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PODCAST

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching

Sharon Cawley and Sarah Dunwood

Sharon Cawley and Sarah Dunwood talk to former teachers about exiting from the classroom and thriving.Follow us on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/ThePitPonyPodcastDon"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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All Episodes

66:53

087 - Danielle Crossland - Classroom to Bookkeeper

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/12/23

In this episode, Sharon and Sarah are joined by Danielle Crossland, a former secondary maths teacher whose story offers a refreshingly different perspective on leaving the classroom. Danielle taught for ten years after starting her career in 2012, working in both high schools and sixth-form colleges. Teaching was something she was good at, something she enjoyed at times - but it was never her vocation. And crucially, she knew that early on. In this honest and wide-ranging conversation, Daniel...

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46:24

086 - David Fountain - Classroom To Consultant

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/12/16

Today, Sharon and Sarah sit down with someone many of you already know from the Life After Teaching community - David Fountain, the teacher-turned-educator who has made understanding the Teachers’ Pension Scheme his personal mission. After 27 years in the classroom, teaching maths, science, IT and computer science, David reached a crossroads. Caring responsibilities, exhaustion and the constant reinvention of curricula pushed him to rethink his path. But leaving teaching wasn’t simple - not e...

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58:24

085 - Elaine Mackechnie - Classroom to Maths Tutor &...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/12/09

This week, Sharon and Sarah sit down with the brilliant Elaine Mackechnie, known to many as Maths with Mrs Mack - a tutor whose journey out of the classroom has inspired hundreds of teachers to rethink what’s possible. After 26 years in education, spanning roles from Joint Head of MFL to Head of Year, Head of Key Stage and eventually 2nd in Maths, Elaine found herself pushed, pulled and reshaped by a system that never quite knew what to do with someone who could teach anything. What followed ...

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55:37

084 - Re-Release - David Myers - Part 2

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/12/02

Part 2 of this re-released conversation follows David through the most painful stretch of his journey - and into the life-changing transition that brought him back to himself. In this episode, Sharon and Sarah explore: The collapse of trust in leadership and the moment he was accused of lyingHow long-COVID, brain fog and exhaustion collided with a punitive support planThe emotional punch of being prescribed antidepressants - and the shame teachers so often carryThe union rep who finally said ...

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66:57

083 - Re-Release - David Myers - From Creative...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/12/02

In this powerful two-part replay, Sharon and Sarah revisit one of the Pit Pony Podcast’s most talked-about episodes - the story of David Myers, a maths teacher whose experience captures both the brilliance and the brutality of modern teaching. Part 1 traces David’s journey from a creative, psychology-driven teacher who thrived in supportive, visionary schools, to the moment everything changed. He shares: His early success at High Tunstall - where creativity, curiosity and student-centred thin...

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46:38

082 - Behind the Scenes - Inside the Life After...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/11/25

This week, Sharon and Sarah lift the curtain on the community that started it all — Life After Teaching: Exit the Classroom and Thrive, the Facebook group now home to more than 177,000 members. They share what really goes on behind the scenes: how posts are moderated, why certain rules exist, and what it takes to keep such a vast and vulnerable space safe, supportive, and scam-free. From anonymous posting to the rise of MLMs, self-promotion, and the emotional weight carried by moderators, not...

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52:33

081 - Silenced by Support - The Campaign Update

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/11/18

In this powerful update episode, Sarah is joined by campaign co-founder Nick Smart to share the latest progress on Silenced by Support - the national campaign fighting against the misuse of support plans in UK schools. Together, they reflect on how it all began, what’s been achieved so far, and the next steps in taking the movement from the Facebook group into Parliament, the press, and beyond. You’ll hear about: The origins of Silenced by Support and how the report was createdThe growing nat...

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47:16

080 - Resignation - The Fear, the Finances, and the...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/11/11

In this special episode, Sharon and Sarah hold space for one of the biggest topics in education - the mystery, the pressure and the fear around teacher resignation dates. Why do teachers only get three windows a year to resign? What happens if you miss the May 31st deadline? And why does this system leave so many feeling trapped, anxious and powerless? From the realities of the Burgundy Book to the emotional and financial toll of leaving a “job for life,” this conversation is honest, supporti...

