About Josh Holleran
I'm Josh Holleran, a Grade A driving instructor and co-founder of Instruct IQ, based in Swindon.
What I actually care about
Every lesson comes down to one thing: giving the learner in front of me the best I can actually deliver, not a generic script, not just enough to scrape a pass. A lot of the people I've worked with came to me anxious, or had tried lessons somewhere else and it hadn't worked out. I don't have a special trick for that. I just try to actually meet someone where they are, adapt to how they learn, and not make anyone feel silly for where they're starting from. That's the whole job, as far as I'm concerned.
Wanting to keep developing, not just deliver lessons
Holding myself to that standard meant I couldn't just stop learning once I qualified. I wanted to keep developing as a professional, so I started the Mirrors Signal Podcast, talking to instructors and industry experts about what's actually working in this industry, not recycled advice. I've been on the other side of the mic too, appearing as a guest on The Instructor Podcast to talk through the same thing.
From developing myself to developing other instructors
That naturally grew into wanting to help other instructors hold themselves to the same standard, not after they qualify, but from the very start of their training. That's what became Instruct IQ, co-founded with Craig Preedy, built around the KEEP Principle, Knowledge, Enable, Examine, Progress or Pivot. It's grown into proper structured training from Part 1 through to Part 3, franchise and PDI sponsorship routes, and a set of AI-backed tools I've built to actually support instructors while they're learning, not replace the thinking.
Closing a real gap in the industry
Along the way, it became obvious how little proper support exists in this industry around SEN, both for learners and for instructors. I work alongside Dr Julia Malkin MBE, a nationally recognised specialist in neurodiversity and driving instruction, helping produce Talking SEND with Dr Julia Malkin MBE, and supporting her workshops for instructors. She's appeared on the podcast several times too.
Where it actually comes from
Before any of this, I spent 14 years in the RAF Regiment, joining in 2008 and completing three tours of Afghanistan. From around 2014 I moved into training roles, teaching first aid, C-CBRN, weapons and fieldcraft. Around 2017 I started a BJJ club on camp in my spare time, teaching complete beginners from scratch, looking back, that's probably the first real sign of where my actual interest was. I qualified as an ADI in 2021 while still serving, and went full-time in January 2023.
That's where all of this comes from, still learning, still building it properly.