Life Lessons supports teachers to deliver outstanding relationships, sex and health education
We aspire to a world where all young people are equipped to be healthy, make good decisions and navigate the social and emotional complexities of life.
Life Lessons Beginning
Life Lessons founders Nicole and Jamie met in 2019 on the UCL backed Edtech accelerator Educate. It became clear that both believed in the need to address inequalities in education and recognised the role foundational life skills could have in closing that gap.
When the UK government announced changes to the statutory requirements for teaching Relationships and Sex education in schools Nicole and Jamie recognised this particular challenge for schools but also the opportunity for equipping young people with foundational skills.
Working together, with Nicole applying her experience as a PSHE teacher and education leader; Jamie bringing his experience of growing education businesses and developing product as part of the teams at The Student Room and Unibuddy.com.
They set out to create resources that would be relatable to all young people, connecting directly with their lives. To empower teachers with flexible lessons delivered using technology so all schools could benefit.
Meet the Life Lessons Team
Our team is made up of experts in their respective fields, each working together to better support teachers, schools and young people.
Co-CEO and Founder
Nicole Rodden (MA, BA, PGCE) is a former Relationships & Sex Education (RSE) teacher with Teach First. Nicole co-founded the award-winning organisation Life Lessons, with the mission to help pupils to be healthy, make good decisions and navigate the social and emotional complexities of life. They do this by supporting teachers to deliver evidence-based, peer-led relationships, sex and health education. They currently support over 200 schools and alternative provisions across the UK. Prior to this, she undertook a Masters in Education Leadership at UCL and was Programme and Training Manager at Education Charity, Team Up.
Co-CEO and Founder
Jamie O’Connell has, for over 12 years, applied innovation to education; growing a number of education technology businesses that successfully support student learning and progression. Jamie has a particular interest in the positive power of peer based learning and influence, this started when he was part of the founding team at The Student Room and more recently as Director of Strategic Development at Unibuddy. Jamie and his co-founder Nicole Rodden have set out to scale the provision of high quality life skills education and to prove its impact, starting with relationships and sex education fit for the modern world.
Schools Partnership Manager
April’s role is to support your whole school approach to RSHE programme delivery and she is your first point of contact when you become a Life Lessons school. Before April joined Life Lessons, she was teaching MFL in a secondary academy and was also Head of Year so she is best placed to support you as a school.
April loves to craft and has her own Etsy shop, she also has two rescue cats, CeeCee and Ava, who love to make an appearance during meetings – keep an eye out!
Product and Programme Manager
Dawn is responsible for managing our product development and programme delivery. This means that she actively engages in research and impact evaluation to identify areas where we can improve what we offer to schools and ensure that our product is evidence based and effective.
Dawn is a qualified primary school teacher with an MA in Leadership of Mental Health. She has a wealth of experience in supporting school leaders to deliver high quality and impactful curriculums.
In her spare time she enjoys being in or on the sea, reading (high fantasy, mystery or historical fiction) and drinking tea.
Curriculum Lead
Thom is in charge of creating and maintaining the Life Lessons curriculum and learning resources. He is here to support the content creation team to make exciting, evidence-informed lessons that will help young people to understand themselves and the world around them.
In his spare time, he loves getting involved in community music events and hiking in the Peak District.
Sales and Accounts Manager
Emily is our Sales & Account Manager, and will be your first point of contact for everything you need to know about Life Lessons, getting you onboarded and being there to support you as you use the platform. Before Emily joined Life Lessons, she was working with sustainable start-ups, and has a keen interest in how young people learn about relationships & sexual health education. In her spare time Emily enjoys going to the beach and taking on an array of creative projects!
Head of Marketing and Communication
Anna Marin is Head of Marketing and Communications at Life Lessons, where she leads the brand’s voice and visibility—from social media and newsletters to campaigns, partnerships, and community engagement.
With a background in communications across the charity, education, and tech sectors, Anna is focused on clear, thoughtful communication that supports meaningful work and builds strong relationships.
She’s a lifelong reader, a writer at heart, and will never turn down a good coffee.
Learning Manager
As Learning Manager, Annika creates and reviews Life Lessons learning content in collaboration with our team and external experts. Holding a MSc in Gender, Policy and Inequalities from LSE, she brings in-depth knowledge of diversity, inclusion and sexual and reproductive health.
When she isn’t developing new content for Life Lessons, Annika works on behaviour change interventions and research for non-profit organisations. She loves snails and prides herself in being able to wiggle her ears independently of one another.
Sales and Account Manager
Adele is a former primary teacher, PSHE Lead, behaviour consultant and ITT Development Lead. She is now the Life Lessons regional Sales & Account Manager for the Midlands and will be your point of contact to discuss implementing our wonderful resources into schools.
She is passionate about educational equality and young people receiving a high quality personal development provision in order to equip them with the life skills needed to make healthy life choices.
Outside of work, Adele is mum to 2 little boys, enjoys travel and exploring new places, is a self-confessed foodie and is happiest spending quality time with family and friends.
Sales and Account Manager
Nessie is one of our Sales & Account Managers and is here to guide you through your Life Lessons journey – from onboarding to day-to-day support. Before joining the team, she founded and led her own startup in Australia and lectured in fashion design & sustainability at RMIT University.
Nessie brings a passion for conscious, values-led change to everything she does, from sustainable design to supporting schools with impactful, inclusive education. Outside of work, she loves getting outdoors, picking up new craft skills, and exploring the natural beauty of the UK!
Freelance Content & Marketing Specialist
Georgia is a Content & Marketing freelancer who supports Life Lessons with their content and marketing including social media, blogs, website upkeep, manages our webinar and drop-in sessions and partner school testimonials. She helps multiple business across the UK supporting them with their marketing and content needs with her business Latief Content & Marketing.
Before joining Life Lessons, Georgia worked for an education recruitment company and a safeguarding company both based in Wales. She is originally from New Zealand and has a background in theatre and media studies.
Georgia is an Cross Fit enthusiastic, listens to a disturbing amount of true crime podcasts and in the unofficial Life Lessons project jingle creator.