Episode Overview

In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley speaks with education consultant Shane Leaning about the journey from classroom teacher to running an education consultancy.

Shane began his career teaching in the UK before moving into international schools and senior leadership roles in China. After running professional development across schools in Asia, he noticed something surprising: teachers would attend training, give positive feedback, and yet very little would change in practice.

That experience sparked a deeper interest in sustainable change in schools.

In this conversation, Shane explains why traditional professional development often fails, how leadership coaching can transform school culture, and what happens when schools develop real confidence in their own expertise.

The discussion also turns to the realities of building an education business. Shane talks openly about the steep learning curve of entrepreneurship, particularly the challenge of sales and the difference between having expertise and building a sustainable business.

The episode explores ethical business in education, the importance of trusting educators, and why founders should be cautious about the picture of business success portrayed on social media.

Hosted by Claire Riley, this episode offers practical insight for founders building businesses that serve schools.

00:00 – Introduction to the podcast
01:00 – Shane’s journey from teacher to international school leader
02:30 – The moment he realised professional development wasn’t working
03:30 – Discovering the problem of sustainable change in schools
05:00 – Life as a consultant supporting schools globally
06:30 – Coaching in education vs coaching in business
09:00 – Why teachers rarely get executive coaching
11:30 – Teachers as leaders in the classroom
13:30 – The transition from education to business
14:10 – Operationalising your offer as a founder
15:00 – The risks of product-led education businesses
17:30 – Why confidence changes school culture
18:30 – Psychological safety in schools
19:20 – Breaking the “waiting loop” in organisations
20:00 – How confident schools approach failure
22:00 – The steep learning curve of sales
23:00 – The myth of “if I build it, they will come”
24:30 – Learning how to sell without feeling salesy
26:20 – The reality behind business success on LinkedIn
27:00 – Why founders need a community

All About Shane:
Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders around the world. He co-founded Work Collaborative and hosts the chart-topping school leadership podcast, community and academy, Education Leaders. Previously, he worked as Regional Head of Teaching Development for Nord Anglia Education. Passionate about empowering school leaders, he co-authored the best-selling book, 'Change Starts Here.' As a CollectivEd Fellow, Teacher Development Trust Associate, and TEDx speaker, Shane has extensive experience in the UK and Asia and is a recognised voice in international education leadership.

Website: shaneleaning.com
Podcast: Education Leaders: shaneleaning.com/podcast
Instagram: @leaningshane
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leaningshane/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@education_leaders

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Episode Overview
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire speaks with former head teacher and chair of governors Craig McKee about his journey from school leadership to building a portfolio of successful education tools.

Craig shares how stepping away from headship in 2021 led him to experiment with building simple online solutions for schools — starting with safeguarding training and growing into services like website audits, policy management tools and AI-powered support for senior leaders.

The conversation explores how lived experience in schools helped Craig identify real problems worth solving, the importance of launching a minimum viable product (MVP), and the lessons he learned about pricing, marketing and validating ideas with customers.

Craig also talks candidly about the realities of building an education business — from early uncertainty and learning the basics of self-employment, to scaling a subscription product and navigating marketing challenges in the education sector.

This episode is packed with practical insights for education founders, teachers considering starting a business, and anyone looking to turn classroom experience into impactful products for schools.

00:00 – Introduction to the Education Business Podcast
01:10 – Craig’s career in teaching and school leadership
02:30 – Leaving headship and the unexpected start of a business
04:00 – Building the first product: safeguarding training
05:30 – Pricing your work and valuing your time
06:20 – Solving real school problems through lived experience
07:30 – Ideas that didn’t work and lessons learned
08:00 – The development of SLT AI
09:30 – Building products with feedback from school leaders
12:00 – Lived experience vs market feedback
14:10 – When the business started to feel financially real
16:30 – Marketing challenges in the education sector
18:00 – Social media, timing and organic growth
19:30 – Marketing experiments and what didn’t work
20:30 – Networking and building trust in the sector
22:00 – Managing expectations in marketing
24:00 – Lessons about running a business
25:00 – Systems, automation and starting as a sole trader
26:00 – Final advice for education founders

All About Craig:
Craig McKee - former Head Teacher and former Chair of Governors

With over 20 years’ experience in education, Craig has demonstrated exceptional leadership at every level. His track record includes serving as Deputy Head and contributing to a school’s journey from “Good” to “Outstanding” in their Ofsted inspection, and achieving National Teaching School status. As a former Chair of Governors, he has again supported a school’s transformation to “Outstanding” in their 2023 inspection.

