Levi Colwill On His Reading Campaign, Love Of Books & Helping The Next Generation

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Hello everyone, welcome back to
another episode of TC Repeat.

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My name is Dylan.
And my name's Hayden and.

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Today we are chatting with Levi
Colwell.

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What's that?
The England and Chelsea centre

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back?
The Premier League superstar?

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The World Club champion?
What's he doing on a podcast for

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education?
Crikey, what an intro.

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Well, Levi came on and talked to
us because he's launching a

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campaign across the country to
get loads of kids reading.

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He's working with Storyzoo
company we know very well to

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fund access to over 1000 e-books
for any child up and down the

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country.
So you can find details on how

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to sign your school up down
below and we actually get into a

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chat with him about why he's
doing this because at the end of

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the day, he doesn't have to.
He's a Premier League superstar

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but he genuinely cares about the
next generation.

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It was really insightful to hear
about his journey, especially

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through injury.
He's had quite a bad injury over

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the last few months and how
reading this helped him and why

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he wants to do his bit for the
next generation.

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Say no more, Dylan.
Let's get into the chat.

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Right, Levi, we're back with
Take Two people at home.

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One, I know it's Take Two, but
let's just leave it out of that.

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We were with you in Southampton
on World Book Day.

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You're at Saint Mary's, which I
know you had family who went to

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that school, but you were there
to launch your campaign about

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getting children reading
alongside stories.

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So if you just go to a bit of
detail about what it is you're

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doing, what your aim is and what
the campaign actually is itself,

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what can children get?
Yeah, so I'm funding Story Zoo

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for a year, which means that,
you know, schools and, and

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children can get up to over 1000
ebooks on the Story Zoo site,

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which is really exciting
because, you know, reading has

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dropped so much recently in the
last few years.

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And you know, I'd love to try
and make a difference and try

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and improve the, the stats and,
and get kids reading again.

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Really.
How did you find being back in a

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school environment in the
classroom?

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Oh yeah, it was so weird.
Obviously having so, so many

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memories at school was crazy.
And like to have them all hit

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you at once and then to be then
the tables be tiny, the chairs

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be tiny.
It's like.

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We were chanting.
Our knees were like at our

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shoulders.
No, it was so weird, but it was

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good to be back.
It's like a humbling experience

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to, you know, remember where you
started.

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Yeah, definitely When you were,
obviously you went through the

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Chelsea Academy growing up and
you're a professional footballer

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now.
What was school like for you

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like as an individual?
Did you go to mainstream school?

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Did you go to like a school like
everyone else or were you doing

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stuff separately with the
football people?

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No, I went to a normal school,
like primary school.

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I moved around.
I must have gone to about 345

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schools maybe.
I moved around a lot and then

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secondary school went to one.
And then like during that time

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in your secondary school, you
get a day release where you

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travel up for travel up on
Wednesday, missed Thursday of

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school because you're training
and doing school here.

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And then you come back down
Thursday and go to school

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Friday.
And then I've done that for two,

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2-3 years.
And I think year 10, I came down

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full time up here where you go
to school up here, train all the

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time.
So yeah.

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So when you do school with the
like when you're in year 10 you

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move, is that just completely in
house is?

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That, yeah, yeah.
So it's literally a classroom.

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I think it was 2.
There was two classes, my son,

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about 66 of us, Six.
Yeah, six of us in each class.

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It's just us.
It was, it was good.

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It got us together.
So like when we was bad for we

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were much better.
But at the same time, like, it

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was, it was tough because we
were the same boys, 24.

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So yeah.
Yeah, yeah.

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And we know what that can be
like.

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I'm with him quite a lot, sick
and part of.

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The So what what was I'm really
intrigued then because your

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obviously experience was a
little bit different to me, what

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a lot of people will experience
when younger.

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What was your experience of
reading specifically, and does

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your more past and experience of
reading tie into a kind of what

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what you're doing right now?
Yeah, of course I I went through

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stages.
I would let's say for a month or

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two, I would love reading and
then I would forget to forget to

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forgot the ball, the ball,
forget to pick up the book.

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And then I literally wouldn't
read for months on.

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And it's just like on and off
the whole time.

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And like when I do get locked
into a book, I'd love it and I

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wouldn't want to put it down.
But then I just struggled to get

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back into it.
So I know the struggles of not

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of not reading and then coming
round to now where I do read and

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it's like getting into good
habits and and it's becoming

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easier.
But yeah, it was it was hard for

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me to pick up a book when I was
young.

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Yeah, Yeah, you've obviously
been off injured as well

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recently.
Have you found that in that time

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reading has had an impact?
Have you, have you picked up

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books more or is it is it
declined like how would you say

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recently?
Reading has definitely picked up

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books more because as a
footballer, like when you're

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trained everyday and playing
you're you're burning so much

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energy.
Now I'm not doing any of that,

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I'm going to bed and my mind's
just overthinking and playing on

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me and playing on me.
So I found a way maybe 3 months

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in just I started reading before
I went bad.

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Like no phones, no TV, Read the
book and it kind of helps you

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shut off so much.
The only problem is when I do

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start reading, I just don't
wanna put it down.

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So we'll be up for for longer.
I just read it.

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One more book, one more, one
more.

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Page.
That's what I say.

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I have another page and then
there's no full stop at the end

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of it.
You gotta keep reading.

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It is going to the next, but
yeah, it was.

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So it's helped me a lot, I would
say, while I've been injured.

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What kind of books were you
getting yourself into then?

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Because I remember you mentioned
previously about Atomic Habits,

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you were reading that at Club
World Cup.

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Just a little plug, you got Club
World Champion right here and I

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hate and you might not know so
much about the Club World

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Champion in front of us.
So obviously little books like

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Atomic Habits, very, very
popular self help book.

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Are they the kind of books
you're into currently?

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Yeah, I like, I like books that
can motivate me and, or change

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my thinking and mindset to
improve myself because then

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like, I don't know, just like
unlock something new for me and

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like gives me that motivation
to, to push myself harder.

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And I feel like it's, it's very,
very relatable.

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That's why I like them.
When you're in that zone of I

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can imagine like a a camp, a
training camp and you've gone

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away because it was in America.
Yeah, it can be quite not

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isolating, like you said,
because you've got your friends

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around, you've got your boys
around your team.

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But did you find reading kind of
helps just take you away for a

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second?
100%, especially like in that

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environment when you're in
America, you can't shoot off to

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go see friends or family.
Like you're with the same boys

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24/7.
And obviously it's real good

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with your friends.
Like I loved it.

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But at the same times, like it
becomes more like, it comes in

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too much.
Yeah.

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Like I like being in my own
space, like chilling on my own.

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I really enjoy that.
So going away and just reading a

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book really like took me away
from all the of everything

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that's going on.
Obviously got football in the

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crazy heat with your teammates
24/7.

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You got press everywhere.
Like just to go away from it and

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be in my own room on my own,
read my book.

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It's like it's peaceful, which
you know you can't pay for a.

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100% it's, it's nice to know,
it's so personal to you

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generally.
And, and going back to

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everything you're doing with,
with Story Zoo, I think there'll

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be, I think we, we already know
because obviously the, the, your

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campaign is out there now and,
and there's been lots of press

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coverage on it as well.
A lot of people will say, oh,

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it's yeah.
But ebooks, we don't want

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ebooks.
It's better to get physical

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books in, in, in hands.
Do you think ebooks or right of,

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you know, reading on an iPad
like I've got right in front of

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me right now, do you think that
undermines the act of reading,

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which ultimately is the purpose?
No, I wouldn't say so.

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When you have access to over
1000 books on Storyzoo, it's so

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much easier to pick and choose
different books compared to

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having to buy the hard copy and
then you got to buy another one.

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You're buying them all day long.
And then you're always so

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accessible to be on an iPad and
just to change book, just to go

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on there and read a book.
So easy and it's less stress.

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And most people, most kids if
they're lucky enough, will be on

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an iPad 24/7 anyway.
Like I've got my little cousins,

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they are just on iPads all the
time and.

