Episodes

S. Jae Ali, EdM, has taught in Charlotte, Chicago, China, and Brazil, and every classroom taught her something the next one couldn't fix. In this episode, the South Side Chicago native and former educator gets honest about the racism she faced in her teacher prep program, the mental health toll of toxic leadership, the thrill of watching struggling students soar, and why she ultimately walked away from the classroom. From COVID lockdowns in Zhengzhou to a private school in São Paulo where she was the only Black teacher, Jae's story is proof that the problem isn't always the kids and that choosing yourself isn't quitting. Now running wellness workshops and speaking engagements through her platform S. Jae Ali Speaks, she's still teaching. Just on her own terms.

Danica Moore, Ed.D. knew she was meant to teach before she even had a lesson plan, from sharpening skills with second graders at 10 years old to taking over her Sunday school class on a dare. With nearly 20 years in education, she's worn every hat: special ed teacher, ESL specialist, reading and math coach, equity facilitator, district office leader, and now founder of Fortified Educational Practices and Program Director for the National Freedom Schools Partnership. But this episode isn't just a career highlight reel. It's an honest look at what happens when the work you love starts to cost you when equity work becomes a cage. Dr. Danica opens up about the emotional toll of being one of the only people of color in predominantly white spaces, navigating colleagues who never hid their resistance to the work, waking up in tears every day during her first year at the district office, and learning how to reconnect with herself after years of pouring out. She and I explore what radica…

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 her out of traditional K-12 spaces not once, but twice. She gets real about what COVID revealed (protected planning time IS possible), what it feels like to leave a school after six years with barely a goodbye, and why she finally had to ask: "Who am I outside of the classroom?" Now running a teacher policy fellowship at Teach Plus Dr. Horton has found her sweet spot developing educators and advocating for change at the systems level, without losing herself in the process. Whether you're a …

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 a retail store, the loss of a beloved cousin, and a woman in a Howard cohort who looked her dead in the eyes and said, "You're called to this." She talks openly about the grief of leaving a school where she poured everything, the tokenism she faced as a charter superintendent, and why she walked away from a six-figure leadership role without a plan. This episode is just as much about what comes after the exit. Dr. Nadia breaks down how she built a thriving consulting firm powered largely by B…

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 stepped foot in her classroom. She saw the literacy crisis from both sides: underfunded schools pushing kids through, and affluent schools inflating grades to protect their reputation. Same problem. Different zip code. After years of microaggressions, invisibility, and hives she couldn't explain, she resigned. Now she's an educational consultant, reclaiming her why one new teacher at a time.

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 before she made the jump. If you're a Black educator eyeing the nonprofit sector as your next move, this episode is your required listening.

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...

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 Rockaway, Queens, to teaching seventh graders in Baltimore and Louisiana, Nye's journey through education is one of resilience, demoralization, and ultimately, radical reinvention. She opens up about the moment she knew it was time to leave the classroom, not because she stopped loving her students, but because the system had worn her down to the point where she had nothing left to fight with. And she's honest about something the education world doesn't like to say out loud: sharing a skin ton…

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, eventually, assistant principal overseeing 2,700 students and nearly 500 IEPs in the School District of Philadelphia. But the real story is what it cost her. Dr. Thomas opens up about surviving on leftover event food, falling asleep in her guacamole, being physically injured on the job multiple times, and staying in toxic workplaces the same way you stay in a bad relationship until the people she was serving told her to leave. It was her students who said, " Go". It was her daughter…

Kelly Mitchell's journey through education is a crash course in recognizing when systems are working exactly as designed...not for us. From stumbling into teaching via Craigslist after the 2009 recession, to middle school math teacher, to high school dean managing 350 students, to state workforce development, Kelly kept asking, "Who can fix this?" only to realize the system kept saying, "Not us." Kelly's revelation: education's recruitment problem isn't about signing bonuses, it's asking Black people to return to systems that actively harmed them their entire childhood. The retention problem? Leaders who laugh off racism when test scores are good, colleagues who outsource racial incidents to the "Black representative," and the invisible tax of carrying everyone else's learning curve. Now running Inclusive Design Group and pursuing her PhD, Kelly's done the full bingo card: classroom, admin, state, nonprofit. Her conclusion? The answer was never in climbing higher within broken s…

Kai Hamer's journey from aspiring rapper to special education teacher to parent engagement director is a love letter to the Bronx. Starting in shelters and after-school programs, she spent 10+ years teaching in her own neighborhood, collecting kids from behind soda machines, visiting grandmothers who couldn't leave home, and fighting for students whose gifts didn't show up on standardized tests. But when colleagues went to the principal instead of coming to her about her social media post on police brutality, she realized some teachers couldn't truly love the Black children they taught. She left the classroom to train educators in what she never got: real support for building authentic relationships with families. Her mission now? Help teachers get free, because you can't pour into kids when your own cup is dry.

