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Skilling Children: Lisa Heydlauff, Founder & Director, Going To School

Lisa Heydlauff is founder and director of Going To School, a creative, not-for-profit, education trust based in India. Going To School makes design-driven stories to teach children 21st century skills at school, online and on national television. Originally from the UK, Ms Heydlauff has lived in India for 22 years. She lives by the sea in Mumbai with her three, rescued, street dogs - Isadora, Viola and Ana Banana, who also go to work with her. Going To School began operation at scale in Bihar in the State's government schools as well as on TV and has also spread to other States. In a lively chat with Sharmila Chand, Ms Heydlauff shares her strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes.


How do you define yourself?
Work in progress


What is your philosophy of life?
To try very hard not to be afraid


What is your passion in life?
Walking on beach with my dogs


What is your management mantra?

To give everyone freedom to do what they think is the best and help out if things get wobbly


Your strength…
Doing new things


Your weakness…
Obsessing about only doing one thing, one project until it's done


Your kind of music…
1980s-1990s dance music


Your favourite holiday destination…
Mexico, by the beach


Business leader you admire the most…
Vineet Rai, the chairman of the Aavishkaar Group


You are a tough, serious boss or…
Absolute about deadlines


Golf or Bridge or…
Tennis


What is your work philosophy?
We are always doing new things, things we've not done before. So, there's a lot of failure in the beginning. My work philosophy is that mistakes are inevitable; the only thing is to try not to make the same mistake twice.


What do you enjoy the most in life, generally?
My dogs, wasabi, chilli and hot stuff


How do you de-stress?
Dogs again, and trying new cookie recipes, which I then share with the building


What is your fitness regime in life?
Dog walking + tennis + swimming


Your mantra for success…
It's worth a try.


Your dream…
To connect children across the planet to take on the biggest challenge of our time: Climate change


Ten years from now, where do we see you?
Cuba, Mexico, Buenos Aires


Your Sun sign…
Aries with Libra rising and Libra Moon, and apparently, I have no earth in my sign. So, no one knows how I get anything done, me included.


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