Game Changers

The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 216 (Part 1) of Game Changers, Professor Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Emily FitzSimons

Emily is an experienced educational leader and is currently the Principal at Overnewton Anglican Community College, an independent, coeducational school with approximately 2,100 students from Prep – Year 12, situated on two campuses in​ Melbourne’s Northwest.

Emily leads Overnewton’s commitment to fostering a positive, inclusive, and courageous school culture, where each child is known and cherished for their uniqueness but, importantly, is also called to be a thoughtful and​ compassionate citizen of the world.

Prior to her current role, Emily held the positions of Director of Teaching and Learning, and Director​ of the Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation at The Geelong College, and Director of​ Learning and Teaching Excellence at St Peter’s College in Adelaide. Whilst at St Peter’s, Emily held​ a diversity of other roles, including seven years caring for boys in the Boarding House, and Head of Positive Education.

A key aspect of Emily’s leadership is her ability to lead high-performing teams and evolve​ organisational culture. She possesses a keen interest in staff development, efficacy and growth,​ and in College-wide wellbeing programs, aimed at developing resilience and character through a​ holistic approach.​

With almost 30 years of classroom and middle leadership experience prior to her senior roles,​ Emily has a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education with majors in English Literature and History.​ She has a Masters in Education from the University of Newcastle, a Graduate Certificate in​ Neuroscience for Learning from Flinders University and, significantly, holds Masters of Applied​ Positive Psychology (MAPP) from the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil and Adriano via LinkedIn and Twitter. Let’s go!

The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 215 (Part 3) of Game Changers, Professor Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Amanda J. Pooley.

Amanda Pooley is a child and adolescent psychologist, educator, and respected leader in educational innovation. With over 20 years’ experience across clinical, academic, and leadership roles, she brings rare insight into how students learn - and how educators can be empowered to help them thrive. Her career includes founding Australia’s first educational research institute within a private school and building a Board of global leaders from Cambridge, Oxford, and NYU. Amanda has led globally recognised research and evidence-based initiatives that have improved both academic performance and wellbeing. She holds degrees in Psychology, Education Leadership, and an MBA from AGSM UNSW, along with credentials from Cambridge and Wharton.

Amanda founded Excelar to address a clear gap: scalable, evidence-based personalisation tools that empower - not replace – teachers. Excelar is the culmination of her research, practice, and leadership. She is also a sought-after speaker and advisor on AI in education and is widely recognised for her ability to translate cutting-edge research into practical, scalable change.

“Personalised learning is no longer a distant vision. With Excelar, it is here today — practical, scalable, and evidence-based.”

The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil and Adriano via LinkedIn and Twitter. Let’s go!

The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 215 (Part 2) of Game Changers, Professor Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Amanda J. Pooley.

Amanda Pooley is a child and adolescent psychologist, educator, and respected leader in educational innovation. With over 20 years’ experience across clinical, academic, and leadership roles, she brings rare insight into how students learn - and how educators can be empowered to help them thrive. Her career includes founding Australia’s first educational research institute within a private school and building a Board of global leaders from Cambridge, Oxford, and NYU. Amanda has led globally recognised research and evidence-based initiatives that have improved both academic performance and wellbeing. She holds degrees in Psychology, Education Leadership, and an MBA from AGSM UNSW, along with credentials from Cambridge and Wharton.

Amanda founded Excelar to address a clear gap: scalable, evidence-based personalisation tools that empower - not replace – teachers. Excelar is the culmination of her research, practice, and leadership. She is also a sought-after speaker and advisor on AI in education and is widely recognised for her ability to translate cutting-edge research into practical, scalable change.

“Personalised learning is no longer a distant vision. With Excelar, it is here today — practical, scalable, and evidence-based.”

The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil and Adriano via LinkedIn and Twitter. Let’s go!

The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 215 (Part 1) of Game Changers, Professor Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Amanda J. Pooley.

Amanda Pooley is a child and adolescent psychologist, educator, and respected leader in educational innovation. With over 20 years’ experience across clinical, academic, and leadership roles, she brings rare insight into how students learn - and how educators can be empowered to help them thrive. Her career includes founding Australia’s first educational research institute within a private school and building a Board of global leaders from Cambridge, Oxford, and NYU. Amanda has led globally recognised research and evidence-based initiatives that have improved both academic performance and wellbeing. She holds degrees in Psychology, Education Leadership, and an MBA from AGSM UNSW, along with credentials from Cambridge and Wharton.

Amanda founded Excelar to address a clear gap: scalable, evidence-based personalisation tools that empower - not replace – teachers. Excelar is the culmination of her research, practice, and leadership. She is also a sought-after speaker and advisor on AI in education and is widely recognised for her ability to translate cutting-edge research into practical, scalable change.

“Personalised learning is no longer a distant vision. With Excelar, it is here today — practical, scalable, and evidence-based.”

The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil and Adriano via LinkedIn and Twitter. Let’s go!

The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 214 (Part 3) of Game Changers, Professor Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Associate Professor Tom Brunzell .

Associate Professor Tom Brunzell (PhD) is an internationally recognised leader in trauma-informed education and wellbeing sciences at the University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education. He examines the impacts of trauma-informed pedagogies through the interdisciplinary integration of the sciences of learning, engagement, and wellbeing, with a particular emphasis on trauma-informed school and education leadership to support both student and staff outcomes. Tom was the creator of the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) and is now an Honorary Fellow at Berry Street Yooralla, in addition to being an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University School of Education.

The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil and Adriano via LinkedIn and Twitter. Let’s go!