LiberatED Podcast

Today's guest is Crystal Goins, a mom of 5 and founder of Heartwise Scholars Microschool in Chesapeake, Virginia. A public school teacher for over 13 years, Crystal joined the Kaipod Catalyst microschool accelerator program to help get her microschool off the ground, and opened her microschool last August. She shares insights and information for parents and teachers at her website theresilientteachermom.com. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly e-newsletter on education entrepreneurship and innovation at edentrepreneur.org.

My guest today is Tomis Parker, cofounder of the Agile Learning Centers (ALC) network that launched more than a decade ago. Since 2014, Tomis has led business operations at ALC Mosaic in Charlotte, North Carolina, and he recently founded a new project called Prism, which is a web application designed to make it easier to document and communicate the value of emergent, self-directed learning in microschools, homeschool programs, and for homeschooling/unschooling families. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly e-newsletter on education entrepreneurship and innovation at edentrepreneur.org.

Today's guests are Laura Greene and Angela Ruth, cofounders of Harmony Homeschool Academy, a secular homeschool hybrid solution for middle and high school students in the greater Raleigh-Durham-Cary, North Carolina area. Laura is a licensed psychologist with a background in school psychology. She is also a homeschool parent. Angela is also a homeschooling parent who spent her early career working in the US Government and transitioned to being a public school teacher about a decade ago. Check out this weekend's "Jumpstarting Microschools" event in North Carolina, sponsored by the John Locke Foundation. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends and entrepreneurial stories at fee.org/liberated.

Natalie Mack is a homeschooling mom of 5 children who has been serving military homeschooling families for more than two decades. Her husband is a US Navy chaplain who recently retired after 34 years of service. Through her business, Natalie Mack LLC, she offers consultations to homeschoolers. She is also the founder of the nonprofit Military Homeschoolers Association (MHA), which is an advocacy and resource support organization for military homeschoolers. Natalie hosts the new podcast Base2Base Military Homeschooling. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends and entrepreneurial stories at fee.org/liberated.

David Jackson is an entrepreneur and longtime executive director and president and CEO of Fairmont Schools, a large, secular private school located in Orange County, California serving students in preschool through 12th grade. Fairmont was founded in 1953 by Kenneth Holt, David's stepfather, and then David joined the school in a leadership role in 1979 where he remained at the helm of the institution for more than 40 years. Now retired, David is the author of a new memoir detailing his life and educational leadership experiences, entitled Landing at the Top: How Embracing Adventure Leads to Extraordinary Success. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends and entrepreneurial stories at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Michael Bonifacio, the founder of Acton Academy Estero in Fort Myers, Florida. Part of the global Acton Academy network of learner-driven schools, Acton Academy Estero operates on a 32-acre working farm. It opened in January 2024 with 9 learners, and today has over 40—with more than 60 students projected for this fall. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends and entrepreneurial stories at fee.org/liberated.

In the final episode of our 4-part series on Homeschooling To College, Kym Kent and I are joined by our two homeschooled high school seniors as they reflect on their homeschooling experience, what the college admissions process has been like, and how they are narrowing down their many college acceptances to choose the one that is right for them by the May 1st college decision deadline. Check out Homeschooling To College Part 1: High School Prep and the Pre-Application Process Check out Homeschooling To College Part 2: Common Myths Around Admission & Affordability Check out Homeschooling To College Part 3: Insights from a College Admissions Counselor *** Subscribe to Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Jania Otey, a homeschooling mom and founder of Kids and Culture Camp, an educational enrichment program for homeschoolers and conventionally-schooled children located in Washington, DC. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends and entrepreneurial stories at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Terry Travers, the founder and director of Astrolabe Academy, a unique high school experience and teen community that supports self-directed learners on their individual learning journeys. Terry has a background in communication design, ocean science, and sustainable farming. Passionate about alternative education, she began homeschooling her children in 2008 and transitioned to unschooling by 2011. Terry has hosted numerous homeschool classes and summer camps on her farm, specializing in experiences for teens. Responding to parent demand, she opened a farm-based high school, which evolved into an online unschooling support platform in 2021 due to the pandemic. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends and entrepreneurial stories at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Colleen Hroncich, a policy analyst with the Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom. She maintains the Private Schooling Status Tracker, which tracks private school openings and permanent closures along with tuition and demographic information when available. Each week in the Friday Feature blog series, Colleen shares interesting stories in the education space, from innovative schools and exciting educational programs to inspiring students, parents, and teachers. She is a longtime homeschooling mom of 4 children who are now either in college or who have already graduated. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

