I am More

16/09/2026

If you want to inspire young people, surely you have to practise what you preach and lead from the front? 🤷🏼‍♀️

We spend so much of our time encouraging young people to get curious, develop themselves, build enterprise skills and experience everything that exists beyond the classroom.

So when I was invited to drive four hours to Hertfordshire for a two-day entrepreneurs’ business festival at Champneys Tring and asked to speak not once, but twice 🎤 it was absolutely an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.

Of course, there was an opportunity to showcase I Am More, but there was just as much value in my own development.

Learning, listening, building relationships and putting myself in rooms (or, in this case, fields 😂) with people I wouldn’t ordinarily meet.

There’s the old cliché, “your network is your net worth”, but for me the real value of that network is what I can bring back and open up for the young people we work with.

Over two days I met entrepreneurs, founders, multimillionaires and some seriously inspiring humans, both young and old.

It was an incredibly inclusive space full of curious people willing to share their experiences, ideas and advice.

And apparently, I can’t go anywhere without hunting down another Dragon 🐉💪🏼

This time though, I came home with more than some inspirational advice for our young people.

I came home with investment into a youth led project.

One of the absolute highlights was standing on Simon Squibb’s stage and sharing the journey of a project created by one of our groups 💥 their idea, their hoodies and most importantly, their story.

Off the back of the festival and the conversations that followed, someone believed in what they’d created enough to put actual money behind it. 💸

Next week I get to walk back into their school, hand each of them their own hoodie and tell them that something they created in a classroom travelled four hours across the country, made it onto Simon Squibb’s stage and was shared with a field full of entrepreneurs.

Their idea travelled further than they did.

That’s the bit I’m most excited about. 🔥

We can tell young people to back themselves, take opportunities and believe their ideas have value until we’re blue in the face.

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is create the opportunity for them to experience the evidence for themselves. 💪🏼

Ideas Fest Simon Squibb

02/08/2026

📣 IDEAS FEST 2026 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 📣

🎙️Ben Shephard
🎙️Cara Cunniff
🎙️David Bullock
🎙️Emma Easton
🎙️Jac Hughes
🎙️Keely Pierce
🎙️Louise Lithgow-Dicker
🎙️Lucy Johnson
🎙️Naomi Regan
🎙️Pam Bateson

MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

27/07/2026

☀️ School’s Out For Summer ☀️

It’s a funny old time.

For some, it’s all about holidays, lie ins and making memories.

For others, it’s the loss of routine and trying to navigate six weeks that can feel very different.

However your summer looks, I hope you find moments that make you smile.

This last academic year has been amazing in so many ways. So many opportunities and growth, not only for the young people and families I support, but personally too.

I believe learning is a lifelong journey.

Every session has made me reflect, research, challenge my own thinking and evolve how I work. I’ve loved every minute!

What’s really stood out is my love for human behaviour.

Not just in education, but across the organisations I’ve worked with too.

Behaviour is communication.

It tells a story.

I like to find the whole story.

The missing bits, the gaps and the people who may not feel their voice is being heard.

Whether that’s confidence, anxiety, silence, excitement or plain absence… it all tells a story.

This card was a lovely reminder that patience, understanding and simply showing up consistently can mean more than grades or attendance.

To every family or business who has trusted me this year… thank you.

It really is a privilege to be part of your journey, in whatever capacity that may be.

For now, it’s time to spend a little time with my own tribe, make some memories, recharge and let the creative ideas begin before September…

Wishing all of my families a great summer, whatever that looks like for you 🦋

18/06/2026

This one feels a little different 💝

At I Am More we talk a lot about audacious belief, courage and tenacity.

We encourage young people to have goals and dreams but honestly, why stop there? Why not shoot for the stars? ✨

I Am More has never really fitted the mould of traditional education or alternative provision.

We've always done things a little differently and led from the front, side by side with the young people we support.

This year I've barely come up for breath.

The compound effect of years of knocking on doors, fishing in big ponds, relentless graft and believing there is always a way is starting to show itself.

I’m incredibly proud of what I Am More is becoming. It’s still evolving and I think that’s the exciting part…

To know our name is being echoed in rooms we've never even stepped foot in is both exciting and humbling 🫶🏼

This one is for the young people.

