Let's Get Personal : the Learning Lab Podcast

A career pivot sometimes helps you toward your destiny. Roy Moye III achieved his dream of becoming an aerospace engineer, but once he got there, he realized his true passion was music. Instead of ignoring his calling, he took a leap of faith and built a career that combines singing, education, and entrepreneurship. Today, through STEMusic LLC, Roy inspires young people to explore STEAM through mu...

Self compassion is at the root of growing into the best version of ourselves, says Audra Dinell, founder of The Thread and host of A LOT with Audra. In this episode of Let’s Get Personal, Audra reflects on the teacher who first recognized her leadership potential, the joys and challenges of motherhood, and her family's experience with neurodivergence. She also shares how she found the work sh...

How are schools tangibly preparing students for the future workforce? Four years ago, Wichita Public Schools partnered with WSU Tech to launch its first FutureReady Center, giving students hands-on experience in manufacturing. Today, the FutureReady program has expanded from one center to three, with additional opportunities in the works. In this episode, Eric Shipman, principal of FutureReady Cen...

As the literacy services librarian at the Wichita Public Library, Savannah Ball combines her deep commitment to helping people access the resources they need to thrive with her love for books. Driven by a passion for helping others, Ball connects people with resources, opportunities and stories that help them grow. Her own educational journey gives her perspective on the importance of supporting p...

Isabel Peine's background is impressive. She earned degrees in biomedical engineering and mathematics while competing as an NCAA Division I cheerleader. But at NTegrity Athletics in Goddard, Peine uses those talents in a different way. She uses her critical-thinking skills to help kids who have disabilities or other differences take tumbling lessons, and she uses her welcoming personality to...

Lauren Mason is often the first face families see when they walk into Learning Lab Wichita, and her warmth, organization and care help set the tone for a positive experience. Behind the scenes, Lauren plays a vital role in keeping Learning Lab moving forward, combining relationship-building and project management to support our community of students, families and educators. But, like many people,...

Leah Ellis believes the only thing standing in the way of kids achieving extraordinary success is limitations placed on them by adults.  Ellis is the founder of the Society of Child Entrepreneurs, which provides hands-on learning, business experiences and community spaces for kids ages 6–17. Her work encouraging kids to start businesses builds confidence, independence and real-world skills. An ent...

When Shane Carter came to Wichita in 2025 to start his role as executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, he was no stranger to educational programming.  While leading the Lincoln Community Center in Troy, Ohio, Shane started and grew a successful and effective after-school program. Now, he’s bringing that same energy and vision to TKAAAM’s educational programming and outreach effor...

Everyone can lead, and high school students are no exception. That idea is at the heart of Lead Now, a new curriculum from Kansas Leadership Center designed to empower high school students to lead in their own lives and communities. In this episode, Jason Bosch, KLC’s Director of Curriculum Innovation, shares how the program came to life and how students themselves helped shape it. Jason also refl...

Ever think about starting your own school? At its core, Learning Lab Wichita is designed to support educators and founders starting new K-12 education models, providing families with more options for their children's education.  Learning Lab Wichita hosts seven K-12 education models. In this episode, Lydia and Kristin chat about what it takes Learning Lab does to support these models and why...

Conner Hampton is a former Division I basketball coach, a fundraising consultant, a national speaker – and he is Learning Lab Executive Director Lydia's husband. On this episode of Let's Get Personal, Conner delves into what school was like for him as an active, social kid and how it informed their decision when he and Lydia chose a better school option for their 7-year-old son.  Bonus:...

Joe Woodward, Director of Wichita Operations for Stand Together Foundation, leads local efforts to advance bottom-up solutions for economic mobility. His work focuses on strengthening families and neighborhoods, fostering innovation in education, and empowering community members to help one another overcome barriers. In this episode of Let’s Get Personal, Joe shares his own educational journey and...

