From Teacher to Charity CEO: Krista Cartlidge's Leadership Journey

On this episode of the Evolve to Succeed Podcast, Warren Munson is joined by Krista Cartlidge, CEO of MYTIME Young Carers, to explore her journey from secondary school teacher to leading a nationally recognised organisation supporting young carers. Krista shares how frustrations within the education system led her to discover the hidden challenges faced by young carers, and why that discovery completely changed the direction of her career. Since joining MYTIME, she has helped grow the charity into a nationally respected voice, influencing policy, collecting groundbreaking data, and helping drive changes within schools and Ofsted frameworks. This is an honest, insightful, and deeply human conversation about leadership, purpose, resilience, and creating long-term impact. If you enjoy the episode, make sure to subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who would find the conversation valuable. What The Episode Covers Krista's journey from education into the charity sector Why the education system was failing young carers The hidden realities faced by young carers Transitioning from teacher to CEO Building and scaling MYTIME during Covid Leadership lessons learned while growing a charity The similarities between charities and startups Managing culture, governance and growth The importance of data in driving systemic change Lobbying Ofsted and influencing national policy Sustainable income models for charities The emotional impact of leading purpose-driven organisations Creating long-term systemic change for young carers   Chapters 00:00 – Who is Krista Cartlidge and what does MYTIME do? 01:10 – What drew Krista into teaching and education? 05:01 – Why did Krista leave the education sector? 07:10 – How did discovering young carers change everything? 09:37 – What were the early days of leading MYTIME really like? 14:14 – What leadership lessons came from building a growing charity? 18:18 – How did MYTIME influence Ofsted and national policy? 29:28 – What challenges come with scaling a purpose-led organisation? 31:32 – How did MYTIME create sustainable income streams? 43:39 – How do you build a strong culture inside a charity? 49:28 – What legacy does Krista want to leave behind?