Turning Pain Into Purpose – How Ashling Podmore is Creating Real Community Impact Through Education
Some businesses are built from opportunity. Others are built from necessity. And then there are the ones built from a moment where everything changes and you decide to build something better.
Ashling Podmore’s story starts there.
After years working in early years education, she had worked her way up into management, but found herself further away from what she actually loved – working with children. At the same time, her personal life was shifting in ways she hadn’t planned for. Leaving a toxic relationship meant starting again, with her children, from a place that felt uncertain and overwhelming.
For a time, they were all living together in one room at her mum’s house. No clear plan. No income. Just a decision to rebuild.
“I’ve always believed in taking your lemons and turning them into lemonade… turning pain into purpose.”
That belief became the foundation for everything that followed.
Rebuilding from the ground up
Ashling didn’t land in the right business straight away. There were attempts, pivots and lessons along the way – from holiday camps to baby classes – all while raising young children and figuring out what was actually sustainable.
So when the opportunity to take over a Kumon centre appeared, it felt different. It connected back to her own experience as a child and her time working as a class assistant. It felt aligned.
She trusted her instinct and went all in.
Since then, she’s grown the centre from 36 students to nearly 140 in just over two years, with a huge surge in the last six months as she refined her approach and stepped into her role as a business owner more fully.
But this isn’t just a growth story.
It’s an impact story.
Building confidence, not just academic ability
One of the biggest shifts in Ashling’s work is how she sees learning.
It’s not just about ability. It’s about belief.
“When they don’t feel confident, they stop being curious. They stop trying.”
So instead of pushing children forward, she takes a step back. She looks at what’s really going on underneath the surface and builds from there.
That means:
- Identifying the gaps that are affecting confidence
- Slowing things down so children can actually master skills
- Creating personalised plans that meet each child where they are
- Removing the pressure to get things perfect straight away
Because when confidence comes back, everything else starts to follow.
Inclusion that adapts to the child
Inclusion isn’t a feature of Ashling’s business. It’s how the business runs.
Her approach is simple – if something isn’t working for a child, change it.
“So basically everything… I will change everything and anything.”
That mindset has shaped everything from staffing and ratios to classroom setup and delivery. It’s also led to decisions that have had a real impact on the local community.
One example is bringing in a Tamil-speaking teacher after recognising a growing number of families who needed support but couldn’t fully access it. Since then, engagement from that community has grown significantly, simply because they now feel seen and supported.
This is what community impact actually looks like.
Not just offering a service.
But making sure people can access it.
Creating opportunities beyond the classroom
Some of the most powerful moments in Ashling’s journey have come from the smallest sparks.
A child bringing in a story they’d written.
A conversation about what it means to be an author.
That moment turned into a community writing workshop, where children were guided to create their own stories in a day.
The result?
Sixteen children are now published authors.
“He didn’t believe he could be an author… now we’ve created that opportunity.”
Alongside this, Ashling has started writing and publishing her own books, helping parents navigate difficult conversations with their children around toxic relationships and emotional experiences.
This part of the business is still growing, but it’s deeply rooted in lived experience and a clear purpose to help others.
Balancing growth with quality
Scaling a class-based business always brings challenges, especially when it comes to maintaining quality.
Ashling has grown her centre to four times its original size, but that growth has been intentional. She’s focused on keeping standards high through smaller ratios, ongoing team support and a strong culture of reflection.
Rather than relying on formal training alone, much of the development happens in real time – observing, adjusting and continuously improving how each child is supported.
It’s this balance that allows the business to grow without losing what makes it work.
Why the awards matter
Ashling’s nomination for the Community Impact Award at the Class Business Awards reflects more than just business growth. It reflects the ripple effect of the work she’s doing.
For her, applying wasn’t about waiting to feel ready. It was about recognising the impact already happening and allowing more people to see it.
“I believe in trying to impact as many people as possible… and to do that, people need to know what you do.”
The awards create that visibility. They open doors to new connections, new opportunities and a wider platform to share the work being done.
And sometimes, that visibility is what allows the impact to grow even further.
Watch the full interview with Ashling
Ashling’s story is one of resilience, purpose and building something meaningful from the ground up.
If you want to hear more about her journey, how she’s grown her centre and the impact she’s creating in her community, you can watch the full interview on the Class Business YouTube channel.
It’s a powerful reminder that business can be more than growth. It can be a vehicle for real change.
