Academic Coaching for Parents with Dr Anna York-Weaving

Have you found yourself wondering whether your child is actually revising properly for their GCSEs or A-Levels?In the final weeks before exams, many students are sitting at their desks, but without a clear plan, effective study strategies or a structured approach to revision. And as a parent, that uncertainty can feel incredibly stressful.In this episode, I unpack why this stage often feels overwhelming, not because students aren’t capable, but because they haven’t been shown how to revise effectively.I also explain what tends to go wrong in the final weeks before exams, what effective revision actually involves, and how you can start to recognise whether your child is on the right track.Most importantly, this episode will help you understand what your child really needs at this stage, and why having the right structure and guidance in place can make such a significant difference.🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ Why “just revising more” is often not enough✅ What many students get wrong in the final weeks before exams✅ What effective revision actually involves (based on cognitive science)✅ How to recognise whether your child is on the right track✅ Why this stage often creates stress and uncertainty for parentsIf your child feels lost, unstructured or unsure where to start with revision, this episode will help you make sense of what’s happening and what matters most right now.There is still time to make a difference, but it starts with understanding what to focus on.🔗 Links & Resources👉 Learn more about the 6-week Exam Accelerator Programme:https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/exam-revision-accelerator📅 Book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss how I can support your child:https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more evidence-based insights on academic success and student wellbeing.

In a culture that celebrates busyness and long working hours, rest is often treated as something we earn after productivity.But what if that idea is completely wrong?In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I am joined by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, founder of 4 Day Week Studio and a globally recognised expert on the future of work. Alex has worked with companies, nonprofits and governments around the world to rethink how productivity and work culture should function.He is the author of several influential books including Rest, Shorter, Work Less Do More: Designing the 4 Day Week and The Distraction Addiction. His work explores how individuals and organisations can better integrate rest, creativity and focus into modern working life.His research challenges the deeply embedded belief that working longer hours leads to better results. Instead, it shows that many highly creative and productive individuals rarely worked more than four focused hours per day and built their lives around deliberate rest, recovery and deep focus.In this conversation we explore how rest supports creativity, learning and sustained performance and why working less can sometimes help us achieve more.🎙️ In this episode, we discuss:✅ Why many high performers rarely work more than four hours of deep work per day✅ What deliberate rest really means and why it is essential for productivity✅ Why rest is often misunderstood as laziness in achievement focused cultures✅ The role of walking, sleep and deep play in creativity and problem solving✅ Why morning routines and focused work rhythms matter more than long working hours✅ How modern work culture may be undermining productivity rather than improving itThis episode is about how all of us work, learn and live in a world that constantly demands more productivity.If you have ever felt the pressure to work longer, push harder or do more, this conversation may completely change how you think about success.🔗 Links & ResourcesWhere to find Alex🌐 4 Day Week Studiohttps://www.4dayweek.studio✉️ Newsletter: Rest, Work and the Good Lifehttps://askpang.substack.com📚 Alex’s books and writinghttps://pangwrites.com💼 LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/askpang/Recommended reading📖 Rest - Why You Get More Done When You Work Less📖 Shorter - Work Better, Smarter and Less📰 “Rest Takes Hard Work” - Time Magazinehttps://time.com/6566763/rest-takes-hard-work-essay/🧠 “How to Rest Well” - Psychehttps://psyche.co/guides/how-to-rest-well-and-enjoy-a-more-creative-sustainable-life💡 “Why We Need to Consider Switching to a 4 Day Workweek Now” - TED Ideashttps://ideas.ted.com/case-for-4-day-workweek/📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator interested in learning, productivity and sustainable success.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30 minute consultation with me via my website:https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Have you ever looked at your child, perfectly capable, intelligent and full of potential, and wondered why they delay starting their work?Many parents describe this behaviour as laziness. But more often than not, something else is driving that behaviour.In this episode, I unpack what is really going on when students procrastinate or struggle to begin their work. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology and learning science, we explore why simply telling a child to try harder rarely works and what actually helps.You will learn why starting a task is often the hardest step, how executive function and planning skills affect a student’s ability to organise their work and why factors such as cognitive overload and mental fatigue can create behaviours that look like low effort from the outside.🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ Why the word “lazy” is rarely an accurate explanation for academic procrastination✅ How executive function and planning skills influence a child’s ability to start and organise work✅ Why motivation often follows action and not the other way around✅ What activation energy means in behavioural science and how reducing it helps students begin tasks✅ How cognitive load and overwhelm can cause students to avoid work altogether✅ Why avoidance can sometimes be a protective response rather than a lack of effortWhether your child struggles to start homework, delays revision or often feels overwhelmed by schoolwork, this episode will help you understand the science behind those behaviours and what parents can do to support stronger focus, motivation and study habits.🔗 Links & Resources📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent who might benefit from it and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on academic success and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website:https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Have you ever felt confused or overwhelmed by your teenager’s behaviour and emotional reactions?In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I am joined by Dr Bettina Hohnen, Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer at University College London, to explore what is really happening inside the teenage brain, and how understanding brain development can transform the way parents communicate, set boundaries and support learning during adolescence.Adolescence is a period of profound neurological change. Emotions feel stronger, behaviour can seem unpredictable and motivation often fluctuates. Drawing on neuroscience, clinical experience and her work on The Incredible Teenage Brain, Dr Hohnen explains why the teenage brain is often described as being “under reconstruction” and how this perspective helps parents respond with empathy rather than frustration.We discuss how conversations can become one of the most powerful tools parents have to support emotional regulation, resilience and wellbeing, alongside the role of boundaries, daily habits, sleep and routine in shaping attention, memory and mood. We also explore how understanding the developing brain can help parents better support neurodiverse children.🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ What is happening in the teenage brain during adolescence✅ Why emotions, behaviour and decision-making can feel so intense✅ How brain development influences motivation and learning✅ How to set boundaries that support safety, trust and independence✅ Practical strategies to support emotional regulation and resilienceThis episode is for parents who want to move beyond power struggles and towards connection, confidence and evidence-based support, while protecting both learning and wellbeing.Dr Bettina Hohnen:https://drbettinahohnen.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettina-hohnen-412776194/?originalSubdomain=ukBooks - The Incredible Teenage Brain & How to Have Incredible Conversations with Your Child📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on academic success and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Mock exam results can be unsettling, especially when they are lower than expected. Many parents feel pressure to act quickly, often assuming that more teaching or tutoring is the answer.I take a step back and look at what disappointing mock results actually tell us. I then outline practical ways parents can respond to support early progress.Rather than reacting with panic, we explore how mock results can be used as valuable feedback, highlighting what isn’t working yet and where change will have the greatest impact.Drawing on my academic coaching work and research-informed practice, I walk through my five-pillar framework for diagnosing underperformance and transforming how students learn and perform in exams.🎙️ In this episode, you will learn:✅ How to use disappointing mock results as a diagnostic tool✅ Why learning methods, not just effort, affect exam performance✅ How poor time management and unrealistic revision plan undermine progress✅ Why focus, environment and screen time matter more than many parents realise✅ How motivation is linked to long-term vision, not pressure or “trying harder”This episode is designed to help parents respond calmly, logically and effectively, using mock results as an opportunity to strengthen learning systems well before the final exams.🔗 Links & Resources📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent navigating mock season, and don’t forget to subscribe for more evidence-informed conversations on academic success and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website to discuss what might be holding your child back and how to address it: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I am joined by Kristina Karlsson, founder of the global stationery brand Kikki. K, bestselling author and creator of the Your Dream Life Starts Here coaching programme.Kristina’s journey is extraordinary. From a single 3am list that sparked a global brand, to navigating the loss of Kikki. K and stepping into a completely new chapter of her life, her story offers powerful lessons on resilience, intention and purposeful living.🎧 In this conversation, we explore:✅ How Kristina’s 3am list shaped the direction of her life and career✅ The habits and mindset behind building Kikki K✅ What losing a business taught her about resilience and growth✅ How to rethink failure as a foundation for progress✅ The power of dreaming as a practice for life direction and purpose✅ How reflection and small intentional actions turn dreams into reality✅ How Your Dream Life Starts Here supports people through change and uncertaintyWhether you are a parent supporting your child, a student facing uncertainty, or someone navigating a period of change, this episode offers reassurance that you don’t need everything figured out. Creating a dream life isn’t about overnight transformation, it’s about clarity, reflection and taking small steps forward, wherever you are.