E186: Summer ReRun - From budding national child gymnast to HR - what even is that and what’s the journey? Suzy Rowntree chats with Jane & Liv

Summer Rerun: Suzy RowntreeFor this Summer Rerun, we're heading all the way back to Episode 9 of The School Run Podcast and a conversation that feels just as relevant today.Jane and Liv are joined by Suzy Rowntree, a senior people leader whose own journey is a brilliant reminder that success rarely follows a neat, predictable path.Suzy talks openly about struggling at school, failing GCSEs and A-levels, and the end of a promising career in rhythmic gymnastics after reaching national level. What felt like failure at the time, however, became part of a much bigger story.From studying media and dreaming of becoming a TV presenter to eventually discovering a career centred around people, leadership and culture, Suzy shares what she's learned about finding your strengths, taking opportunities, embracing change and refusing to let academic results define you.And there's a question running through the whole conversation that remains at the heart of The School Run Podcast:What if school helped young people understand who they are, not simply what grades they can achieve?A warm, funny and thought-provoking trip back to one of our earliest episodes, and a conversation well worth hearing again.SUPPORT THE SCHOOL RUN PODCASTFor us, podcasting has always been about learning, sharing stories and having conversations that matter. Our episodes are completely free to listen to, but there are some small costs involved in creating the podcast.So, if you fancy buying us a virtual cup of tea, or perhaps Liv’s favourite Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frappe with soya milk, coffee and cream, while we’re planning future episodes, you can support us here:⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theschoolrun⁠GET IN TOUCHWe genuinely love hearing from you.You can find us publicly or privately on our socials:@theschoolrun_official @mrsjanejames on InstagramOr search for and follow Jane James on Facebook.If you have a story you think we should hear, please get in touch with us directly at:⁠[email protected]⁠LITTLE VOICESFor more information about Jane’s company, Little Voices, visit:⁠http://www.littlevoices.org.uk⁠PODCAST PRODUCTIONThe School Run Podcast is edited and produced by Mike Roberts from Making Digital Real.There’s quite a bit of magic that happens behind the scenes before each episode reaches you, from enhancing the audio and editing the conversations to creating the show notes, titles and getting everything ready for release.We’re incredibly grateful to Mike for being such an important part of The School Run Podcast team.Find out more about Mike and Making Digital Real:⁠https://makingdigitalreal.co.uk/⁠DISCLAIMERAll views expressed in this podcast are those of the individual participants.The information, opinions and recommendations presented are for general information only, and any reliance on information provided in the podcast is at your own risk.We’re simply a mum and daughter sharing our thoughts, experiences and personal stories, while chatting with guests we genuinely respect.Please seek appropriate professional advice whenever you need it.