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Something for the Soul

Something for the Soul

By: Sanju Pal
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About this listen

The leadership podcast with a twist. As leaders, being open about our most difficult personal and professional experiences has the potential to be transformative. In this podcast, teachers from around the world who have become Founders, CEOs and C-suite level leaders of social enterprises making a positive impact in education, dive deeper than might be typical when discussing a challenge they have worked through. They share something for the soul. This podcast is humanising leadership and demonstrating the power we all have within us to get through life’s biggest hurdles to make positive change in the world. This is a podcast for anyone looking for a nugget of motivation every month. If you are interested in social innovation in any way then this podcast is for you.



Sanju Pal is Founder of the education charity RISE. After completing the Teach First programme as a Maths teacher, Sanju went on to join Accenture, leading RISE’s teams in the UK and India in volunteer capacity whilst working full time as a management consultant. Sanju won the UK Asian Women of Achievement Award and was profiled in ‘Inspirational Women in Business’ by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. She was invited to meet Her Late Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace for the ‘Youth, Education and the Commonwealth’ reception, which honoured education activists from across the globe, and received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award. Sanju is a member of the Teach for All Social Innovators Community of Practice, the diverse voices of which she promotes on this podcast to inspire anyone, at any age, to be a social innovator and implement solutions to positively impact educational disadvantage around the world.


Any questions? Email sanju.pal@rise-online.co.uk or reach out @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.

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Sanju Pal Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Positive Disruption with Jacob Adams

    Positive Disruption with Jacob Adams
    Jul 1 2025

    It's wonderful to be able to bring you this 2nd episode recorded during the Teach for All Social Entrepreneurs gathering in South Africa, on my Birthday no less!


    Jacob shares his experience on the Teach for America programme in a black majority school in Brooklyn, here high poverty levels meant over 95% were on free or reduced cost lunches. He witnessed how rigid discipline policies and top-down control stripped black students of their autonomy. Resolute in his ambition to bring his students an education where they could harness their potential rather than be hindered, Jacob was a disruptor. He challenged the norm by breaking convention and implementing his own methods and ideas for education, despite them not being aligned with the school's rules. Jacob leans into vulnerability to unpack how the strong identity he built as a bi-racial person, gave him the strength of courage to stand by his values and beliefs to be an exemplary teacher, centred in positive disruption.


    As a positive disruptor, Jacob has founded Inner Spark Learning Lab where black and brown students have the opportunity to be involved in hands-on, community-driven learning projects designed to foster critical thinking, self-awareness, and social impact. Utilising an holistic approach that integrates STEAM `Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, Inner Spark Learning Lab has grown to annually serve over 1,500 youth through their direct service programs. They have over 30,000 beneficiaries through their curriculum and professional development programs, igniting a ripple effect that extends to schools, families and communities across California. Jacob is recognised as an inspirational leader, having been honoured with multiple fellowships including from 4.0 Schools, Black Equity Collective and Science Sandbox. In this episode, Jacob's humility shines through and makes his words even more empowering - you're going to love listening to him!


    Guest speaker: Jacob Adams, Founder and Executive Director of Inner Spark Learning Lab.


    If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.


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    Social media:


    Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks


    RISE @risecharity


    Jacob Adams


    Inner Spark Learning Lab @innersparklab


    Teach for America @teachforamerica


    Teach for All @teachforall

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    27 mins
  • Sanju thinks about her life's work, family support and identity (and beauty!)

    Sanju thinks about her life's work, family support and identity (and beauty!)
    Jun 19 2025
    Sanju thinks about what it means to commit to your 'life's work', the importance of family support and how identity and feeling beautiful is rooted in the sense of possibility to take action, inspired by the guest episode with Quim Sabrià, Co-founder and CEO of EdPuzzle. This is a chunky episode highlighting the connections made that have inspired me to take action recently - take a look at all the social media links below to connect with the amazing people I talk about!The 'Sanju thinks...' episodes are released on the 3rd Thursday of every month. They contain Sanju's reflections on the challenge that the guest speaker has shared earlier in the month so make sure you've listened to that episode first!If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or on LinkedIn.--Social media:Sanju Pal @sanjuthinksRISE @risecharityQuim Sabrià @quimsabria EdPuzzle @edpuzzleEmpieza por Educar @empiezaporeducarTeach for All @teachforallR Labs South Africa @rlabszaWendy Kopp @wendykoppNatasha Porter @natasha_unlockedRuth Penfold @ruthpenfoldJhumur Ganguly @jhumur.gangulyMohua Chinappa @mohua_chinappaJames Biggin-Lamming South Asian Sisters Speak @weare_sassSohini Banerjee @smokeandlimeAnita Bhagwandas @itsmeanitabMegha Joshi @meghamillionsGiulia Reichmann @djuleeah Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    40 mins
  • Taking Action with Quim Sabrià

    Taking Action with Quim Sabrià
    Jun 1 2025

    Hello and welcome to Season 2 of Something for the Soul! I’m delighted to bring you this first episode recorded during the Teach for All Social Entrepreneurs gathering in South Africa! My first guest this season is going to blow you away, as he did me during our very first conversation on the first night of the conference in Cape Town. We grabbed some time between sessions to talk about changing your life - by taking action.


    Quim talks with such heart about how a conversation with his grandma about the challenge he was having with his students provoked him to shake things up in his classroom - he actively listened to his students and their parents to understand barriers to learning. It compelled him to take action and build a solution. This led him to the journey of co-founding the edtech platform EdPuzzle at the age of 23 with his 3 best friends, who he had known since they were toddlers. He took a leap of faith and moved from Spain to the United States in seek of support from Silicon Valley startup accelerator Y Combinator and raised $4 million to launch EdPuzzle. Quim made a decision aged 18 that he would commit his life to education and now in his mid-thirties he remains resolute in his ambition to change the world.


    Quim's journey into educational innovation began as a teacher through the Empieza por Educar program in Barcelona where he sought to use interactive video content in the classroom. Taking action has led Quim to expand EdPuzzle globally and serve millions of teachers and students across more than 150 countries. Quim talks so beautifully about how he was able to make bold decisions because a different 'perception of risk', which he attributes to the unwavering support of his parents. Quim's story is one of relentless pursuit for enabling children to have an excellent education, he says it is the clarity of commitment that keeps him going on the hardest days. This is an episode that will get you moving and shaking and taking action!


    Guest speaker: Quim Sabrià, Co-founder and CEO of EdPuzzle.


    If you enjoyed this episode then share it on your social media and tag @sanjuthinks on Instagram and Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.


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    Social media:


    Sanju Pal @sanjuthinks


    RISE @risecharity


    Quim Sabrià @quimsabria


    EdPuzzle @edpuzzle


    Empieza por Educar @empiezaporeducar


    Teach for All @teachforall

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    24 mins
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