Episodes

In this enlightening episode of The Exit Interview podcast, co-hosts Dr. Asia Lyons and Kevin Adams welcome guest Lacey Robinson, president and CEO of UnboundEd. Lacey shares her profound experiences and insights on the education system, particularly focusing on Brown and Black students. Starting a…

In this episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Asia Lyons interviews Ronda Haynes-Belen, a former community engagement specialist. Ronda shares her experiences working in Denver Public Schools (DPS), discussing the anti-Blackness and oppressive structures she encountered. After yearning for a work envi…

In this stirring episode of 'The Exit Interview,' Dr. Asia Lyons talks to Mia Street, a former educator who shares her challenging journey through the education system and her decision to leave due to institutional racism. Mia recounts multiple incidents where she faced racialized trauma and was pl…

In this episode, Dr. Siobhan Flowers, a licensed psychotherapist and educator wellness strategist, joins Dr. Asia Lyons and Kevin Adams on the 'Exit Interview' podcast. They discuss burnout and mental health in black educators, dissecting the systemic and institutional barriers contributing to diss…

In this thoughtful and insightful episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Dedrick Sims discusses the importance of Black and Brown male educators, the challenges they face, and the steps needed to support them more effectively. He also shares his personal journey in educat…

In this episode of the Exit Interview podcast, co-host Kevin Adams reflects on his 18-year teaching career in Denver Public Schools and his transition from classroom teacher to assistant principal. Kevin discusses the unique challenges and experiences faced by Black educators, including feelings of…

In this special episode, Dr. Desa Daniel welcomes Dr. Asia Lyons, an educator, consultant, and co-host of The Exit Interview podcast, for an in-depth discussion about racial battle fatigue among Black educators. Dr. Lyons shares her personal journey from teaching in Denver to founding her own consu…

In this episode of the Exit Interview podcast, Dr. Asia Lyons welcomes back Janet Stickmon to discuss the concept of racial battle fatigue, its impact on educators of color, and the journey toward healing and joy. Janet shares her personal experiences with the physical and emotional toll of racial …

This brief episode highlights the crucial importance for school districts to acknowledge and address the influence of family support on the departure of Black educators from the education field. The departure is being triggered by various factors, such as policies, colleagues, administrators, and o…

Janet Stickmon received the McPherson Distinguished Teaching Award at Napa Valley College. She takes great pride in working with her students.  She has created CenterJoyPWR®: Strategies for Healing Racial Battle Fatigue—an online experience for professionals of color who want to center joy in thei…

In this episode of, The Exit Interview, Enola Garland found her way into the classroom as an early childhood educator. She quickly realized that working with three and four-year-olds was what she was meant for. After years in the ECE space and with COVID-19's impact on her students, colleagues, a…

In this episode of Exit Interview, Dr. Asia Lyons reflects on her personal and professional journey as an educator. She shares her experiences growing up in Detroit, her initial pursuit of engineering, and the pivotal moments that led her to teaching. Dr. Lyons discusses her time in Colorado’s Cher…

Nedra Rudolph is one of thousands of educational professionals that many of us see but never truly SEE. Having worked in Title 1 schools, as a Dean of Students, a paraprofessional, and a family liaison. These professionals are categorically invaluable, and grossly undercompensated. She had a gre…

In this episode, the hosts interview Crystal Gillis, an educator whose journey spans from recording engineering to teaching and coaching in the Cherry Creek School District. Crystal shares her experiences as a Black woman educator, detailing the challenges she faced, including lack of support, raci…

Scholar, Author, Entrepreneur, and Educator Desmond Williams has been there, done that. A talented and effective classroom teacher, he quickly moved up the ranks to become a building leader. But even as a principal, Desmond was not achieving the impact he wanted to. He found himself in frequent con…

Branta Lockett moved through her educational odyssey at the highest levels. W.E.B. DuBois would have absolutely drafted her for his Talented Tenth All Star Team. Highly Gifted and Talented, International Baccalaureate, Brown University, she brought her sterling credentials to Denver, hoping to be t…

Jacci tells us her story of coming full circle. With her love for whom we in education consider as “littles,” she tells her journey as a childcare center owner who, with a heart for doing more for her community, begins her work as a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Director in a Denver Metro Area org…

Arvian Harper is a “Denver Public Schools lifer.” A graduate of the hallowed halls of East High School, she received a full ride engineering scholarship, later changing to pre-med. Like so many of us, she heard the call to the classroom, and she heeded, teaching Early Childhood Education, becoming …

After a turbulent year locally and nationally, Dr. Asia Lyons and Kevin Adams are back with your Back to School shopping list. They break down issues facing educators of color and the communities they serve as super-producer Gerardo Muñoz sits in the virtual producer’s chair! Asia discusses life af…

When a former director of equity in a school district joins our podcast you know it’s gonna be good.  Stacey Brandon shares what led her to become a social worker in a Denver Metro school district, her journey to becoming director of their equity department, and consequently the decision she had to…

Another fire episode!  This time we are speaking to Dr. Jeanette Patterson, a former principal who now finds herself supporting the youth of the Denver Metro Area in a whole new way.  Tune in as Dr. Patterson shares her education journey, what she thinks school districts can do to support educators…

Since last season, on the Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black educators we have brought you stories that are heart-wrenching, painful, and traumatic. Examples of racial battle fatigue, professional violence and PTSD, which, even though most have experienced a measure of healing, or begun that heali…

On December 21, Denverite broke the story that legendary community leader and Montbello/Far Northeast Warriors Coach Tony Lindsay, Sr. would not be invited back to coach football for the newly reunified Montbello High School football program. Despite a winning record that included a recent state ch…

Michael Diaz-Rivera was a brilliant and respected teacher with a reputation for empowering and inspiring his Black and Latinx students. He rose quickly to prominence for his unapologetic radical love for his community and our children. A frequent advocate and organizer for his professional associat…