The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators
The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators aims to document and honor the lived experiences of Black educators who have decided to leave the profession. Rooted in archival justice, the podcast elevates their stories as a powerful form of truth-telling, healing, and resistance. It serves as an oral history archive capturing the experiences of Black educators across the U.S. By highlighting Black voices and their reasons for leaving or staying, it ignites important conversations about wellness, racial battle fatigue, and what is needed to transform educational spaces into environments where Black educators can thrive.
New to The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators?
85
May 7, 2026
Saying No To Unconditional Service with Dr. Jessica Reed-Thomas
Her closing words? Joy chaser. And she means it. Born in Anchorage, raised to become a lawyer, and fully resistant to the classroom, Jessica Reed-Thomas, Ed.D., fought off teaching for years. Then, a mentor, a university employee with good intuition and an air-conditioned education building at Temple University, changed everything. What followed was a 12+ year career spanning classroom teacher, technology integration specialist, service-learning coordinator, agriculture curriculum lead, and, eve
86
April 28, 2026
"All Skinfolk Ain't Kinfolk" with Nye Trusty
Nye Trusty brings a candid, layered, and deeply necessary conversation about identity, belonging, and why representation without inclusion is just window dressing.She's worn many names and even more hats: teacher, coach, doctoral student, and now nonprofit founder. In this episode, she gets raw about what it really means to show up fully in spaces that weren't built for you, including what happened when Black leadership asked her to strip her classroom of its Blackness. From growing up in Far
87
May 13, 2026
Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire with Kamye Hugley
Kamye Hugley is back, and this time, she's talking about what happens when you trade the classroom for the nonprofit world. Fan favorite Kamye returns to The Exit Interview to share her truth about making the leap from Black educator to nonprofit professional.Spoiler: it wasn't the escape she imagined. From navigating workplace dysfunction to rediscovering her worth, Kamye breaks down how she transferred her teaching skills into a brand-new arena and what she wishes someone had told her befo
88
May 26, 2026
More Than A Diversity Hire with Dr. Melissa Leonard-Goodlett
Melissa Leonard-Goodlett, EdD. knew she was a diversity hire. She took the job anyway because she was also the most qualified person in the room.In this episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Melissa breaks down a career that went from dyslexic kid playing teacher with her siblings, to AP English instructor watching Black students pay for a high school education they never actually received, to burning out at a wealthy PWI where parent surveys went straight to HR and her principal never once ste
89
June 9, 2026
Community, Calling & The Climb with Dr. Nadia A. Bennett
Dr. Nadia A. Bennett doesn't just talk about leading; she's lived it, from an air mattress on the floor of a Philly apartment to founding her own national education consulting firm, When Brown Girls Lead.In this episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, I sit down with Dr. Nadia for a raw, spirit-filled conversation about what it actually takes to climb the educational ranks as a Black woman. Dr. Nadia shares the unlikely moments that shaped her path: a stranger's advice in
90
June 30, 2026
Pressing the Reset Button with Dr. Jamita Horton
What happens when the system tells you that you "care too much"?For Jamita Horton, Ed.D, that moment in a Milwaukee principal's office was the beginning of a decade-long journey of pressing reset on her classroom, her career, and ultimately herself.In this episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Horton takes us from Sunday school teacher's aide to kindergarten teacher to assistant principal, unpacking how rigid behavior management, a lack of mentorship, and the slow erasure of her identity pushed
Recent
90
June 30, 2026
Pressing the Reset Button with Dr. Jamita Horton
What happens when the system tells you that you "care too much"?For Jamita Horton, Ed.D, that moment in a Milwaukee principal's office was the beginning of a decade-long journey of pressing reset on her classroom, her career, and ultimately herself.In this episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Horton takes us from Sunday school teacher's aide to kindergarten teacher to assistant principal, unpacking how rigid behavior management, a lack of mentorship, and the slow erasure of her identity pushed
June 22, 2026
Community as a Survival Strategy
From Letters from the LabWhen I asked Dr. Nadia A. Bennett what advice she would give Black women moving into educational leadership, she did not begin with certification, strategy, or a five-year plan.She said, “Find and keep community.&r…
89
June 9, 2026
Community, Calling & The Climb with Dr. Nadia A. Bennett
Dr. Nadia A. Bennett doesn't just talk about leading; she's lived it, from an air mattress on the floor of a Philly apartment to founding her own national education consulting firm, When Brown Girls Lead.In this episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, I sit down with Dr. Nadia for a raw, spirit-filled conversation about what it actually takes to climb the educational ranks as a Black woman. Dr. Nadia shares the unlikely moments that shaped her path: a stranger's advice in
May 31, 2026
Parent Entitlement is a Black Educator Retention Issue
From Letters from the LabWhen Melissa Leonard-Goodlett, EdD. talked about working in a school run by parents, the first image that came to mind was a screenshot.Screenshots from a group chat I was never supposed to see.A Black mother let me kn…
May 26, 2026
When The Harm Follows You: Black Educators, Nonprofits and Racial Battle Fatigue
From, Letters from the LabThe morning before I was fired from my last job at a nonprofit organization, I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and asked myself a question:Do you want to stay or do you want to go?I remember looking at myself and…
88
May 26, 2026
More Than A Diversity Hire with Dr. Melissa Leonard-Goodlett
Melissa Leonard-Goodlett, EdD. knew she was a diversity hire. She took the job anyway because she was also the most qualified person in the room.In this episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Melissa breaks down a career that went from dyslexic kid playing teacher with her siblings, to AP English instructor watching Black students pay for a high school education they never actually received, to burning out at a wealthy PWI where parent surveys went straight to HR and her principal never once ste
Sign-Up for the Black Educators, Be Well Newsletter
Listen On
Recent Blog Posts
June 22, 2026
Community as a Survival Strategy
From Letters from the LabWhen I asked Dr. Nadia A. Bennett what advice she would give Black women moving into educational leadership, she did not begin with certification, strategy, or a five-year plan.She said, “Find and keep community.&r…
May 31, 2026
Parent Entitlement is a Black Educator Retention Issue
From Letters from the LabWhen Melissa Leonard-Goodlett, EdD. talked about working in a school run by parents, the first image that came to mind was a screenshot.Screenshots from a group chat I was never supposed to see.A Black mother let me kn…
May 26, 2026
When The Harm Follows You: Black Educators, Nonprofits and Racial Battle Fatigue
From, Letters from the LabThe morning before I was fired from my last job at a nonprofit organization, I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and asked myself a question:Do you want to stay or do you want to go?I remember looking at myself and…
Sponsors
