Something for the Soul

Emotional Boldness with Raoul Joshi

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 16:01:19 GMT

After a little hiatus I'm pleased to bring you this 3rd episode of Season 2, recorded during the Teach for All Social Innovators gathering in South Africa.

Raoul shares the challenge he faced when pivoting from a career in management consulting at McKinsey to becoming a teacher on the Teach for Sweden fellowship. Through emotional boldness he followed his heart and intuition to pursue a new path in education, one that he had long thought of but took courage to navigate. Raoul talks openly about how the fear of failure stopped him from taking the road less travelled until a serendipitous moment led to a conversation that sparked him to be emotionally bold. I think this is such an important conversation that many listeners, particularly those working in corporate mainstream jobs, will relate to. Raoul talks about breaking free from the hamster wheel 'path of least resistance' to challenging the status quo and reskilling to a new career that is aligned with your dreams.

Raoul's pivot from McKinsey has led to him founding Joshico, which partners with Swedish municipalities to design and deliver interventions that align schools, social services, police and healthcare around child welfare. Set up in 2023, Joshico’s programmes have already reached 11,000 school students and they are currently launching work with 3 new municipalities with a reach of 25,000 students. Raoul has also founded Puffin, an organisation that builds lightweight formative-assessment and feedback tools. Both of his ventures tackle systemic barriers to educational equity: Joshico at the policy and service-delivery layer, Puffin at the classroom and family interface. Raoul has co-authored a global study on the impact of artificial intelligence. This is a heart warming episode on creating a liberating career in the world of education.

Guest speaker: Raoul Joshi, Founder of Joshico.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Raoul Joshi @raouljoshi

Joshico

Teach for Sweden @teachforsweden

Teach for All @teachforall

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Sanju thinks about racism, breaking convention and community

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:15:49 GMT

Sanju thinks about racism and what we can do as individuals to combat discrimination of black and brown people, inspired by the guest episode with Jacob Adams, Founder of Inner Spark Learning Lab. Celebrating South Asian Heritage Month, Sanju talks of the ways she has embraced community and co-founded The Bangali Story in the spirit of the theme 'Roots to Routes'. This episode speaks to the notion of breaking convention, and empowers anyone listening to do exactly this, with Sanju highlighting her work to change the law for women with endometriosis.

The 'Sanju thinks...' episodes are released on the 3rd Thursday of every month. They contain Sanju's reflections on the challenge that the guest speaker has shared earlier in the month so make sure you've listened to that episode first! This episode was released a little later than usual and recorded on 24th July 2025.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Jacob Adams @elsnakeob

Inner Spark Learning Lab @innersparklab

@rheatulipartridge

@runnymedetrust

@shabnabegum25

@crowdjustice_

@neelamheerashergill

@cystersgroup

@reachacademyfeltham

@awaawardsuk

@loveliff

@caryrajinder

@rimadas13

@southasianheritagemonth_uk

@smokeandlime

@playsamosa

@aiyyoshraddha

@mohua_chinappa

@thebangalistory

@damsel.collective

@tulipsiddiq

@pointsoflight

@indogenius

@housegospelchoir

@neerscreenprints

@westlondonsinf

@vegetarianbrowngirls

@aakashodedracompany

@ranikhanum.kathak

@rushilmusic

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Positive Disruption with Jacob Adams

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 08:00:39 GMT

It's wonderful to be able to bring you this 2nd episode recorded during the Teach for All Social Entrepreneurs gathering in South Africa, on my Birthday no less!

Jacob shares his experience on the Teach for America programme in a black majority school in Brooklyn, here high poverty levels meant over 95% were on free or reduced cost lunches. He witnessed how rigid discipline policies and top-down control stripped black students of their autonomy. Resolute in his ambition to bring his students an education where they could harness their potential rather than be hindered, Jacob was a disruptor. He challenged the norm by breaking convention and implementing his own methods and ideas for education, despite them not being aligned with the school's rules. Jacob leans into vulnerability to unpack how the strong identity he built as a bi-racial person, gave him the strength of courage to stand by his values and beliefs to be an exemplary teacher, centred in positive disruption.

