Brave Voices in Education - The Podcast

We don't have a strength problem. We have a permission problem." The conversation with Quincey Roberts Sr., Victor "Coach" Hicks, and Victor Terry ended. But Craig Aarons-Martin wasn't done. This is the after show — a raw, unscripted solo reflection recorded in the quiet after one of the most necessary conversations Brave Voices has ever held. No panel. No guests. Just Craig...

" Man up is one of the most expensive pieces of advice we ever gave Black boys. It costs our souls so much." — Craig Aarons-Martin Most people think Moonlight is a film about being gay. Host Craig Aarons-Martin — Black queer man, NAESP National Distinguished Principal, and proud Phi Beta Sigma — sat down with three D9 brothers to argue otherwise. This episode uses Barry Jenkins' Osca...

What are men really carrying right now? In Part 3 of What Men Carry, Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with two clinically credentialed social workers — Alan-Michael Chest, M.Ed., LMHC, SAC and Adrian White, LCSW, LCAS, CCS — for one of the most honest conversations we've had in this space. We talk about what it costs a man to not know who he is. We talk about seeking love from people who were nev...

What if the most powerful thing an educator can do is ask themselves: who hurt me? Rodrick Johnson — founder of The Energized Educator, award-winning speaker, literacy coach, and author — joins Craig Aarons-Martin for a conversation that is equal parts healing, hilarious, and deeply honest. Rodrick grew up in foster care navigating multiple households and multiple names. That journey became the le...

What happens when a Black woman from Baltimore decides her city's children deserve better — and then actually builds it? Chizarra Daishell is the Founding CEO and Executive Director of Puzzle Pieces Learning Academy, a community-rooted charter school opening in Baltimore County in 2026. She joins Craig Aaron Martin for a conversation that's equal parts vision and grit. Chizarra breaks down...

What if mindfulness is not about escaping the world— But surviving it with your humanity intact? In this deeply moving episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin sits with educator, SEL leader, and mindfulness advocate Lindsey Frank for a conversation on breath, belonging, embodied leadership, and the courage required to remain soft in hard times. Together they explore: ✨ mindfuln...

A student walks into class every day with no intention of engaging. Until one lesson changes everything. In this episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin sits with Yolanda Hood , a veteran educator whose teaching transforms how students see themselves and their voice. This conversation explores: ✨ creative expression as a teaching tool🔥 What it means to be a “beast of an educat...

What starts as a conversation about weighted blankets, travel, and friendship becomes something much deeper. In this episode, I sit with Dr. Krista Leh for a soulful conversation about courage, curiosity, belonging, and what it means to stay human while leading in hard times. We explore: ✨ kindness as leadership practice 🧠 curiosity as resistance 🤝 brave conversations, repair, and trust 🏫 reim...

He worked in the Biden-Harris Administration .He helped shape how stories are told at the national level. But his understanding of power started much earlier — with a poem that helped him finally feel seen. In this episode of the Brave Voices in Education Podcast , Craig Aarons-Martin sits in conversation with Dr. Chauncey T. Alexander — poet, storyteller, and former U.S. Department of Education l...

In this episode of the Brave Voices in Education Podcast , I sit with Ron Rapatalo for a deeply reflective conversation about authenticity, leadership, courage, and what it means to remain grounded in the public square. This is a conversation about truth-telling, relational trust, and the kind of peace that can only come from being held by people who genuinely love you. Together, we talk about: ✨...

What does it require for a young person to walk into a room and believe they belong there? In this layered and deeply human conversation, Craig Aarons-Martin sits with educator and mentor Amir Fralin , founder of Press Please, to explore the relationship between identity formation, grief, mentorship, and the often invisible architecture that shapes how young people navigate opportunity. Amir’s wor...

What happens when humor becomes a bridge to belonging? In this energizing episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with viral TikTok creator and special education teacher Phillip Lindsay to explore how laughter, authenticity, and human connection can transform the classroom experience for both educators and students. Phillip Lindsay has captivated millions online throug...

