More Than a Score

Melissa Lozanovski: When Success Stops Feeling Like Success

Content note: This episode includes a brief part discussing suicide. Please take care while listening and choose what feels right for you. Support links and services are shared below. What happens when the thing you worked so hard to achieve makes you question what success actually means? In this episode of More Than a Score, we sit down with Melissa Lozanovski: an educator, leader, former founding principal, founder, and mum for a deeply honest conversation about ambition, identity, wellbeing, and redefining success. Melissa’s story is one so many of us will recognise. At school, she compared herself to academically high-achieving siblings and quietly carried pressure to measure up. Not because anyone demanded it, but because comparison has a way of shaping the stories we tell ourselves. Her path through education and leadership was marked by trust, opportunity, and rapid growth. She entered teaching young, stepped into leadership earlier than expected, and eventually became the founding principal of a brand-new school...which is ama rare and significant opportunity to shape culture, community, and belonging from the ground up. But success on the outside doesn’t always tell the full story. Behind the scenes, Melissa was carrying the emotional weight of leadership, navigating grief, burnout, and a significant health scare that forced her to stop and ask harder questions about what truly matters. Becoming a mum brought even greater clarity. This conversation explores what it means to chase achievement, to be chosen before you feel ready, to carry responsibility for others, and ultimately, to redefine success in a way that feels sustainable, human, and aligned. Melissa shares powerful reflections on belonging, the teachers who shape us, the hidden emotional labour of leadership, and why every child’s path deserves to unfold differently. This is a conversation about growth, reinvention, and becoming the kind of human you want to be, not just collecting titles along the way. 🎧 What You’ll Discover In this episode: • How comparison can quietly shape confidence, ambition, and identity • Why being believed in by one adult can change the course of your life • Melissa’s journey from teacher to school leader to founding principal • The surprising reality behind major professional success • The hidden emotional weight and complexity of leadership • How grief, burnout, and health challenges forced a reassessment of success • Why motherhood reshaped Melissa’s priorities and perspective • Her powerful framework for education: becoming, belonging, and lifelong learning • Why belonging and emotional safety matter so much for growth • How to think differently about success beyond grades, titles, and recognition • A hopeful message for parents supporting young people through school • Why every story will look different—and why that’s exactly as it should be Know someone with a unique story or path? Share it with us at morethanascorepod@gmail.com! If this conversation brings anything up for you, support is available: • Lifeline Australia (24/7) https://www.lifeline.org.au or 13 11 14 • Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au or 1300 22 46 36 • Kids Helpline (for people aged 5–25): https://kidshelpline.com.au or 1800 55 1800

Ben Amos: Why Figuring Things Out Matters More Than Having a Perfect Plan

What if success isn’t about having the perfect plan but learning how to adapt when the plan changes? In this episode of More Than a Score, we sit down with Ben Amos: a teacher turned entrepreneur, digital storyteller, business owner, and someone who has built a career by staying curious, embracing change, and figuring things out as he goes. Ben’s story is a refreshing reminder that life after school doesn’t need to follow a neat or predictable script. The path he originally wanted didn’t work out, teaching became the 'fallback', but that “backup plan” became the foundation for a career that has evolved through education, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, and innovation. This conversation explores what actually helps people navigate uncertainty, not just at school, but in life. For parents listening, it’s a thoughtful discussion about the kinds of skills, mindsets, and opportunities that help young people thrive in a changing world. For everyone else, it’s reassurance that not having everything mapped out doesn’t mean you’re behind. This episode’s a powerful reminder of the impact trust, autonomy, and relationships can have on shaping a young person’s confidence and future. Because sometimes success isn’t about choosing the “right” path, it's actually about learning how to keep moving when the path changes. 🎧 What You’ll Discover In this episode: • Why Ben says his school score didn’t really define his future • How a “fallback” career in teaching became a launching pad for entrepreneurship • The surprising story of being handed real responsibility as a teenager—and why that mattered • What great teachers do that students remember forever • Why adaptability may matter more than certainty in today’s world • The difference between passive hope and actively creating opportunities • How optimism, learning, and resilience helped Ben navigate change • Why failure is often feedback—not a final verdict • The importance of surrounding yourself with the right people • Practical reassurance for parents raising kids in an uncertain future Know someone with an interesting story or path? Get in touch with us at morethanascorepod@gmail.com!