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What would you rather them be
doing honestly on the iPad?

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Brainwash.
Scrolling through algorithms or

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reading a story. 100% like they
love their iPads and it's just

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so easy for them now to just go
on it and read the book and like

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educate themselves in a way, you
know what I mean?

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That's what we want from the for
the new generation and it

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doesn't even.
Need to be one or the other.

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I think so many people hear this
sort of stuff, right?

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Because I already know the kind
of people that listen and maybe

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comment on things and, and
they'll very much hear this and

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they'll say, oh, so they're
saying you don't need books

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anymore at all because the iPad
does it.

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And really like even speaking
with, with Sophie who found his

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stories that I know that her
mission, all that she always is

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constantly saying, even in
comments online, I see it

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already where she's saying it's
not about one or the other.

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It's about engaging children
with reading.

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If children are not engaging
with reading at all, then, is

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it?
Can we really say it's a bad

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thing that they're now suddenly
given, like you said, thousands

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of books.
That's it, fingertips.

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The bottom line is we're trying
to make or help them read.

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Like we're not going to sit and
argue and say, no, you got to

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sign up to Storyzoo because we
want you reading and no, we

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don't care.
Like literally just get kids

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reading again and that's what we
care about.

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And if they are reading a hard
copy, well done to them.

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At least they're improving
themselves that we're not going

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to sit and say you're wrong.
Put that down, pick up your

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iPad.
That's.

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So simple.
Yeah.

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Quick one, whilst we're here
down in the description below,

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if you want access to that
library of hundreds of ebooks

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for your school for completely
free, all you have to do is

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click the link in the
description.

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It takes about 10 seconds to
sign up now.

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Put your details in and you and
the children in your school will

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have access immediately.
Let's get reading.

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You are clearly passionate.
This is why I love talking to

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you about this, because we're
educated, it's our job, it's

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what we do.
But it's so nice to see someone

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who's in a different world
completely, who a lot of the

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children we teach literally look
up to as a hero playing

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professional football, who
speaks so clearly and honestly

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about the enjoyment of reading
and why it's important.

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I was just wondering if you
could go into a bit more detail

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about what's made you do this
because at the end of the day,

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you didn't have to, you know,
you could have just carried on

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being a professional footballer,
read the books yourself,

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influenced your small circle,
your cousins, maybe got them

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interested.
What's made you think, you know,

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actually I'm going to put myself
out there and really try and

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push this and it's launch a
whole campaign.

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Because you know, I'm lucky
enough to have the platform, the

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00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:34,280
resources to do it.
So what better thing to do with

226
00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:38,680
them then try and make a
difference and, and help kids

227
00:09:38,680 --> 00:09:42,160
learn and become better people.
And that's what we want.

228
00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:44,840
You know what I mean?
Like I've got obviously family

229
00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:46,480
and friends.
I actually spoke to my mate

230
00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:48,480
about this.
I told him from the podcast, I

231
00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:50,840
don't want to just out him out,
but I said like, is it right if

232
00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:53,880
I mention you in this and say,
like my mate said, like you keep

233
00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:55,960
it and he's fine with it.
He said that like he struggles

234
00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,840
to read from school.
And like he said, he wishes he

235
00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,320
had this this platform to be
able to learn because now, like

236
00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:04,880
in simple things, he struggles
to read.

237
00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,720
And it's just like it's hard for
him to go day-to-day.

238
00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:10,920
Of course he can, but it's a bit
harder and he's a bit more

239
00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:13,600
embarrassed to read or think
anything like that.

240
00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:16,680
So if I can try and make a
difference and and give the new

241
00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:20,000
generation another chance or not
another chance, it will be read

242
00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:21,800
about a better chance and an
easier chance.

243
00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:22,880
Yeah, Yeah, I'm going to take
it.

244
00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,520
If you look at the data, though,
genuinely, I know you said about

245
00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:28,000
oh, not another chance, but
honestly, the data is

246
00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:29,800
frightening.
If you look at the amount

247
00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,000
people, and this is people in
general, obviously the for

248
00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,280
children, it's, it's in the news
and we see that it's dropping

249
00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:36,600
off a Cliff.
And it's something we really we

250
00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,960
want to encourage because at the
end of the day, how much a child

251
00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,400
reads is generally linked into
the outcomes in life and how

252
00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,880
easy their life is for them.
But if you just look at adults

253
00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:48,720
as well, I saw a poll recently
and it said 40% of adults

254
00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:50,400
haven't read a book in the last
year.

255
00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,480
And the habits you build as a
child are the habits you have

256
00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:56,640
for your life.
So you looking at actually, I

257
00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:58,160
want to influence the next
generation.

258
00:10:58,560 --> 00:10:59,880
You're thinking a long time,
right?

259
00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:04,120
A. 100%, definitely.
Like you said, I think like it's

260
00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:07,080
like building blocks of when the
kids do start reading from a

261
00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,880
younger age, they naturally will
keep up their whole life and

262
00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,200
it'll make a big difference.
Of course, we could have done

263
00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:15,160
something for adults, but adults
are a bit more stubborn in a

264
00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:16,800
way.
They're set in their ways.

265
00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:19,280
Children are, you know, it's a
fresh start.

266
00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,000
You know, if we can get them
building early, when they do

267
00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,120
become adults, they'll be so
much easier for them just to

268
00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:25,920
read.
And I get the impression as

269
00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:28,560
well, which is another reason
why I'm so excited to be.

270
00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:30,600
I feel like we're on this
journey with you as well Working

271
00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:33,960
with Story 2 is that it is a
long time thing.

272
00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:36,520
Like you said, it's a long time
for the children, but also where

273
00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:39,080
do you see yourself as a as an
almost like an ambassador for

274
00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,120
this 23510 years down the line?
Where do I see myself with it?

275
00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,320
Hopefully keep on pushing it,
hopefully one day make it

276
00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:51,560
worldwide and and making a a
really, really, really big

277
00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:57,280
change and, and becoming a
statue for for all schools to

278
00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:59,880
encourage their their children
to read.

279
00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:02,040
Yeah.
I think hearing hearing you talk

280
00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:04,200
about it and seeing what's
literally happening with it,

281
00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,520
because it's not just you're not
just saying stuff like it is

282
00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:08,000
actually happening.
If the campaign's out there and

283
00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,440
it's already having an impact,
it makes me think, how can

284
00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:13,040
anyone be negative?
Like, surely this is a good

285
00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:14,640
thing.
But you just, you know, there

286
00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:16,880
will be some people that will
find holes to pick in anything.

287
00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:18,280
And it does.
Yeah, it is.

288
00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:19,280
It is life, people.
Just.

289
00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:21,680
Love moaning but it doesn't.
It doesn't mean it doesn't

290
00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,480
impact us, you know, I mean,
like any of us, you know, even

291
00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:26,680
just this podcast itself, if
anyone says something negative,

292
00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:28,160
it's we still see it.
We still think.

293
00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:30,120
Chips away at you slowly.
Exactly right.

294
00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:32,840
And it, and it makes me think
there've been loads of

295
00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,200
footballers in recent years
particularly who have stepped

296
00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,040
into social issues and
campaigns.

297
00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,120
And I've been met with a surge
of people saying basically like,

298
00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:41,960
who do you think you are?
Stay in your lane, You're a

299
00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:43,920
footballer.
You can't get involved in any

300
00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:45,480
kind of political action.
What?

301
00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,840
What do you say to that?
Idiots, Yeah.

302
00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:50,360
I love that.
Yeah, they're idiots.

303
00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,800
Like, how can you tell me what I
can and can't do?

304
00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,320
Especially when I'm trying to
influence the new generation,

305
00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:58,600
actually trying to make a
difference.

306
00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:03,800
I could do nothing my time or or
save my money or anything like

307
00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,720
that and not try and change
things for the better.

