Biology with Olivia

You might be surprised to hear that I really didn't like biology when I was in secondary school. I dreaded my science lessons and I just remember feeling like I never had any idea what was going on. My favourite subjects were actually art and maths. 

Being quiet and too awkward to ask questions definitely didn't help. I completely slipped under the radar. At parents evening the phrase I always heard was "she's a pleasure to teach, but really needs to get involved more". Hearing this always made me feel embarrassed as I desperately wanted to be more confident (I wish I could tell 15 year old me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being quiet!).

It wasn’t until a few weeks before my GCSE exams, when I was cramming, that something clicked. I suddenly realised how interesting biology was and before I knew it I'd changed my A Level choices.

I came out with 7A*s and 4As (yes, one of the A*s was biology) which was a complete surprise. 

In terms of confidence, this was something that was gradually starting to change outside of school. Trampolining was a big part of my life and at the age of 14 I started coaching. This was my first job and looking back, it was what helped me come out of my shell. It also made me realise how rewarding it was to help others improve and sowed the seeds for a career in education.

Moving to a sixth form college for my A Levels was a great decision. I had so much more independence and a fantastic biology teacher. I became completely obsessed with biology at this point.

I worked ridiculously hard but I put so much pressure on myself to do well. Much more than I needed to. I still struggled with time management and found it hard to balance subjects. I focused on biology and put everything else off. I didn't realise it at the time, but my brain just works a bit differently. I wish I could go back and tell 17 year old me that it won't always be this hard.

We never found out the cause (perhaps stress was a trigger), but I developed chronic head pain during Year 13 which made things so much harder too.

I persevered though and came out with A*AA (biology, maths & geography). Looking back, I'm so proud of the work I put in. The struggles I had only motivate me more to help students in a similar position. A Levels are tough!

After I finished my A Levels, I went on to study Biomedical Science at the University of Birmingham. The step up from A Level was bigger than anything could've prepared me for. Everything I'd struggled with around time management at school was suddenly amplified and I found myself struggling to meet deadlines. I was starting to realise I really needed to figure out a way of working that actually worked for my brain.

The course was demanding and covered a huge breadth of topics, from biochemistry and genetics to neuroscience, pharmacology, immunology, cancer biology and loads more. The knowledge and skills I gained still come in useful when teaching now.

Uni was when I started tutoring online. I did this through a platform called MyTutor and loved it. I was getting amazing feedback and results, so before long I was tutoring up to 20 hours a week alongside my degree. I also joined the schools programme which allowed me to work with students who otherwise wouldn't have been able to access tuition.

When Covid hit and exams were cancelled, I saw an opportunity for students who were still keen to learn. I started sharing more online, filmed my first YouTube video, and ran a series of online classes to give students a head start on A Level Biology. I started creating my own revision guides too.

This is when Biology with Olivia officially began and was what confirmed that I wanted to pursue a career in teaching.

Straight after uni, I went into teaching and this really was the best thing I ever did. I taught GCSE & A Level Biology students (aged 13 to 18) across a wide range of abilities. I learnt a huge amount, both from the students themselves and from the experienced teachers around me.

It's also where everything finally clicked for me in terms of organisation and time management. Suddenly I had no choice but to be on top of things, and in forcing myself to get there, I started to finally understand how my brain works and what works for me. Time management went from being one of my biggest challenges to one of my strengths. 

Alongside teaching, I was building Biology with Olivia. Before and after work, and during the holidays, I spent hours creating resources like my model answer notes, filming educational videos, and running online classes. It was October 2020 when my TikTok following jumped to 200K in just a few days after a viral post.

As Biology with Olivia grew, so did the number of students I was able to help. I was determined to make both work, but after three years of teaching it became clear that something needed to give. So I made the scary decision to leave the classroom, go self-employed, and focus fully on Biology with Olivia.

Leaving the classroom was scary, but I was so excited to have more time to help more students.

Since going full-time, I've grown my following to over half a million across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, which still feels surreal to say. I've been invited to 10 Downing Street and collaborated with organisations like the Department for Education, Zero Gravity, Young Minds, and the King's Trust. 

One of the projects I'm most proud of though is my 'model answer notes', which are now being used by thousands of students and teachers across the UK and beyond. I've also built out a set of video courses for GCSE and A Level Biology to go alongside these. Right now my focus is on posting more on YouTube alongside running my usual classes.

I feel incredibly lucky to do what I do, and for the hundreds of messages I get each year from students, parents, and teachers telling me the difference I've made. 

If you've read this far, I'm impressed! Thank you for listening to my story. I hope to be part of yours too.