Home Podcasts Shine On - an Early Childhood Education Podcast
Shine On - an Early Childhood Education Podcast

Shine On - an Early Childhood Education Podcast

Shine Bright Early Years Advisors 33 Episodes Jan 29, 2026

Shine On is a podcast series from Shine Bright Early Years Advisors, created for current and future early childhood education professionals. Each episode engages, celebrates, and advocates for the early years sector through collaborative discussions with industry experts. Topics include maintaining joy and professionalism, making every moment matter, collaborative generative thinking, foregrounding First Nations perspectives, and meaningful documentation. The podcast draws inspiration from the guiding philosophy document 'The Shine Bright Way' and aims to bring big ideas and conversations from across the early childhood sector.

Episodes

SUMMER REPLAY: Mental health and wellbeing in early childhood education with Be You consultant Nicole Lees
SUMMER REPLAY: Mental health and wellbeing in early childhood education with Be You consultant Nicole Lees Jan 29, 2026 3463 (Originally published Nov 2023)Alex and Sophie are in conversation with Nicole Lees. Nicole  is a consultant for Be You with Early Childhood Australia. Nicole’s background includes educator and leadership roles, consultancy and research. She spent several years working in the education sector in Japan and South Korea. Nicole’s experience in early childhood education across three different countrie
SUMMER REPLAY: Every moment matters in early childhood education with Kathryn Foley
SUMMER REPLAY: Every moment matters in early childhood education with Kathryn Foley Jan 22, 2026 2753 (Originally published Nov 2023)Kathryn Foley is kindergarten teacher at Nyah West Kindergarten, where she has taught for 35 years. In this episode, Alex and Sophie speak with Kathryn about making every moment matter in early childhood, being brave in trying new things, what it means to be 'school ready', inquiry based projects, coaching in early childhood spaces and so much more! 
SUMMER REPLAY: Leadership and professionalism with Belinda Quinn
SUMMER REPLAY: Leadership and professionalism with Belinda Quinn Jan 15, 2026 2864 (Originally published Nov 2023) In this episode Crystal and Alex speak to Shine Bright Maiden Gully Early Years Hub manager Belinda Quinn. This conversation covers Belinda's career journey, balancing the demands of leadership, the experience of establishing a brand new early learning centre and all she has learnt along the way. Belinda shares with us the details of an exciting research projec
SUMMER REPLAY: Wellbeing and arts-based reflective practice with Amelia Johnson
SUMMER REPLAY: Wellbeing and arts-based reflective practice with Amelia Johnson Jan 8, 2026 2253 (Orginially published Oct 2023) In this episode, Crystal and Sophie are in conversation with Amelia Johnson. Amelia Johnson is a social worker, art therapist and PhD student. She is also a proud mother of 3 adult children, a daughter, sister, niece, aunty, friend and lover of making, creating and enjoying the simple things. She began her career in family support and co-ordinating mentor programs.
SUMMER REPLAY: Bush Kinder with Nicole Howie
SUMMER REPLAY: Bush Kinder with Nicole Howie Jan 1, 2026 2629 (Originally published Oct 2023)Have you ever thought about establishing a bush kinder program? In this episode, Alex and Sophie are in conversation with Nicole Howie. We explore what bush kinder looks like at Shine Bright Huntly Kindergarten, the incredible benefits and learning outcomes for children,  and the challenges that arise from time to time. With some beautiful anecdotes along the way, th
Dr. Justin Coulson in conversation with Alex and Sophie
Dr. Justin Coulson in conversation with Alex and Sophie Dec 10, 2025 2561 We are so excited to bring you this conversation with Dr Justin Coulson for our season finale! Dr Justin Coulson has a phD in Psychology, and is one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts. Justin is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance, and the founder of happyfamilies.com.au.  He is the author of multiple books about raising children and is a trusted voice i
Post-Pandemic Childhood: what the data and your stories tells us about the COVID generation
Post-Pandemic Childhood: what the data and your stories tells us about the COVID generation Nov 28, 2025 2054 Educators have often wondered how the COVID pandemic impacted children's learning and development. The research is starting to emerge, and in this episode Crystal and Sophie take you through what the data is telling us, how it connects to your stories from the classroom, and what we should focus on to support children and families to thrive. This episode will appeal to early childhood educato
Leading Through Relationships and Teamwork: A Conversation with Adrian Pattra-McLean, Farran Street Education
Leading Through Relationships and Teamwork: A Conversation with Adrian Pattra-McLean, Farran Street Education Nov 5, 2025 1955 Alex and Sophie are in conversation with Adrian Pattra-McLean in this episode, discussing how we can utilise skills we already have as educators to enhance teamwork, relationships, communication and accountability. With over 15-years of experience, Adrian is a well-respected professional consultant and educator with a Master of Education (Ed. Psychology) and a Bachelor of Education (Human Resource
Upskilling from Diploma to Bachelor with Adele Brown
Upskilling from Diploma to Bachelor with Adele Brown Oct 22, 2025 1747 In this episode, we chat with Adele Brown, an inspiring early childhood educator who has upskilled from her Diploma of Early Childhood Education to her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. Adele shares what motivated her to return to study, the challenges she’s faced while balancing work, life, and learning, and the incredible support that’s helped her along the way. As she prepares to complete
Book Club with Crystal and Sophie
Book Club with Crystal and Sophie Oct 8, 2025 1181 Crystal is back in the recording studio with some books she's been itching to share! Join us for our third book club episode and get your pens ready - you'll want to take note of the books we're recommending today. Head over to our socials and let us know if you pick these titles up! Books discussed:The Magic Is In You by Brooke Vitale and Colin Hosten, illustrated by Grace LeeBidhi
Educator Toolkit - fine motor activities and group games inspirations
Educator Toolkit - fine motor activities and group games inspirations Sep 24, 2025 864 Find yourself doing the same learning experiences over and over? Looking for some inspiration on different activities you can try? Welcome to the Educator Toolkit series from Shine On Podcast, where our Shine Bright educators share their practice, inspiration and ideas. First up - fine motor skills and group games! Thank you to Jas, Belinda, Katie and Shez for sharing their practice with us! Do yo
Supported Playgroups and Communities for Children with Wendy Irving and Mim Brown
Supported Playgroups and Communities for Children with Wendy Irving and Mim Brown Sep 10, 2025 2255 They say it takes a village to raise a child... but how do we build the village?Wendy Irving and Mim Brown join us in this episode to discuss the benefits of the Shine Bright Supported Playgroup model and other family-centered projects run by Communities For Children Bendigo. Throughout the conversation we’ll explore Wendy and Mim’s important roles within the community, what their projects look li

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