Episodes
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. Nad…
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 i…
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 i…
"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 a…
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 T…
The Tax We Pay with Kelly Mitchell
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 d…
A Love Letter to the Bronx with Kai-Ama Hamer
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 w…
Hustle, Heart & HBCU Love with Latoya Turner
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 crea…
The Only One At The Table With Monika Robinson
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 Reparat…
The Cost of Perfect Attendance with Whitney Tolliver
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 inter…