And it's for little me too, who would never have dreamt so big.

Because belief, integrity and tenacity aren't just values on a website. They're how we work and show up every single day.

Let’s see where this one takes us 🦋

16/06/2026

Last week I attended the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Careers Hub Annual Conference.

As ever, brilliantly organised and delivered.

One of the themes discussed was work experience and the Work Experience Guarantee.

Whilst it’s fantastic to see more opportunities being created for young people, my curiosity often sits with those who find these opportunities hardest to access.

👉🏼 The ones who slip through the net.

👉🏼 The ones who have been turned down for placements.

👉🏼 The ones whose anxiety makes the idea of entering a workplace feel impossible.

👉🏼 The ones who stay behind whilst everyone else heads out on work experience.

❓How do we create something different for them?

I had the privilege of independently evaluating Jacqueline Hobson’s Hybrid Work Experience Model.

What started as a 5 day pilot turned into a rich report, 19 appendices and a mountain of student voice, employer feedback, staff reflections, observations and outcome data.

The challenge?

Trying to squeeze all of that into a 10 minute presentation for a room full of Careers Leaders.

No pressure then 😅

What surprised me most was that many of the findings appeared to extend far beyond work experience itself.

Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay Careers Hub

15/06/2026

🎤 Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention… 🎤

Not just my Grandad’s funeral song, but one of those rare kick me moments 🙄

This year has brought some incredible opportunities and growth, for which I’m very grateful 🙏🏼

The reality though is that sometimes saying yes to one thing means saying no to something else.

Earlier this year I was invited to be a co-author alongside the phenomenal Fatima Whitbread.

What an opportunity.

Unfortunately, I knew I didn’t have the time to give it the attention it deserved, so I politely declined.

Although regret is a big word (and not one I use lightly), this probably sits on a very short list.

It was still a privilege to attend the launch, support the book and celebrate the amazing people who shared their stories of resilience.

A fantastic read 📖

And whilst my story didn’t make it into this one, I’m okay with that.

Right now, I’m busy living the next chapter.

One day, when the timing is right, perhaps my story will find its own spine and its own place on the bookshelf 📚

Ps- I met the Founder of Reebok!!
Still doing his thing at 92 👟
What a guy!


Keely Pierce

14/06/2026

One of the most interesting findings from a recent evaluation was surprisingly simple.

When young people were able to describe themselves more clearly, they appeared more confident speaking to employers, more willing to participate and better able to talk about their future.

The activity itself wasn’t the most important part.

The real value seemed to come from helping young people recognise and put words to their strengths, qualities and what makes them unique.

Sometimes confidence doesn’t start with speaking louder.

Sometimes it starts with a young person finally being able to say:

“This is who I am, and this is what I bring.”

🦋

13/06/2026

💭 What changes when a young person can describe themselves differently?

One of the most interesting findings from a recent evaluation suggested that the language young people use to describe themselves may be more important than we realise.

For years, I’ve delivered sessions focused on strengths, personality, communication and self-awareness.

They’re often viewed as helpful extras.

Nice to have.

But not necessarily essential.

Yet this evaluation appeared to suggest something different.

The ability to describe strengths, qualities and what they could contribute repeatedly appeared alongside increases in confidence, participation and future thinking.

It got me wondering…

If a young person struggles to explain what they are good at, how easy is it for them to recognise their own potential?

The reality is that many adults still find it difficult to talk about their strengths.

Imagine developing that skill as a teenager ✨

29/05/2026

👉🏼 8 months 👉🏼No targets set 👉🏼No pressure applied.

Just consistent relational presence, meeting a young person exactly where they were.

One practitioner.
One consistent relationship.
One young person who needed someone to show up.

These are the TOMs scores across three domains:

1️⃣Participation in Learning
2️⃣Selective Mutism
3️⃣Social Communication

Every single measure moved.

This isn’t magic, it’s inclusion 🫳🏼🎤

❌ No behaviour system�❌ No rewards chart�❌ No compliance targets

It’s what happens when a young person finally feels safe enough to grow.

If the change is real, it should be measurable.

22/05/2026