As a positive disruptor, Jacob has founded Inner Spark Learning Lab where black and brown students have the opportunity to be involved in hands-on, community-driven learning projects designed to foster critical thinking, self-awareness, and social impact. Utilising an holistic approach that integrates STEAM `Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, Inner Spark Learning Lab has grown to annually serve over 1,500 youth through their direct service programs. They have over 30,000 beneficiaries through their curriculum and professional development programs, igniting a ripple effect that extends to schools, families and communities across California. Jacob is recognised as an inspirational leader, having been honoured with multiple fellowships including from 4.0 Schools, Black Equity Collective and Science Sandbox. In this episode, Jacob's humility shines through and makes his words even more empowering - you're going to love listening to him!

Guest speaker: Jacob Adams, Founder and Executive Director of Inner Spark Learning Lab.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Jacob Adams @elsnakeob

Inner Spark Learning Lab @innersparklab

Teach for America @teachforamerica

Teach for All @teachforall

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Sanju thinks about her life's work, family support and identity (and beauty!)

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 08:30:00 GMT

Sanju thinks about what it means to commit to your 'life's work', the importance of family support and how identity and feeling beautiful is rooted in the sense of possibility to take action, inspired by the guest episode with Quim Sabrià, Co-founder and CEO of EdPuzzle. This is a chunky episode highlighting the connections made that have inspired me to take action recently - take a look at all the social media links below to connect with the amazing people I talk about!

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Quim Sabrià @quimsabria

EdPuzzle @edpuzzle

Empieza por Educar @empiezaporeducar

Teach for All @teachforall

R Labs South Africa @rlabsza

Wendy Kopp @wendykopp

Natasha Porter @natasha_unlocked

Ruth Penfold @ruthpenfold

Jhumur Ganguly @jhumur.ganguly

Mohua Chinappa @mohua_chinappa

James Biggin-Lamming

South Asian Sisters Speak @weare_sass

Sohini Banerjee @smokeandlime

Anita Bhagwandas @itsmeanitab

Megha Joshi @meghamillions

Giulia Reichmann @djuleeah

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Taking Action with Quim Sabrià

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 08:00:32 GMT

Hello and welcome to Season 2 of Something for the Soul! I’m delighted to bring you this first episode recorded during the Teach for All Social Entrepreneurs gathering in South Africa! My first guest this season is going to blow you away, as he did me during our very first conversation on the first night of the conference in Cape Town. We grabbed some time between sessions to talk about changing your life - by taking action.

Quim talks with such heart about how a conversation with his grandma about the challenge he was having with his students provoked him to shake things up in his classroom - he actively listened to his students and their parents to understand barriers to learning. It compelled him to take action and build a solution. This led him to the journey of co-founding the edtech platform EdPuzzle at the age of 23 with his 3 best friends, who he had known since they were toddlers. He took a leap of faith and moved from Spain to the United States in seek of support from Silicon Valley startup accelerator Y Combinator and raised $4 million to launch EdPuzzle. Quim made a decision aged 18 that he would commit his life to education and now in his mid-thirties he remains resolute in his ambition to change the world.

Quim's journey into educational innovation began as a teacher through the Empieza por Educar program in Barcelona where he sought to use interactive video content in the classroom. Taking action has led Quim to expand EdPuzzle globally and serve millions of teachers and students across more than 150 countries. Quim talks so beautifully about how he was able to make bold decisions because a different 'perception of risk', which he attributes to the unwavering support of his parents. Quim's story is one of relentless pursuit for enabling children to have an excellent education, he says it is the clarity of commitment that keeps him going on the hardest days. This is an episode that will get you moving and shaking and taking action!

Guest speaker: Quim Sabrià, Co-founder and CEO of EdPuzzle.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Quim Sabrià @quimsabria

EdPuzzle @edpuzzle

Empieza por Educar @empiezaporeducar

Teach for All @teachforall

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Sanju thinks about expectations, overwhelm and nature

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 22:54:06 GMT

Sanju thinks about expectations, inspired by the episode with Blazhka Dimitrova, in particular career expectations and society's expectations that are ever more apparent on social media. She reflects on the feeling of overwhelm, which she has experienced this month, and the tools used to help her, such as meditation (yoga nidra), solitude, disconnecting from communication notifications, poetry, playing the violin, spirituality and her expression of Hinduism including listening to the Gayatri Mantra. Sanju thinks about the serendipity of her conversation with Blazhka and how signs have been pointing towards spending more time in nature.