How can professional learning move from compliance to transformation? In this episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Dr. Michelle Singh, founder of LCT-E Learning Solutions, to explore how instructional coaching, reflective practice, and courageous leadership can transform school culture. Together, they discuss: • Designing professional learning experiences that...

What does it mean to keep teaching with heart in a time when educators are exhausted, under pressure, and often undervalued? In this episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Dr. Natalie Odom-Pough — Presidential Award-winning math educator, professor, and founder of The Pough Review — to explore how gratitude, equity, and growth-centered practices can help sustain...

In this energizing and deeply affirming episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Kat “Lunch Lady” Crawford , CEO of How Might We , nationally recognized consultant, instructional designer, digital equity champion, and one of the boldest creative disruptors in education today. Together, Craig and Kat explore what it means to embrace failure as part of the design pro...

What does it mean to lead when the world feels unstable? In this special PodcastThon episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin reflects on the emotional and moral weight educators are carrying in this moment — from global conflict and economic pressure to the quiet trauma young people absorb through headlines, social media, and everyday uncertainty. Through a powerful classroom st...

Naomi Winston, founder of The Creative Representation Empire (TCRE) , joins Craig Aarons-Martin for a powerful conversation about representation, belonging, and building culturally grounded educational tools that help young people feel seen. Naomi shares why she says, “We don’t make coloring books… we make spaces,” plus her frameworks “Sacred art, profitable business” and Pillars of Purpose — less...

Some conversations feel like a strategy session. This one felt like legacy work. In this episode of Brave Voices in Education , I sit down with my dear Brother and Mentor (in my head), Sharif El-Mekki — founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development — for a powerful conversation on community, courage, political education, and the urgent need to rebuild the Black teacher pipeline. Sha...

What if love wasn’t the reward at the end of the road… but the foundation we build on from the start? In this episode of Brave Voices in Education , I’m joined by Annie Paraison , founder and CEO of Love Before All — a movement rooted in wellness, embodiment, and the truth that love is a strategy for liberation. We talk about what it means to listen to your body, stop normalizing harm, and lead fr...

Your child has rights. Do they know them? In this episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin welcomes Alison Matulli , attorney, educator, First Amendment expert, and founder of The Little Lawyers , for a timely and deeply human conversation about student voice, civic education, and raising digital citizens in a complicated world. Together, they explore how young people are learnin...

In this engaging conversation, Craig Aarons-Martin and Desiree Whitehead explore themes of personal growth, branding, and the importance of integrity in business. They share their journey of meeting at a marketing conference, the significance of trusting one's passion, and the value of mentorship. Desiree emphasizes the importance of community support and the necessity of failing forward in th...

This episode right here. It’s the reminder so many of us need: your body is not a machine, and burnout is not a badge of honor. I’m joined by my sister-friend and powerhouse healer, Dr. Jewel White Williams — founder of Living Legacy Health , health scientist, educator, faith-centered leader, and advocate for whole-person, trauma-informed wellness. Dr. Jewel lives at the intersection of science, s...

What happens when the political movement that promised to “restore fairness” ends up harming the very group it claimed to protect? In this powerful episode of Brave Voices in Education , Craig Aarons-Martin breaks down a reality many are whispering about but few are willing to confront: Anti-DEI bans are destabilizing white men — and still hitting Black men and Black women harder. Drawing on repor...

What happens in our schools when national leaders dehumanize entire communities — Somali, immigrant, Muslim, Black? What happens in classrooms the morning after rhetoric turns violent? And what does brave leadership look like when belonging itself is under attack? In this Brave Bites episode, Craig Aarons-Martin reflects on an overheard coffee shop conversation that revealed the deep cracks in our...

What does it do to a school community when the President of the United States publicly dehumanizes an entire group of people? And what happens when some of the people he attacked… actually voted for him? In this Brave Voices in Education episode, Craig Aarons-Martin breaks down the emotional, cultural, and political shockwaves following President Trump’s statement calling Somali Americans “trash”...