It's in Our U.N.A. Podcast: Recent Episodes

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Gratitude is something we all should practice more and this episode Sarah and Rachael talk about what they are grateful for and what children can teach us about both gratitude and attitude.

KEY TAKEAWAYS Rachael’s Top 3 things she is grateful for in children is: 1) The Wonderful cuddles they give 2) Their obsession and energy for learning 3) Unconditional Friendship

Sarah’s Top 3 things she is grateful for in children is: 1) The naivety of children and the loveliness and humour it brings 2) That they questions everything 3) Their growth

BEST MOMENTS

“Always feeling wanted and loved and when they are in need, they want me”

“Mummy, I can’t believe you married a Gorilla”

“We’re not brave enough to ask those questions openly as adults, we ask them somewhere that feels anonymous”

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In today’s episode, Kirsty joins Sarah to speak to Charles, a male nanny based in the UK. The childcare industry is still a career path dominated by women but Charles talks about why he chose to go down this route, his unique childcare journey and his own personal experiences being a nanny.

KEY TAKEAWAYS From the age of 11 Charles knew he wanted to work with children. Charles pursued his further education in early years and then went to train as a Norland Nanny.

Going to Norland means that you guaranteed work for life. An unusual concept in many other industries.

When trying to get his first jobs before qualifying as a Norland Nanny, Charles experienced a lot of stigma for being male, he was turned down for lots of jobs. But once he got his first and then had recommendations he didn’t struggle again. The power of referral in the childcare sector is incredibly strong, even in this modern world.

Having a nanny is still not something many people think of when considering childcare. Talking about the benefits of nannying and spreading the fact it is a both a great supportive childcare options as well as a career option for anyone, is something Sarah feels passionate about.

Sometimes Charles has found his age has meant that his opinion, knowledge and authority have been put in to question, especially if he is working with other staff who are older than him.

One of Sarah’s big drivers for wanting to change things for Nannies is the fact there is still a real lack of respect for those who work in the childcare industry. So many people don’t see it as a legitimate career choice. It’s not easy to look after children, it’s one of the most important jobs in the world, childcare workers need to be seen as the professionals they are.

BEST MOMENTS

“I come across a lot of people who don’t fully understand how you get into your role”

“That work will always be there no matter what”

“I was the only lad in my year”

“You don’t realise how much of a breather that time is giving you until you don’t have it”

“At the end of this, if that’s not worth a bit more respect in the way that people talk about childcare practitioners then I don’t know what it’s going to take”

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In today’s episode Rachael and Sarah discuss home schooling.  This is something many of us didn’t ever consider doing or wanting to experience, but have been forced to do over the past 12 months!

They give their unique perspectives, experiences and delve into both the positives and the negatives of home schooling your children. They also discuss the revelations they had and what they believe may happen in the future in the world of education.

KEY TAKEAWAYS Sarah’s biggest revelation of  homeschooling was that it really put into perspective how much children take from school and how much it has changed since was in education herself. Education has come a long way in the past decade or so and many of us adults are out of the loop.

People now gaining a real understanding of what the curriculum is and what their children are doing at school has highlighted that perhaps things need to change, how can we as parents and childcare givers support school age children if we don’t know what it is they are doing?

Many of the changes in the curriculum are based on an understanding that everyone learns and processes differently. There is such a variety of techniques in something like maths, which seems complicated when Sarah and Rachel compare it to how they learnt to do things but it is actually a really positive thing for children and education.

Rachael recognised early on that when you are schooling at home it isn’t realistic to expect the children to do school work all day. She found that breaking up the schoolwork across the day was better, especially when she gave her daughter timeframes and deadlines; it gave her child motivation and also meant she as a parent could focus for that time on just homeschooling which was much more effective and efficient.

Before the pandemic, school dates and times were very regimented. It will be interesting to see if this changes going forward. We now know that home learning and virtual learning works, can we incorporate this somehow, particularly around family time and holidays?

There are things that aren’t taught in school that are key for our children’s future. As parents and caregivers it is our responsibility to teach these things to our children in their time outside of school. Homeschooling sharpened Rachael’s focus on this and she has a renewed passion to teach the things she wants her children to know.

