The Big Hearted Podcast: Recent Episodes
Victoria Edmond
The Big Hearted Podcast has been created for educators to find inspiration and gather ideas for their own educational practice and to help broaden their perspectives on all aspects from education and care practices, to business and balancing their lives.
Victoria Edmond has been involved with early years education for well over a decade. She has been the managing Director of Rainbow Bridge Family Day Care since 2012, and branched out with business partners Marta Koncz and Jess Thomas to create Big Hearted Education.
After seeing how educators had difficulties with understanding the programming requirements, felt isolated and unsupported in their role, and had at times very little business guidance, they set about creating courses and resources to help educators feel confident in their own abilities.
The Big Hearted Podcast is released weekly and features solo episodes from Victoria, as well as interviews with educators and specialists who can help educators to look at their business from a unique perspective.
In this soul-touching episode, join us as we talk through deep reflections, life experiences, and insights that might just reshape your perspective on life and its various challenges. Rebecca shares so warmly of her life experience. Why Listen? 🌟 Discover the Art of Energy Preservation: Feel constantly drained? Understand the deeper layers of guarding your energy beyond just learning to say no. 🌟 Unravel the Strength in Overcoming Challenges: Learn how life's toughest waves have a unique way of unveiling the strength within us, and how to ride them with grace. 🌟 Embrace New Norms: Whether it's holidays, families, or personal choices, discover the beauty in sidestepping conventions and building your own traditions. 🎧 Topics Covered: 1️⃣ Guarding One's Energy: Dive deep into the intricacies of understanding and respecting one's capacity, and how it can lead to more fulfilling experiences. 2️⃣ Tackling Life's Challenges: A profound exploration of how our toughest moments can teach us the most valuable lessons and reinforce our resilience. 3️⃣ Redefining Traditions: How liberating oneself from societal norms and expectations can lead to unexpected joys and deeper connections. 4️⃣ Champagne Lounges & Power of Connection: Understand the idea behind virtual sanctuaries and how genuine connections can provide solace in our fast-paced world. 💡 Actionable Takeaways: ✨ Create your unique sanctuary, whether online or offline, to nurture genuine connections. ✨ Regularly introspect and respect your personal boundaries to preserve your energy and mental well-being. ✨ Embrace non-traditional paths and norms. Challenge the status quo and explore the beauty in the unconventional. Your journey is unique, and every reflection, story, and insight shared here can be a guiding light on your path. Stay tuned for more heartfelt discussions and enlightening insights. Tune in now for a conversation that warms the soul and stimulates the mind! You can follow Rebecca here https://www.instagram.com/therebeccasaunders/
Finding Balance and Boosting Your FDC Vibe! Hello, hello, we're diving right back into the world of deep self care, boundaries and balance, this time with a twist. Fresh off our latest Summit, we're flipping things around to give you a fresh perspective. Ready for the good stuff? Let's roll! Episode Highlights: Dream Big, But Pace It Right: Let’s explore the balance between chasing those big dreams and maintaining our daily mojo. It’s all about setting goals that uplift, not overwhelm. Dive Deep Inside: This segment is all about soul-searching. We'll discuss the importance of understanding our values and beliefs and how they shape our FDC journey. All About That Self-Care: Taking care of numero uno! We'll dive into the art of self-care, why it’s vital in our profession, and how to shake off that guilt when putting ourselves first. Nail That First Meet: I go through the points making a stellar first impression during those crucial family interviews. Let's set the stage for a great relationship. Setting Boundaries, Saving Sanity: Passionate about your job? We'll discuss the importance of boundaries to ensure that the fire keeps burning bright. Those Tricky Conversations: The chats we all kind of dread. We’ll share some insights and tips on navigating those challenging convos with families. Interviewing Like a Boss: Making waves with those first impressions! We discuss how to start off on the right foot with new families. Saturday Chats? Yes, Please!: Weekday madness, be gone! We'll dive into the idea of chilled Saturday catch-ups for more in-depth, relaxed convos with parents. Client-Centered Care is Gold: Ending on a Powerful Note! We’ll emphasise the beauty of seeing and understanding each child and parent’s unique story, enhancing our FDC magic. Keep those headphones on, hit play, and let’s chill together on this journey through FDC wisdom. Catch you in the episode!