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62:04

079 - Suspension - Navigating the Hardest Days in...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/11/04

In this powerful new episode, Sharon and Sarah tackle one of the most difficult experiences any teacher can face: suspension from school. They unpack what really happens when you’re suspended, why it is supposed to be a neutral act, and the reality of how it is often handled in schools. With honesty and compassion, they talk through the emotional toll, the fear, and the isolation, and offer practical guidance on what to do next. From understanding ACAS guidance and TRA investigations to manag...

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69:21

078 - Sarah Grocutt - Classroom to Freelance Email...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/10/28

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, re...

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71:57

077 - Lisa Mead - Classroom to Online Tutor

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/10/21

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 t...

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82:39

076 - Paula Smith - Classroom to Transformational...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/10/14

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 ...

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111:51

075 - Liz Bell - Classroom to Education Recruitment...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/10/07

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 ...

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64:24

074 - Pit Pony Clare Gregg - Classroom to...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/09/30

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 e...

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76:08

073 - Nick Smart - Breaking the Silence on Settlement...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/09/23

Nick Smart: Silenced by Support and the Fight for Change Welcome to Season 2 of The Pit Pony Podcast. We begin with an episode that steps beyond individual exit stories and into the heart of a growing campaign. Our guest is Nick Smart, a primary teacher who entered the profession at 42 and is now, at 58, exiting the classroom. But Nick’s story is not just about his own departure - it’s about shining a light on the thousands of teachers who have been forced out under the guise of “support plan...

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72:14

072 - Pit Pony Revisited: The Summer Series - Amy Meade

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/09/16

In our FINAL Summer Re-Issue episode, we revisit the story of Amy Meade, who spent 14 years in education, moving from secondary English to primary leadership and eventually deputy and acting headship. Amy loved teaching and wasn’t working in a toxic school, but even after a successful Ofsted she realised the treadmill never stopped. Delaying medical treatment, putting family second, and even looking forward to surgery just to rest, Amy reached her epiphany moment: school could not come before...

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65:44

071 - Pit Pony Revisited: The Summer Series - Gareth...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/09/09

In this deeply reflective reissue, we revisit the story of Gareth Isaac, who entered teaching through the Teach First route in 2014. Within just a few years he was experiencing disassociation, exhaustion and a sense of living outside his own body. Gareth opens up about how perfectionism and people-pleasing pushed him to burnout, the eerie experience of teaching on autopilot, and the moment he confided in a colleague who urged him to see a doctor. Signed off for stress, anxiety and depression,...

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67:30

070 - Pit Pony Revisited: The Summer Series - Katie...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/09/02

In this powerful reissue from our archive, we revisit the story of Katie Stone, a teacher who resisted the profession for years before finally entering via the TA route and discovering a love for the classroom. From her PGCE at Manchester Met to seven years in teaching, Katie describes how the joy of working with children was eroded by pressure, exhaustion and an informal “support plan” that left her anxious, confused and eventually signed off with work-related stress. Pregnant at the time an...

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87:08

069 - Pit Pony Revisited: The Summer Series - Paul...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/08/26

In this powerful Summer Re-Issue, we revisit the story of Paul Lennon, a teacher whose career spanned 28 years and took him across the globe. From Japan, Italy, Malawi, Moscow and Senegal to his final role in Warsaw, Paul built a life around travel, education and family. But after decades of success and fulfilment, his last school brought him face to face with one of the most toxic leadership cultures we have ever heard described on the podcast. Shouted at in meetings, undermined at every tur...

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71:45

068 - Pit Pony Revisited: The Summer Series - Sarah...

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching ·

2025/08/19

In this powerful reissue from our archive, we revisit the story of Sarah Cowen, a teacher whose journey through education reveals the toll of relentless pressure, systemic failures and the struggle to protect her own wellbeing. Sarah speaks openly about her early passion for teaching, the moments of joy with her students, and the devastating impact of burnout and anxiety. She describes the reality of trying to hold everything together while her mental health unraveled, and the difficult choic...

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87 results

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