Little People, Big Lessons
Welcome to "Little People, Big Lessons", the podcast celebrating the extraordinary educators, mentors, founders, and advocates who dedicate their lives to empowering childhood cancer survivors and their families through the Back on Track Foundation.
These aren't just professionals, they're champions of hope, architects of resilience, and catalysts for transformation. Working alongside young cancer survivors and their families, they create pathways to healing, growth, and dreams rekindled. Their work is profound, their impact immeasurable, and their stories deserve to be heard.
Hosted by TV presenter and journalist Cassie Silver, Season 3 dives deep into the hearts and minds of the leaders who make recovery possible. Discover what drives them, the moments that changed everything, and the innovative approaches they bring to helping young people reclaim their futures. Each episode reveals the passion, creativity, and unwavering dedication required to walk alongside families through their most challenging journeys.
This season is proudly supported by Alike WA.
About the journey: Season 1, "Little People, Big C," introduced listeners to Australian families sharing their courageous battles with childhood cancer.
Season 2, "Little People, Big Dreams," followed survivors and their families as they navigated recovery and pursued their aspirations through the Back on Track program. Now, in Season 3, we honour the people who make it all possible.
Tune in to be inspired by the dedication and heart of those changing lives, one lesson at a time.
Episodes
27 episodes
#7 When Experience Meets Its Perfect Purpose with Caroline Crofton
Caroline Crofton knows that being an Education Advocate means being part tutor, part mentor, part listener, and knowing which role is needed in any given moment. She builds relationships with entire families, not just students, because she unde...
#6 Why Listening Matters More Than Teaching with Janelle Eddy
Janelle Eddy has spent over 30 years in classrooms, from her first teaching post in the UK, to remote mining towns in the Pilbara, and she's discovered something wonderful: the best learning happens when you follow where a child's curiosity lea...
#5 Custom Made Education For Those Who Matter with Marita Putland
Marita Putland didn't become a teacher until she was 40 and she's learned that sometimes arriving late to your calling means you bring exactly what's needed. From primary schools to the justice system, she's taught in settings that shaped her u...
#4 Seventeen Years of Fighting for Normal with Sherrie and Teneille McBain
Sherrie and Teneille McBain have been navigating the aftermath of a leukaemia diagnosis since Teneille was one year old. Now 17, their journey reveals truths most people never consider: treatment ends, but the educational impacts don't. Getting...
#3 Connection Before Content with Stuart Shields
“Connection before content, every single time”, are words Stuart Shields lives by. Stuart spent over 20 years in classrooms before burning out completely. The system that measured success through test scores felt increasingly at odds with what ...
#2 The Bridge Between Broken and Better with Brooke Phillips
Brooke Phillips thought she understood what children needed after cancer, until she watched future colleague and friend, Caroline, work in her classroom. What she witnessed changed everything. As a teacher, she saw firsthand how a dedicated adv...
#1 The Missing Piece Nobody Built with Kylie Dalton and Louise Shedden
Kylie Dalton, CEO & Founder and Louise Shedden, Program Manager & Co-Founder, witnessed a devastating pattern, when childhood cancer treatment ended, the educational support vanished. But the cognitive effects, learning gaps, and emotio...
Little People, Big Lessons Trailer
Welcome to Little People, Big Lessons! This season, we're shifting the spotlight to the extraordinary people behind the Back on Track program - the educators, mentors, founders, and advocates who dedicate their lives to empowering childhood can...
Life Over Fear: Levi's Journey
When 11-year-old Levi was diagnosed with rare and aggressive T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, his mum Vee faced a choice: live in fear or choose life. On this episode of Little People, Big Dreams, hear how one family's decision to say "yes"...
"Fair-Haired Hero: Finlay Higgs' Fight
In our upcoming episode, we are honoured to share the powerful story of Katie and her brave son, Finlay Higgs. Diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk Hepatoblastoma at just 18 months old, Finlay has faced unimaginable challenges, including 11 rounds ...