Molly Brown came to Wichita to become a zookeeper, but she stayed because she loved the city. Today, Molly serves as the events and program manager at Learning Lab Wichita, where she designs hands-on, engaging learning activities for kids and adults.  On this episode, Molly shares stories about her upbringing in rural Wisconsin and reflects on what brings her joy in her work at Learning Lab. (Hint...

Glass cases filled with cockroaches. Birds that speak English. Tortoises and ferrets roaming free. This is not your typical kindergarten classroom. In fact, it’s a learning environment unlike almost anything you’ve seen — and it started with one woman’s vision. For nearly two decades, Carrie Tiemeyer, better known as The Bug Lady, has been building something different: an early childcare center an...

Melissa Lair's son knew his alphabet by the time he was 18 months old. As a former kindergarten teacher, Melissa knew he would be ahead of the curve in a traditional school classroom. So Melissa made the bold decision to homeschool her children.  In this episode of Let's Get Personal, Melissa shares how she navigated the early uncertainty of homeschooling, how she chose the right curricu...

Ashley Watkins left her career as a high school journalism teacher to pursue a deeper calling: academic coaching that supports the whole student. Blending her classroom experience with a natural gift for mentorship, Ashley helps students better understand themselves so they can achieve meaningful, sustainable success. In this episode, she addresses teacher burnout, the insights of the Human Design...

Darby Breaux-Vickers is an education entrepreneur and the founder of Sunflower Learning Community, a learning model designed to nurture children’s curiosity while honoring their individual educational goals. With a background in the humanities and a richly diverse personal education journey, Darby brings depth, intentionality and creativity to her Learning Lab workshop room. Sunflower Learning Com...

Empowered CEO Lindsay Schroeder's career in the education industry began when she applied to serve as a high school dance coach. She ended up working 10 years as high school teacher before joining Empowered and becoming a champion for classroom teachers.  Lindsay's passion for empowering others helped her lead Empowered expansion to a nationwide network of more than 80,000 educators.  On...

With so much attention on AI, it’s easy to overlook one skill that might matter even more: emotional intelligence. In this episode, Learning Lab Wichita Executive Director Lydia Hampton shares insights from a recent training she attended with Dr. Susan David as she begins her journey toward certification in emotional agility. David defines emotional agility as "the ability to navigate complex...

This week, we switch gears and explore the role of space design in learning. Lisa Shaffer, principal at Alloy Architecture, shares how she designed the interior of Learning Lab Wichita with both purpose and possibility in mind. Drawing on more than 22 years in the design industry, Lisa aligned mission, function and flexibility across the Lab’s 16,000-square-foot space. With its open concept and fl...

Angela Dooling has seen education from just about every angle. A second-grade teacher at Wichita Collegiate School, Dooling shares her experiences with public, private and microschool education. Dooling's son, Kai, attends Khan Lab School Wichita at Learning Lab Wichita, and Dooling both attended and worked in public schools. In this episode, she reflects on what each learning environment doe...

This week we’re joined by Niti Singh from Skillveri to talk about how simulators are changing the way students learn skilled trades. From welding to painting, these tools help students build confidence and competence before they ever use real equipment—and they’re also helping attract young people into hands-on careers.

Lydia and Kristin reflect on Learning Lab Wichita's biggest wins of 2025 – and get honest about what it really took to create a first-of-its-kind education innovation center. They reflect on what worked in their push for personalized learning and tease what's ahead in 2026.

Wichita Public Schools Director of Partnerships and Belonging Corinthian Kelly started his new role in October 2025, and he has big goals. Kelly shares how he plans to help every student succeed by building community partnerships and communicating. Learn about Kelly's history bringing stakeholders together and working to better communities in this week's podcast.

Dalena Wallace is a woman on a mission. Over the last five years, she founded Wichita Innovative Schools & Educators, a network of microschools and education businesses; started a consulting business, Autonomous, Innovative and Missional Educational Collaborative; and leads Heartland Education Reformation Organization, a group the connects Kansas churches with those who are interested in start...