentor, and educator with more than three decades of experience - to explore wh...

There’s a lot of conversation right now about children who aren’t coping at school - but what if the real question is whether the system is still meeting the needs of the children it's designed to serve? In this episode, I sit down with Brooke and Gemma - educators, consultants, university lecturers, and homeschooling parents - to explore what happens when children don't fit neatly within traditio...

What happens when passion, commitment, and hard work still don't feel like enough? In this episode, I speak with Jenny - educator, leadership consultant, strengths practitioner, and self-described recovering principal - about burnout, leadership, emotional intelligence, and the impossible expectations many people in education are carrying. You'll hear: ✨ Why so many educators and leaders are doin...

What do we do when the problems feel bigger than any one person can solve? In this episode, I speak with Amity - teacher, literacy specialist, researcher, and homeschooling parent - about the tension between seeing what's not working in education and still choosing to show up with hope. Together, we explore what happens when we zoom out and look at the bigger picture, the danger of slipping into b...

Teaching has a funny way of becoming more than a job. For many of us, it becomes part of our identity and the way we measure our worth.  In this episode, I sit down with Carissa - former teacher, school leader, coach, and mum - to explore what happens when our identity becomes tangled up in being a "good teacher", and why so many educators carry impossible expectations of themselves. Together...

A few weeks ago, I shared a post on Instagram that struck a nerve by giving voice to something many of us had been quietly carrying: the feeling that something isn't sitting right in education right now ( check out the post here ). In this opening episode of The Bigger Than Behaviour Series, I unpack the thoughts, questions, and grief that inspired the series in the first place. I ponder what happ...

Warm authority isn’t about controlling children - and it’s not about “letting them get away with things” either. In the final episode for Season 4, I dig into one of the most misunderstood aspects of behaviour support: what it means to hold your authority without slipping into power-over or permissiveness. This is the episode I wish every educator and assistant could hear before heading into a new...

Just because a child is included doesn’t mean they feel they belong. In this powerful episode, I dig into what belonging actually looks and feels like for children - beyond the buzzword, the policies, and the Pinterest-perfect classroom. Drawing on compelling Australian research and real-world reflection, I unpack the difference between showing up and feeling held , and how our beliefs and biases...

What if the most powerful co-regulation tool in your room didn’t cost a cent? Music has always mattered - and in early learning, it’s more than fun; it’s nervous system work. It’s behaviour support. It’s belonging in action. In this episode, I unpack the neuroscience, research and real-world power of music in early childhood settings and why it's one of the most under-utilised wellbeing tools we h...

Stickers. Marble jars. Token systems. Oh my! They're everywhere in early childhood - and for good reason. Rewards often work - but what are they really teaching children? And what if we’re using them in ways that create more problems down the track? In this episode, I unpack the biggest myths about rewards and give you six practical, research-aligned ways to use them without crushing motivation, c...

Discipline must always be consistent with a child’s dignity. This episode is all about culture and how we create spaces where rights aren’t just printed on a poster but felt in the moment - especially when behaviour gets tough. Building on part one, I explore how to translate rights-based values into real-world practice using the UNICEF Pathway framework. You'll hear: 📣 Why discipline doesn’t mea...

Children’s rights don’t disappear when behaviour gets loud. Yet too often, what we say we believe - safety, dignity, belonging - quietly slips away when behaviour gets tricky. This episode unpacks the powerful, uncomfortable intersection between behaviour and rights and why the two must always go hand-in-hand. You’ll hear: ⚖️ What children’s rights actually are ⚖️ Why children’s rights are not con...

Empathy isn’t a “sorry” on cue. In the final part of the Big Feelings 101 series, we bring it all home with the skills that transform awareness into action. This episode unpacks how children build emotional resilience, connect through empathy, and develop that inner knowing: “I can handle this.” You’ll hear: 🌱 The difference between affective and cognitive empathy (and why both matter) 🌱 Why “ho...

