In this episode, I reconnect with my former Stanford classmate, Mike Taubman, nearly 20 years after our graduate school days. Mike has spent his career teaching English and later pioneering purpose and career exploration programs for high school students in Newark, New Jersey. Most recently, he’s been at the forefront of bringing AI literacy into the classroom.

Mike introduces his innovative AI Driver’s License Framework, a practical, empowering way to help students (and adults) engage with AI responsibly. His approach draws on the metaphor of cars—tools we designed, tools we can operate, and tools that require both personal skill and shared rules of the road.

We explore:

• Mike’s journey from English teacher to AI literacy leader.
• Why metaphors matter in how we talk to students about AI.
• The four-part AI Driver’s License framework:
  1. Learn to drive – Operating AI tools effectively.
  2. Look under the hood – Understanding how AI actually works.
  3. Know the rules of the road – Exploring ethics, norms, and policies.
  4. Pick your destination – Using AI to achieve goals, then stepping away to live life.
• How high schoolers are experimenting with AI in projects ranging from architecture to medicine.
• The risks of anthropomorphizing AI and why it’s essential to “break the spell” for students.
• Balancing AI use with human wisdom, mentorship, and critical thinking.
• Why banning AI in schools misses the opportunity to model transparency and teach responsible use.

Mike’s classroom stories bring the theory to life—showing us how students respond when they not only use AI but also question it, challenge it, and integrate it with human expertise.

This is a rich, hopeful conversation about preparing young people not just to survive in an AI-powered world, but to drive it with confidence, agency, and purpose

In this episode, David sits down with Peter Stiepleman—former superintendent of one of Missouri’s largest school districts, leadership advisor, podcast host, and author of Serving as a Lead Learner: Powerful Reflections from America’s Superintendents

Peter shares his unconventional path from working at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid to becoming a bilingual teacher in Oakland, California, and eventually leading a district of 19,000 students through times of both growth and crisis. He reflects on the lessons learned from embracing “imperfect leadership,” the importance of vulnerability, and the power of shared decision-making.

Together, David and Peter explore:

• How personal journeys shape leadership philosophies

• What it means to be a “lead learner” and embrace discomfort

• Building shared values with teachers, parents, and students

• Why microschool leaders can benefit from these same leadership principles

• The importance of community voice and creating systems that honor every stakeholder

This conversation is full of insights for anyone leading in education—whether you’re running a large public school system, launching a micro school, or simply seeking to lead with more empathy, collaboration, and courage.

Resources & Links:

• Peter’s book: Serving as a Lead Learner: Powerful Reflections from America’s Superintendents:
  https://www.amazon.com/Serving-Lead-Learner-Reflections-Superintendents/dp/B0F78RC6H9
  
  
• Peter’s podcast: An Imperfect Leader:
  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-imperfect-leader-the-superintendents/id1644897856

In this inspiring conversation, David sits down with Lily Jones, founder of Educator Forever and a former classroom teacher who transformed her passion for teaching into a thriving business that empowers educators worldwide. Lily shares her journey from teaching kindergarten and first grade in Oakland to building curriculum for major education organizations, and eventually launching Educator Forever—a platform supporting thousands of teachers in exploring new career paths beyond the classroom.

Together, David and Lily dive into the realities of teaching, the burnout many educators face, and the entrepreneurial mindset shifts required to transition from teacher to founder. From testing ideas and listening deeply to your community, to embracing imperfect action and disrupting perfectionism, this episode is packed with wisdom for anyone dreaming of starting a microschool—or any education venture.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Lily’s journey from classroom teaching to launching Educator Forever
• Why sustainability and flexibility matter for educators
• The power of listening to your “customers” (students, parents, and communities) before building programs or schools
• How to embrace testing, iteration, and co-creation in education and entrepreneurship
• The importance of resilience, imperfection, and celebrating small wins
• Why teacher voices are crucial in reimagining education beyond the classroom