Starlit Dreams: Marley Brown's Journey Beyond Cancer
Join us in our next episode as we delve into the extraordinary journey of Marley Brown. Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at just 15 months old, Marley faced numerous challenges that impacted his early development. Despite these obst...
Family Drive: With The Devantiers'
In our next episode, we welcome the Devantier family for an inspiring story of resilience and unity. Join mum Amy, Liam, and his siblings as they share their heartfelt accounts of Liam's cancer journey. Discover how the program "Back on Track" ...
Beyond Survival: With Claire & Barry
In this poignant episode of "Little People, Big Dreams," we welcome Claire Gould and Barry Bauckham, parents who have bravely navigated their daughter Nova's 2.5-year battle with leukemia. Claire and Barry share their deeply personal journey, f...
Healing Beyond Cancer: Jenny Davies' Journey and Research
On this episode of "Little People, Big Dreams," we sit down with Jenny Davies, a dedicated PhD researcher at Curtin University who has been profoundly touched by childhood cancer. Every year in Australia, around 770 children under the age of 15...
Courage Unleashed: Tremane Baxter-Edwards' Fight and Future
In the second episode of "Little People, Big Dreams," we sit down with the remarkable Tremane Baxter-Edwards. At just 17, Tremane has already overcome incredible adversity, battling abdominal Burkitts Lymphoma since the tender age of three. Hai...
Little People, Big Dreams with Louise Shedden
"Little People, Big Dreams" is the exciting second season of the Australian podcast series "Little People, Big C," where we kick things off with an inspiring conversation featuring Program Manager Louise Shedden. To understand Louise's passion,...
Episode 8. Kylie Dalton
For this next guest, being the Child Cancer Research Foundation's Chief Operating Officer is more than a job, it's pure passion and an unwavering commitment to children; and you can hear that purpose in her voice. This inspiring conversation wi...
Episode 10. Dr Willem Joost Lesterhuis
Survival and finding better outcomes for cancer kids starts with science. On this episode, we delve into the world of research and what's being achieved in the Perth labs at the Telethon Kids Institute by esteemed researchers. One of those rese...
Episode 9. Jane Hunt
For Jane Hunt, her brave son Thomas' battle with cancer began when he was just two years old, but her connection to cancer has lingered a lot longer. In this episode, Jane opens up about her newfound purpose and passion working as a Caree...
Episode 7. Andrea Boyd
In this raw and authentic conversation with mother Andrea Boyd, listeners will be filled with heartache and hope as she shares her daughters childhood cancer story. When Emily was diagnosed with leukaemia at four years old, Andrea's world was t...
Episode 6. David & Kate Madden
There are tears and laughter in this emotional and inspiring episode with parents David and Kate Madden, as they share their experience with childhood cancer and the legacy of their son. The couple tragically lost their son Hunter to acut...
Episode 5. Dr. Rishi Kotecha
Let's talk about science and research with Dr. Rishi Kotecha, oncologist and scientist with the Telethon Kids Institute. On this episode, we delve into the world of cancer research and shine a light on what is being achieved in the labs of Pert...
Episode 11. Tegan Connolly
Tegan Connolly is a mother with an inspiring story to share. Battling leukaemia at the tender age of two and a half, Tegan's son Logan is now thriving and cancer-free. Strap yourselves in listeners and get ready to be uplifted as...
Episode 4. Geoff Cattach AM and Professor Ursula Kees
To appreciate how far childhood cancer research has come we need to go back to the beginning to pay tribute to the founding members and their quest to find better outcomes for kids. Cassie Silver sat down with Chairman Geoff Cattach and Profess...
Episode 3. Amy Devantier
They’re the words no parent ever wants to hear, “your child has cancer”. For mum Amy Devantier her son Liam’s Burkitt's lymphoma diagnosis turned their world upside down, when he was just seven years old. After multiple rounds of chemotherapy, ...