308
00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:09,680
But I'm going on my way.
I'm ready to receive any

309
00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:13,600
backlash people want to give me
because I don't care as long as

310
00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:15,840
I actually am making a
difference and I'm passionate

311
00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,520
about this like I actually want
it to work.

312
00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:19,880
They could say whatever they
want, you know what I mean?

313
00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:20,720
And don't make a.
Difference.

314
00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,560
And the irony is if you if you
did nothing, you probably

315
00:13:23,560 --> 00:13:25,000
wouldn't hear anything.
Do you know what I mean?

316
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,720
Like you're only hearing.
It easier for you, yeah.

317
00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:28,480
It'd be easier for you to do
literally nothing and then and

318
00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:30,200
then no one would say anything
anyway because you're not,

319
00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:32,000
you're not on their radar, but
now you're on their radar.

320
00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,520
There's always people that are
like, Oh well, it's even not

321
00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,120
good enough or you've missed out
this thing or my opinion is just

322
00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:38,800
this other thing.
But you must get that in your

323
00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:40,160
YEAH job.
Anyway, it's a football.

324
00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:41,640
All the time.
When people are hating, it means

325
00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:43,040
you're doing something right.
You know what I mean?

326
00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,080
We're used to it, of course.
Like naturally, like we said,

327
00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:47,680
it's going to chip you down bit
by bit.

328
00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:50,640
But when I'm passionate about
something, I know I'm actually

329
00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,760
doing something for a positive
change.

330
00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:57,800
Want to do this So there's
nothing that's going to stop me

331
00:13:57,800 --> 00:13:59,520
from doing this.
What, what I'd never understand

332
00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,800
with those people as well is who
do they think politics is for

333
00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:04,840
then?
Are they just saving it for a

334
00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:06,640
small group of people who make
that their job?

335
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,760
Because I'm not being funny.
I've seen people who make

336
00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:10,640
politics their job.
I'm not really sure.

337
00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:12,800
I want only them to be talking
about the issues for the future

338
00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:14,680
of the next generation.
You don't stop talking about it.

339
00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:18,440
I know, right?
The whole podcast is like, it's

340
00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:21,080
still in being political and me
just trying to like, whoa, whoa,

341
00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:22,440
come rein it into this.
Let's talk about some other

342
00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,360
stuff as well, basically.
Trying to set VR video.

343
00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,160
The politics.
Yeah, Well, it's The thing is

344
00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:29,840
people say, you know, they say
in the in the classroom all the

345
00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:30,880
time, be interested to see your
take.

346
00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:34,080
To be fair, people say, you
know, oh, that's political now.

347
00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:37,000
And it's like, what isn't
political then?

348
00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,720
If you're going to define
helping kids read and opening up

349
00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,720
an access of an eBay library,
that's an unbelievable gesture

350
00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:45,920
completely for free.
If you're going to look into

351
00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,840
that and see it as a political
move or some kind of negative,

352
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,440
those people are predisposed.
You can't get through to them,

353
00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:53,720
right?
It's it's not even worth trying.

354
00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:54,960
Just leave them.
Let them be.

355
00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:56,600
They think that.
Let them be.

356
00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,160
Of course.
Anyone.

357
00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:02,680
Anyone in the world's able to,
you know, try and do something

358
00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:05,120
good for for a change or do what
I'm doing?

359
00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:08,400
Of course I know that I've got
the resources and the platform,

360
00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,480
but there's so many others that
also do.

361
00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:13,440
And I'm just the one that just
thought, you know what, let me

362
00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,840
give it a try so I can do what I
want at the end of the day and

363
00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:18,320
especially when it's something
good like this.

364
00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,320
Yeah, and people do, you know
what, most people realistically

365
00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,200
are only going to get snippets
through the media of what you're

366
00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:25,160
doing.
They're going to, they're going

367
00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:26,360
to form their opinions based on
that.

368
00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:28,680
Whereas even just, you know, the
fact that we're doing this

369
00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,640
podcast, obviously we spoke
beforehand and had a little

370
00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,040
chat.
I, I really just got the vibe

371
00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,080
straight away that you genuinely
care and, and this is not the

372
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:37,800
only thing you're doing as well.
Like, you know, the stuff you're

373
00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,600
doing at Storyzoo isn't the only
thing you're trying to do to

374
00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:42,600
give back.
I don't know if you want to dive

375
00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:44,360
into your Academy a little bit
more because I know you've got

376
00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:46,960
that that project as well.
Obviously, yeah, like you said,

377
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,520
I've got my Academy, which is
also another really exciting

378
00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:53,240
project, which I've got my
uncles that run and my uncles

379
00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,520
are just like me, like they are
actually, like you said, caring

380
00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,600
people.
With my Academy, football is not

381
00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:00,160
the first, it's not the main
thing.

382
00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,240
The main thing is becoming
helping the boys become men,

383
00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:06,960
make the right choices and and
understand life as much as we

384
00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:08,880
can push it.
So like being on time, having

385
00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:12,120
your manners, simple things like
that, that go a really a really

386
00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,080
far away, a really big way.
So like, that is what we're

387
00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:17,720
trying to do here.
The boys there have been

388
00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,000
amazing.
I think somewhere I've got a my

389
00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,120
little I've got LSE Academy
shirt and they've all signed it

390
00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:24,960
and I think they gave it to me
for Christmas.

391
00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,280
Was it for Christmas or?
What you must be almost like,

392
00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,760
you know, when they're doing
that every day and it's got your

393
00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:33,840
name on it.
They're trying to impress you as

394
00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:35,400
well though.
Of course, like even we've gone

395
00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:37,200
out on a meal with the boys and
they're a bit like shy.

396
00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:39,040
Like my uncle, I speak to them
every day about it.

397
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:41,320
Yeah, like every single day.
And they tell me what the boys

398
00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:42,560
are like.
Like if any of them have got

399
00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:43,800
problems, they report back to
me.

400
00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:45,760
Of course, I trust my uncle's to
sort it, but I'd like to know,

401
00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:46,760
you know what I mean?
It's good to know.

402
00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:48,440
And it's good they know that you
know, as well.

403
00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:50,440
So when I went went for dinner
with them, there's just shy.

404
00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,560
Like obviously I was a bit shy
because like I haven't really

405
00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:56,120
been around them and like I
don't really understand the

406
00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,240
personality enough, but there
was just but to.

407
00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:00,200
You that you're this icon.
Exactly.

408
00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:01,800
Like even I know Hayden loves
football.

409
00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:03,320
Hayden, before he was coming
here, he was like, oh.

410
00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:04,680
My got a few questions for him
anyway.

411
00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:06,920
Test it.
Well, we we were going to leave.

412
00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:08,960
I wanted to test you.
So I think we should do that

413
00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:10,520
right now about do you want to
ask him to?

414
00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:15,000
Explain the offside rule please.
Come on, why are you laughing?

415
00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:16,640
Because I know that you've got
no clue.

416
00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:18,079
Hopefully our listeners will
know that I'm.

417
00:17:18,319 --> 00:17:19,960
Come on, you're all right.
Fine.

418
00:17:20,079 --> 00:17:22,359
Offside is when and if you start
laughing.

419
00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:26,079
I'm stopping.
Offside is when you pass the

420
00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:29,440
ball to someone on your team,
but the person on your team is

421
00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,160
further forward than the
furthest player back on the

422
00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:33,560
opposite team, right?
Obviously other than the

423
00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:38,040
goalkeeper and that applies all
the way through until you get to

424
00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,240
the box area.
It's so close.

425
00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:43,960
Why is that funny?
Is it not called the box choice?

426
00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:44,280
It's.
Wrong.

427
00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:47,120
So you think it's offside until
the one place you can score a

428
00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:48,960
goal really easily and then it's
just fair game?

429
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,040
Yeah, is it not you've?
Got half it correct.

430
00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,040
I mean, more than half go on
correct to the halfway line

431
00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:56,360
it's.
The halfway line.

432
00:17:56,360 --> 00:17:58,400
Halfway line.
You can't be offside in your own

433
00:17:58,400 --> 00:17:59,520
half because, you know, I need a
goal.