Throughout his career as a Deputy Head Teacher in a Teaching School and Head Teacher within an Academy Trust, Craig has championed school improvement through:

- Designing and delivering impactful CPD programmes
- Conducting peer reviews to support school self-evaluation
- Collaborating with the Department for Education (DfE) on National Curriculum exemplification materials (2014)
- Participating in expert groups at the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) to develop SATs assessments

Craig has designed, and now manages, a number of websites designed to support school leaders to increase their capacity and enable them to spend more time out of their office working with their staff, pupils and families.

Website: https://sltai.co.uk https://headlite.co.uk https://schoolpolicytracker.co.uk https://schoolwebsiteaudits.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-mckee-486597239/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567749426322

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Episode Overview

In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire Riley speaks with education founder Kate Wadsworth about her journey from classroom teacher to launching What If Education.

Kate shares the moment she realised the education system was pulling her away from the values that first inspired her to teach, and why she made the bold decision to leave the classroom without a backup plan. She talks openly about the realities of building an education business — from finding your audience and growing a network, to dealing with uncertainty, trial and error, and the emotional ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

The conversation explores the power of connection, the importance of reflection, and why progress in business is rarely linear. Later in the episode, Claire and Kate discuss the unexpected lessons of entrepreneurship, including why your greatest strengths can also be your biggest challenges — an idea explored in the High Performance Podcast featuring psychologist Damien Hughes, author of Liquid Thinking.

This episode is packed with honest insights for anyone thinking about starting an education business, already running one, or simply curious about what it really takes to turn an idea into impact.

00:00 – Introduction to the Education Business Podcast
00:45 – Meet Kate Wadsworth and her journey into teaching
02:30 – Two very different school experiences that shaped her values
03:10 – Why Kate decided to leave the classroom
04:00 – Founding What If Education
04:40 – Starting a business without a backup plan
06:00 – Inspiration from Steven Bartlett’s business ideas
07:00 – Building an education business while teaching vs leaving
08:00 – Growing an audience through connection and networking
09:30 – Using LinkedIn and virtual coffees to build a network
10:20 – How podcast appearances created unexpected opportunities
11:20 – Saying yes before you feel ready
12:10 – How to decide what opportunities to accept
13:00 – Trial and error in building a business
14:30 – Learning to recognise when you’re at capacity
16:00 – The hardest lesson: progress isn’t linear
17:20 – Avoiding the solo founder echo chamber
18:20 – Messaging challenges and business evolution
19:20 – Moving through uncertainty and finding clarity
20:10 – Advice education business owners need to hear
20:40 – When your biggest strength is also your weakness
21:30 – Freedom vs structure in entrepreneurship
22:20 – The importance of reflection and “pinch-me” moments
23:30 – Looking back to appreciate progress
24:40 – Final reflections and closing thoughts

All About Kate:

Kate is a teacher, educational consultant, coach and author and she founded What If Education?®️ to bring change into education and more curiosity and creativity into learning.

Working with educator’s in all their forms… leaders, teachers and parents, her philosophy is that learning is far too special a thing to be endured. It should be fun in the moment, meaningful for the future and enjoyed by all.

Recognising that we can’t wait for systemic change to make education happier, less stressful and more relevant, she works in the uk and all over the world with people and teams helping them make change happen on the ground.

Her book Awedinary, The Wonder of Everyday Things underpins her most recent venture. Written to help teachers and parents bring awe and wonder into learning, but it doesn’t stop there… it has been designed to be enjoyed by all from 2 to 122, because curiosity, creativity, awe and wonder hold the keys to a life-long love of learning, for everyone.

Website: www.whatifeducation.com

Instagram:
www.instagram.com/what.if.education

Linked In:
www.LinkedIn.com/in/kate-what-if-education

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