How classroom trauma sparked a mission

I first came across Adele Bates when I was judging the Storytelling category at the Speaker Awards—and her talk really stood out and grabbed my attention.

It was powerful, authentic, challenging and captivating. 

She didn’t just tell the story. She performed it. Her talk built drama and connected emotionally to the audience, leading you to see a new perspective. 

Based on that performance and the fact that she went on to win the award for best storyteller, I knew I had to get her on the show. 

Not only did I want her to unpack the craft behind that talk, but I also wanted to dig into the powerful work she’s doing at the intersection of education, leadership, and human behaviour.

Adele has over 20 years’ experience working in some of the most challenging educational environments—mainstream, special, and alternative provision. Her journey has taken her from classrooms where she’s had juice poured over her head and skateboards hurled at her… to research trips across the globe… to keynote stages and international recognition.

She is the author of “Miss, I Don’t Give A Sh*t: Engaging with Challenging Behaviour in Schools. And today she and her team also work with organisations and leaders to tackle challenging dynamics in the workplace. 

Whether you’re a speaker, leader, educator or changemaker, Adele’s stories and insights will challenge your thinking, stir your empathy, and give you practical tools for connection and communication.

What You’ll Discover:

• What triggered Adele to set off on a quest to discover a different way of approaching dealing with challenging behaviour.
• The key values that guide Adele’s work with both students and corporate leaders.
• How to hold high expectations and compassion without burning out.
• The real disconnect between behaviour policies and lived experience in schools.
• The surprise career Adele had before she became a teacher and how she made the transition from educator to paid keynote speaker.
• The big mistake she made with a speaking client that she would never make again.
• Why it doesn’t matter if you are introverted or extroverted to be successful as a speaker.
• How she developed the award-winning storytelling section of her talk.
• The single piece of feedback that transformed her speaking presence.

All things Adele:

Website: adelebateseducation.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adele-bates-03b566208/ 

Books & Resources*:

Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer 

Speaking Resources:

Grab Your From Blank Page to Stage Guide and Nail the Topic for a Client Winning Talk

Want to get better at finding and sharing your stories then check out our FREE Five Day Snackable Story Challenge

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