EMPOWER
Free 3-Day Challenge
For founders of start-up schools and learning communities
18-20 November 2025
Are you thinking of setting up your own school or learning community? Or perhaps you've been running for a while and would like to connect with others on the same journey and learn from other trailblazing pioneers...
In celebration of the first birthday of our membership for start-up schools and learning communities, we ran a three-day challenge to give you a boost of support and help you move further forwards in your mission.
Access the recordings to:
Connect with others on a similar journey;
Take practical steps to take your education project to the next level;
Listen to expert tips and advice from founders who have been there and done it;
Hear from a graduate who experienced an alternative to mainstream education;
Feel empowered to realise your dreams!
Access the Following For Free
FREE 3-Day Challenge
Limitless podcast host, Alex O’Neill, offered practical action tasks and accountability to help move you forward in creating your dream school or learning community.
Each recorded video comes with a free handout to guide and inspire you.
Empowerment Webinar
The 3-day challenge culminated in a live webinar on Thursday 20th November.
We welcomed presentations from education innovators and a graduate, after which there was a Q&A facilitated by Alex O'Neill. This was followed by an inspirational session with ‘What’s Your Dream?’ author and entrepreneur, Simon Squibb, who will guide aspiring education start-ups towards success.
Our Guests
'Ask the Expert' Panel
Our guest speakers joined us from Lumiar UK, Lumiar International and Streams Learning Hub (Bristol, England):
Lumiar is an award-winning educational approach that reimagines schooling around student agency, real-world relevance and collaborative learning. Founded by Ricardo Semler in Brazil in 2003, Lumiar combines a flexible curriculum with participatory school culture to make learning authentic, inclusive and future-ready. Recognized by UNESCO, Stanford University, OECD and Microsoft as one of the world’s most innovative school models, Lumiar continues to inspire schools globally.
Streams Learning Hub is a part-time learning community for home educated young people which offers workshops, events and a space to connect with peers and online education providers. It’s not a school, but a community for belonging, creating and discovering. They empower young people aged 12+ to explore their passions, find their voice and access real-world opportunities, supported by collaborations and city-wide partnerships in Bristol, England.
The Hub is connected with researchers at the University of Bristol (UoB), who are keen to capture learners’ experiences outside the classroom.
Claire Walker has worked in education for nearly two decades and has spent the past six years as Director of Education at Lumiar UK.
She is passionate about reimagining education - influencing and changing our current system. Claire believes it is essential that children and young people take charge of their own learning, develop autonomy, adopt a growth mindset and discover the joy, curiosity and resilience needed to challenge themselves.
The project-based, child-led approach at Lumiar UK is rooted in self-advocacy: supporting children to recognise their own needs, express their voices and shape their learning journeys with confidence.
Through this, they learn to lead themselves well, understand their world and their place in it, and realise their true unique purpose, while developing the skills, attributes, and self-belief to fulfil their dreams and make a meaningful impact in our world.
Ricardo Semler is a renowned Brazilian entrepreneur, author and education innovator.
A Harvard Business School case-study figure and author of best-selling books such as Maverick and The Seven-Day Weekend, Ricardo founded Lumiar Schools to bring participatory management and learner-driven principles into education.
Throughout his career, he has been recognised by numerous institutions - including the World Economic Forum - for his profound contributions to leadership, organisational culture, and the future of learning.
You can watch his TED Talk, 'Radical wisdom for a company, a school, a life' to find out more about his vision for education.
Alice Donatti Mondin is a graduate of Lumiar Porto Alegre, where she found a creative and freeing space to complete her senior year.
After high school, she joined Baret Scholars, a nine-month gap-year program, traveling across seven world regions with 100 peers from 45+ nationalities.
Passionate about storytelling and photography, Alice has exhibited her work in Shenzhen and Beijing and is currently contributing to COP30 campaign projects before beginning her Visual Communications studies at CENTRO in Mexico City.
Dr Jo Sweetland worked as an occupational therapist for 20 years and her journey into education began while serving as a Governor at her children’s school, where she started to question whether the system truly enables children and teachers to flourish.
In 2017 she deregistered her three children, joined Bristol’s home ed community and co-founded ‘the Dojo’ in her home, offering project based learning for a group of home ed families.
This evolved into the Streams Learning Hub - a physical space for teenagers that blends community and creative workshops.
Jo is passionate about system change, community and asking the ‘why?’. She is curious to discover what ‘different’ could look like, and is excited to be building conversations with UoB, other Alternative Learning Provisions and the Local Authority, exploring how we can collaborate, learn together and create different pathways that enable all young people to thrive.
'What's Your Dream?' With Simon Squibb
Simon Squibb, founder of HelpBnk.com, is all about helping people help people. Not your typical entrepreneur, Simon started his first business while homeless at just 15 and later sold his agency, Fluid to PwC for more money than he’ll ever need.
Known for his Sunday Times bestseller ‘What’s Your Dream?’ and his viral move of buying a staircase in London and slapping a doorbell on it where folks can pitch their dreams, Simon is on a mission to help 10 million people kickstart their businesses.
With over 17 million followers on social media, he’s spreading the word through his #GiveWithoutTake movement and inspirational street interviews.
This is a unique opportunity to share your dream with Simon, any business challenges you are having getting your school or learning community off the ground, and tap into his knowledge and expertise.
About Us
This event was brought to you by Jo Symes at Progressive Education and Alex O’Neill from Limitless. We are education activists who have a shared passion for raising awareness of alternatives to mainstream school.
For the past few years, Alex and Jo have been creating events and resources for start-ups, in response to the growing number of children and young people leaving mainstream education, and the urgency that parents/carers/educators feel to build new learning environments where young people can thrive.
Together we run a membership community where you can access ongoing support and guidance on your journey to create a school or learning community.
Introducing Alex O’Neill
Alex is the driving force behind Limitless, an organisation dedicated to igniting social change with a special emphasis on revolutionising the education sector.
Through the Limitless podcast, she shares expert insights and neuroscience tips to empower changemakers to tackle the world's most pressing issues.
Alex is committed to uniting individuals who are driven to advance education and supporting them in overcoming obstacles that stand in their way.
Introducing Jo Symes
Jo is the founder of the social enterprise, Progressive Education, which raises awareness of alternatives to conventional schooling and campaigns for change within mainstream education. She is building a global directory of jobs, events and progressive schools and learning communities.
It began with the launch of the Progressive Education Group on Facebook in 2019, which is an international community of over 11k parents/carers, educators, academics, researchers, psychologists, education innovators, changemakers and young people.