BEST MOMENTS

“How is my child doing this and I have no idea”

“In school there are a lot of breaks…the actual time that is spent doing the activity isn’t as long as the parents expected it to be”

“Is there a role for flexibility?”

“What are we teaching and showing our children in those hours?”

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Welcome to this episode, where Sarah is with Kirsty on an episode of the nannys podcast. This episode is full of great content and discussion with Lauren the Nanny so Sarah wanted to share it with you on IIOUNA.  They discuss the stigma and negative attitudes about people who work in childcare, the lack of respect that can often occur and the financial risks. But they also talk about the many pros and how both Sarah and Lauren always knew they wanted to work with children.

KEY TAKEAWAYS Lauren has been a nanny for 11 years, she started off working in a nursery where she worked for 3 years as well as babysitting. When she decided to look for a new job she discovered that someone she was babysitting for was looking for a nanny so she became a nanny for those three girls until she had her son.

She then wanted to find a job where she could take her son with her but it wasn’t that common which lead to her doing some temporary jobs for a while. She eventually found a full time job nannying twins and although it was very challenging she stayed with them until they went to school.

Lauren then decided to start ‘Lauren the Nanny’ to become a celebrity nanny. She took some risks and messaged people directly to tell them who she was and the experience she had and it went from there. Currently she works for Danny Jones who is the lead guitarist for McFly.

Word of mouth is so important in the world of nannying. Your children are the most precious thing to you so if you are being recommended someone you know they must be trustworthy.

Being a Nanny has helped Lauren be a better parent. Of course they are different roles but it gave her some experience of what to expect.

Sarah’s nanny company always receives the money upfront from the families which means they can always pay the nannys. It means difficult conversations don’t have to be made and there are less risks involved.

With covid, people have realised how vital and important childcare is. The childcare sector will now change after the pandemic and for the better. Childcare providers need to be treated with more respect and appreciation.

Sometimes children need to hear the truth. If they are old enough to understand then they need to be told when they hurt other people’s feelings and the consequences of the things they say and do.

BEST MOMENTS

“I always knew I wanted to work with children”

“Word of mouth is such an important thing”

“I think being a nanny has made me a better parent”

“You need to safeguard the nannies, as nobody does”

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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There isn't a single person in the U.K that hasn't been touched by Covid-19, we have all had our own unique experiences with the Pandemic and what it has changed for us. Today Rachael and Sarah address Covid-19 and the impact is had on them personally as individuals, as a mum and a hospital worker and as a childcare professional.

KEY TAKEAWAYS Rachael knew her job was to go into hospital and she knew that she would come into contact with Covid-19. Both Rachael and her husband worried about bringing it home. They both had to change their routine when they came home involving having to boil wash clothes and not being able to greet their children when they walked through the door. It was incredibly stressful and anxiety-inducing for them.

Sarah was happy to still go to work as a Nanny at the beginning, her life choices meant that her life wasn’t affected as much as many other people. However, she watched her sister struggle with the changes she had to make in her life including remote working.

Both Sarah and Rachael recognise the privilege they had in their circumstances over the pandemic. They both still had their support systems, had childcare and green space to enjoy. Rachael also knows that her priorities 20 years ago would have been different to they are today so she tries not to judge those who struggled more than her with the restrictions.

Sarah found the people breaking the rules during the pandemic hard to deal with and it has meant she has stopped some relationships. Rachael agrees that we have moved into a society that is individualistic rather than thinking about others and it is scary that many people believed information that simply wasn’t true. We should respect science.

If as an adult we feel frustrated at the situation and being stuck indoors, it’s incredible what our children have had to contend with. It’s incredibly impressive how resilient and adaptable they have been.

BEST MOMENTS

“I can’t even imagine not having the outlet to go to work”

“It’s been a hard time for everybody but we’ve been lucky”

“Would you rather listen to the person with the biggest gob in the room or the person with the biggest knowledge”

ABOUT THE HOST

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Welcome back to It’s in Our U.N.A.

In today's episode we introduce Alison Wombell, Founder of Chasing Rainbows! Alison discusses at length her own personal journey with Autism and her diagnosis, but also that of her children thereafter.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Chasing Rainbows- I am her voice offers a support, training, consultancy and coaching service. Do you have a child or adult that you care for who is either pre or post diagnosis of a neuro developmental condition i.e. Autism, ADHD/ADD or SPD.