Myfanwy Fitzpatrick: Intelligence Isn’t the Grade You Get

She was called lazy, placed on the “lowest table.”, and told she wouldn’t succeed. But the real story was something very different. In this episode of More Than a Score, we sit down with Myfanwy (Van) Fitzpatrick to explore what happens when a student is misunderstood and how that can shape identity for years. Van’s experience of school was marked by struggle, not because she lacked ability, but because her dyslexia and dyspraxia went undiagnosed. Like many students, she was labelled based on what others could see, rather than supported for what she actually needed. What makes this conversation so powerful is what happened next. Despite being told she wouldn’t succeed, Van went on to complete multiple degrees at university, become a teacher, and later transition into counselling—where she now supports others navigating their challenges. This episode goes beyond one story and is a reminder that struggle doesn’t mean inability, labels don’t define potential, and the right support can change everything. For parents, educators, and students, this is a conversation about seeing beyond results...and understanding the human behind them. And, it highlights that no matter what happens with our score or school experience, it doesn't define us. 🎧 What You’ll Discover • How early labels can shape a child’s identity and confidence • What it feels like to be misunderstood at school • The hidden impact of undiagnosed learning differences • Why being called “lazy” can be deeply damaging—and often inaccurate • The turning point of being diagnosed and finally understood • What changes when students receive the right support • How resilience is built through persistence and belief • The critical role parents play in advocating for their child • Why teachers don’t always get it right—and what to do about it • A powerful reframe: intelligence is not defined by grades

Jasper Nettlefold: Success Isn’t Something You’re Given, It’s Built Over Time

In this episode of More Than a Score, we sit down with Jasper Nettlefold to explore what it means to navigate school, life, and identity when the path isn’t clear. Jasper’s experience of school wasn’t straightforward. At times, it felt like a “minefield”—something to get through rather than something he felt connected to. And like many young people, he left without a clear sense of what success looked like for him. What followed wasn’t a perfectly planned journey. It was a series of experiences through sport, different jobs, travel, and relationships, that gradually helped him build confidence, perspective, and a stronger sense of who he was and what success really is. This episode is a powerful reminder that success isn’t something you’re handed at the end of school. It’s something you shape over time through the choices you make, the people you surround yourself with, and your willingness to keep goin..., even when you’re not sure where it’s all heading. What You’ll Discover: • What it feels like when school doesn’t quite “fit” • Why not having a clear plan after school is more common than you think • How different jobs and experiences can shape confidence and identity • The role of sport, mentors, and relationships in personal growth • Why comparison to others can hold you back—and what to focus on instead • How to begin shaping your own definition of success • A powerful message for parents: supporting without forcing a path • Why it’s okay to take a different route—and trust it will come together This conversation is for: • Students (and anyone!) who feel unsure or off track • Parents trying to support without pushing too hard • Anyone who didn’t follow a straight line It’s a brilliant reminder that you don’t need to have it all figured out, you just need to keep moving forward. Know someone who'd be perfect for the pod? Get in touch with us at morethanascorepod@gmail.com.

Lael Stone: The Courage to Find Your Own Way (Re-Release)

What happens when school doesn’t quite fit you, but life beyond it opens up something bigger? In this episode of More Than a Score, we sit down with Lael Stone: speaker, educator, author, entrepreneur, parent, and founder of an school. It's a great, honest conversation about courage, connection, and redefining success. Lael reflects on leaving school without being overly concerned by her score, travelling overseas alone at 17, starting businesses before she had everything figured out, and building a life guided less by convention and more by purpose, talents, passion, and lived experiences. This is a conversation about what happens when young people are given permission to explore, when adults choose connection over judgment, and when success is measured by more than grades, qualifications, or a neat linear path. It’s also a deeply practical episode for parents and educators. Lael shares thoughtful insights on how young people ask for help, why vulnerability matters, how trust is built, and what it looks like for adults to become safe people in a young person’s world. If you’ve ever worried that you or your child don’t quite fit the traditional mould, this episode is a powerful reminder: there are many ways to learn, grow, and build a meaningful life. What You’ll Hear: - Why Lael never saw her school score as the thing that would define her future - What young people can carry when they grow up feeling “not smart” in a traditional system - The teacher who changed her life by telling her to “write about what you love” - Why travel, exploration, and lived experience became a different kind of education - The two qualities Lael credits most for her journey: courage and passion - Why she believes nothing is wasted, even when things do not work out as planned - How play can offer clues about purpose, identity, and future pathways - What stops many young people from asking for help, and how adults can lower that barrier - Why safe, non-judgmental adults matter so much in schools, families, and communities - What Lael has learned from creating a school built around connection, creativity, and emotional safety It's a powerful reminder for parents and educators: success is bigger than a score, and support often starts with how we make people feel Listen in for a conversation that will get you thinking more deeply about success, trust the longer path, and remember that who you are becoming matters more than any single result . Know someone who'd be perfect for the pod? Get in touch with us at morethanascorepod@gmail.com.