Kate talks to us about her new book, Awedinary: The Wonder of Everyday Things, and how awe acts as a powerful catalyst for teaching and learning.

Kate Wadsworth is a teacher, educational consultant, coach, author and the founder of What If Education?® which was set up to bring change into education, and curiosity and creativity into learning.

What made you decide to write Awedinary?

I was writing Awedinary long before it had a name. My phone notes are packed with things I’ve noticed over the years: ordinary things that, with a deeper look, turn out to be completely extraordinary. Sleep, for example. Sleep is hilarious when you actually think about what it involves and what it looks like from the outside. I have over a decade of these ‘noticings’, started partly for fun, partly as a gratitude practice and partly because world events can feel overwhelming, and paying attention to everyday wonders has always helped ground me when anxiety creeps in.

I have always been a teacher who advocates for enquiry-led learning. Curiosity is very much my bag. But the pivotal moment for writing Awedinary came after I qualified as a coach and gained a whole new perspective on the power of asking great questions and what they do for learning, for well-being and for progress and possibility. That extra lens gave me the confidence to go for it.

I started writing officially two years ago and put it to one side three times. It felt like an indulgence when there were so many ‘more important’ things to do. But I kept being drawn back to it, and in January last year I asked myself: ‘If you won the lottery, what would you do?’ The answer was instant: ‘Write the book.’ Sadly, I didn’t win the lottery. Happily, I wrote the book.

Why did you choose Whitefox as a publishing partner, and how have you found the process of bringing the book to life?

I sent the Awedinary manuscript out to several publishing houses. I genuinely didn’t expect to hear back, but the opposite happened. I received several responses and three offers of a publishing contract. I was over the moon.

And then I read the contracts.

Because of what Awedinary is and what I intend to do with it beyond its life as a book (the possibilities within education, the resources, the coaching and consultancy work), handing over intellectual property, creative control and ownership simply wasn’t going to work for me. Neither was a lead time of up to several years to publication. So, I went looking for something different, and that search led me to Whitefox.

When I reached out, their reply felt like they had been built specifically for my situation. Every concern I had from those other publishing contracts? The opposite at Whitefox. And the very best thing: they have delivered on every single promise. Creative collaboration, professional direction, great communication and accurate timelines have been my experience from start to finish.

Why is awe so important in everyday life, and why does it play a key role in effective education?

Awe shifts the brain into a state of open, expansive thinking. Curiosity rises and defensiveness drops. The brain’s default-mode network activates in ways directly linked to creativity and meaning-making.

For education, this matters enormously. Children who experience awe are measurably more intrinsically motivated to learn. They ask more questions, they retain more and they connect ideas across subjects in ways that rote-learning simply doesn’t produce. Awe also builds what psychologists call ‘small self’ thinking, where the individual ego quietens and people become more collaborative, more generous and more open to ideas that challenge their own.

In everyday life, awe interrupts the autopilot. Even brief experiences of it – wondering about the night sky, reading something that genuinely surprises you – have been shown to improve well-being, reduce anxiety and increase a sense of connection to something larger than us.

The tragedy is that our education systems have largely designed awe out. When every lesson has a learning objective, a success criterion and a right answer, we are essentially telling children that the world is already mapped. But some of the most interesting terrain in science, ethics, art, mathematics, in every subject, is precisely the stuff that isn’t mapped yet. Awe lives there. And if we want children who are genuinely equipped for an uncertain, complex, rapidly changing world, we need them to be comfortable in that unmapped territory, not unfamiliar with it.

Awe is not a nice-to-have, it is the neurological, psychological and educational foundation for developing a lifelong love of learning.

What is your mission at What If Education?, and how do you work with leaders, teachers and parents?

I’m a teacher, educational consultant, coach and now author, and I founded What If Education? to bring positive change into education and more curiosity and creativity into learning.

I work with educators in all their forms – leaders, teachers and parents – and my philosophy is that learning is far too special a thing to be endured. It should be fun in the moment, meaningful for the future and enjoyed by everyone in the room. I also recognise that we can’t wait for systemic change to make education happier, less stressful and more relevant. So, I work in the UK and all over the world with people and teams, helping them cut through the noise and reconnect with what matters most.

For me, positive change doesn’t begin with policy. It begins with people.

How do you anticipate that Awedinary will help you spread your message to a wider audience?

One of the best things about awe and wonder is that they are universally accessible, always available, cost nothing, deliver remarkable mental and physical health benefits, and act as a powerful catalyst for great teaching and learning. Awedinary is my way of opening that door. A starting point, a fresh look, a way of drawing attention to the magic in the mundane.

The first line on the back of the book is: This is just the beginning. That is the entire point. Awedinary is an invitation into discovering the power of awe and wonder in learning and in life.

What advice would you give to other aspiring authors about the process of writing a book?

If you are thinking of it… go for it, your way, whatever that looks like. And find a way to bring it into the world that works perfectly for you. Both parts matter equally.

What are your favourite ways to discover the quiet wonder in everyday life?

I intentionally take awe moment (see what I did there?) every day to notice, chat or laugh about something I would normally overlook. Those couple of minutes keep me grounded and the wonder levels firmly tip-top.

My kids and I also play a game we’ve named Alphabet Awe, in the car, at mealtimes, out and about. We pick a letter, choose something that begins with it, then ask every question we can think of and see where it takes us. Sometimes we find the answer, sometimes we just enjoy wondering. We have some wonderful chats that way.