LiberatED Podcast

Arizona mom Melissa Shah joins Arizona-based Entrepreneur-in-Residence Denise Lever to share her journey of finding an education that fit her neurodivergent son—from Montessori and online learning to gifted programs and community college dual enrollment. Along the way, she discovered that finding the optimal educational fit for her child required flexibility, persistence, and a willingness to pivot.

That experience inspired Melissa to create the Arizona Education Vendors Directory, helping families discover and organize educational options across the state. Melissa and Denise discuss how Arizona's Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) expand a family's choices, why freedom must be paired with knowledge and accessible options, and how parents can build learning paths around their children's strengths, interests, and needs.

***

Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab at edentrepreneur.org for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.

What if help in running the business side of a school left more time for education?

Lab Entrepreneur-In-Residence Kym Kent welcomes Brett Kopf, founder and CEO of Omella to LiberatED. Brett shares how his experiences as a student with learning disabilities inspired him to build tools that make educators' lives easier—from a school communication app that reached 30 million users to a payment platform designed to simplify school operations.

They explore Omella's transparent, optional-tip pricing model and its expanding tools for payments, e-signatures, approvals, and registration. Kym also shares her experience using Omella at her homeschool center, where it has helped cut costs and free up time.

Whether you run a microschool, homeschool center, or other educational program, this conversation offers a look at making everyday administration simpler and more affordable.

*** Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab at edentrepreneur.org for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.

What happens when education prioritizes mastery and real-world learning? The Lab's Denise Lever talks with Hannah Langdon of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) about her K–12 homeschool experience and how it shaped her work. They explore critical thinking, respectful disagreement, and FEE's resources and fellowships for educators—including homeschoolers and school founders.

***

Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab at edentrepreneur.org for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.

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.

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!

Every microschool starts with a clear vision — and the clearest ones sit at the intersection of what a founder is uniquely good at, what their community actually needs, and what can grow into something sustainable.

In this first episode, Kerry McDonald, Director of the Education Entrepreneurship Lab, talks with Amar Kumar, Founder & CEO of KaiPod Learning, and three founders who had different visions for building their schools.

Tom Dowell is the founder and Head of School of Moreana Boys Academy in Gilbert, Arizona, which he launched in 2024. A former public school teacher, Tom created an all-boys model centered on personalized academics, mentorship, hands-on learning, and character development.

Gepre Henderson is the founder of BOSS Learning Academy in Douglasville, Georgia, which she opened in 2025. Drawing on more than 14 years of experience in education, she has built a STEM-focused K–5 microschool that emphasizes hands-on learning, student ownership, small groups, and a community that feels like an extension of the family.

And Brittany Lopez is the founder of Brighter Futures Microschool in Arlington, Texas that just opened this month! As a certified special education teacher and professional educational therapist, Brittany designed her school specifically for students with learning, language, and social differences, placing targeted and individualized instruction at the heart of the model.

Visit KaiPod for more information about this episode—and for resources and tips to start your own microschool!

Tune in next Friday for our second conversation in this series: Building A Sustainable School.

***

Check out the Education Entrepreneurship Lab for a steady stream of new articles and original content—by school founders, for school founders.

What changes when the way we think about education starts to shift? The Education Entrepreneurship Lab's Nasiyah Isra-Ul speaks with Mickey Revenaugh, an author, innovator, and co-founder of Connections Academy, about her new book, School's Out: Why Families Are Choosing Unconventional Education, that discusses this very topic. From the early days of Connections Academy to the post-pandemic surge in alternative education, Mickey traces the ideas that changed how families think about school, technology, and success. Together, Nasiyah and Mickey connect the past with the present, answering some of the hot-button questions parents are asking now: What do kids actually need? What counts as a good outcome? And how do we build learning models that keep curiosity alive? Visit the Education Entrepreneurship Lab for a steady stream of new articles and fresh content—by school founders, for school founders.