Game Changers

• Series 18 Episode 205 (Part 1): Dr Donnie Adams: Purposeful Legacy

  The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 205 (Part 1) of Game Changers, Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Dr Donnie Adams! Dr Donnie Adams is based at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia. He obtained his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from University of Malaya under the Bright Sparks scholarship and was awarded the University of Malaya’s Excellence Award 2016: PhD Completion in Less than 3 Years. His significant contributions to the field have been recognised with several awards, including the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (VIC) Fellowship Award 2025 and the Emerald Young Researcher Award 2021 from Emerald Publishing. Additionally, he was featured by Britishpedia as one of the 'Successful People in Malaysia' in Education. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Educational Research and Evaluation and is an editorial board member of several top-tier journals. With a strong commitment to education reform, his work has shaped inclusive school leadership practices across the Asia-Pacific, driving meaningful and systemic change by empowering teachers and future leaders. He has engaged in professional consultation and research partnerships with leading institutions worldwide, including the Ministries of Education in Malaysia and the Maldives, the Department of Education in the Philippines, the British Council in Nepal, ETH Zürich in Switzerland, The HEAD Foundation in Singapore, UNICEF, Teach For Malaysia, and the Asian Universities Alliance. The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE Education. 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 [email protected], on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil via LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Let’s go!

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• Series 18 Episode 204 (Part 3): Dr Ellen Heyting: Putting Research Into Practice

  The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 204 (Part 3) of Game Changers, Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Dr Ellen Heyting! Ellen is a passionate and experienced educator, researcher, and facilitator who works at Melbourne Metrics within the Faculty of Education at The University of Melbourne. She has over a decade of teaching and leadership experience in K-12 IB World Schools in Melbourne, Beijing, Singapore and Helsinki. She holds a PhD in Education from Monash University, a Master's degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology and Media & Communication from the University of Melbourne, and a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education from Deakin University. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Council of Educational Leaders and the Higher Education Academy (HEA), both credentials that recognises her commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. Ellen's research interests include international school teacher identity, the assessment of complex competencies, the International Baccalaureate, and the power of agency in learning. She has led various projects, including the New Metrics International Schools Program, run in partnership between Melbourne Metrics and CIS as well as projects that support agency in learning, rethinking assessment and professional learning communities. Ellen believes that education can be a force to unite people for peace, justice, and a sustainable future, and strives to empower teachers, leaders and learners to develop the competencies they need to thrive at school and beyond. The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE Education. 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 [email protected], on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil via LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Let’s go!

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• Series 18 Episode 204 (Part 2): Dr Ellen Heyting: Seeing Impact

  The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 204 (Part 2) of Game Changers, Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Dr Ellen Heyting! Ellen is a passionate and experienced educator, researcher, and facilitator who works at Melbourne Metrics within the Faculty of Education at The University of Melbourne. She has over a decade of teaching and leadership experience in K-12 IB World Schools in Melbourne, Beijing, Singapore and Helsinki. She holds a PhD in Education from Monash University, a Master's degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology and Media & Communication from the University of Melbourne, and a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education from Deakin University. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Council of Educational Leaders and the Higher Education Academy (HEA), both credentials that recognises her commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. Ellen's research interests include international school teacher identity, the assessment of complex competencies, the International Baccalaureate, and the power of agency in learning. She has led various projects, including the New Metrics International Schools Program, run in partnership between Melbourne Metrics and CIS as well as projects that support agency in learning, rethinking assessment and professional learning communities. Ellen believes that education can be a force to unite people for peace, justice, and a sustainable future, and strives to empower teachers, leaders and learners to develop the competencies they need to thrive at school and beyond. The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE Education. 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 [email protected], on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil via LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Let’s go!

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• Series 18 Episode 204 (Part 1): Dr Ellen Heyting: Social Purpose

  The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 204 (Part 1) of Game Changers, Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Dr Ellen Heyting! Ellen is a passionate and experienced educator, researcher, and facilitator who works at Melbourne Metrics within the Faculty of Education at The University of Melbourne. She has over a decade of teaching and leadership experience in K-12 IB World Schools in Melbourne, Beijing, Singapore and Helsinki. She holds a PhD in Education from Monash University, a Master's degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology and Media & Communication from the University of Melbourne, and a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education from Deakin University. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Council of Educational Leaders and the Higher Education Academy (HEA), both credentials that recognises her commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. Ellen's research interests include international school teacher identity, the assessment of complex competencies, the International Baccalaureate, and the power of agency in learning. She has led various projects, including the New Metrics International Schools Program, run in partnership between Melbourne Metrics and CIS as well as projects that support agency in learning, rethinking assessment and professional learning communities. Ellen believes that education can be a force to unite people for peace, justice, and a sustainable future, and strives to empower teachers, leaders and learners to develop the competencies they need to thrive at school and beyond. The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE Education. 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 [email protected], on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil via LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Let’s go!

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• Series 18 Episode 203 (Part 3): Adam Fraser: Make It Real

  The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 203 (Part 3) of Game Changers, Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Dr Adam Fraser! Dr Adam Fraser has a PhD in Biomedical Science and is the author of the bestselling books, “The Third Space” and “Strive”. He is the director of the e-lab, a research company that partners with different universities around the world to solve challenges. In the last 10 years he has delivered more than 1500 presentations to over half a million people Globally. Dr Adam has shared the stage with the Dalai Lama, Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple), and Sir Ken Robinson (the most watched Ted Talk in history). But what makes Adam such a valuable voice in education is his work in The Flourish Movement. A program he co-founded that helps school leaders build sustainable leadership practices. Designed by school leaders, for school leaders, this program was first delivered in 2017 and since then over 1,100 school leaders have completed the program. Flourish has earned international recognition including an award from the Academy of Management for Best Action Research Paper in 2020. In 2023, Flourish was also a finalist for the prestigious Carolyn B. Dexter Award for the Best International Paper in Organisational Development and Change. More recently, Adam has completed one of the largest research projects in the world into Secondary Traumatic Stress in Educators in Australia in partnership with Deakin University. Personally, Adam is married and is the father to 2 daughters – a tween and a teen, both of whom he tries not to embarrass but seems to fail miserably! The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE Education. 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 [email protected], on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil via LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Let’s go!

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