This conversation is a testament to how classroom teaching can birth movements that extend far beyond what we could ever imagine. In this episode, Dr. Asia sits down with Latoya Turner, M.A., a Detroit-born educator, author, and filmmaker who spent 13 years in the classroom before pivoting to create Brown Hands Literacy, a nonprofit dedicated to educating children about HBCUs through books, films, and community events. LaToya shares her journey from a high school cadet teaching program to teaching across Detroit, Maryland, and Cincinnati, where she discovered her passion for literacy and began writing children's books during lunch breaks and planning periods. She opens up about the pull of family that moved her from city to city, the birth of her son August (now a published author himself), and how she coached 90 Black men ages 18-24 through the Leading Men Fellowship program, planting seeds of literacy that will impact generations. From turning her book "Brown Hands, Black Schools…

What does it mean to be the only Black teacher at the table year after year? In this powerful episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Monika Robinson, a former public school teacher, instructional coach, nonprofit leader, and founder of Reparations Ed, to unpack the quiet isolation many Black educators experience in predominantly white and suburban school systems. For six years, Monika was the only Black teacher in her building. While she describes her experience as not bad, she also names the subtle but persistent exclusion of being left out of informal gatherings, navigating leadership roles without support, and carrying the weight of representation alone. Her story highlights how school isolation is often normalized, minimized, or dismissed even when it impacts retention and wellness.

This episode with Whitney Tolliver is essential listening for educators at any stage of their career, administrators who wonder why they can't retain staff, and anyone who's ever sacrificed their well-being for a job that demands perfection over presence. In this powerful episode of the Exit interview, Whitney shares her journey from enthusiastic first-grade teacher to assistant principal and ultimately, to leaving education altogether to prioritize her wellness. Whitney opens up about the toxic workplace culture she encountered early in her career, including a principal who demanded perfect attendance even after losing both parents, and how that mentality permeated her entire educational experience. Now the founder of The Teacher Retreat, a nonprofit dedicated to educator wellness, and All Things Well Collective, Whitney is on a mission to help educators understand that self-care isn't just spa days and massages, it's moisturizing your whole body, drinking water, and learning to re…

In this episode, Dr. Asia Lyons interviews Khiara "Mills" Mills, a licensed therapist and former school counselor, about her journey through education, mental health, and personal growth. Mills shares how setting boundaries became a cornerstone of her healing, both professionally and personally. She discusses the challenges of working in behavioral schools, the importance of self-care and core values, and how grief and resilience shaped her path. Listeners will gain practical insights on wellness, the power of boundaries, and supporting Black educators in schools.

In this episode, Dr. Asia welcomes Jeanine L. Williams, PhD, a retired educator turned ancestral medicine woman, for a powerful conversation about liberation, sovereignty, and healing beyond academia. Dr. Williams shares her journey through higher education, the challenges of navigating oppressive systems, and the importance of community care and ancestral wisdom. Together, they discuss the need for Black educators to reclaim their wholeness, set boundaries, and embrace self-care. The episode offers inspiration and practical advice for anyone seeking healing, empowerment, and a deeper connection to their roots.

In this episode, I sit down with educator and bibliophile Kamye Hugley to explore what happens when Black women in education refuse to stay quiet in the face of harm. Kamye traces her journey from her grandmother's urging to be a teacher, to a Teach For America placement that threw her from third grade to Head Start mid-year, to a Head Start classroom tucked in a portable with coyotes underneath and systems that treated early childhood like babysitting instead of brain-building. She shares the heartbreak of referring students for support only to be ignored, the letter she wrote to a district leader that quietly shifted hiring practices, and her time teaching high school intensive reading, where one administrator's careless comment about test scores pushed seniors out of school entirely. Together, Kamye and I discuss how these moments accumulate as racial battle fatigue and weathering and why, for Kamye, remaining silent feels like violence against herself. This episode invites list…