434
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:01,080
Yeah, yeah.
But you can't do it up to the

435
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:01,720
box.
Yeah, you.

436
00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:05,000
Just have a fair stand up.
I was tricking you guys the

437
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:06,760
whole time though.
I was making sure I was making.

438
00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:07,520
Sure you do.
Really.

439
00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:08,840
Because.
Obviously, you know you that.

440
00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:10,040
That is a classical.
Teacher.

441
00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,040
Yeah, that's.
It I was I was making sure you

442
00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,080
guys and it's important to show
humility children.

443
00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:17,200
Let's just for a second strip
back of what just happened.

444
00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,880
You're pretending to be testing
a professional footballer.

445
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,400
I was just seeing if you.
Actually, you realise how many

446
00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,040
people be listening to this who
are like, obsessed with

447
00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,080
football, maybe, you know,
follow you and your team, who I

448
00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:29,760
think were cringing at the idea
that I'm saying with you right

449
00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:31,920
now, basically like, I don't
know how football works.

450
00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:34,200
Yeah.
So that happened.

451
00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:36,600
Back to the back to.
That was a nice segue.

452
00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:38,120
I love that.
Back to the Academy though, you

453
00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:40,680
mentioned about the thing I love
because I am obsessed with

454
00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:42,560
football.
I love football and that kind of

455
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:46,040
Academy to me as a young person
I think would have been perfect,

456
00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:47,560
set me off on that road.
I think what you're doing is

457
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,960
amazing, but I want to go back
to the bit you said about how

458
00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:52,240
football wasn't even the main
thing.

459
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:54,640
It feels like, you know,
football's your job, you're

460
00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:58,040
living the dream career.
But even in this world we live

461
00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,160
in now, the top outcome you were
saying was about being a rounded

462
00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:04,200
person, being a good person
because we've seen how online

463
00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,280
people can be influenced,
especially young men at the

464
00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,280
minute can be influenced to go
down maybe the wrong Rd.

465
00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:11,960
I'm interested to hear what you
say about football itself

466
00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:14,840
obviously being important and
what what people want, but where

467
00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:18,560
does that stand on your outlook?
Because you said before it's

468
00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,480
just a job to you.
Are these other things to you

469
00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:23,360
more important?
Yeah, 100%.

470
00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,240
Like for example, my LSE
Academy, it is the cherry them

471
00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:30,960
being able to play football, but
if they are off the pitch, if

472
00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,160
they're not doing something
correct, they won't get to play

473
00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:34,120
football.
As simple as that.

474
00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:39,160
For me being a being a good
person and actually caring for

475
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:43,040
others and and putting others in
front of you I think goes goes a

476
00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:45,400
mile.
Like for example, me, I've got

477
00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,200
my family of friends, I put them
in front of me all the time

478
00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:48,840
because I care about them that
much.

479
00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:51,800
I want maybe not everyone to
think like me because you know,

480
00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:54,600
some people may think for
themselves first is not a bad

481
00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:58,320
thing, but also just actually
thinking about others and not

482
00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:00,200
always thinking about yourself
24/7.

483
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,240
I feel like you'll be a better
person for him and the world

484
00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:05,520
will evolve if everyone's like
that, I think.

485
00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:07,640
There's a balance right at the
end of the day, like like you

486
00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,000
said, you can put yourself
first.

487
00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:11,560
It's the people that only put
themselves first that maybe you

488
00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:13,760
go, oh, hang on a minute,
there's a there's another

489
00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,400
perspective on life.
And do you feel like that that's

490
00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:17,760
already had an impact with your
Academy?

491
00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:19,320
Do you feel like you're already
seeing that come?

492
00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:21,840
Through 100% I think like I
said, my uncles, they are

493
00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:24,440
amazing with them.
Like they are strict but have

494
00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,880
also been through everything
them kids have been through or

495
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,200
or thinking about.
So they know both sides of it

496
00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:34,640
and they're just normal people.
Like they are as normal as you

497
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:35,400
can get.
That's them.

498
00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:36,800
Well, I'm not being funny as
well.

499
00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:40,320
Like, you know, we've met you
and beforehand you do just have

500
00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,360
this image in your head of
professional footballer, almost

501
00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:46,560
like it's a bit of a separate
bubble offside sometime.

502
00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:49,400
Do you know what I mean?
Like right now this situation,

503
00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:53,840
who's offside halfway line he
doesn't he.

504
00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:56,320
Don't know ball, does he?
He doesn't know Ball.

505
00:20:57,560 --> 00:20:59,440
How is this?
The ball is short for football,

506
00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:02,840
just in case he might not know.
Yeah, sorry, mate, carry on.

507
00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:04,760
No, I've.
I've literally honestly

508
00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,280
completely throw them off my
train of thought right now.

509
00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:08,920
Something I've saw about people
being normal.

510
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:10,400
This is the most normal chat
you're ever going to get.

511
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,160
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
But yeah, before we met you, we

512
00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:14,400
were thinking, Oh yeah, it's
probably.

513
00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,800
We'll see what he's like.
And this is a compliment, by the

514
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:19,040
way, Levi, you couldn't be more
of a normal person and.

515
00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:22,000
And you genuinely come across
that way and within 5 minutes

516
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:23,680
we're talking to someone.
I think you really get to

517
00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:28,160
understand their motivations and
it's so refreshing for people at

518
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,240
Hayden and I where education is
our think, it's our job, it's

519
00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,160
genuinely what we love doing.
And sometimes when people

520
00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:36,800
outside of it have opinions on
education, it makes sense

521
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:38,560
because everyone's been through
the education system.

522
00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:40,840
I think everyone should have an
opinion on education.

523
00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:42,880
I truly do.
But when it comes from a place

524
00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,160
of helping as much, helping as
many people as possible, it's

525
00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,600
it's a breath of fresh air for
me, I think just to be talking

526
00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:50,120
to you.
I understand you can't deny it

527
00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:52,440
really.
So like just thinking of, you

528
00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,040
know, with establish you're a
normal guy, but at the end of

529
00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,320
the day, who knows offside, who
knows offside really well.

530
00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:00,720
At the end of the day, football
is your career and it can be

531
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:03,600
quite, you know, typically quite
a short career in comparison to

532
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:06,960
a lot of careers.
And a lot of people won't get

533
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,280
the chance to turn professional.
So what do you have any advice

534
00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:13,240
for those, for those young kids,
You know, that maybe I'm sure

535
00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:14,640
you've taught them as well.
I've taught loads of children

536
00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:17,160
where it's like they really
genuinely don't think they need

537
00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:19,040
to engage with education at all
because they're like, I'm going

538
00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:21,200
to be a footballer, it's fine.
I'm I'm gonna be a footballer.

539
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,040
I don't need to.
Yeah, but even if you're a

540
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,240
footballer, you still need to
still need to be well educated

541
00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:28,960
and understand simple things
that you get from being at

542
00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:32,720
school that take you far away.
Even myself, when I was at

543
00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:34,560
school, I was some days I would
be.

544
00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:37,360
Some days I'll be locked in and
listening and other days I

545
00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:39,320
wouldn't be.
And then it's when you get older

546
00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:41,440
now and you're thinking, I wish
I knew that all my little

547
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,480
cousins.
Yeah, yeah, they they will come

548
00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:45,040
here and they'll be asking me
questions and they'll be

549
00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,080
embarrassing me, ask me even
like math questions.

550
00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:48,200
Yeah.
And I'm acting like I know.

551
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,600
So I'm just being quiet.
What was it then?

552
00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,120
And they give me the answer.
I'm like Nah, what have I done

553
00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:54,080
wrong here in?
Your nature.

554
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,480
Yeah, well done. 12 It would
almost be like a world class

555
00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,640
footballer telling you on your
podcast embarrassing you

556
00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,360
because.
You don't know the game tell you

557
00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:03,920
something like that.
I know the rules.

558
00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:04,960
Yeah.
Not bad.