🎧 If you’ve ever asked yourself “what’s next?” - this episode is for you.🔗 Links & ResourcesYour Dream Life Starts Here Coaching Programme https://www.yourdreamlifestartshere.com/Your Dream Life Starts Here Book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Dream-Life-Starts-Here/dp/064831720XDream Life https://www.thedreamlifestore.com/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-karlsson/?originalSubdomain=auInstagram https://www.instagram.com/kristinadreamlife/?hl=en 📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on learning, motivation and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Have you ever looked at your child’s academic struggles and felt an urgent need to explain why?Because one of the most consistent patterns I see in my academic coaching work is this: when students struggle, parents understandably rush to explanations, before checking whether the foundations for learning are actually in place.In this episode, I introduce a foundations-first approach to academic success and start with the most practical, and most overlooked, skill of all, which is planning.Planning isn’t about being organised or controlling your child’s time. It’s about reducing cognitive overload, creating structure and giving students a system they can fall back on when learning feels overwhelming.🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ Why academic struggles are often a systems problem, not an ability problem✅ Why planning is cognitive scaffolding - not just organisation✅ What I see again and again when students don’t have a planning system✅ How lack of planning can look like poor focus, low motivation or overwhelm✅ A simple, realistic planning framework you can start using immediately:yearly overviewsideal weekly structurestask lists and time allocationvisual clarity and weekly resetsAt the beginning of the year, if you’re looking to improve and accelerate your child’s learning and success, this is the place to start.🔗 Links & Resources📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on learning, motivation and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

How do the brain’s natural rhythms shape attention, memory and learning?In this episode of Academic Coaching for Parents, I am joined by Professor Ole Jensen, Professor of Translational Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, to explore how brain oscillations - rhythmic patterns of neural activity - underpin attention, learning and reading. We discuss how these brain rhythms help to coordinate attention, what happens when these processes become disrupted and how this research can help parents and educators better understand attention difficulties, learning challenges and differences in how children engage with learning.🎙️ In this episode, we discuss:✅ How brain oscillations contribute to attention, memory and information processing✅ How oscillatory activity supports reading and visual exploration✅ How brain oscillations change across development and differ between children and adults✅ What research shows about disrupted modulation of brain oscillations in ADHD✅ How theories of neural communication explain coordinated brain function during learningWhether you are curious about how learning works in the brain or interested in evidence-based perspectives on education, this episode offers a research-informed exploration of the neuroscience behind learning.Professor Ole Jensen: https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/people/ole-jensenhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ole-jensen-53b69014/📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on academic success and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/

Have you ever wondered why some of your child’s biggest learning moments happen in conversation - when they are explaining an idea, asking questions or debating something with friends?In this episode, I am joined by Professor Andrew Tolmie, Chair of Psychology and Human Development at UCL’s Institute of Education and Deputy Director of the UCL–Birkbeck Centre for Educational Neuroscience.Professor Tolmie is a developmental psychologist whose research explores how children’s thinking and reasoning develop through social interaction - how attention, dialogue and collaboration shape learning.Together, we unpack what it really means to learn together: how talk and shared attention support understanding, why some children benefit more from group learning than others and how teachers and parents can help children think more deeply and independently.🎙️ In this episode, you will learn: ✅ What shared attention means and why it’s a foundation for effective learning and focus✅ How productive dialogue helps children reason, reflect and build deeper understanding✅ Why social interaction and peer collaboration are essential for developing thinking and problem-solving skills✅ What research reveals about spaced learning, reflection and avoiding cognitive overload✅ Practical ways to nurture focus, curiosity and meaningful discussion at home and in the classroomWhether your child is in primary or secondary school, this conversation offers research-based insights into how attention, dialogue and shared learning experiences shape understanding.🔗 Links & ResourcesProf Andrew Tolmie https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/48122-andrew-tolmiehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-tolmie-1ab21522/?originalSubdomain=ukhttp://www.educationalneuroscience.org.uk/about-us/cen-research-group-2/prof-andrew-tolmie/ 📩 Enjoyed this episode? Share it with another parent or educator, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on learning, motivation and student wellbeing.👉 Interested in personalised academic coaching? Book a free 30-minute consultation via my website: https://www.york-weaving-education.co.uk/