Hello, lovely listeners! No matter when you're tuning in, whether it's morning, afternoon, or evening, I'm sending you a warm welcome your way. Today’s episode might be a quick one, but it's chock-full of stories, insights, and a whole lot of passion. We'll dive into why I started the summit, the crazy, unpredictable journey that led us here, and a few unexpected tales sprinkled in between. If you've ever wondered about the behind-the-scenes of family daycare in Australia, or just need a burst of contagious energy to lift your spirits, this one's for you. Grab your cup of coffee or tea, and let's dive right in! A little word of warning, I did say the S-word....twice! So maybe don't listen while the children are around!
Hey there, beautiful FDC family! 🎙️💕 Today, we're cozying up with a cuppa to chat about something close to our hearts and important for our professional growth: Virtual PD. 🍎📚
Ever felt like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? Between the joyful chaos of children running around and the soothing lullabies at naptime, finding a moment for ourselves, let alone professional development, can be tricky. But what if PD came to you, right at the comfort of your home? 🏡✨
We're unfolding the top 10 ways virtual PD is changing the game for us Family Day Care educators. From squeezing in sessions between snack times to connecting with fellow educators from all corners of Australia, virtual PD is proving to be a game-changer.
And guess what? I am bringin this episode just in time for the Connectins and Communities in FDC Virtual Summit! Ha.....that is good timing Victoria!!
So, grab your favorite drink, settle down, and let's chat about the beautiful blend of caring for our little ones and growing ourselves, all through the magic of virtual PD. 💬🌟
Press play and let’s dive into this together!
In this podcast episode, celebrating the my birthday, the focus is on the transformative power of connection and community. I invite you to join the summit, and the importance of expanding networks is emphasised. I delves into how community engagement leads to collaborations, partnerships, and learning from diverse perspectives, fostering personal and professional growth. The significance of giving back, support systems, increased visibility, and recognition within a community is discussed, along with the positive impact on self-confidence and skill development. The upcoming summit is highlighted, offering insightful sessions to deepen understanding and contribute to a thriving community. The episode concludes with gratitude and encouragement to seek meaningful connections and growth within their communities.
Welcome to the Big Hearted POdcast, where I am talking all things Connections and Community in FDC Summit! In this episode, we'll explore the big reasons behind the event, designed exclusively for family daycare educators. The summit is all about fostering strong connections with ourselves, the children in our care, their families, and the wider community. We'll share inspiring conversations with phenomenal speakers, discussing the importance of intentional involvement and the lifelong learning benefits that come from building a nurturing and supportive community. Join me to discover the power of connections and how they shape the growth and development of the children we care for. In this podcast, I'm thrilled to introduce the Connections and Community Summit, a unique event for family daycare educators. Our focus is on building meaningful connections with ourselves, the children, their families, and the wider community. Exciting conversations with exceptional speakers await, as we explore the impact of intentional involvement and the long-term benefits of creating a supportive community. Join me as we discover the joy of lifelong learning and the power of connections in shaping the lives of the children in our care.
Hello, hello, and welcome to this week's podcast. It has been a couple of weeks since I've been on the podcast horse, and I must admit, jumping back in feels a bit peculiar. Nevertheless, the cat's out of the bag now. I'm thrilled to announce the official launch of the very first Family Daycare Virtual Summit for educators in Australia. I am absolutely ecstatic to share this exciting news and the entire summit process with you.
Key Points:
- Introduction and Summit Announcement: After the brief hiatus, I'm back and eager to share the wonderful news of the Family Daycare Virtual Summit. It's the first of its kind, catering specifically to educators in family daycare across Australia. Don't miss out on this historic event; be sure to grab your free tickets right away!
