LiberatED Podcast

Kym Kent, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the FEE Education Entrepreneurship Lab, is joined today by Chris Stolte, founder of The Lemonade School, an online curriculum designed to teach children how to build real businesses from the ground up. Chris shares how his own entrepreneurial background and the experience of raising three young kids led him to create a program that takes children from basic business lessons all the way to running a real business with real customers, real products, and real profits. Kym and Chris talk about why homeschoolers and microschoolers are especially primed for this kind of hands-on learning, how the platform builds financial literacy skills like budgeting and reinvestment, and why starting entrepreneurship education early sets kids up for tomorrow's economy. This is a great listen for any parent looking to spark their child's inner entrepreneur! *** Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.

Welcome to the Microschool Makers Series, a three-part September series in collaboration with KaiPod to equip aspiring school founders with the inspiration and information needed to launch a successful, sustainable school! Our first episode focused on Developing Your Vision, while our second centered around Building A Sustainable School. Be sure to check out those shows for strategies and advice to help get you from idea to opening as quickly and effectively as possible.  In this third and final episode, Kerry McDonald, Director of the Education Entrepreneurship Lab, talks with Amar Kumar, Founder & CEO of KaiPod Learning, and three founders about what it takes to lead and grow a thriving school. Our guests for this episode include Mercedes Grant, founder of Path of Life Learning in Virginia; Candice Hilton, founder of Hilton Horizons Academy in Tennessee; Lisa Swinson, founder of Creative Minds Microschool in North Carolina; and Joanna Cervantez, founder of A Fuller Education in Pennsylvania. Visit KaiPod for more information about this episode—and for an abundance of resources and tips to start your own microschool! *** Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.

What if recess isn't a break from learning, but an essential part of it? The Education Entrepreneurship Lab's Nasiyah Isra-Ul talks with health educator Dr. Cathy Ramstetter, co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on recess and author of the new book Why Recess Matters. They explore how unstructured, child-directed play supports social connection, cognitive performance, academic engagement, and school attendance—and why students need it from elementary school through 12th grade. Dr. Ramstetter also shares practical ideas for creating inclusive play environments, explains the inequities caused by withholding recess as punishment, and invites educators to embrace a more curious and joyful "recess mindset." *** Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.

Welcome to the Microschool Makers Series, a three-part September series in collaboration with KaiPod to equip aspiring school founders with the inspiration and information needed to launch a successful, sustainable school! If you missed our first episode, Developing Your Vision, be sure to listen to that discussion featuring school founders from Arizona, Texas, and Georgia. In this second episode, Kerry McDonald, Director of the Education Entrepreneurship Lab, talks with Amar Kumar, Founder & CEO of KaiPod Learning, and three founders about what it takes to build a sustainable schooling model. Our guests include Amy Anderson, founder of Wildwood Field School, a Montessori-inspired microschool in Davenport, Florida; Erica Peterson, founder of Endless Possibilities Academy in Humble, Texas; and Yalonda Chandler, founder of Legacy Builders Academy in Gardendale, Alabama. Visit KaiPod for more information about this episode—and for resources and tips to start your own microschool! Tune in next Friday for our third conversation: Leading A Thriving School. *** Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.

What does it take to turn more than 20 years in education—and one child's experience of not thriving in traditional school—into a new kind of learning environment? Host Kerry McDonald sits down with Mily Pérez, founder of Athena Micro-Academy of Austin, a microschool serving students in grades 6–12 that just opened last month! Mily shares how her educational background shaped her calling as an educator, why her son's learning experience inspired her to build a school of her own, and how the KaiPod Catalyst program gave her the confidence and practical knowledge to launch. Mily explains why she intends to keep Athena intentionally small, how she is protecting its warm and joyful culture, and how she designs each student's curriculum backward from their college, career, or post-high-school aspirations. This conversation offers an honest look at the challenges, choices, and deeply personal motivation behind building a school where every student can feel seen and supported. *** Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.