In part 3 of our 4-part series on Homeschooling To College, Kym Kent and I talk to Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, an independent college admissions counselor based in Southern California who helps students and families navigate the college admissions process. A former public school teacher, Rebecca homeschooled for 25 years, sending her own three children off to college. A member of multiple professional college admissions organizations, Rebecca has been running Orlowski College Consulting for more than a decade, working closely with students on their college application journey with a particular focus on homeschooled students and others from nontraditional educational backgrounds. Check out Homeschooling To College Part 1: High School Prep and the Pre-Application Process Check out Homeschooling To College Part 2: Common Myths Around Admission & Affordability *** Subscribe to Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Welcome to the 300th episode of the LiberatED Podcast! That's hundreds of conversations, stories, and insights all centered around one core mission: reimagining education and helping families, educators, and innovators discover what's possible beyond the conventional classroom. Check out Kerry's forthcoming book: Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling Join our private Facebook group: LiberatED Podcast Community And sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Ben Draper, Executive Director of the Macomber Center, a self-directed education center for homeschoolers in Massachusetts. Ben is a graduate of the Sudbury Valley School, where he spent most of his childhood and adolescence before attending college at Tufts University and later earning a studio art degree from the Boston Museum School. Ben is part of the founding team of a new organization, Sudbury International, which seeks to promote the Sudbury model of education as well as individual Sudbury-inspired schools and centers. Register for Sudbury International's upcoming free webinar on April 5th, featuring graduates from four different Sudbury-model schools. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Dominque Burgess, a former public school teacher, visionary education entrepreneur, and a national leader in the microschool movement. As the founder of Burbrella Learning Academy Inc. in Burlington, North Carolina she has successfully launched multiple innovative microschools, including transforming an old Foot Locker in a mall into a thriving, student-centered learning hub. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Makenzie Oliver, host of the popular podcast Teacher, Let Your Light Shine! and its associated Facebook community. An award-winning public school teacher, Makenzie decided to leave the conventional classroom to launch her own microschool, Lighthouse Learning Microschool and Homeschool Hybrid, in 2020 in Longwood, Florida. She now helps other teachers to let their light shine through education entrepreneurship by offering a "Microschool Masterminds" program and various coaching resources. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

In this second episode in our series, Homeschooling To College, Kym Kent and I talk about some of the common myths around college admissions and affordability, as well as how to navigate the Common App as a homeschooling family. "A trend colleges might not want applicants to notice: It's becoming easier to get in" (The Hechinger Report, Nov. 2024) "The secret that colleges should stop keeping" (The Atlantic, Feb. 2025) In case you missed it, check out our first episode in this series in which Kym and I discuss preparation for college admissions during the high school years, and the pre-application process. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Lauri Muse, a mom of of 7 children who has been actively homeschooling for 27 years. She recently launched World of Wonder Hybrid Microschool and Homeschool Enrichment Program in Union, Kentucky, near Cincinnati, Ohio. Her weekly homeschool enrichment program now serves over 140 kids, while the 3-day-a-week microschool she opened last fall currently has 15 students—and counting! *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guests are Katie Kilgore and Michael Frost who are the cofounders, along with a third family, of Three Cords Academy, a student-focused, Biblically-centered microschool currently serving 2nd-6th grades which they launched in Fall 2024 in Carrollton, Georgia. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is MacKenzie Price, cofounder of 2 Hour Learning and Alpha School, a K-12 private school in Austin, Texas which she launched in 2014. MacKenzie is currently working to scale the Alpha School model nationwide, with additional schools currently operating or opening soon in several states. A graduate of Stanford University, MacKenzie hosts the Future of Education podcast, which focuses on the advent of AI in education and its impact on student learning and discovery. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

In this episode, Kerry chats with Kym Kent, a veteran homeschooling mom of 6 and founder of a Maryland-based homeschooling program who has already graduated 4 of her children and is currently going through the college admissions process with her son Samuel. Kerry's daughter Molly is a lifelong homeschooler who is also going through the college admissions process this year. Kerry and Kym talk about their experience of homeschooling their kids to college—including things to consider regarding high school course preparation, college list creation, and what to think about in junior year and the start of senior year before completing college applications. This episode is the first in a series of episodes with Kerry and Kym on homeschooling to college! Check out Kerry's recent Forbes.com article about an internship for STEM-focused homeschooled high schoolers offered at MIT. Take a peek at Kym's debut FEE.org article, Yes, You Can Homeschool Your Kids to College. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Maria Stalsberg, founder of Our Village School, a creative learning environment for homeschooled kids ages 6 and over in Lakeville, Minnesota. Maria holds a Master's degree in Teaching and a Bachelor's in Business Administration. She began her career in Corporate America before transitioning to becoming a classroom teacher in the traditional education system, but ultimately stepped away to focus on raising her four children. After enrolling her oldest in the local public elementary school for kindergarten and first grade, Maria found herself longing for a more dynamic, hands-on approach to learning. Determined to create something different, she pulled her oldest to homeschool and launched Our Village School in 2020. It started as a single day of programming in her backyard with 18 kids and has since grown to now serve roughly 150 students with four-day-a-week programming and flexible attendance options. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