- Behind the Summit: The idea for the summit came to me during the Kristen R. B. Peterson Summit, which sparked the inspiration to bring a similar event to Australia. Overcoming self-doubt and thoughts of inadequacy, I persevered in creating something valuable for all of you. After much contemplation, I settled on the theme of "Connections and Community" to address the challenges of exhaustion and burnout within our community.
- Importance of Connections and Community: I want to share my personal experience with burnout and feeling disconnected. I discovered that making meaningful connections with others in our profession was a significant part of my healing process. This summit aims to unite us and provide much-needed support to family daycare educators. Unlike many conferences and workshops that focus solely on long daycare, our summit offers accessible learning for all family daycare educators.
- Accessible Professional Growth: The summit presents a unique opportunity for professional growth and development. Often, family daycare educators operate in isolation, making it difficult to find suitable professional development opportunities. By attending the summit, you'll gain access to valuable resources and engage in inspiring conversations with like-minded professionals. Remember, our strength lies in our unity, so don't forget to share this summit with your fellow educators.
Outro: As we wrap up this episode, I urge you to take full advantage of the Family Daycare Virtual Summit. Embrace the connections and sense of community it offers. I'm grateful for your support, and I'm confident that this summit will contribute to the growth and resilience of the family daycare community throughout Australia. Thank you for being a part of this journey, and let's create an even stronger and more united family daycare profession together!
Hey there, welcome back to another episode of the podcast! I'm so thrilled to continue our conversation on self-care because it's clear that many of you resonated with the previous episode. So, if you haven't had a chance to listen to that one yet, go ahead and give it a listen before diving into this episode. It'll all flow together like the next chapter in a book. Let's get into today's topic, which is all about the symptoms of burnout for educators. It's something I've personally experienced over the past few years, especially after the challenges of the pandemic and a significant accident in my husband's workplace. Life has a way of throwing curveballs when we least expect it, right? But I've come to realise that these challenges are often a signal for us to dive deeper into self-care and establish stronger boundaries to protect our energy. Connecting with You: I want you to know that you're not alone in this journey. I received some incredible feedback after the last episode, and many educators shared that they hadn't given enough priority to their own needs. They found themselves constantly focused on making others happy, without realising how it took a toll on their well-being. Sound familiar? Trust me, I've been there too. We often forget the old saying: "You can't pour from an empty cup." It's so true! In order to support and uplift others, we must first take care of ourselves. Today, I want to explore the effects and impacts of burnout on our lives as educators. It goes beyond just our work—it affects our personal lives, relationships, and even our social circles. Let's Dive In: When burnout sets in, it can seep into every aspect of our lives. We neglect alone time, our own needs, and before we know it, we're overwhelmed and running on empty. I want to highlight how burnout can impact us and why it's crucial to pay attention to these signs. Think about it as a domino effect. When we're burnt out, our personal life takes a hit. Our relationships with our family and significant others become strained. And let's not forget parenting—whether you have little ones or teenagers, it's a constant challenge that demands our energy and patience. The issues our teenagers bring to us can be life-changing and emotionally draining. So, my heart goes out to all parents out there, regardless of the age of your children. But it doesn't stop there. Burnout spills over into our work life, affecting our performance and overall satisfaction. It's hard to be effective and enthusiastic when we're running on fumes. Even our social circles can suffer because we simply don't have the energy or time to invest in friendships and social activities. So, it's crucial to recognise the effects of burnout and assess where our energy is going. Picture yourself as a bucket with holes—the higher up those holes are, the more energy leaks out. We need to plug those holes and protect our energy. Conclusion: I encourage you to take a moment to evaluate your own energy allocation and identify any signs of burnout. It's time to prioritise yourself and fill your cup first. Remember, you can't pour into others if you're running on empty. In our upcoming episodes, we'll continue exploring the world of self-care and burnout prevention. I'm grateful to have you on this journey, and I appreciate your support and engagement with our podcast. Stay tuned for more valuable discussions and insights. Until next time, take care of yourself, my friend!