About Lily Jones:
Lily Jones is the founder of Educator Forever, an organization that helps teachers thrive beyond the classroom through professional development, certification programs, and a curriculum agency. A former kindergarten and first-grade teacher, Lily has spent the past decade designing learning experiences, coaching educators, and supporting thousands of teachers in finding new and sustainable ways to make an impact.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about https://www.educatorforever.com/
• Connect with Lily on https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-jones-b940457b/
• Explore Changemaker Edu and our Microschool Founder programs

Join the Movement:
Are you an educator dreaming of opening your own microschool? Changemaker Edu supports passionate educators and community leaders in launching thriving microschools with the tools, training, and community they need to succeed. Learn more at https://changemakereducation.com.

In this heartfelt and inspiring conversation, David sits down with Bonnie LePage — founder of The Maker, marketing, branding, and AI company — to talk about the power of storytelling, the courage to follow your intuition, and the importance of taking a leap of faith with your calling. 

Bonnie shares her remarkable journey: from growing up in South Africa and adapting to a new life in the Midwest, to building a thriving marketing career, and then walking away from it all after a life-altering tragedy. She explains how grief became a catalyst for change, why she now builds brands around the person before the business, and how she helps founders share their genius with the world.

Together, David and Bonnie explore:

• Why intuition is one of the most underused tools for founders

• The role life-changing events play in sparking entrepreneurial leaps

• How telling your authentic story attracts your right people — and repels the wrong ones

• How vulnerability builds connection and attracts your community

• Why stepping away from “shoulds” can open the door to your true calling

• What makes microschools so powerful — for students and entrepreneurs

• How life’s hardest seasons can reveal the work you were made to do

• Practical ways to align your business with your deepest values

  
  

If you’ve been feeling a tug toward something more meaningful — or struggling to put your story into words — this episode is your permission to listen to yourself and take that first step.

🎧 Listen now and discover how to build work — and a life — that truly fits.

Guest Links:

• Connect with Bonnie LePage on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnielepage/

• Learn more about her work in marketing, branding, and AI: https://themakerai.com/

Resources Mentioned:

This Is Marketing by Seth Godin

In this powerful episode, David K. Richards sits down with Dr. Yazmene “Dr. Yaz” Thomas, an inspiring educator, coach, and Founder of Uhuru Pathways, a groundbreaking microschool serving teens and adults through an accelerated, trauma-informed high school diploma program.

A late-night scroll led Dr. Yaz to discover Changemaker Microschools—and what followed was a rapid-fire connection and a clear path to launching her vision: a flexible, culturally responsive online microschool for underserved learners. Together, they dive into:

• Why traditional high school systems are failing adult and alternative learners
• How Uhuru Pathways supports students aged 14 to 60+ with coaching, career readiness, and personal development
• The transformative “Dr. Yaz Method”: helping students get their I.S.H. (Intention, Skills, and Habits) together
• The role of trauma-informed, whole-person education in empowering long-overdue dreams
• What it means to transition from educator to entrepreneur—and why Dr. Yaz is just getting started

About Dr. Yaz:
Dr. Yazmene Thomas is a veteran educator, educational coach, and founder of Uhuru Pathways Learning Center. She holds decades of experience supporting learners across age groups, with a deep passion for unlocking the potential of people who've been left behind by rigid systems. Her work combines academic support, emotional coaching, and cultural truth to help learners finally thrive.

Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dr. Yazmene Thomas at DrYazMethod.org
Connect with Dr. Yaz & Uhuru Pathways
Changemaker Microschools

In this vibrant, soul-led conversation, David K. Richards, CEO of Changemaker Education, sits down with microschool Founder Christina “Pip” Pipkin, who’s launching a Changemaker Partner Microschool, the F.A.Y.E. Learning Center in Houston, Texas. As the first founder featured on the podcast, Pip shares her journey from classroom teacher and EdTech leader to becoming the architect of a personalized, project-based microschool rooted in family, equity, and student agency. They explore the challenges of surrender, self-trust, intersectionality, and stepping into visionary leadership while honoring intuition and faith.