I am so excited to share the news with you that my new book, Joyful Learning: How To Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is now available for preorder! Published by the big New York City publisher Hachette, under its PublicAffairs imprint, Joyful Learning is brimming with information and inspiration for parents and teachers who are seeking or building innovative schools and learning models. Joyful Learning will be on bookstore shelves in August, and I am already scheduling book events in various cities at schools and similar learning communities, as well as with parent and policy organizations, and business and entrepreneurship groups. If you're interested in sharing the ideas of joyful learning with your community, please email me at [email protected]. And grab your preorder copy today!

Today's guest is Robert Barnett, a former teacher in both public and private schools, and the cofounder and Chief Product Officer at the Modern Classrooms Project, a nonprofit teaching and professional development resource which he helped to launch in 2018. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Our guest today is Jennie Jones, a former professional ballerina, turned homeschooling mom of four, turned education entrepreneur. In September 2024, Jennie launched The Treehouse Agile Learning Community as a home-based microschool in St. George, Utah that uses agile learning tools to foster intentional community, natural learning, and independence in students ages 5-12. Read more about Jennie's founder journey in her debut FEE.org article. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Jake Thompson is the founder of Heroes Academy, an Acton Academy in Boise, Idaho that he opened in 2016. Jake is also now the head of the entire Acton Academy network, which includes over 300 learner-driven schools serving thousands of students worldwide. Check out Kerry's LiberatED interview with Acton Academy network cofounder, Jeff Sandefer. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guests are Taylor Munro and Lacey Fickes, cofounders of Peak Academy, a microschool in Richmond, Texas currently serving students in grades K-8, with a high school expansion in the works. They launched Peak Academy in August 2022, but prior to that both founders worked for many years as public school teachers in Texas. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Tonya Kipe was an elementary school teacher in Florida public schools for over a decade before launching Kipe Academy, a microschool in Polk City, Florida. She grew her microschool from one student in January 2024 to 26 students today, including those with special learning needs. Read more about Tonya's microschool in Kerry's latest article at The 74. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Latoya Nelson, founder of The Attuned Community School, a hybrid homeschool program in Warner Robins, Georgia. Latoya is an experienced educator who taught in public schools and charter schools for over a decade. She has been especially interested in working with children in foster care, as well as adoptive families. Latoya launched her microschool in August 2022 after participating in the KaiPod Catalyst microschool accelerator program. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Don and Ashley Soifer of the National Microschooling Center join me to talk about some of their microschooling predictions for 2025. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Giselle McClymont knew from second grade that she wanted to be a teacher. She went on to earn an education degree in college and taught in Florida's Broward County public elementary schools for six years before leaving the system in 2022 to be a stay-at-home-mom with plans to homeschool her daughter. A year later, she learned about microschools and was hooked. Giselle soon launched Tree Stars Learning, a microschool in West Sunrise, Florida. She is now in the process of opening a second location in Coral Springs. Read more about Giselle's entrepreneurial journey in Kerry's latest article at The 74. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Susan Haws is the founder and Executive Director of Insight Colearning, a private learner-centered, micro-high school located in Durham, North Carolina. She began her career as a Teach For America member in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas in 1993. She went on to teach middle school and high school in traditional public schools, until she left the classroom to earn a Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill. Insight Colearning began as a homeschooling collaborative in 2018 and is now a state-recognized private school. In 2022, North Carolina became the ninth state to enact a universal school-choice program enabling education funding to follow students to their preferred educational settings. Insight Colearning participates in the state's school-choice scholarship programs. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Our guest today is Coi Morefield, founder of The Lab School of Memphis in Tennessee whose newest endeavor is Microschool Masters, a masterclass program for innovative schools and spaces that provides professional development resources for microschool teachers and leaders. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Melanie Leone is a former public school teacher with a Master's degree in Educational Leadership. Over the course of her career, she's worked in multiple states and spent five years as a childcare center director which changed her philosophy of education. In fall 2023, she founded Anchor Center for Learning in Stow, Ohio as a three-day-a-week, multi-age microschool that emphasizes student autonomy, academic personalization, and a sense of wonder. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's podcast guest is Tyler Thigpen, co-founder and CEO of The Forest School: An Acton Academy, The Forest School Online, and the Institute for Self Directed Learning in Fayetteville, Georgia. Tyler is also the Academic Director at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, a guest lecturer at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and co-author of the new book, The Playbook for Self-Directed Learning: A Leader's Guide to School Transformation and Student Agency. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Kate Brockmeyer is the founder of Off the Page Co-Learning, a microschool located just outside of St. Louis, Missouri that now serves nearly 200 students, ages 4 to 17. Kate launched her microschool in the fall of 2022 and has seen the program's popularity soar since then. She's attentive to the needs and wants of the homeschooling families she serves, and is continually adding and adapting programming, including introducing a new career and technical education (CTE) program for teens 13 and up. Boys Are Falling Behind But New School Models Can Help (Forbes.com) *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Melissa Borkowski is the cofounder, along with her husband Nick, of Acton Studios of Rochester in Rochester, New York that is part of the vast Acton Academy network of learner-driven schools serving thousands of learners around the world. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Debra Ross is a homeschool mom and the founder, publisher, and CEO of Kids Out And About, LLC, a media and marketing company that provides information on family-focused resources and events in communities across the country through its two main platforms, KidsOutAndAbout.com and BeyondTheNest.com, which reach 11 million visitors. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Sara Casey Taleff has been involved in education for more than 20 years, working in public schools in New York City as well as at the state Department of Education in Montana. For the last 10 years, Sara has lived between Montana and New York creating innovative learning environments. She founded and directs the nonprofit, Cottonwood, which operates learning centers Helena and Brooklyn. Jenna Hill is an experienced Montessori educator and co-founder of CASCO Learning, a microschool in St. Louis, Missouri. We had Jenna's microschool cofounder Maria Casco on the show back in 2022 to talk about her founding journey. Jenna and Sara are working to create CoLearnCo, an interactive virtual campus that aims to connect microschools and build community. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Collin Hitt, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Policy Research in Missouri Education (PRIME) Center at Saint Louis University in Missouri. He is also a homeschooling dad and the co-author of a new report on homeschooling's growth that was recently published in the Journal of School Choice. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Luba Vangelova is the founder of The Hub, a part-time online microschool for homeschooled teens and tweens that emphasizes curiosity, collaboration, and community. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Kimberly Amee is a homeschool mom and former teacher who in 2021 founded Above Reproach Academy, a private umbrella school, homeschool co-op, and educational resource center located in Spring Hill, Florida that now serves over 100 learners. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Ar'Jillian Gilmer is the founder of Gilmer's Learning Solutions, a tutoring center and microschool in Little Rock, Arkansas. A public school teacher for nearly a decade, Ar'Jillian felt the pull towards education entrepreneurship and creating innovative learning options for local children. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Danielle Strachman is the cofounder and general partner of the 1517 Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund and community supporting college dropouts and tech-focused scientists working on entrepreneurial solutions to big problems. Danielle has worked with young entrepreneurs for over a decade, including during the founding in 2010 of the Thiel Fellowship, a program started by entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel to provide funding to ambitious young people who opted out of college in favor of entrepreneurial ventures. Prior to that, Danielle was an education entrepreneur! She founded and directed Innovations Academy in San Diego, a K-8 charter school serving 400 students, with a focus on student-led, project based learning and other alternative programs. Read more about 1517 at Substack. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Kristy Moody is the cofounder, along with her husband, of Acton Academy Palm Harbor in Florida. A former public school teacher and principal, Kristy tried to make change within the conventional system but ultimately decided on entrepreneurship. She launched her school in August of 2022 to provide a space for learner-driven education in her community. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Nicole Stewart is the founder and president of the National Association of Black Microschool Leaders, as well as the founder of Legacy Prep Collegiate Microschool which opened this fall in Lakeland, Florida. A public school teacher for 18 years, Nicole is finding deep fulfillment in education entrepreneurship, with plans to open more Legacy Prep microschools while helping other founders get their schools off the ground. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Nance Confer is the founder and director of Florida Unschoolers. Launched in 2001, Florida Unschoolers is a tuition-free, private "umbrella" school for nearly 14,000 Florida unschoolers and homeschoolers. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Happy Thanksgiving! *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Kidvation Global is a nonprofit focused on administering programs that connect young people worldwide to create innovative, entrepreneurial solutions for present-day issues. Founded in 2022 by Harold Lee and Brent Wheelbarger, Kidvation has worked with over 2,500 students, including microschoolers and others learning in unconventional educational environments. Read more about Kidvation in this recent FEE.org article. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Jaclyn Gallo is the founder of Roots Academy in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, a K-5 microschool that she grew from 6 kids in 2020 to 36 kids this academic year. Roots Academy is a recognized private school staffed by certified teachers that emphasizes place-based, child-led learning. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Johan Norberg is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of more than 20 books, translated into more than 30 languages. Today we talk about his most recent book, The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World, which I highly recommend. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.