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The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching

Sharon Cawley and Sarah Dunwood
The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching
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5 of 78
  • 078 - Sarah Grocutt - Classroom to Freelance Email Marketing Strategist
    After twelve years teaching in specialist and alternative education, Sarah Grocutt reached breaking point. What began as a career full of creativity, compassion, and purpose turned into exhaustion, fear, and guilt as she tried to balance motherhood with an unforgiving system.In this candid conversation, Sarah opens up about her powerful decision to walk away from the classroom after an unsafe and unsustainable experience in a new provision. She shares what it took to rebuild her identity, rediscover confidence, and create a new life as an email strategist and copywriter.Sharon Cawley and Sarah Dunwood explore motherhood, guilt, flexibility, and leadership in education – and what real support for teachers could look like. This is an episode about courage, clarity, and the moment you finally choose yourself.Buy Us a Coffee ☕️ Loving the Pit Pony Podcast? We’d be so grateful for your support! We’ve set up a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can make a small donation to help keep the podcast running. https://buymeacoffee.com/thepitponyclub Voice Message Us: https://www.speakpipe.com/pitponypodcast Contribute to our 'Silenced by Support' Campaign - complete the questionnaire, read the report, sign up to the mailing list. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help: Education Support The Samaritans Mind Andy's Man Club Join Us: Subscribe to the Pit Pony Podcast Sign up to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/i1L5ck Thanks for listening 🙏Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital R...
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  • 077 - Lisa Mead - Classroom to Online Tutor
    After twenty years in primary education, Lisa Mead found herself completely burnt out. The workload, the pressure, the impossible expectations - it all came to a head one morning when she simply couldn’t face going back into the classroom.In this powerful and relatable episode, Lisa opens up about: • Balancing motherhood with teaching and the guilt that comes with both • The culture of overwork and silent expectation in schools • The grief and shock of losing a colleague to suicide • The breaking point that led her to send that one life-changing text • And how discovering Life After Teaching helped her step into a new chapterNow an online tutor, Lisa has rebuilt her career on her own terms - finding joy, flexibility and freedom in the process. Her story is one so many will recognise, and her honesty will stay with you long after you’ve listened.💬 “It’s like someone opened the jar - and I realised the whole world was waiting for me.”Buy Us a Coffee ☕️ Loving the Pit Pony Podcast? We’d be so grateful for your support! We’ve set up a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can make a small donation to help keep the podcast running. https://buymeacoffee.com/thepitponyclub Voice Message Us: https://www.speakpipe.com/pitponypodcast Contribute to our 'Silenced by Support' Campaign - complete the questionnaire, read the report, sign up to the mailing list. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help: Education Support The Samaritans Mind Andy's Man Club Join Us: Subscribe to the Pit Pony Podcast Sign up to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/i1L5ck Thanks for listening 🙏Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital R...
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  • 076 - Paula Smith - Classroom to Transformational Coach and Trainer
    After three decades in education, rising to the ranks of headteacher and executive head, Paula Smith found herself at breaking point. In this deeply moving and powerful conversation, Paula opens up about her career, the moment that changed everything on the M25, and how she rebuilt her life from burnout to transformation.Now a Transformational Coach and Trainer, Paula shares how she turned pain into purpose, discovered the importance of choosing herself, and now helps others break free from fear, shame, and self-limiting beliefs.This episode is a story of courage, faith, and rebirth - a reminder that it’s never too late to rewrite your own ending.Buy Us a Coffee ☕️ Loving the Pit Pony Podcast? We’d be so grateful for your support! We’ve set up a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can make a small donation to help keep the podcast running. https://buymeacoffee.com/thepitponyclub Voice Message Us: https://www.speakpipe.com/pitponypodcast Contribute to our 'Silenced by Support' Campaign - complete the questionnaire, read the report, sign up to the mailing list. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help: Education Support The Samaritans Mind Andy's Man Club Join Us: Subscribe to the Pit Pony Podcast Sign up to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/i1L5ck Thanks for listening 🙏Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital R...
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  • 075 - Liz Bell - Classroom to Education Recruitment Consultant
    In this emotional and uplifting episode, we meet Liz Bell, who spent 18 years in primary education, rising to deputy head and curriculum lead. Known for her energy, collaboration, and love of working with children who others had given up on, Liz poured herself into teaching - but the system broke her.After moving to Lincolnshire for a fresh start, Liz quickly found herself undermined, exhausted, and battling imposter syndrome. Within weeks she spiralled into illness and breakdown, forced to confront the reality that even her passion and commitment could not protect her from a toxic culture.Liz shares openly about the shame, the tears, and the darkest days, as well as the resilience it took to rebuild her confidence. Today, she has created a new life as an education recruitment consultant, using her teaching experience to match teachers with schools and support them ethically.Her story is one of heartbreak, healing, and finding purpose beyond the classroom - proving that skills honed in teaching can open new doors and change lives in surprising ways.With thanks to our episode sponsor (Click to visit):Little VoicesConexus TuitionBuy Us a Coffee ☕️ Loving the Pit Pony Podcast? We’d be so grateful for your support! We’ve set up a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can make a small donation to help keep the podcast running. https://buymeacoffee.com/thepitponyclub Voice Message Us: https://www.speakpipe.com/pitponypodcast Contribute to our 'Silenced by Support' Campaign - complete the questionnaire, read the report, sign up to the mailing list. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help: Education Support The Samaritans Mind Andy's Man Club Join Us: Subscribe to the Pit Pony Podcast Sign up to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/i1L5ck Thanks for listening 🙏Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital R...
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  • 074 - Clare Gregg - Classroom to Entrepreneur and Advocate
    In this powerful episode, we sit down with Clare Gregg, whose journey into teaching was anything but ordinary.Statistically, Clare should never have made it into the classroom. As a child, she was a school refuser, on the child protection register, and at 18 found herself homeless and pregnant. Yet against all odds, she fought her way into education, inspired by the teachers who believed in her.Clare went on to teach Religious Education, working in challenging schools, comprehensives, and even a pupil referral unit. Along the way, she navigated personal health struggles, raising a family, and the crushing realities of leadership that left her unsupported and, ultimately, broken by the system.Today, Clare has rebuilt her life as a mortgage advisor, business owner, and activist. She shares her story with honesty and humour, opening up about complex PTSD, breakdown, resilience, and why she still believes in the power of education even after stepping away.Clare’s story is one of survival, transformation, and the fight to create a new identity beyond teaching.With thanks to our episode sponsor (Click to visit):Little VoicesConexus TuitionBuy Us a Coffee ☕️ Loving the Pit Pony Podcast? We’d be so grateful for your support! We’ve set up a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can make a small donation to help keep the podcast running. https://buymeacoffee.com/thepitponyclub Voice Message Us: https://www.speakpipe.com/pitponypodcast Contribute to our 'Silenced by Support' Campaign - complete the questionnaire, read the report, sign up to the mailing list. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help: Education Support The Samaritans Mind Andy's Man Club Join Us: Subscribe to the Pit Pony Podcast Sign up to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/i1L5ck Thanks for listening 🙏Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital R...
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About The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching

Sharon Cawley and Sarah Dunwood talk to former teachers about exiting from the classroom and thriving.Don't forget to leave us a VOICEMAIL, quickly and easily at https://www.speakpipe.com/pitponypodcastSupport the podcast by buying us a coffee here:https://buymeacoffee.com/thepitponyclub
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