This episode is a masterclass in courage, community, and co-creation—perfect for aspiring founders ready to move beyond the 9–5 and into deep purpose-driven work.

 Memorable Quotes:

• “I jump and grow my wings on the way down.”
• “You all took away all my excuses.”
• “F.A.Y.E. is my baby. It’s fulfilling a promise—and a purpose.”
• “We are not just opening schools. We are transforming lives.”
• “It’s bigger than me. I’m just the vessel being used.”

 Key Topics Covered:

• Pip’s background in classroom teaching, EdTech, and doctoral study
• The personal call to open a microschool and surrender control
• Founding F.A.Y.E. Learning Center—named after her grandmother
• The role of intersectionality as a Black, LGBTQ woman in Texas
• Balancing doctoral studies with launching a school
• Project-based learning, STEM focus, and family engagement
• Community-building and authentic recruiting
• Pip’s spiritual connection to the journey
• Reflections on cohort support, imposter syndrome, and transformational growth
• The long-term vision for expansion and impact

 Approximate Timestamps:

• 00:00–10:00 – Pip’s background, family history, and path into education
• 10:00–22:00 – Founding F.A.Y.E. Learning Center and vision for students & families
• 22:00–38:00 – Discovery of Changemaker Education and alignment with purpose
• 38:00–56:00 – Surrendering control, spiritual connection, and finding support
• 56:00–End – Reflections on transformation, community, and future legacy

In this heart-centered and deeply inspiring conversation, Joy Meserve and David K. Richards dive into the journey of becoming a changemaker through microschool leadership. They explore personal transformation, intuitive decision-making, and redefining success outside the traditional 9–5 mold. With honesty, humor, and decades of collective leadership experience, they share how embracing autonomy and purpose can fuel a thriving education movement. This episode is both a roadmap and a call to action for anyone ready to reclaim their essence and reimagine learning—for themselves and the next generation.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Start before you feel ready—because you never will feel ready.” — Joy
• “Life begins on the other side of fear.” — David
• “Everything in your life has prepared you for this moment.”
• “Your job title is not your identity. Your essence is.”
• “We don’t need to enmesh—we can respond with sovereignty.”

Key Topics Covered:

• Joy’s journey from COO of a global education startup to co-founder of Changemaker Education
• How intuitive nudges and spiritual awakening guide big life shifts
• The powerful transformation from educator to entrepreneur
• Creating “mind, body, soul” curriculum that balances emotional intelligence with accountability
• Why micro schools are not just schools—they're acts of sovereignty and service
• Building autonomy, mastery, and purpose into learning environments
• Releasing identity attachments to titles, income, and social comparison
• The impact of conscious leadership in decentralized education models
• Supporting founders to follow their “full body yes” and claim visionary leadership
• How the micro school movement is the disruptive innovation traditional education needs

Timestamps (Approximate):

00:00 – 08:00 – Introduction and divine alignment of Joy & David’s partnership
08:00 – 18:00 – Joy’s path from iD Tech to mindfulness to Changemaker Education
18:00 – 28:00 – The inner Sangha, grieving, and awakening during the pandemic
28:00 – 38:00 – What it means to be a microschool founder and to trust the path
38:00 – 50:00 – Unlearning top-down education, embracing founder autonomy
50:00 – 01:04:00 – Inner discipline, mind-body-soul curriculum, and real SEL
01:04:00 – 01:15:00 – Helping founders claim their vision, titles, and identities
01:15:00 – End – Future vision of education and the micro school movement as a model of disruption

David had a great conversation with Christina Dougay who is the founder of Practical Education and Knowledge LLC (P.E.A.K.) a microschool in Houston, Texas.

With a background in both education and the mental health sector, she brings a unique perspective to creating safe, supportive, and engaging learning environments for children.

Driven by a desire to find an alternative to traditional public education for her own children and others in need, Christina strives to provide a positive, trauma-informed approach to learning. She believes that every child is capable of success, deserves to feel valued in the classroom, and should experience the joy of learning. 