I'm a dual diagnosed Autistic/ADHD female with two daughters with the conditions. I currently deliver eleven workshops covering all aspects of neurodiversity, from early years to ADHD and Autism in adulthood. I am also a published children's writer, Emotional Regulation Coach and consultant/trainer for settings, businesses, organisations and HR.

If I can help and this is something you're interested in then please don't hesitate in getting in touch

Alison's LinkedIn

ABOUT THE HOST

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Today Rachel and Sarah talk about how you can get the best out of the days with your children. Activity planning doesn’t have to be as structured as you think and it doesn’t need to be stressful, the day should be fun for everyone, not just the children.

Listen in today for some simple tips you can use to take out the pain points of planning the BEST days with your children, in a way that’s fun, imaginative  and includes plenty of learning opportunities for both them and you!

KEY TAKEAWAYS Don’t Overcomplicated Things: Your children will think you are amazing, your day doesn’t have to be complex, if you are laid back and relaxed both you and your children will have a much better day. Have Fun: Unexpected things will happen and stuff does go wrong. Try to lean into any changes to plans etc and just have fun with it. Involve Them: When you are deciding what to do for the day and how to do it, get the children involved and let them make choices too. You can also use it as an opportunity to invest them into behaving well and having a good day. Theme It: Kids love themes and this is a fun thing to plan as an adult too. It makes doing similar activities you would usually do different and exciting. It also prompts new ideas and provides many learning opportunities. It Doesn’t Have to be New: It’s easy to think you can’t do the same activity multiple times but this simply isn’t true, don’t limit yourself. You can go to the same places and have a completely different day! Children often like to do the same things too, they are creatures of habit and if they enjoy it, why not!

BEST MOMENTS

“I can honestly say kids have a better day when they feel you aren’t stressed out”

“Just try and have fun with whatever you are doing”

“Sometimes your version of doing nothing isn’t their version of doing nothing”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

ABOUT THE HOST

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Welcome to the first episode of It’s In Our U.N.A with co-hosts Rachel and Sarah!

In this episode they give an introduction to who they are, what they do and why they are here.

Tune in and subscribe today to listen to a podcast where you have access to interviews with industry experts and where you always get two unique perspectives, from Sarah as a Nanny and Rachel who gives the families view.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

It was after Sarah had a bad experience with nannying in London that she realised that not all families that have nannies appreciate them or give them the respect and safety they deserve. She moved back to the North East of England and began looking for a new family to work with. After Rachel had her middle child she felt quite stressed about all her families childcare needs, she was concerned about the cost of a nanny but after looking into different alternatives realised that the costs and time she would be saving elsewhere would make it more than worth it. Sarah and Rachel met and it was clear that it wasn’t just Rachel interviewing Sarah but Sarah was interviewing them as a family too! Sarah’s poor experience in London demonstrated that it’s important that a nanny is just as happy with the family as it is the families decision on who works for them. Rachel describes Sarah as a PA come Nanny, come superwoman, come Mary Poppins, what an accolade! Sarah felt like part of Rachel’s family from day one. She believes that a Nanny isn’t just there for the children, they should be there and support the whole family. Rachel recognises that the burdens and errands of everyday life often land on the female of the family and having a nanny meant she wasn’t constantly worrying about being home late from work, missing appointments and so much more. After a couple of years of Sarah working for Rachel, they both recognised she had bigger ambitions. Sarah and Rachel realised that the problems they had solved together they could help solve for others, this is how It’s In Our U.N.A began! The business model that Rachel and Sarah have set up is so different to any other childcare model. You just pay for what you use. You don’t pay for bank holidays or sickness where you don’t use the service. IIOUNA ensures that all Nannies are of the highest standard, they have all the right checks in place including DBS, Early Years Training and insurance. All the things that are needed but clients can be nervous to ask about. They take the processes away so that the families just need to decide if they like the Nanny or not they don’t need to be worrying about the formalities. They also de-risk many aspects of having a nanny, such as paying maternity leave and holiday. It is also a bonus for a nanny as they can work as much or as little as they want, they will find the right nanny for you as well as giving Nannies a guaranteed income. IIOUNA Nannies have access to a training platform that is built for them and they attend training every month. This also supports them with things like supervision for their mental health, they also help with personal development as a person, not just academically.

