What does it take to step outside the system and build something new? Nadine Smith, founder of The Gathering Place, an all-girls microschool in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sits down with Kerry McDonald to share her story of leaving the public school system to create a microschool focused on personalized, mastery-based learning. They discuss the realities of running a small school, Nadine’s plans for expansion—including a potential farm-based campus—and why Nadine believes the future of education lies in microschools.

Born in Jamaica and raised in New York City, Nadine is a proud graduate of the New York City public schools. She began her career as a humanities teacher, spending over a decade teaching English Language Arts, Reading, and History. She went on to serve as an instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. For more than 12 years, Nadine led schools in some of Washington DC’s most historically underserved communities. Nadine ultimately made the decision to walk away from traditional education to become an education entrepreneur.

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Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is available now wherever books are sold!

In this episode of LiberatED, Kerry McDonald talks with education entrepreneur Courtney Klein—co-founder of All One Thing and SUNSCHOOL, and Senior Strategist with ASU Prep. Courtney shares her remarkable journey as a social impact entrepreneur from founding her first nonprofit at age 21, to starting SEED SPOT, a global startup incubator, to now leading cutting-edge ventures in alternative education.

Courtney’s story highlights how entrepreneurship can unlock new opportunities for families, educators, and communities to create flexible, meaningful learning environments that move beyond the traditional classroom.

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Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is available now wherever books are sold!

Melanie Smith’s path to education entrepreneurship was anything but typical. A U.S. Army veteran who once worked in a European command war room, Melanie found her true calling in peace education through the Montessori method. After years teaching in both public and private schools, she launched Freedom Montessori Academy, an eco-school in Florida that blends individualized Montessori learning with nature-based education.

In this episode, Melanie shares how her military background shaped her vision for peaceful, child-centered learning, why she took the leap to start her own school, and how she rebuilt her program after the challenges of the pandemic. Melanie’s story is an inspiring look at resilience, innovation, and the entrepreneurial spirit driving today’s microschool movement.

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Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is available now wherever books are sold!

In this episode of LiberatED, Kerry McDonald talks with Katie Saiz, founder of Greengate Children’s School in Wichita, Kansas. Katie shares her inspiring journey from running a home-based daycare while homeschooling her children to leading a thriving private school serving nearly 100 students across preschool through middle school, with future plans for high school expansion.

Katie explains how Greengate blends Montessori materials with project-based learning, attracts families seeking alternatives to traditional schooling, and shows how microschools can be both impactful and financially sustainable. She also discusses Greengate’s growth, alongside her vision for partnerships, apprenticeships, and continued innovation in Kansas’s vibrant alternative education landscape.

You will hear candid insights into what it takes to run and expand a microschool, why financial sustainability matters, and how parent demand is shaping the future of education in Wichita and beyond.

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In this episode of the LiberatED Podcast, Kerry McDonald talks with Jennifer Palmer, former special education teacher and now founder of Mobile Classroom Solutions in Polk County, Florida. Jennifer shares her journey from the conventional public school classroom to building a thriving microschool and learning pod that serve diverse learners, including many with special needs.

We discuss how COVID sparked her entrepreneurial leap, why families are embracing flexible and personalized education, and how Florida’s school choice programs are empowering parents to find the right fit for their children. Jennifer also highlights her role as co-founder and president of the Polk Microschool Collective, a growing network that connects and supports education entrepreneurs.

Her story is an inspiring look at the creativity, courage, and community-building that are fueling the microschool movement in Florida and beyond.

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Today is the official launch date of host Kerry McDonald's new book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling!

Check out this special interview—and get your copy of Joyful Learning wherever books are sold!

Sulaya Williams has been a teacher and administrator in the Florida public schools for 15 years. She left the school system in June to pursue entrepreneurship full-time as the founder of Link Up & Build Global Academy.

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Think of Alexa Achille as an "Alexa" for innovative education in South Florida. A former special education teacher in the New York City public schools, Alexa finds great fulfillment in helping families discover the benefits of unconventional education. She is the founder of The Collabo in West Palm Beach, Florida, which empowers homeschooling families by providing enriching learning experiences for students, strategic resources for parents, and expert guidance on educational and post-secondary opportunities as a Choice Navigator. 

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Today on LiberatED, Kerry McDonald sits down with Bonnie Benjamin-Phariss, the Executive Director of Mosaic at WeAreBornToLearn.org—a vibrant online hub where families can reimagine education in meaningful ways. Founded by philanthropist Jeff Westphal and supported by the Jeff & Jenifer Westphal Foundation, Mosaic blends community with curated resources and practical tools to help young people flourish as curious, confident, self-directed learners outside the bounds of conventional schooling.

One of Mosaic's key goals is to support more research around self-directed education. A study they conducted during the pandemic with over 1,000 participants revealed that parents were widely interested in holistic approaches to education. Now, Mosaic is collaborating with the Institute for Self Directed Learning to launch a new survey to understand the perspectives of teachers and educators. 

Read more about Mosaic's mission and research in this recent article by Nasiyah Isra-Ul at the Education Entrepreneurship Lab.

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Kerry's new book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, will be on bookstore shelves two weeks from today—Tuesday, August 19th. 

Preorder your copy today at this link and use code JOYFUL20 at checkout for 20% off.

Or visit your favorite local bookstore or online retailer to get your copy.

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