559
00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:06,800
Yeah, let's have a VAR check on
that, aren't we?

560
00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:09,200
I think maybe.
But no, you need to, you

561
00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:13,640
definitely do need to be locked
in for it because you know,

562
00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:15,760
anything can happen in life.
Even me, like I'm fortunate

563
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:17,760
enough to be a foot blur.
But if that didn't work, what

564
00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:23,320
I'd have done next You need to
have or be educated enough to

565
00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,800
have a backup plan.
Everyone does, even me now, even

566
00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:28,120
with my injury.
I was going to say, you've had

567
00:23:28,120 --> 00:23:29,880
that layoff.
Like when that happens, you

568
00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:32,600
think the worst in your head and
you're thinking what what's

569
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:35,600
going to happen if I don't come
back the same player or so you

570
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:38,040
always need to have a backup
plan and, and there's no better

571
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:40,840
way than, you know, thinking and
being in school and and

572
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:42,360
learning.
How, how have you coped, by the

573
00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:43,240
way?
Because obviously you've been

574
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:44,320
off for quite a while with your
injury.

575
00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:47,400
Just diving into that, like
genuinely like, you know, reveal

576
00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,360
as much as you want, but how,
how has that been for you?

577
00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:50,760
Oh.
It's been the hardest time in my

578
00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:53,480
life.
Like you lose.

579
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:55,760
You don't lose being on not
sorry.

580
00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:57,240
You don't only lose being on the
pitch.

581
00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,280
You lose being with your
teammates.

582
00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:01,960
You lose yourself.
Like you go in.

583
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,080
So when you first have surgery
or crutches, you go in.

584
00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,480
You're in at the training ground
for longer than all the other

585
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,920
boys.
You leave later, you come home,

586
00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:12,360
you set your sofa, you can't
move.

587
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:14,120
You go to go for a toilet at
her.

588
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,320
Your knee hurts.
Like everything in your life

589
00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:20,120
changes.
And like for me it was which is

590
00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:21,760
the hardest.
I think I'm like 7 months now.

591
00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:23,520
I think it's the hardest seven
months I've had in my life.

592
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,120
And then while that stuff's
happening, real life stuff still

593
00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:28,120
happening.
And like, it's, yeah, it's been

594
00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:29,560
a lot.
You're still a human being.

595
00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:31,960
That's it.
Like people think that that

596
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:33,280
stops.
When this stops now, it still

597
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,000
goes on.
So yeah, it's been difficult,

598
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,320
but I know that I'm now mentally
and physically stronger than I

599
00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,000
was before.
Yeah, you're wearing to go.

600
00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:43,640
You feel good, 100%.
I saw pictures recently as well

601
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:46,640
of you back in training from the
chess training and it just, and

602
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:48,000
honestly, I know I don't know
you that well.

603
00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:49,040
I've only known you a couple
times.

604
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,760
I've met you a couple times.
But honestly, those pictures see

605
00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:53,760
in your face.
You seem so happy just to be

606
00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,440
back with the boys.
Just like just having jokes with

607
00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,200
them, catching jokes and just
being a little kid again.

608
00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:00,720
That's what you're like when
you're together, being a little

609
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,480
kid, just winding each other up.
That's what I'm like anyway.

610
00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:04,120
I'm just a wind up.
I love to wind.

611
00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:06,360
So on wind someone up, if I get
a nibble, are they?

612
00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:09,240
I'm happy.
This guy here, it's easy, it's

613
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:12,400
my full time job.
They know this is there.

614
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:15,560
Is there like one thing just on
on reflection might be a tricky

615
00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:17,320
question.
It's just a compound now, but is

616
00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:20,240
there one thing you'd say from
your time off that you learned

617
00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:22,760
in terms of like did it shape
you differently or one thing you

618
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:25,800
think I learned this because of
this time off and it's maybe

619
00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,280
impacted how I think about the
future or anything like that?

620
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:30,720
Or do you just not take anything
for granted?

621
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:36,360
Like anything can happen in
life, Yeah, You just got to live

622
00:25:36,360 --> 00:25:40,560
every day, take a day by day and
just make the most of it, like

623
00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,680
with the people you love.
Because anything can happen, you

624
00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,840
know, And life changes quick.
100% it's good advice for

625
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,560
everyone.
I think one thing we've noticed

626
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,480
recently, and again, I know
we're kind of on a pedestal

627
00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:53,640
here, we're talking about the
year of reading.

628
00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:54,960
We're talking about your work
with stories.

629
00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:56,680
You're releasing these ebooks to
the children.

630
00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:59,720
And I think rightfully most
people in education and what

631
00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,280
you're doing is putting reading
on this pedestal because reading

632
00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,600
unlocks pretty much everything
you need to be able to read

633
00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,960
properly to unlock the history
that you want to learn about or

634
00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:10,920
the geography, all links.
And there was a reel we saw

635
00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:13,800
recently which kind of threw up
the importance of health and

636
00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:16,600
fitness, fitness as well.
And now I personally think

637
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:18,920
having worked in a primary
school for 10 years, I don't

638
00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:21,400
think we do enough in terms of
the health and the fitness of

639
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,960
the next generation and making
sure that that time is

640
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,240
sacrosanct and almost treated as
if it is like English and maths.

641
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,320
You know, you need to be able to
read, you need to add up, you

642
00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:32,280
need to be able to be fit and
healthy and run and exercise.

643
00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:36,040
And this person, it was, it was,
I can't remember exactly who it

644
00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:39,080
was, but they mentioned about
how to them actually health and

645
00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,000
fitness is on a pedestal again
and it's even more important.

646
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:43,200
It's probably the most important
thing.

647
00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,480
And they'd rather their child be
able to run properly and be

648
00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:48,360
healthy and fair than read a
book.

649
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,640
Now I just want to, as a
professional athlete, it's

650
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:52,040
interesting to get your point of
view.

651
00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:55,120
You obviously value that, you
obviously value reading.

652
00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,640
Where would you stand in terms
of the importance and what we

653
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,160
should be focusing on?
Is it an Eva or is it something

654
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,280
we can kind of share out?
Yeah, I don't understand why

655
00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:04,280
people always put two different
things together like that.

656
00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:08,200
Makes no sense to me.
Of course you want to be get

657
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:10,320
healthy because you know you
want to be healthy and

658
00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,160
hopefully, you know, keep your
heart strong and and hopefully

659
00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:15,360
live longer.
But then you also need to know

660
00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:17,840
day-to-day stuff from reading
and that's how you go about your

661
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:19,520
life.
So I feel like there are two

662
00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:21,600
different things.
They shouldn't even be put in

663
00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:25,040
the same same bracket because,
you know, they both help you in

664
00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:29,360
life to move forward.
So yeah, that question is a bit

665
00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:31,280
of a tough one.
I wouldn't, I would never, I

666
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,120
would never be able to pick one
or the other because.

667
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:34,960
I think that's an answer, isn't
it?

668
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,000
You know that that is, and
that's a real answer.

669
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:38,640
How can you?
And if you have to do, you know,

670
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,240
you can sign up for Story Zoo
and do it on a treadmill at the

671
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:42,960
same time.
I've solved it.

672
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:44,520
That's like the new version of
Pedaton.

673
00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,320
I love it.
Get on a bike.

674
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,520
We're on to something.
Every every 100 cycles you go to

675
00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:50,520
a new page.
Does your read is simple?

676
00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:52,760
So we we we should we shouldn't
say this on a podcast.

677
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:54,320
I.
Know we need a new idea.

678
00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:56,720
Get us locked.
In I think that I think that's

679
00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,240
bang on and from our point of
view, it's frustrating when you

680
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:01,680
put really important things
together because I think it's

681
00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:04,520
fair enough to say genuinely, I
think it's fair enough to say

682
00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,880
that something like reading,
basic maths, health and fitness,

683
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,720
I actually do genuinely think
that those are more important

684
00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:11,840
than some other stuff we do in
school.

685
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:14,200
Learning about learning about
rivers.