The 'Sanju thinks...' episodes are released on the 3rd Thursday of every month (but this month on the 4th Thursday!). They contain Sanju's reflections on the challenge that the guest speaker has shared earlier in the month so make sure you've listened to that episode first! This is a longer episode that is the last one in this season, and expresses gratitude for all the guest speakers thus far: Richard Wilson, Natasha Porter, Neha Sahu, Fahd Jamaleddine, Anca Margineanu and Blazhka Dimitrova. Go back and listen to these insightful episodes if you haven't already.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Blazhka Dimitrova @blagadiary

Blagichka Zero Waste @blagichkapastry

Village Farm @farm2ubg

Teach for All @teachforall

Jania Geoghegan @janiageoghegan

Ruth Penfold @ruthpenfold

Laura Hearn @laura_lhearn

Websites:

Madrinha Trust

Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra

Lina Ramchand Lightwave Therapy

Tansy in the Wild

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

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Setting Expectations with Blazhka Dimitrova

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 16:00:00 GMT

Blazhka shares the challenge she had feeling the weight of other people's expectations, namely her family and friends, when she decided to choose a path that was different to what they expected for her. I think this is something that we can all relate to which is why this is such a powerful episode. Blazhka shares the work she did to identify the values she had and also the values she wanted to have - she realised the former were driven by external expectations and not her own. She highlights the things that have assisted her when she is feeling conflicted on expectations, such as being clear on her motives, taking time for daily reflections and considering what is happening in her body when she is experiencing certain emotions, using learnings from the Huberman Lab podcast. Blazhka talks through the journey she went on to setting expectations that make her happy and have led her to an inspiring new chapter for her restaurant Blagichka, the first zero-waste restaurant in Bulgaria.

Get to know Blazhka in the first half of the podcast as talks about where her drive and motivation around a zero waste philosophy began as a student at Sofia Univerisity. She shares how she combined this passion with teaching on the Teach for Bulgaria programme to enable a learning experience for her students that led to starting Blagichka. The restaurant gives disadvantaged young people the opportunity to work in their kitchen and develop key skills. Blazhka beautifully describes how she has gone back to her roots in the village to establish a circular approach to the restaurant's sustainability as she goes through an exciting re-launch on 1 June 2024. It's a simply wonderful story.

Guest speaker: Blazhka Dimitrova, Founder and CEO of Blagichka in Bulgaria.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Blazhka Dimitrova @blagadiary

Blagichka Zero Waste @blagichkapastry

Village Farm @farm2ubg

Teach for Bulgaria @teachforbulgaria

Teach for All @teachforall

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Sanju thinks about crisis response, problem solving and side-hustles

Thu, 30 May 2024 12:31:53 GMT

Sanju thinks about how we can respond to crisis, anchored in the motto "start with something", that Anca Margineanu shared. Sanju reflects on how we can all have an important cause that we feel strongly about in our own community or further afield that we can support through social action - this is the foundation on which RISE is built, solving for the education crisis in rural India. She thinks about problem solving at the centre of changing the world through social innovation and how more people dedicating their time to a social mission as a 'side-hustle' has the power to effect real change. Sanju believes that anyone has the capacity to be a social innovator at any scale and encourages you to get in touch if you want help with getting started.

The 'Sanju thinks...' episodes are released on the 3rd Thursday of every month (but this month the 5th Thursday!). They contain Sanju's reflections on the challenge that the guest speaker has shared earlier in the month so make sure you've listened to that episode first!