In this episode of The Big Hearted Podcast, we uncover the hidden parallels between gardening and building a successful business. Join me as we explore how the principles of nurturing, planning, and investing in a garden can be applied to your entrepreneurial journey. Discover the profound wisdom nature has to offer and learn how to cultivate a thriving business that stands the test of time. Episode Highlights: Investing in Your Business: Understand the importance of investing time, effort, and resources into your business. Discover how committing to your venture's growth can yield remarkable results, just like tending to a garden with unwavering care. Building Solid Foundations: Uncover the significance of laying the groundwork for success. Learn how choosing the right direction, understanding your market, and strategically positioning yourself can be likened to finding the perfect spot for a garden to receive optimal sunlight. Nurturing Growth: Explore the similarities between nurturing a garden and cultivating a customer base. Discover how providing exceptional service, adding value to childrens' lives, and embracing challenges can fuel growth and lead to unparalleled success in business. Supportive Structures: Unveil the power of networks, mentors, and systems in business. Just as plants require support structures to thrive, businesses flourish when surrounded by a supportive ecosystem. Learn how to leverage these networks and structures to propel your business to new heights. Sustaining Success: Discover the importance of efficient systems and plans in maintaining productivity and ensuring long-term success. Similar to using mulch to retain moisture in a garden, implementing policies, procedures, and automation in your business can pave the way for consistent growth and innovation. Conclusion: Join us in this thought-provoking episode as we uncover the remarkable connections between gardens and businesses. Learn valuable lessons from the world of gardening and apply them to your entrepreneurial journey. With the right mindset, strategic planning, and nurturing care, you can transform your business into a flourishing garden of success. Tune in now to gain insights that will inspire and empower you on your path to entrepreneurial greatness!
Description: In this episode, we explore the critical role of risk assessments in family day care settings to prioritize child safety and foster a nurturing environment. Our guest shares insights on how risk assessments help identify potential hazards, comply with legal requirements, mitigate liability risks, and create learning opportunities for children. Join us as we delve into the world of risk assessments, highlighting their significance in promoting the well-being and holistic development of children in family day care. Episode Highlights: The importance of risk assessments in family day care settings to identify potential hazards and protect children's safety. Understanding the guidelines and standards provided by the NSW Regulations for Early Childhood Education to ensure effective risk assessment practices. Exploring the legal requirements for risk assessments and the obligations of family day care providers. Mitigating liability risks and avoiding legal consequences through comprehensive risk assessments and proper safety measures. How regular risk assessments minimize the likelihood of injuries by identifying risky areas and implementing necessary precautions. Engaging children in the risk assessment process to promote a culture of awareness, responsibility, and education on safety measures. The holistic approach to child development in family day care, integrating risk assessments to create a secure and enriching environment. Tune in to gain valuable insights into risk assessments in family day care, understanding how they ensure child safety, compliance with regulations, and provide learning opportunities that shape children's overall well-being and development.
Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Big Hearted Podcast! In today's episode, we dive deep into the world of family day care and explore the secrets to increasing fees while unlocking your true potential as a passionate educator. Whether you're feeling undervalued or want to take your business to the next level, this episode is a must-listen for you! Get ready to discover practical strategies and insights that will help you provide high-quality care and education to children while confidently raising your fees. Episode Highlights: ✨ Professional expertise and experience: Highlighting your years of experience, specialised training, and continuous professional development to justify increasing your fees. Understanding how your expertise adds value to the children's learning and development, creating a strong case for fee adjustments. ✨ Enhanced educational programs: Exploring the benefits of incorporating STEAM activities and implementing a structured curriculum. How a richer learning environment justifies a fee increase, as children receive an education that goes beyond the basics. ✨ Individualised attention and small group sizes: Understanding the advantages of providing individualised attention and maintaining small group sizes. How nurturing a personalised learning environment warrants a higher fee, ensuring quality care and tailored educational experiences. ✨ Access to additional resources and services: Going above and beyond basic requirements by providing healthy meals, transportation, and engaging in extracurricular activities. Exploring how these additional resources add value to the children's experience and justify a fee increase. ✨ Exceptional reputation and parent satisfaction: Discovering the power of testimonials and parent referrals in establishing trust and building a strong reputation for exceptional care. Leveraging your reputation to confidently justify higher fees based on the satisfaction of parents and the positive impact on their children. ✨ Rising costs of operation: Gaining insights into the challenges associated with increased rent, utilities, insurance, and supplies. Learning how to make a compelling case for fee adjustments by demonstrating the impact of rising costs on the quality of care. ✨ Maintaining a sustainable business: Understanding the need to adjust fees to cover operating costs, invest in ongoing professional development, and enhance the learning environment. Exploring strategies to ensure long-term success and create a sustainable business model that benefits both educators and children. Conclusion: Thank you for joining us on this enlightening episode of The Big Hearted Podcast! We hope you gained valuable insights into increasing fees as a passionate family day care educator. By highlighting your expertise, enhancing educational programs, providing individualised attention, accessing additional resources, and leveraging your exceptional reputation, you can confidently unlock your true potential and offer the highest quality care to children. Remember, adapting your fees to cover rising costs and maintaining a sustainable business for long-term success is essential. Stay inspired and keep making a positive impact in the lives of children! 🎧 Tune in to the full episode now to discover the secrets to increasing fees and unlocking your true potential as a passionate family day care educator!
Today we're speaking with Susie Willett, owner and operator of a very brand new business called The Organized Educator. Susie has over 10 years of experience in family day care, and has solutions to so many of the problems that educators face when they are offering ECE from their homes.
www.TheOrganisedEducator.com.au/podcast
Today we are talking with Jason De Bakker, who is the CEO of Family Day Care Queensland. We discuss the new government that has come in, the direction in which Jason thinks family daycare is headed, and so much more. We learnt so much from this conversation with Jason, who has really has a broad overview of what's happening within our profession from the perspective of somebody who runs an association. We hope you learn a lot too!
About Jason:
As the CEO of Family Day Care Queensland, Jason has the privilege of providing support, advocacy, and representation to the services and Educators providing children and families with exceptional home-based education and care. He is inspired and motivated by the professional and innovative practice across the sector, which makes a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of children and families. Jason has over 20 years of senior management experience across social, health, and community not-for-profit services, which he brings to the role.
Family Day Care Association Queensland: www.fdcqld.org
Jason's LinkedIn
This week we have an incredible interview with Adina Levy from Play Learn Chat. Adina is a speech pathologist, but she prefers to go by a speech therapist.
Adina supports parents of autistic and neuro-diverse children with a neurodiversity-affirming approach. Her non-traditional online business enables more families around Australia to access practical, affordable, and relatable speech therapy, guidance, and education. Adina also works with educators and has been in this profession since 2012.
Adina's website: http://www.playlearnchat.com/
Today we are speaking to the beautiful Catherine Haigh - children's author and women's worker. Catherine and I go into a whole range of topics, but just as a content warning: we do talk about women's health; our cycles and periods, how they can impact us, and how we can work with that cycle. We know that might not be for everyone, so just a heads up! We also talk about loads of other things, including the importance of art and the positive benefits it can have on the children in your care.