In this impactful episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Ashlee Saddler shares her journey from being a mental health professional to becoming an educational leader, highlighting the unique challenges she faced as a Black woman in mostly white school systems. She discusses the emotional and physical toll of leadership, including her breast cancer diagnosis, which she attributes to the constant stress and self-sacrifice required of Black educators. Through honest storytelling, Dr. Saddler and host Dr. Asia explore systemic barriers, microaggressions, and the high expectations placed on Black women in education. They emphasize the importance of community, self-advocacy, and wellness. Listeners will learn about mentorship, setting boundaries, and the ongoing fight for equity and recognition in schools. This episode serves both as a testimony and a call to action: to honor the experiences of Black educators, believe their stories, and foster spaces where they can thrive, not just su…

In this impactful episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Oakland educator Whitney Redd discusses how her experience in after-school programs, youth shelters, and mental health settings has shaped her approach to teaching, combining heart, structure, and intentionality. After being diagnosed with ADHD, Whitney redefined discipline as creating joyful structure, fostering a classroom environment built on positive reinforcement, trust, and student voice. As a teacher, I already have power, she states. I don't need to enforce it, I need to build it." Whitney openly shares her experiences leading a third-grade class of 39 students, tackling systemic inequities, and addressing the emotional challenges faced by Black teachers expected to do it all. Despite these challenges, her story is filled with joy, humor, and a fierce dedication to her students' brilliance. Through Thee Redd Method, Whitney now helps other educators balance accountability with compassion and data w…

In this heartfelt episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia interviews Dr. Franita Nita Ware, an educator, author, and creator of Warm Demander Teachers. They discuss Dr. Ware's unexpected journey from substitute teacher to scholar, focusing on her purpose, joy, and community that fueled her career. Dr. Ware discusses how her entry into education changed her life, the lessons she learned at Spelman College, and the challenges she faces as a Black woman principal navigating racialized experiences in Denver. She shares her experiences with the trauma of pushout, her healing process, and how she turned her recovery into the Radical Self-Care framework—an impactful professional development series helping educators reconnect with themselves, rewire for wellness, and find joy in teaching. Listeners will learn about the warm-demander approach, which balances care with high standards, and how schools can build cultures based on authenticity, rest, and community. W…

In this episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia sits down with Candice Renee Person, a 20-year veteran educator, organizer, writer, and soon-to-be digital nomad. Candice shares a deeply layered journey that spans classrooms in New York City, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia, and beyond. Each chapter is shaped by resilience, grief, discovery, and a fierce commitment to both education and commu Candice opens up about her unexpected entry into teaching through the New York City Teaching Fellows program and the steep learning curve of working in special education without adequate preparation or support. She reflects on the vital mentors and assistants who kept her grounded during her toughest first years, and on how family circumstances, especially the loss of her mother, shaped major career moves. Listeners are taken inside her experiences teaching in challenging special education settings, including building a thriving, joyful classroom in an autism…

In this episode of the Exit Interviewer Podcast for Black educators, Dr. Asia Lyons interviews Dr. Lance Bennett, an educator and founder of The People's Institute for the Common Good. Dr. Bennett shares his journey from community college in Philadelphia to earning his doctorate and working in higher education administration. He discusses the importance of community colleges, mentorship, and the value of learning for its own sake. Dr. Bennett reflects on his initial ambition to become a university president, the traditional and alternative pathways to that role, and why he ultimately chose a different direction. He explains how his educational philosophy—prioritizing critical thinking and community impact over purely workforce preparation—led him to step away from the presidency track. Influenced by mentors and personal experiences, he realized the importance of flexibility and being open to new opportunities. Now, Dr. Bennett leads The People's Institute for the Common Good, an…

What happens when the bad kid becomes the kind of educator the system never saw coming? In this episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Asia sits down with Aurelius Raines II, whose unorthodox path into education began not with a degree, but with curiosity, care, and disruption. From aftercare teacher to museum-based innovator, Aurelius shares how his early struggles with school shaped his radical approach to teaching and why his students thrive because of it. Together, they unpack what it means to teach without permission, learn outside the lines, and reimagine what a science education can look like when rooted in joy, justice, and relevance.

What does it cost to teach with integrity in a system that demands your silence? In this powerful episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Akil Parker, a former finance major turned math educator, tutor, and founder of All This Math, to explore his 20-year journey through classrooms, charter schools, and community spaces. Akil shares honest reflections on being pushed out of schools for challenging harmful norms, the emotional toll of being separated from students he deeply cared about, and the moment he realized he was no longer working for the system but for the kids. From surviving toxic school cultures to creating culturally rooted math content for families, Akil's story is both a warning and a call to action. Whether you're a Black educator facing similar challenges or someone interested in true retention, this episode is a raw reminder: real education centers the child, not the institution.