BEST MOMENTS

“It was really scary but a huge wake-up call”

“The most flexible option was going to be a nanny”

“The relief of pressure and having an extra pair of hands, that’s what it should be for”

“Those benefits far outweigh the money”

“There are so many hidden costs and liabilities”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

ABOUT THE HOST

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In this episode Rachel and Sarah discuss the qualities in a childcare provider that they look for, qualities that have made family life both easier and better.

They each discuss their top three qualities and why they are so key to nannying and childcare in general. If you have a quality you think they might have overlooked then please get in touch!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Confidence – This is Sarah’s number 3 quality as Nanny. She said if she didn’t have this confidence when nannying she wouldn’t be where she is today. Initiative – This is Rachel’s number 3 quality as a Nanny. She wants her Nanny to have some autonomy so they can do things on their own initiative rather than asking questions about every single detail. Adaptability – This is Sarah’s number 2. Big and small things alter and change. You have to be able to adapt to change really quickly when working with a family. High Energy - This is Rachel’s number 3. She recognises this is a very personal thing to her but she doesn’t understand ‘downtime’ as a thing, she wants her childcare provider to be active and doing things all day with the children. To Infinity and Beyond – This is the number 1 quality Sarah believes you need as a Nanny. Somebody who understands that making a difference is what they are there to do, going above and beyond to do all the extra things that are needed. Listening - This is Rachel’s absolute number one quality! If you don’t listen and pick up on the clues around you then how can you be the best for your family. You need to recognise what the children and family need and make everything about them.

BEST MOMENTS

“That confidence in my skillset made me a very able nanny”

“Having that adaptability to not take things personally and know that sometimes you have to go a little bit out of the box…that is a really rare quality to find in someone…it takes so much emotional intelligence”

“It’s about getting that value-match right”

“If I am doing something that will make a difference, then I want to do that”

“The reward still outweighs the stress”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

ABOUT THE HOST

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Something Sarah has noticed working in the childcare industry is that many families don’t know the differences between different childcare settings and the key pros and cons of each. She recognises that there is a stigma around both being a Nanny and working in childcare in general that needs to be broken down.

In this episode Sarah talks to Kirsty Seccombe about this, their personal experiences working in childcare and what needs to change in the industry.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Because of Covid Sarah’s days as a Nanny have been quite different but she has learnt a lot from homeschooling and the other things she has had to adapt to with the three children she looks after. One of the amazing things that Sarah and Kirsty get to do in their jobs is be part of raising someone else’s children – it’s truly incredible. Kirsty got into childcare after studying health and social care and realising it wasn’t for her, so she got an apprenticeship in a nursery and absolutely loved it. Then one day she realised that although she loved working with children she didn’t want to work in the nursery setting. So she got into Nannying. After doing her degree and working as a supply teacher for a year Sarah decided she didn’t want to work in teaching anymore. She just wanted a few extra hours and registered as a nanny on childcare.com, met a lovely family and started working for them. Both Sarah and Kirsty recognises the changes around security and safety that is needed for Nanny's. It's something Sarah has built into her Nannying business but advises Nanny's that it is perfectly ok to do background checks and ask for references from the family you are thinking of working with.

BEST MOMENTS

“When you say the word Nanny…people look at it as being a bit snobby”

“It’s almost like you become everyone’s big sister, including mum and dad”

“I’d fallen into a job and I realised straight away this is what I need to be doing”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

ABOUT THE HOST

Sarah Heward has an early years degree and then became a professional nanny. From her successes she went on to publish fist children's book and launched a nanny agency with a difference (built for modern day nannies and families) with her business partner Dr Rachael Coates. Rachael is an entrepreneur, general surgeon and mum of three who has lived the chaos, tears and fleeting victories of early parenthood. Together they are looking to empower more families to make the empowered choices towards being a happy family.

CONTACT METHOD

sarah@thenorthernnanny.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.