PiXL Pearls

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 e…

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, Ra…

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 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…

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 a…

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 b…

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…

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 app…

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. Th…

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 …

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 ha…

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 y…

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 floati…

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…

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 fi…

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 s…

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 pr…

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 for…

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 tre…