#25 How supporting adults creates the safety children need to learn, belong, and heal, with Megan Corcoran
Send us a textWhat if the most powerful lever for child healing sits with the adults who show up every day? I sat down with trauma-informed educator and Wagtail Institute founder Megan Corcoran to unpack how belonging transforms classrooms—and why staff wellbeing isn’t a “nice to have,” it’s the backbone of consistent care. Drawing on years in alternative education and leadership, Megan lays out a clear path: support adults, stabilise culture, and simple, universal practices will start doing heavy lifting for learning and behaviour.We explore the everyday moves that make a school feel safe: morning check-ins, predictable routines, regulating as a team, and a tone of unconditional positive regard. Megan and I also dig into secondary traumatic stress—what it looks like, how leaders can name it without stigma, and why peer support and supervision prevent professional dangerousness. You’ll hear how communities of practice create accountability and reduce isolation, and why modelling “this was hard—here’s what I’m doing about it” changes a whole culture more than any poster or policy.At the centre I outline a practical compass: AURA—Accessible, Understanding, Responsive, Attuned. Be accessible by noticing early. Be understanding by naming the experience. Be responsive by offering support proactively. Be attuned by matching affect and guiding back to calm. These aren’t therapy techniques; they’re human habits that, done consistently, rebuild trust. We connect this to better learning: regulated nervous systems encode knowledge, and students who feel they belong can take risks, persist, and grow.If you care about trauma-informed education, teacher retention, and real-world strategies that fit into busy days, this conversation will give you a framework you can use tomorrow and a north star you can build a school around. If it resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators and leaders can find it.Who is Megan?Megan Corcoran is the founder of Wagtail Institute, where she works alongside schools, youth services, and complex settings to strengthen wellbeing and build trauma-informed communities. With nearly twenty years’ experience teaching and leading in alternative education, Megan brings both professional expertise and lived understanding to her work.Her vision is simple but powerful: that every child has a safe and magical childhood, supported by adults who believe in their future. At Wagtail Institute, Megan partners with those adults—educators, carers, and practitioners—helping them to feel supported, heal, and thrive, so they can continue doing this important work.Disclaimer:Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of pdcast owner, Colby PearceSupport the show
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