Christina invited her husband to join the podcast with her because they have been in this together since the beginning. They shared the origin story of how they were driven by the desire to create something better for their daughter, which drove them to launch with 3 students in their living room and grow to a larger space in a short amount of time. 

Christina & Dusty are emblematic of the spirit and heart of the microschool movement. They have a great story to tell about how they took matters into their own hands and how it helped their own daughter while launching them into a journey of meaning and purpose to serve others. 

There are tons of gems in here that you read about in the research about leadership and startups. They didn’t need to read that research, because they embody entrepreneurship and took one step at a time and made their vision come to life. Such an inspiring story! 

You can learn more about their microschool here: https://www.practicaled.org/

David had a great conversation with Don Soifer who is the CEO of the National Microschooling Center. 

They discussed the recent report just released from the National Microschooling Center that illuminates important data about microschools like what percentage are private, public, what types of students microschools serve, facilities, types of models, and so much more! 

We get to be one of the first to share this and get to hear Don’s analysis which is super exciting. 

Here is a more about Don and the Center.  The National Microschooling Center ia America’s comprehensive resource center, movement-builder and authority for the most exciting new education movement in a generation. He co-created and co-directed the Southern Nevada Urban Micro Academy, the nation’s first public–private partnership microschool with the City of North Las Vegas, delivering unprecedented academic growth with a previously underserved population of families under pandemic operating conditions.

Prior to opening the Center, Soifer has been President of Nevada Action for School Options, an award-winning nonpartisan “action tank” he founded in 2017 to support the growth of diverse choices of rich, high-quality and personalized educational opportunities for all students. He previously served as Executive Vice President of the Lexington Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Arlington, VA that he cofounded in 1998.

Soifer directed the institute’s education and other domestic-policy research programs, and his research has been published and discussed in many of the nation’s most influential news publications and policy journals, and cited by policy decisionmakers at all levels of government, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Soifer earned a record as one of the nation’s most accomplished charter school authorizers, serving an unprecedented three mayor-appointed, Council-confirmed terms on the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board beginning in 2008. He was widely regarded as a driving force transforming one of the nation’s most successful charter authorizers as it instituted systems for prioritizing quality for the 120+ schools oversee. He subsequently served as a board member on the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority, appointed by the State Board of Education, from 2019-2021.

Soifer has been an Aspen/Pahara Institute education fellow since 2018. 

You can learn about The National Microschooling Center here: https://microschoolingcenter.org/

David had a great conversation with Raphael Gang who is a Program Officer at the Stand Together Trust (STT) where he makes investments focused on supporting a dynamic education marketplace for families, educators, and entrepreneurs. Prior to joining STT, he worked at 4.0 Schools, a nonprofit national incubator for early-stage education impact ventures, where he coached education entrepreneurs and led 4.0’s communications, fundraising, and research. He helped launch and implement the statewide school voucher program, oversaw charter schools statewide, and managed policy for supporting choice at the Louisiana Department of Education. A former elementary school teacher, he has worked in policy and in leadership at two networks of schools. As a father of two young children, Raphael believes strongly that if we want a future of learning that is for all children, we need to build it.

David and Raphael discussed how important it is to engage families in the process of building your microschool. We think that building schools is an intellectual process, but entrepreneurship is about doing and not thinking. In that spirit, Raphael recommends you start small, start fast, and start cheap by starting to talk with families and make that your top priority. They also discussed the transition from educator to entrepreneur which can be a big one for many educators! Finally, they discussed the need for microschools to be sustainable and to build a business not a charity to ensure your microschool stays around for years to come! 

You can find Raphael on X here: x.com/raphaelgangedu

Here are some things that Raphael shared if you want to explore these topics further: 

1. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-started-successful-school-just-27000-sam-rogerson/

2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries - https://theleanstartup.com/

3. Tom Arnett'sk, Families on the New Frontier report - https://www.christenseninstitute.org/publication/microschools-families/

4. Raphael's - Build a Business, not a Charity blog - https://microschoolingcenter.org/news-blog/gang