On this soul-stirring episode of Brave Voices in Education, host Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Reverend Minnassa Gabon—a mindfulness expert, spiritual leader, and founder of Minnassa Wellness. Together, they explore what it means to lead with divine alignment, reclaim sacred stillness, and embody brave leadership rooted in love.

This conversation is for every leader who has ever felt like they had to shrink to belong. Rev. Minnassa reminds us that healing is strategy, stillness is a superpower, and our voices—just as they are—are enough. From coming out at 50 to challenging patriarchal church traditions, her story is a masterclass in sacred courage.

✨ Topics Covered:

• Letting go of others’ expectations

• Leadership as spiritual alignment

• Sacred no’s and radical self-care

• Queer identity and religious freedom

• Finding voice and building a brave community
  

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, or your favorite platform: https://bravevoicespod.com 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamcraigaaronsmartin/podcasts 🛠️ Learn more at: https://minnassa.com

📣 Don’t forget to like, follow, and share. Every subscription helps support the Black Boy Joy Summit and keeps these conversations alive.

#BraveVoicesPod #CCMEdGroup #MindfulLeadership #SpiritualWellness #QueerFaith #HealingJustice #LeadWithLove #BlackQueerVoices #CourageousLeadership #Podcasts

What if healing isn’t just yours to do alone?

In this powerful episode of Brave Voices in Education, host Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Coach Justice Roe Williams — Black trans father, abolitionist, author of Deconstructing the Fitness Industrial Complex, and founder of Fitness for All Bodies.

Together, they explore:

✨ How toxic masculinity harms everyone — and how we heal beyond it ✨ Why decolonizing fitness is essential for liberation ✨ Leadership rooted in radical love and abolitionist care ✨ Building movements that center Black trans voices and collective healing ✨ How storytelling can unmask the truths we’ve been taught to hide

🔥 This episode isn’t just about fitness. It’s about unlearning oppression, reclaiming joy, and leading from a place of truth, care, and courage.

🔗 Guest Links:

• Website: fitnessforallbodies.com

• Instagram: @fitness4allbodies | @justiceroe

• LinkedIn: Justice Roe Williams 

🎧 Listen, reflect, and lead bravely.

#BraveVoicesPod #CCMEdGroup #JusticeRoeWilliams #BlackTransLeadership #DecolonizingFitness #LiberationThroughMovement #HealingLeadership #FitnessForAllBodies #EducationPodcast #LeadershipWithHeart #HealingIsBrave #MovementBuilding

What does it take to truly find your voice—when every system tells you to stay silent?
Coach Justice Roe Williams shares how growing up Black, queer, and radical in activist spaces taught him the power of speaking up, even when it wasn’t safe. From working with political prisoners to creating trans-inclusive fitness spaces, his journey shows that your voice is not just your tool—it's your resistance.

This one’s for anyone who’s ever felt erased, underestimated, or asked to shrink in movement spaces.
Your voice is valid. Your truth is power. Speak it.

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe here: https://bravevoicespod.com

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justice-williams-4095405/ 🌐 Learn more about Fitness for All Bodies: https://fitnessforallbodies.com/

How does a Black queer Southern boy become a truth-telling, justice-centered educator leading with radical love?

In this powerful episode, Victor Terry shares his journey from Utica, Mississippi to founding Necessary Means Consulting and serving as Director of DEIB at Neighborhood House Charter School. Together with host Craig Aarons-Martin, Victor explores:

• Storytelling as liberation
  

• Black Southern queerness and faith
  

• Creating spaces of belonging and healing
  

• Leadership rooted in cultural truth and radical joy
  

✨ This is for every educator, advocate, and leader ready to move beyond performative inclusion and into authentic liberation.

🔗 Connect with Victor on LinkedIn, Instagram (@victorious_mindset_360), and TikTok (@nmcc_llc).

How do we reclaim our purpose when the system pushes us to the edge?
In this soul-stirring episode, Ayesis Clay—educator, playwright, and founder of Sculpted Clay Productions—joins Craig Aarons-Martin to explore what it means to live, lead, and liberate through story and self-awareness.

🎙️ Topics include:

• The real cost of burnout in education

• Storytelling as a path to liberation

• How leaders can model vulnerability

• Reimagining schools as spaces for healing

• Black women reclaiming their narratives in education

✨ This episode is a love letter to the brave educators navigating the cracks and still showing up with courage.

🔗 Follow Ayesis Clay on LinkedIn, IG (@sculptedclay), and YouTube (@ayesisclay)

#BraveVoicesInEducation #AyesisClay #EducatorHealing #StorytellingInEducation #LeadershipWithHeart #TeacherBurnout #BlackWomenLead #PurposeDrivenLeadership #HealingIsBrave

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How do Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) continue to build bridges between legacy and liberation in today’s educational landscape?

In this dynamic episode of Brave Voices in Education, Craig Aarons-Martin brings you a special recording from the 2025 HBCU Summit held at Harvard University, hosted by Dr. Keith Lezama, founder of the Building Bridges Foundation. Featured guests include Dr. Moala Bannavti and Dr. Robert Jennings, two powerful educators and advocates for Black excellence in higher education.

This episode explores the intersection of cultural identity, the enduring impact of HBCUs, and what it means to lead with humanity, heritage, and unapologetic hope.