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Anca Margineanu @ancamargineanu3

Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest @utcbro

Teach for All @teachforall

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Crisis Management with Anca Margineanu

Thu, 16 May 2024 07:30:00 GMT

Anca shares the challenge she had managing crisis - responding to the Ukraine war by building a Refugee Centre, now the biggest centre for Ukrainian refugees in Romania. She shares the difficult road she navigated in the face of a desperately harrowing situation, using the power of collaboration, partnerships and sponsorships to provide accommodation and a range of social services to the refugees. From this experience, Anca now believes anything is possible with motivation and passion for an important cause, even if you have no prior experience and even when you have other responsibilities like a full time job! Anca's humility shines through in her extraordinary story that can empower anyone to get involved in a social mission to help your community.

Get to know Anca in the first half of the podcast as she shares her experience of Teach for Romania as a fellow and then as Head of Alumni. Anca works full time at the Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest (UTCB) where she is the institutional coordinator for EU-CONEXUS, a partnership of 9 universities across Europe who are developing science and innovation into a hub of excellence on Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability. Since February 2022 Anca has also managed the UTCB Refugee Centre and supported thousands of refugees from Ukraine.

Guest speaker: Anca Margineanu, Founder and Co-ordinator of the UTCB Refugee Centre in Romania.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Anca Margineanu @ancamargineanu3

Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest @utcbro

Teach for Romania @teachforromania

Teach for All @teachforall

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sanju thinks...from a village called Shondanga

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 12:59:05 GMT

Sanju thinks about the narrative that led to her setting up RISE almost 15 years ago, rooted in her love of rural India, her cultural heritage and sense of belonging to West Bengal, specifically the village of Shondanga. This is a special episode recorded at Sanju's family home in Shondanga, which meant that her reflections on the powerful episode on Creative Recovery with Fahd Jamaleddine, Co-founder and Transformation Catalyst at nafda, were able to be more intentional. Take a virtual tour of Shondanga in the reel here by Purva Parwani, a fellow Teach for All social innovator and friend who recently stayed with Sanju and depicts her family home full of love here.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Fahd @itsfahdd

nafda @nafda_lebanon

Teach for All @teachforall

Purva Parwani @purvainawrap

Vivek Kaushik @viveksrkaushik

Brototy Mishra @brototy

Aheli Jana @thats_so_aheli

Claylab @claylab.education

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Creative Recovery with Fahd Jamaleddine

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 07:30:00 GMT

Fahd shares the challenge he has had working through the narrative that has guided his social entrepreneur journey, facing into trauma he experienced as a teenager and questioning what should guide the future re-invention of himself. He talks beautifully about having your north star to aid focus, the importance of self-love and how to build resilience through creative recovery. Fahd shares the tools he has used to build his sense of possibility mindset which have enabled him to tune into his higher self and purpose.

Get to know Fahd in the first half of the podcast as he shares his incredible story of co-founding three organisations reforming education in Lebanon over the past 10 years: Inspiration Garden - a centre in Tripoli that cultivates experiential learning in a safe, creative, green environment for holistic skills development, Learning Land - a grassroots community of 6,000 educators fostering professional growth and innovation for meaningful education reform and nafda - a movement of social transformation through education anchored in 3 core values of engaged citizenship, good governance and social justice.

Guest speaker: Fahd Jamaleddine, Co-Founder and Transformation Catalyst at nafda

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Fahd Jamaleddine @itsfahdd

nafda @nafda_lebanon

Teach for Lebanon @teachforlebanon

Teach for All @teachforall

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Sanju thinks about empathy, imposter syndrome and winning at life

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 08:30:40 GMT

Sanju thinks about the beautiful story that this month's guest Neha Sahu shared of her students from India visiting London as winners of the School Football League and reflects on the power of empathy during that trip. She highlights the Empathy Week Teacher CPD event she attended and reflects on empathy as the driver for creativity and how her early experiences of rural West Bengal led to setting up RISE. Sanju thinks about the challenge that Neha raised on career transitions and considers how to reframe imposter syndrome, inspired by the recent words of Oscar nominee America Ferrera and the Step Up Leadership event she attended on the concept of Ikigai - the reason for being. She also talks about what winning at life means to her right now.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Neha Sahu @sahusan

Launch Girls @launch_grls

Teach for All @teachforall

Ed Kirwan @EdKirwan

Empathy Week @TheEmpathyWeek

Ben Hobbis @MrBHobbis

Step Up Network @StepUpNet_Ed

Hannah Wilson @Ethical_Leader

Nav Sanghara @NavSanghara

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Career Transitions with Neha Sahu

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:30:00 GMT

Neha shares the challenge she faced when she took a sabbatical - how the comparative stillness led to feelings of imposter syndrome and needing to seek external validation which led to people pleasing. She talks about how she worked through this, applying her own mechanisms to “win at life” again and creating a work ecosystem that is a "match", which she believes everyone can strive for.