686
00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,120
Like I'm not being funny.
Who gives a crap?

687
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,280
Selected though in it like if
you if you're interested in that

688
00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:23,920
stuff yeah you can learn it, but
if you've got no interest like.

689
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,280
Precisely it's.
Just wasting time.

690
00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:26,440
Does does everyone need to know
about?

691
00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:27,760
I think about rivers.
I'm sorry.

692
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:29,680
It's a little thing being my
bonnet because rivers is a huge

693
00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:31,040
primary school thing.
I think it's a waste of time.

694
00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:34,200
But if you enjoy rivers, do you
know what will let you go off

695
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:36,120
and learn about them?
Being able to read.

696
00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:37,480
Yeah.
And do you know what will help

697
00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:38,720
you go off and be able to hike
on them?

698
00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:43,160
Being healthy.
I reckon on reflection that that

699
00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,360
reel, that guy, I think he was
trying to exaggerate the point.

700
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:47,160
Again, be good to get your
opinion on this.

701
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:49,120
I think he was trying to
exaggerate the point that at the

702
00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:52,400
moment reading and math, English
in general are on the pedestal,

703
00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:54,600
right?
And health and fitness just

704
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:56,080
isn't.
It's so far behind.

705
00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:58,840
So, like, do you think there's
still something to be said for,

706
00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:00,800
even though we don't need to put
them in the same bracket, do you

707
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:02,920
think there's still something to
be said for the idea that health

708
00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,000
and fitness is actually, like,
way too far behind?

709
00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,960
100%, yeah, 100%.
I think that's a no brainer.

710
00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:12,320
I feel like obviously we could
do a lot more work on it and it

711
00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,000
is still so important for your
life and your and your

712
00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,200
well-being and keeping you, you
know, mentally feeling healthy

713
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:21,000
and mentally good too.
So I definitely feel like that

714
00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,960
needs to be put on a pedestal
too, because it's such a big,

715
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,880
important part of life.
Yeah, I've got professional

716
00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,200
athletes that across us too.
Important, healthy.

717
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,840
I mean, we need to listen, boys.
It's really important.

718
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:36,680
Put that Easter egg away.
I was eating this morning.

719
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:39,480
Yeah, I feel like this.
It wouldn't be one of our

720
00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:42,320
podcast episodes, right, if we
didn't at least get into some

721
00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:44,600
sort of rant where Dylan can
talk politics and get into the

722
00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:46,160
government, right?
Because it's just what you do.

723
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:48,440
It's what you do normally.
We'll be talking about anything

724
00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:50,360
in the podcast, and we'll
somehow end up on a bit where

725
00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:51,960
Dylan's talking.
About brings it back.

726
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:53,640
We're not funding things and
I'm.

727
00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,040
Not funding this probably.
So let's maybe maybe finish on

728
00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:59,040
this.
So based on everything you said

729
00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:02,120
and you know your mission with
Storyzoo, your mission with your

730
00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:04,080
Academy, and just getting kids
reading everything you're doing

731
00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:05,360
basically.
Which, by the way, you can sign

732
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:06,560
up to down in the show notes
down below.

733
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:08,960
This guy is going to do a
podcast sometime.

734
00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:12,240
If you could talk to the
government right now, what would

735
00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:15,080
your message be to them?
Hopefully they hopefully they

736
00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:16,480
get on board with what we're
doing.

737
00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:20,280
Hopefully they see the impact
that Storyzoo is doing and, and

738
00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:22,960
they want to push this as far as
us and actually try and make a

739
00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:26,440
make a difference and trying to
help as many children as

740
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:28,560
possible.
I think that would be very

741
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:30,200
important if we was on the same
page.

742
00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:33,360
And you know, I'm not, I'm not
battling them here.

743
00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:35,800
I'm not on their side.
I'm just actually just trying to

744
00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:37,520
do my thing to make a
difference.

745
00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,440
And hopefully you know, they can
like as I get on board and try

746
00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:41,840
and help us as much as possible
too.

747
00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:43,840
Yeah, surely.
Very diplomatic by the way,

748
00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,560
surely if it's a shared mission.
Everyone win, win, win.

749
00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:49,640
Right, everyone get involved.
What you're doing is great.

750
00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:51,600
The government are equally doing
lots of good things.

751
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:53,120
We're always here to be
critiques.

752
00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:54,680
You know, we're always going to
critique everything the

753
00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:56,720
government do because we're
trying to hold them to account.

754
00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:58,800
But at the end of the day, they
are doing great things as well

755
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,080
in certain aspects.
So if.

756
00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:02,520
It's a national year of reading.
National Year of Reading exactly

757
00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:05,200
right so you can do you know?
What I will say just on this now

758
00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:09,240
I know we're being diplomatic,
but I will just say buckle up,

759
00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:11,480
baby.
That does that does seem to me

760
00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:14,800
to be there has to be another
leap past virtue signalling.

761
00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:18,400
I think it's fair enough to say
saying it's the year of reading

762
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:21,720
and getting people in a room to
say reading's good, isn't it

763
00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:23,840
kids?
And basically saying you must

764
00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,440
read for enjoyment.
All of those things are not

765
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,480
revolutionary.
You know, as teachers, we

766
00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:29,640
understand the importance of
reading.

767
00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:31,840
We don't need a year of reading
to tell us how important it is.

768
00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:35,160
There are other things and
barriers in the way to children

769
00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:38,040
reading more that I feel like we
should be addressing more.

770
00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:39,120
And that's why I love what
you're doing.

771
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,400
You're you're addressing it with
an actual campaign that is

772
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,280
saying here are 1000 free
ebooks.

773
00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,560
If your child sat on a laptop or
an iPad or whatever it is, they

774
00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:50,720
can log in and get a free book
that they can read.

775
00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:53,560
That's fantastic.
We've got social media, huge

776
00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:57,080
issue with our next generation
sat in front of these algorithms

777
00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:00,040
that are designed to get all of
their attention reel after reel

778
00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:01,600
after reel and before you know
it and how it's gone.

779
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:03,400
That needs to be addressed
somehow.

780
00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:06,480
So all I would say as well to
add to the government after

781
00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:09,000
Levi's fantastic answer, it's
absolutely fair.

782
00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,200
I'm just pushing it a bit more
to say, but we do have to say

783
00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:14,000
action it as well.
Actually speak louder than

784
00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:14,960
words.
Exactly.

785
00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:15,920
See what I'm saying?
Yeah.

786
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:17,000
So that's all you have to say.
Yeah.

787
00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:19,240
I just said more in free words
than I did.

788
00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:20,880
Yeah.
There you go.

789
00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:23,800
I'll just I'll just cut laugh I.
Think I was like, yeah, I'll

790
00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:25,520
just give a thousand 1000 free
books to kids.

791
00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,120
You can shut up.
Then we could do actions, right?

792
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:31,360
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh man, it's been, it's honestly

793
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:32,920
been an absolute pleasure.
Thank you guys.

794
00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:35,160
Can't speak to you again, and
I'm sure it won't be the last

795
00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:36,560
time either.
I think your campaign is going

796
00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,440
to be, I mean already is in the
last week, extremely successful.

797
00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:41,080
Hundreds of schools are signing.
Up hundreds of schools are

798
00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,480
signing up, as you know, and
yeah, it's going to continue to

799
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:46,840
make an impact and we can keep
measuring that as a team and

800
00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:48,360
doing more things.
Keep growing and making it

801
00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:49,800
better.
Nice day, SO.

802
00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:55,000
Thank you guys.
Thanks you think you did a good

803
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,120
explanation of offside.
I knew it.

804
00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:58,840
I knew it was going to come.
Did you think it was good?

805
00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:01,280
I thought it was all right until
I got it wrong.

806
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:02,960
It could have been worse, it
could have been worse.

