21. Greg Bottrill, goals vs gifts, and play in your DNA

26. The power of music in early education

Mary Anderson is the co-founder of My Music Starts Here alongside her husband Mike. My Music Starts Here provides early music education through resources, support for educators, and they even have their own certification. Their mission statement is: "We strive to ensure that all young children, regardless of their race, gender, abilities, location, school, childcare, or socioeconomic status, have the very best music learning experiences that we can provide." Mary was a preschool and elementary school teacher for over 12 years. She's also a musician and a singer in her own right, with a bachelor's degree in trumpet performance and a Master's degree in music education. Her website and Youtube channel: mymusicstartshere.com youtube.com/@mymusicwithmary

25. From culinary chaos to magical mealtimes in the Early Years

Sarah Scotland is a nutritionist with over 20 years of experience, and is the founder of Wise About Food, a community interest company, focused on food and nutrition. Sarah has previously supported us here at Famly with some of our Early Years nutrition content. She's also worked with Transport for London, the YMCA, housing associations, charities, and a local authority. Sarah provides workshops on cooking and nutrition for neurodivergent and disabled adults, as well as elderly people and dementia sufferers. She even hosts Meet and Eat workshops where people can come together with their community to fight loneliness and learn a bit more about food. Sarah's website wiseaboutfood.co.uk

24. How can we support EY educators to feel more confident?

Dr Lewis Fogarty is a lecturer in Education At Brunel University and one half of the duo of directors at Always Growing. They have four settings across Berkshire and Middlesex, and are famous for their 4POP pedagogy. He is also a trustee of TACTYC, The Chair of the Board of Trustees of the charity ConnectED AND is the founder of Edventurous Leadership. Lewis is now a published author; his book, “10 Principles for Professional Confidence in Education: The transformative power of believing in yourself” is out now. His book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Principles-Professional-Confidence-Education-transformative/dp/B0GQBZWBY1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OZ92PVLXJ0NN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cC_y-ASuL2SLNTx2JvW0Ew.MusIfWyBCLhoivPydi4hDKa-lfVSpHghMTq5oGCWTaI&dib_tag=se&keywords=10+Principles+for+Professional+Confidence+in+Education%3A+The+transformative+power+of+believing+in+yourself+%28English+Edition%29&qid=1777462765&sprefix=10+principles+for+professional+confidence+in+education+the+transformative+power+of+believing+in+yourself+english+edition+%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1 [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Principles-Professional-Confidence-Education-transformative/dp/B0GQBZWBY1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OZ92PVLXJ0NN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cC_y-ASuL2SLNTx2JvW0Ew.MusIfWyBCLhoivPydi4hDKa-lfVSpHghMTq5oGCWTaI&dib_tag=se&keywords=10+Principles+for+Professional+Confidence+in+Education%3A+The+transformative+power+of+believing+in+yourself+%28English+Edition%29&qid=1777462765&sprefix=10+principles+for+professional+confidence+in+education+the+transformative+power+of+believing+in+yourself+english+edition+%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1]

23. Mienna Jones, EY leadership, and learning from The Mouse

Mienna is an Early Years educator, a nursery owner, and an Early Years consultant with 34 years of experience. She very proudly holds an NNEB, and says her “personal mission is to help parents and caregivers shift their expectations; meeting children where they are developmentally, rather than where we assume they should be.” Mienna is an advocate of an unplugged childhood, outdoor play, and supporting one another as leaders and educators for the betterment of the sector. Her websites https://www.miennajones.com/ [https://www.miennajones.com/] https://www.happycrewchildcare.co.uk/

22. Ian Timbrell, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and panicking in the cupboard

Ian Timbrell is the founder of More Than Flags and Rainbows, a not-for-profit organisation helping make education settings more inclusive, from Early Years settings up. Ian has 20 years of experience in education, including as an ICT Advisor and a Deputy Head Teacher. In fact, one of Ian’s previous schools (that he worked in, not attended!) was the first Primary School in Wales to achieve the Proud Trust's Rainbow Award. Ian himself has won the Mental Health and Wellbeing Award in 2023 for his work with schools. His website https://www.morethanflagsandrainbows.com/