Catherine's website: https://lillypilliesfdc.weebly.com/
About Catherine:
Hi, I'm Catherine! My passion is health and wellbeing, working with children and women in particular. I started working with children when I left school, volunteering. I then became a nanny in London and in Florida. This is where I discovered the Montessori Method, which aligned with me in so many ways so I studied for my diploma to work with children from birth to age 6. Upon returning to England after several years I wanted to make changes in the early years in schools so I qualified to become a primary school teacher. After having my own children, we decided to emigrate to Australia to give them an outdoors lifestyle. Getting into the school system was tricky so I started back in a Montessori Kindy and works in Early Childhood Centre's as a kindergarten teacher. I was burned out and felt that I could make a difference to provide quality care and be more connected so I set up my own FDC business. Over the 7 years, I found I was trying to please everyone with the long hours, days and in general being holistic to all families. This is where I learned that if I please everyone, I'm not really pleasing anyone so I started to search a little deeper into what I needed. This is when my journey of self-care started. As time progressed, the more books I read and self-development courses I invested in, the more I got clear on my values and who I am as a person. This led me to providing clear and healthy boundaries with parents and improving my communication skills. The interesting thing was, that the more I was congruent with my values, needs and beliefs, the more like-minded people came along. I wrote, illustrated and self-published my first children's book, The Powerful Peacock in 2019 about self-love and connectedness. This evolved into art classes with a circle time for wellbeing, addressing children's feelings. After the Covid lockdown in 2020, art became popular and people wanted connection so I created some art classes for women. These became popular quick and evolved into day retreat style workshops. The more I connected with women, in circle the more I realized how we don't make time for self-care and creativity, that's what I am changing. My art then took me to women's retreats, leaving do's and birthdays, then more collaborations with women's events. By the end of last year my diary was pretty full. Last year, I jumped all in to do my NLP and Timeline Therapy on a 9 day retreat with other women. This was like the icing on the cake - all negative emotions based on past events and life-long behavioural patterns were removed, it felt like I had dumped 55 years of baggage and stories I had been telling myself. My thoughts and words are more positive and I'm currently creating a one to one day for women to help them set up self-care schedules, get to the root cause of their limiting beliefs and remove them so that they can reclaim their self-belief, stop people pleasing and not feel guilty about putting their oxygen mask on first and foremost. Because when we do, we are more productive and can function without running on cortisol (which leads to stress, which leads to illnesses). I also believe that children - and others around us - pick up on our energy and its important to keep it clear at all times.
Kell is a Coach and Speaker who supports and empowers women with accountability and transformational strategies so they can take control of their mindset, step into their confidence and live a passionate fulfilled life. Kell's clients get a combination of strategy, frameworks, support and accountability all delivered with her no-BS approach.
Kell's website: https://www.kellquarrell.com.au/
In this episode, we're talking with Cat Jackson! Cat is a passionate and inspiring early childhood teacher. She currently works in family daycare, is at uni and also works at Gecko, which is one of the environmental centres down here on the Gold Coast. Gecko: https://gecko.org.au/
In our third episode, we're talking with Katrina Ashmore. We talk about how she started as a childcare provider, why is she passionate with her profession. Join us as Katrina shares some of her experiences with children, why they are important to her, and the rewards that come from being a mentor for them.
In our second episode, we're talking with Kathryn Oldfield and Brodie Vallence from West Coast FDCs!
We talk about their passion as childcare providers and about creating a safe and positive culture within the children, educators and their staff in West Coast Family Day Care Services.
Kathryn and Brodie also share their values and thoughts on respectful relationships, honesty, inclusive practices, and ethical decision-making processes.
https://www.westcoastfdcs.com.au/
We have Dr. Jason Frishman on with us this epidsode! Jason lives in Vermont in the U S of A. He has been working for over 20 years to support individuals, groups, families, organizations, and businesses, whether as a psychotherapis, workshop facilitator speaker or narrative consultant. Jason's message rings consistently clear: our lives are adventurous and we can author our own adventure stories.
Find Jason here: www.journeymenfoundation.com
Hello, hello, and welcome to the Bighearted Podcast. I am Victoria Edmond, your host. I have to share with you the reason why we are starting this podcast, and it is because we have so much to share and we want to be able to engage with our community in a time and a space that suits them the most. We have some really big goals for this podcast. We wanna help you. Be engaged in what you do. We want to show you different perspectives, and different ways to look at things. We're going to bring you guests that are professionals in other areas of work that have positive, beneficial impacts on what we do as educators in the early years.