807
00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:05,440
He took it quite well.
It's just so funny you sat there

808
00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:08,600
with a professional footballer.
Can I, can I, Can I now I'm, you

809
00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:10,280
know, exposing myself, Can I
tell you what I did after that,

810
00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:12,360
when I went home, I went and
watched a YouTube video that

811
00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:14,120
explained it in more detail
because I didn't quite get it

812
00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,960
when you explained it.
I was like why am I so wrong?

813
00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:19,520
What's wrong with me?
Can I expose you even further?

814
00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:21,040
Yeah, go on.
And the night before we spoke to

815
00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,280
Levi, you sent me an 8 minute
compilation of Levi Cole.

816
00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:26,320
It was best of bits.
It was best.

817
00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:28,840
Yeah, and it was good and it was
good, all right.

818
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,760
What a great you, what a great
play making centre back, yeah.

819
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:35,320
This guy can play football, you
know?

820
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:37,160
He's really, he's really good at
football.

821
00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,760
And you know what, so genuine,
so genuine.

822
00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,120
I love talking, I love talking
to him because obviously we're

823
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,080
getting to know him a little bit
Over the past couple of weeks,

824
00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:47,520
we met him a few times and he's
just the most normal guy that

825
00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:50,920
you can ever wish to meet and so
truly, genuinely cares about

826
00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:52,880
helping other people because he
just doesn't have to do, he

827
00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,080
doesn't have to do his Academy.
He doesn't have to do this

828
00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:56,440
campaign to try and get kids
reading.

829
00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:58,360
He genuinely cares.
And do you know how you know he

830
00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:00,640
cares?
Because unlike people like us,

831
00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:02,520
he doesn't do social media
clout.

832
00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:04,520
He doesn't post a net, he
doesn't let people know he

833
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,080
doesn't like do it for the
fanfare.

834
00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:09,239
He he just first and foremost is
like, oh, I can help some

835
00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:11,520
people.
And it's coming through the lens

836
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:13,520
of trying to help children get
reading.

837
00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:15,120
Exactly that.
And I know it's genuine because

838
00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:17,000
the first time we met him there
was a few of us there and he was

839
00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:18,800
having a conversation with
somebody else.

840
00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:20,840
Bear in mind we're talking like
I'm minutes into meeting this

841
00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,120
guy, there's no one else around.
Like it was just a private

842
00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:25,639
conversation between all of us
and he was just genuinely

843
00:34:25,639 --> 00:34:29,960
talking about how like in his
position, he like he gets

844
00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:32,040
fulfilment from giving back and
helping other people and any

845
00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:35,520
opportunity he gets to help a
community or other people, like,

846
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,840
why would he not do it?
And he was saying it as if like

847
00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:40,800
there's no other option.
And, and you know, he wasn't

848
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:42,000
there.
It was, there was no Instagram

849
00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:44,040
like in his face, there was no
paparazzi impressed.

850
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:46,760
He was just being normal.
And I was like, ah, yeah, he's

851
00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:48,480
just a nice guy completely.
It makes sense.

852
00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,159
When I was thinking about it in
general, because it, you know,

853
00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:53,400
we're on social media a lot.
We know the kind of mood in

854
00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:56,360
general of what's going on.
And there will be people

855
00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,240
straight away saying, oh, it's
ebooks, it's online, it's on the

856
00:34:59,240 --> 00:35:01,680
screen, it's, it's automatically
bad.

857
00:35:02,160 --> 00:35:04,320
And I know we touched upon it
with him talking, talking about

858
00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:05,680
it.
And you know, you and I, we've

859
00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:08,360
spoken a million times before.
How about we'd never endorse or

860
00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:10,480
talk about anything we don't
truly think is a good thing.

861
00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:12,440
So clearly we're already there,
right?

862
00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:14,240
We, we, we genuinely wouldn't be
talking about this.

863
00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:16,840
We wouldn't be working with him,
wouldn't be doing our bits and,

864
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:18,200
and working with stories.
Either way.

865
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:22,080
We do in terms of talking about
this as a, as a campaign of, of

866
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,680
good, really.
What would you say to people who

867
00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:28,440
do push back on it a bit though?
I just, I just think I think

868
00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:31,600
everyone in this sphere of
talking about education and

869
00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,280
books and reading, I think we
just need to widen the horizons

870
00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:36,240
a little bit.
Like I think we can have nuanced

871
00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:39,000
conversations genuinely about
what's better in certain

872
00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:41,160
situations and long term and
short term.

873
00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:43,760
But really, when we're just
talking about the children that

874
00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:45,720
we're talking about here, which
is children who aren't engaging

875
00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:49,160
with reading at all and we want
to try and encourage them to

876
00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,480
read, giving them access to
thousands of books on the screen

877
00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:56,320
that they're already using to me
is a no brainer in terms of it's

878
00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,360
another option.
Do I, do I therefore think that

879
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:01,880
it's better than books?
No, it's not.

880
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:03,520
It's not even a like a
comparison.

881
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:05,880
Like I think books are great and
I and I want to get children

882
00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:08,800
reading books, but lots of
children aren't reading books,

883
00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,200
but they are looking at screens
and they're quite happy to read

884
00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:12,400
things and look at things on
screen.

885
00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,480
So let's give them quality
content rather than letting them

886
00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:17,480
go through the brain, right
Algorithms and YouTube all the

887
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:19,440
time.
Like why would we not try to use

888
00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:21,880
this as a gap to bridge to back
to reading?

889
00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:22,800
Like it doesn't make sense to
me.

890
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:25,720
Yeah, if it, if it was at the
detriment of a book, then I

891
00:36:25,720 --> 00:36:28,440
think, I think it's more, more
rooted in something that's

892
00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:31,000
worthwhile arguing about.
It's like if, if children are

893
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,960
avid readers of physical books
and then we were coming along

894
00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:35,480
and saying no, no, no, no, just
read online.

895
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:37,520
Just read, just read an ebook,
read on a screen.

896
00:36:37,880 --> 00:36:39,880
I would kind of understand if
people were saying, all right,

897
00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:41,160
well, actually, wait a minute,
it's not broken.

898
00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:42,320
That's not fake.
You know, let's not fix

899
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:44,400
something that's not broken.
It's there, It's OK.

900
00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:47,400
But yeah, we're not talking
about that like it is Unbeliev.

901
00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,880
I, I still don't think lots of
people realise how incredibly

902
00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:54,200
low so reading is and like
amount of time children are

903
00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:56,800
spending reading and I don't
think people truly understand

904
00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:59,800
the problem we're facing.
And if, like Levi says, and I

905
00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:03,400
truly believe him and I'm on
side as well, if this means that

906
00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,400
there are some children out
there now who will read more,

907
00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:09,640
great what we arguing about.
Exactly.

908
00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:12,600
I think sometimes the ideology
can can get in the way a little

909
00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:14,640
bit in terms of like, yeah, in
the perfect world, this is what

910
00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:16,160
we'd all do.
It's like, yeah, cool, in a

911
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:17,240
perfect world, that's what we'd
all do.

912
00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:19,960
But it's not a perfect world.
And this huge group of children,

913
00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:22,720
you can say it till the cows
come home of like putting books

914
00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:24,880
in front of their faces.
Some of those children will just

915
00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:25,960
don't, they're not going to pick
them up.

916
00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:27,360
They don't want to do it.
They're not interested.

917
00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:30,480
Whereas they might be interested
if we can just get this 1%

918
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:33,680
difference through this means,
then why would we not do that?

919
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:35,800
Do you know what I mean?
So it's a no brainer to me.

920
00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:38,080
And ultimately, I think the
campaign is, is going to be

921
00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:39,920
extremely successful.
I think it's going to do a lot

922
00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:41,160
of good.
I do think he's going to get

923
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:42,760
pushed back.
I think this, this conversation

924
00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:44,880
we're having right now, it's
never going to end.

925
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:45,840
You know, it's not going to
stop.

926
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,000
But I think it's important we
keep discussing it and

927
00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,560
remembering and measuring the
actual impact it's having on

928
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:52,480
children reading.
Yeah, 100%.

929
00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,040
And, and hundreds of schools
have already signed up.