Get to know Neha in the first half of the podcast as she shares her fascinating journey co-founding Just for Kicks, for the most disadvantaged children in India to learn life skills through football - an idea she developed whilst on the Teach for India fellowship. Neha went on to experience a merger with Enabling Leadership where she was Director of Global Operations and Development before co-founding Launch Girls.

Guest speaker: Neha Sahu, Co-Founder and COO of Launch Girls

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Neha Sahu @sahusan

Launch Girls @launch_grls

Enabling Leadership @enablingleadershipglobal

Teach for India @teachforindia

Teach for All @teachforall

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sanju thinks about when burnout led to a career crossroads

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 08:30:00 GMT

Sanju thinks about the time she experienced a form of burnout whilst establishing RISE and simultaneously starting her job at Accenture and the important decision she had to make about which path to take in her career. She reflects on the aspects that this month's guest Natasha Porter OBE raised on combatting burnout, namely 'right-sizing' roles at work and being honest about where you get your self esteem from in life, figuring out your 'canary in the mine' and keeping a positive mindset.

The 'Sanju thinks...' episodes will be released on the 3rd Thursday of every month. They contain Sanju's reflections on the challenge that the guest speaker has shared earlier in the month so make sure you've listened to that episode first!

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Natasha Porter @world_of_natasha

Unlocked Graduates @unlockedgrads

Teach First @teachfirstuk

Teach for All @teachforall

Pinky Lilani @pinkylilani

Asian Women of Achievement Awards @awaawardsuk

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Beating Burnout with Natasha Porter OBE

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:30:00 GMT

Natasha shares a refreshingly honest account of when she experienced burnout in a senior leadership role, which she worked through by what she calls "right-sizing". She talks candidly about letting self-esteem be driven by her job and the work she did to reframe what she gets worth from in life.

Get to know Natasha in the first half of the podcast as she talks about doing Teach First, being on the founding team for King Solomon Academy in London and setting up Unlocked Graduates, having worked with Dame Sally Coates on her Government-commissioned review into prison education in the UK.

Guest speaker: Natasha Porter OBE, Founder and CEO of Unlocked Graduates.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Natasha Porter @world_of_natasha

Unlocked Graduates @unlockedgrads

Teach First @teachfirstuk

Teach for All @teachforall

Brett Wigdortz @Wigdortz

Dame Julia Cleverdon @Julia_Cleverdon

Totteridge Academy @totteridgeacad

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Sanju thinks...

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 23:55:44 GMT

Sanju thinks about what led to launching Something for the Soul, shares a little bit more on the purpose of the podcast, who it is aimed at and what she hopes will come out of it.

This is a bitesize introduction to the 'Sanju thinks...' episodes, which will be released on the 3rd Thursday of every month. They will contain Sanju's reflections on the challenge that the guest speaker has shared earlier in the month so make sure you've listened to that episode first!

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Teach First @teachfirstuk

Teach for All @teachforall

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Year Reset with Richard Wilson

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:30:47 GMT

With the New Year in mind, Richard shares a personal challenge that he describes as an “all pervasive malaise” which led to a reset in his goals, prioritising the non-negotiables. He talks openly about the work he did to get back the power to make things better in his life.

Get to know Richard in the first half of the podcast as he talks about his move from management consulting to teaching to setting up Maths Pathway, applying process improvement and efficiency to systemic change in education in Australia.

Guest speaker: Richard Wilson, Co-Founder and Chief Visionary of Maths Pathway.

If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram or Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Social media:

Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks

RISE @risecharity

Richard Wilson @richardevanwilson

Maths Pathway @mathspathway

Teach for Australia @teachforaustralia

Teach for All @teachforall

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.