"Use your words." But what if the words don’t exist yet? In Part 3 of my Big Feelings 101 series, I dive deep into emotional expression and vocabulary - how children move from raw feelings to regulated communication, and why the way we respond to their emotions matters more than we think. You’ll hear: 💬 Why some children stop showing emotions (and what that really means) 💬 How emotional language...

Regulated doesn’t always mean calm. If you’re guiding children through big feelings with nothing but deep breaths and “use your words,” this episode will change everything. In Part 2 of my Big Feelings 101 mini-series, we go deeper into what emotional regulation really is (and isn’t), the integral role of co-regulation, and the often-misunderstood difference between regulation and coping. You'll h...

Children can't regulate feelings they don't know how to feel. In part one of this three-part mini-series - that I'm affectionately calling  Big Feelings 101 -  I'm providing a compassionate, practical look at what emotional competence actually is (hint: it’s much more than just regulation), why it’s essential to how we understand and support children’s behaviour and the eight skills invo...

What if movement was the missing piece in learning to read? For too long, we’ve asked young children to sit still and focus when their brains are wired for motion. In this powerful episode, I chat with Stefanie Hohl, creator of  ABC See, Hear, Do , about how movement can transform early literacy, especially for children who’ve struggled with traditional methods. Stefanie Hohl is the creator o...

Real inclusion isn’t about ticking boxes. Phwoar. This conversation is a powerful one. I welcome Sarah Middleton and her 12-year-old son, Charlie (the first child on the show - yay!), to The Bloom Room for a critical conversation around why it’s time to move beyond Whole Body Listening towards inclusive listening practices. Charlie shares his lived experience of Whole Body Listening, reflecting on...

 Forced sharing is out. Scaffolded turn taking is in.  Eeeep - we’ve all said it - "sharing is caring". Two children are locked in battle over a toy, voices rising and out comes the phrase we hope will fix it fast. But what if “sharing is caring” is doing more harm than good? In this episode, I unpack the very real consequences of forced sharing, why it doesn’t teach what we think it does, an...

Emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of effective teaching. This chat with Em Gentle will be like a hug for the parts of you telling you that you're not doing enough. Em shares so much of her wisdom in this discussion centred on emotionally intelligen edicators - what emotional intelligence is, why it's important, how we live it, and why it's the crux of all we do in our work with children (o...

Holding a boundary is not about ‘being the boss.’  Boundaries are often thrown around as one of those behaviour support tools that’s the magic bullet for getting children to do what you want. Womp womp, friend - magic bullets for behaviour don’t exist. The good news? When done well, boundaries can be an excellent tool for behaviour guidance and for showing children where our line is. You’ll h...

Children deserve to take up space. In this inspiring episode I speak with Anna Skates, a passionate advocate for children's rights, about the importance of truly seeing and listening to children. We unpack how adult discomfort, language, and societal structures can either uplift or silence children and how we make space for them. Anna Skates is a children’s advocate, entrepreneur, and creator on a...

Play isn’t a warm-up to the real work. It is the work. In this energising chat with Simon Airey, we explore neurodivergent play through a radically affirming lens - one where movement, stimming, flow states, and autonomy aren’t side notes, but centre stage. If you’ve ever wondered how to support neurodivergent play without overriding it, this episode is for you. Simon is a neurodiversity and inclu...

Children's rights are not an 'add-on' - they're the foundation. In this powerful conversation with Lauren Mittell - a mother, teacher and advocate for children who embeds social justice and children's rights into her parenting and pedagogy - we dive deep into what it  really means to uphold children’s rights in our practice. Beyond posters and policies, this episode is about how we show up ev...

Death by a thousand papercuts. If you’ve ever ended a school day feeling utterly drained by the tiny behaviours that chip away at your patience, this episode is for you. We're tackling low-level behaviours - the eye-rolls, the pencil taps, the incessant chattering - and unpacking why they're anything but low-impact. You’ll hear: 💫 Why I don’t actually like the term 'low-level behaviours' and what...