🎙️ Topics include:

• The historical and cultural power of HBCUs
  

• Navigating predominantly white institutions as Black scholars
  

• The role of educators in affirming student identity
  

• Trauma-informed leadership and cultural healing
  

• Bridging generational wisdom and innovation in education
  

✨ Guest Highlights: Dr. Moala Bannavti is an environmental justice advocate and equity educator with deep roots in community empowerment. Dr. Robert Jennings is a former HBCU president and national thought leader on Black male achievement and institutional leadership.

 Connect with Dr. Bannavti on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/moala-k-bannavti Email Dr. Jennings directly: [email protected] Learn more about Dr. Lezama’s work: buildingbridgeseducation.com

What happens when educators examine their power instead of protecting it?

In this eye-opening episode of Brave Voices in Education, host Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Dr. Tanji Marshall-Reed, a veteran educator, leadership coach, and unapologetic advocate for equity. Together, they unpack how instructional power, curriculum design, and leadership decisions impact student agency, family engagement, and educational justice.

🎯 Key Topics:

• Power dynamics in classrooms and school leadership

• How curriculum can either liberate or limit

• Why relationships matter more than rules

• The real role of parent engagement in educational equity

• Why reflection is essential to interrupt harm in schools

🔥 Takeaways:

• “Braving isn’t about being invincible. It’s about being real.”

• “Leadership is about impact, not ego.”

• “Every child deserves an excellent education — no exceptions.”

📚 Whether you're a principal, classroom teacher, coach, or parent, this episode gives you practical insight and powerful questions to lead more boldly, inclusively, and responsibly.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Tanji Marshall-Reed:
💼 LinkedIn
🌐 Website

📲 Like, follow, and share to support this growing community.
🎧 More at: BraveVoicesPod.com
📎 Connect with Craig: https://linktr.ee/craigcmartin

#BraveVoicesPod #DrTanjiMarshallReed #EducationLeadership #InstructionalPower #CurriculumMatters #EquityInSchools #StudentAgency #ParentEngagement #CCMEdGroup #EducationPodcast #LiaisonInstructionalPartners

In this powerful episode of Brave Voices in Education, host Craig Aarons-Martin (he/him) moderates a dynamic and deeply personal roundtable with four youth leaders from the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth:

🎤 Avery Barry (she/her) – Student & Commissioner, Bridgewater State University
🎤 Kamryn “KC” Chandler Fontaine (they/them) – Fieldwork Administrator, HGSE & Commissioner
🎤 Adrian Romero (he/him) – Music Business Graduate, Berklee College of Music
🎤 Oliver “Olly” Kelly (they/he) – MPPA Candidate & LGBTQ Policy Intern

Together, we explore:
🌈 Navigating queer identity and advocacy
🧠 How education can liberate — or oppress
💬 What true allyship looks like in schools
🎉 Why joy is not decoration — it’s defiance

📌 Takeaways:

• Bravery isn’t about being unafraid — it’s about being seen

• Youth aren’t the future — they’re the force

• Safe schools are non-negotiable

• Every voice has impact

📲 Connect with Our MA Commission for LGBTQ Youth here .
💡 Don’t forget to rate, follow, and share if this moved you.

#BraveVoicesPod #CCMEdGroup #LGBTQYouth #PridePodcast #YouthLeadership #EducationEquity #QueerVoices #TransIsBeautiful #BlackQueerJoy #SafeSchoolsNow

In this powerful episode of Brave Voices in Education, host Craig Aarons-Martin (he/him) moderates a dynamic and deeply personal roundtable with four youth leaders from the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth:

🎤 Avery Barry (she/her) – Student & Commissioner, Bridgewater State University
🎤 Kamryn “KC” Chandler Fontaine (they/them) – Fieldwork Administrator, HGSE & Commissioner
🎤 Adrian Romero (he/him) – Music Business Graduate, Berklee College of Music
🎤 Oliver “Olly” Kelly (they/he) – MPPA Candidate & LGBTQ Policy Intern

Together, we explore:
🌈 Navigating queer identity and advocacy
🧠 How education can liberate — or oppress
💬 What true allyship looks like in schools
🎉 Why joy is not decoration — it’s defiance

📌 Takeaways:

• Bravery isn’t about being unafraid — it’s about being seen

• Youth aren’t the future — they’re the force

• Safe schools are non-negotiable

• Every voice has impact

📲 Learn More About the Massachusetts Commission for LGBTQ Youth here: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-commission-on-lgbtq-youth
💡 Don’t forget to rate, follow, and share if this moved you.

#BraveVoicesPod #CCMEdGroup #LGBTQYouth #PridePodcast #YouthLeadership #EducationEquity #QueerVoices #TransIsBeautiful #BlackQueerJoy #SafeSchoolsNow #MassLGBTQYouth

How do we stay brave when the world asks us to be bulletproof?

In this soul-stirring episode of Brave Voices in Education, host Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Dr. Keisha Chandler, Managing Director of Partner Success at ASCD and fierce advocate for Black brilliance in schools. Together, they explore the long shadow of racism, childhood experiences in segregated spaces, Montessori education, faith, and what it takes to truly center students in systems that often forget them.

🎙️ Topics include:

• Leading through trauma and truth

• Advocating for Black women and girls in education

• Healing from childhood microaggressions

• Joy, justice, and spiritual grounding as resistance

✨ Guest Highlights: Dr. Chandler is a K–12 educator, policy expert, and published scholar with deep roots in Philly and the Deep South. She reminds us that leadership isn't about perfection — it's about purpose, presence, and passing the mic.

🔗 Follow Dr. Chandler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keishachandler/