930
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,120
You know, it's really, really
promising when you look at the

931
00:37:56,120 --> 00:37:58,800
reaction to people actually
seeing what Levi's doing and

932
00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:00,160
going, yeah, of course I'll have
some of that.

933
00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:03,160
It's really, I don't know, it it
makes me feel happy that a

934
00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:05,920
difference is being made.
And if that difference is small,

935
00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:08,160
fine, but we're hoping it's
going to be huge.

936
00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:09,760
And I'm fully behind the
campaign.

937
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:11,880
And I think, you know, it goes
along nicely with the whole

938
00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:14,520
national year of reading and how
that's really important as well.

939
00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:18,200
I'm really excited just to try
and give children as many

940
00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:19,480
opportunities to read as
possible.

941
00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:21,960
And what you mentioned earlier
about broadening the horizons a

942
00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:23,200
bit, I think it's really
important.

943
00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:26,440
Like I've spoken at length
before about how reading comes

944
00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:27,680
in many different shapes and
forms.

945
00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:32,000
And, you know, audiobooks,
listening to stories, OK, people

946
00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:34,400
might say it's not physically
reading, right?

947
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:37,360
If you compare a physical book
and an ebook, you physically

948
00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:39,280
reading words on a screen and
phonics comes into play and

949
00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:41,600
actually can you read?
And audiobooks are really good

950
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:43,880
way of including people into
Storytec when they're not quite

951
00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,400
ready to actually read yet, but
they can get the benefits of a

952
00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,280
story or information if it's a
non fiction text and they can

953
00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:50,840
listen to it.
You know, we talked about

954
00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:53,600
newspaper articles, we say all
the time cooking, cooking books

955
00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:56,720
and and instructions, maybe
instruction manuals for sets

956
00:38:56,720 --> 00:38:59,080
that you've got for building.
I I can think of a million

957
00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:00,840
different ways to expand reading
a bit more.

958
00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:03,840
And if we're more inclusive
about what counts as reading and

959
00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:05,560
less snobby.
Yes, exactly.

960
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:06,880
I I think that's going to help
in the long.

961
00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:09,720
Because the more snobby we are,
you just cutting your nose off

962
00:39:09,720 --> 00:39:11,680
to spite your face.
It's like, well, I'm not reading

963
00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:12,160
books.
Good.

964
00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,640
Well, don't read anything then.
So well, really.

965
00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:16,880
Yeah, exactly that.
It has such a good way of saying

966
00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:17,760
it.
I feel like it's way more clear

967
00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:20,440
in my head now.
If the end goal is to get

968
00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:24,480
people, kids, whoever, reading
physical books, there are many

969
00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:27,800
ways to bridge the gap between
children not remotely interested

970
00:39:27,800 --> 00:39:29,640
and never doing it and doing
that.

971
00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:31,760
And one of those ways to bridge
the gap is audiobooks.

972
00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:35,000
Another way is the device
they're glued to maybe giving

973
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,320
them some accessibility on there
of things that might get them

974
00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:39,080
into reading.
That's another way of bridging

975
00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:42,040
the gap and you know, hence an
ebook library of 700 plus books

976
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:44,160
like that's just a way like I,
I.

977
00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,000
It's like a it's like a gateway
drug, but good.

978
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:51,640
That's yeah, that's.
Probably the worst fly

979
00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:53,160
marketing.
The worst way to end that

980
00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:54,720
conversation?
Yeah, no, I like that.

981
00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:55,640
So I think we should leave it
there.

982
00:39:56,440 --> 00:39:57,520
This is a podcast for us there
we.

983
00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:00,680
Go gateway drug to to reading.
Love it.

984
00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,000
Did you make sure you sign up
your school now?

985
00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:07,240
But I do think very, very
quickly that in its own right,

986
00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:08,280
it's still worthwhile.
Yeah.

987
00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,600
I don't think everything should
be in the optics of in the end

988
00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:13,000
goal of doing this thing right.
Do you know what?

989
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,120
Do I personally think reading a
physical book is the best

990
00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:17,720
version of reading?
I personally think yes.

991
00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:21,360
But I still actually read
exclusively on my Kindle.

992
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:24,000
Right.
Right, because it's more

993
00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:25,440
efficient for me.
I've got all my books in one

994
00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:26,360
place.
I can just click through.

995
00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:27,760
I can pick it up.
I can choose what I read at the

996
00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:29,520
moment.
I can go to bed with it dimmed

997
00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:32,560
down and I can go to sleep.
I love that routine that I have

998
00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:33,640
every night of reading my
Kindle.

999
00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:37,320
Like if someone was to come
along to me and go, but it's not

1000
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,080
a physical book, get a bookcase
and get a physical book every

1001
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:41,920
single night, I'd be like, bore
off me.

1002
00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:44,360
Yeah, literally, I'm reading.
I'm reading.

1003
00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:46,720
Would you rather me just be on
TikTok scrolling through my

1004
00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:47,640
algorithm?
Because guess what?

1005
00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:51,440
I also do that and I'm, well,
very much less rested when I do

1006
00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:52,920
that.
Yeah, I find it harder to switch

1007
00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:56,040
off when I do that.
When I read some, some nights

1008
00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:59,720
I'll go to bed and I'll usually
it might be like another half an

1009
00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:01,840
hour that I spend scrolling
genuinely on my phone, right.

1010
00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:03,840
I can feel the same amount of
tired.

1011
00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:05,880
If I pick up my Kindle 2 pages
in, I'm done.

1012
00:41:05,920 --> 00:41:09,200
Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm and that's
my body saying, yeah, you are

1013
00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:12,360
ready for sleep.
But the TikTok, YouTube short

1014
00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:15,680
Instagram Reel algorithm is
eating away at your mind and

1015
00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:17,040
keeping it awake and getting the
attention.

1016
00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:18,880
It's not good for you.
Wiring you up.

1017
00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:19,960
Yeah.
Does it matter that I'm

1018
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:21,760
technically on a screen now with
my Kindle?

1019
00:41:22,120 --> 00:41:25,720
No, because I'm reading and it's
better for me, Yeah.

1020
00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:28,160
There we go.
But like I said, this debate is

1021
00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:29,720
never going to end and people
will always come back with

1022
00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:31,280
something and you know, we can
talk about it.

1023
00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:33,240
Let's talk about.
It, and I do think genuinely

1024
00:41:33,240 --> 00:41:35,720
people who talk both sides of
this do genuinely have the best

1025
00:41:35,720 --> 00:41:37,040
interests of the children at
heart, of course.

1026
00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:39,840
So I think it's that's when I
quite like these discussions.

1027
00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:41,960
And yeah, it can get animated
and you can have strong feelings

1028
00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:43,840
one way or the other, but I
don't think anyone's coming from

1029
00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:47,080
a place of angst or, you know,
bad faith.

1030
00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:48,840
So I think it's a conversation
with happen to.

1031
00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:52,040
Be I think when faced if you if
you if I put a child in front of

1032
00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:54,120
you right now and it's and I say
to you, this child was not

1033
00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:56,200
reading and we gave them books
for years and they were not

1034
00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:58,120
reading.
Now they're reading this ebook

1035
00:41:58,120 --> 00:41:59,920
library.
Like, what are you going to say?

1036
00:41:59,920 --> 00:42:01,440
Like genuinely like who's
actually going to say, well,

1037
00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:03,120
that's terrible.
Yeah, you're not though.

1038
00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:04,960
Are you really?
Like, we can still, we can talk

1039
00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:07,080
about the ideology, that's fine.
But at the end of the day, if

1040
00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:09,760
that child's now reading and
they weren't, that is a net win.

1041
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:12,840
Completely so.
Sign up down below, get access

1042
00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:15,600
for your school, it's as simple
as that.

1043
00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:16,840
Give it a go.
Why not?

1044
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:18,720
Yeah, and I hope you enjoyed
this episode and don't forget to

1045
00:42:18,720 --> 00:42:19,480
tune in next week.