LiberatED Podcast

On this episode of LiberatED , host Kerry McDonald sits down with Emily Barnitz , founder of Zoe Learning House , a fast-growing hybrid homeschool program in New Orleans, Louisiana. Emily shares her journey from being homeschooled herself to becoming a public school teacher—and ultimately launching Zoe Learning House in fall 2024 with just 10 students in her living room. Eighteen months later, the...

What if high school was designed more like a creative studio than a traditional classroom? In this episode of LiberatED , Kerry McDonald spotlights NuVu High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a distinctive, studio-style school for students in grades 7 to 12. Kerry speaks with NuVu co-founder Saba Ghole and NuVu Director of Admissions Karen Sutton about NuVu's remarkable evolution—from a communit...

In this episode of LiberatED , Kerry McDonald is joined by Neal McCluskey , Director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute, and co-editor of the new book Fighting for the Freedom to Learn: Examining America's Centuries-Old School Choice Movement , to explore the history of educational freedom in the U.S. Neal also talks about the Public Schooling Battle Map that he maintains,...

In this episode of the LiberatED Podcast, Kerry McDonald is joined by Christina Stead and Hanna Lay, two homeschool mothers from St. George, Utah. Together they founded Desert Blossom Resource Center , a nonprofit created to support homeschooling families through community-led resources, monthly panel discussions, local events, and a growing online hub that now connects more than 80 families acros...

In this reload of one of our most popular episodes, Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey shares his founder story, explaining why conscious capitalism leads to profound good in the world and offering tips for today's education entrepreneurs.  Here's one gem from the interview: "If you can make a profit, it proves that your business model is good," said Mackey. "That's the way you could do the most g...

In this episode of LiberatED, Kerry McDonald speaks with Talon and Travis Holleman, co-founders of  Roots Farm and Forest School in Delaware. What began as a small homeschool co-op during the pandemic has grown into a thriving, nature-based learning ecosystem serving more than 1,000 students through microschool programs, homeschool enrichment, after-school offerings, and seasonal camps. Talon and...

In this episode of the LiberatED Podcast, Kerry McDonald talks with Bonnie Bradshaw, a longtime homeschool mom and the founder of Royal Oak Academy , a student-centered K-7 microschool in Suffolk, Virginia. Bonnie shares how her years of homeschooling shaped her educational philosophy and ultimately inspired her to create a learning environment that prioritizes curiosity, autonomy, and individual...

In this week's episode of the LiberatED Podcast, Kerry McDonald interviews Ali Ghaffari, founder of Divine Mercy Academy , a K–8 classical Catholic school in Pasadena, Maryland, and now Executive Director of the St. John Henry Newman Institute , an organization dedicated to accelerating the renewal of Catholic education worldwide. Ali's path to school founding is anything but ordinary. After gradu...

This week on the LiberatED Podcast, Kerry McDonald speaks with Tara Famularo-Del Bianco, a former attorney who spent nearly 15 years representing abused and neglected children in New York City before making a dramatic shift into education entrepreneurship. Today, she is the founder of The Magnolia Schoolhouse , a thriving Montessori-inspired microschool in Vero Beach, Florida, that serves 75+ stud...

This week on the LiberatED Podcast, Kerry McDonald talks with Susan Yao, founder of Vermont Village School in Brattleboro, Vermont, about her inspiring journey from progressive educator to microschool creator. After earning an undergraduate degree from Harvard College, Susan worked for several years as a teacher and school administrator in a variety of educational settings. The pandemic led her fa...

This week on the LiberatED Podcast, Kerry McDonald talks with educator-turned-entrepreneur Imani Jackson, founder of Poinciana Montessori in Philadelphia and part of the Wildflower Montessori Network . Imani shares her remarkable journey from a classroom teacher in both public and private schools, to Montessori microschool founder—sparked by her own daughter's experience with Montessori-inspired h...

In this special LiberatED and Teacher, Let Your Light Shine! crossover episode, Kerry McDonald and Makenzie Oliver share how teachers are transforming from classroom educators to microschool founders. Hear Makenzie's inspiring story and Kerry's insights from Joyful Learning on freedom, entrepreneurship, and reimagining education. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education t...

Kerry McDonald speaks with Julia Bergson-Shilcock and Mike Hilbert, founders of Cupola Academy , a secular learning community in Pennsylvania serving homeschooling families through part-time, in-person programs. Drawing from decades in alternative education—and Julia's own unschooling background—they share how Cupola fosters autonomy, collaboration, and a lifelong love of learning. The conversatio...

Joel Hammon—former public school teacher, founder of Princeton Learning Cooperative , co-founder of Liberated Learners , and author of  The Teacher Liberation Handbook —joins Kerry to explore the global rise of self-directed learning centers. These community-based programs, including the Princeton Learning Cooperative and many more within the Liberated Learners network, offer homeschooled tweens a...

After years as a speech pathologist in public schools, Lauren Capelli founded Sacred Haven Homeschool Collective , a Christian hybrid homeschool program in Camden County, New Jersey. In this episode, Lauren shares how she turned burnout into purpose, building a personalized, community-based program for roughly two dozen students. She and Kerry discuss curriculum design, individualized learning, ou...

Kerry McDonald sits down with Kerry Baldwin, co-founder of Vita Nova Academy , a micro-high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico built on Socratic practice and passion-driven learning. Baldwin shares how Vita Nova pairs seminar-style inquiry with a skills-based framework and a partnership with the Mastery Transcript Consortium, helping teens show real evidence of mastery—communication, research, crit...

John Danner, co-founder and CEO of Flourish Schools , joins Kerry McDonald to discuss how his new Nashville-based microschool network is reimagining middle school education. Drawing on his experience founding Rocketship Public Schools, Danner explains how Flourish uses AI to automate foundational learning while empowering teachers to focus on students' "superpowers" — curiosity, communication, and...

In this episode of the LiberatED podcast, Kerry McDonald is joined by Professor Eric Wearne, director of the National Hybrid Schools Project at Kennesaw State University, to explore the rapid growth of hybrid schooling. They discuss the historical roots of hybrid schooling, the post-COVID surge in new school launches, and what makes hybrid schools distinct from both traditional schools and homesch...

In this episode of the LiberatED Podcast, Kerry McDonald welcomes Jamie Musacchio, founder of  Wisdom Warehouse , a microschool that began in Dubai and now thrives in Miami. Jamie shares her journey from over a decade in public school classrooms in New York City and Washington, DC to launching an innovative microschool model that blends rigorous academics with daily creative workshops. She discuss...

Kerry McDonald welcomes Charles and Charissa Mitchell, two of the four co-founders of the Threefold Schoolhouse , an Acton Academy located outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They share their inspiring story of building a learner-driven microschool that launched with just 10 students in 2019 and today serves 65 learners from pre-kindergarten through high school.  The Mitchells talks about the ent...

In this episode of the LiberatED podcast, Kerry McDonald speaks with parent Gabriel Valles about his family's embrace of alternative education, including homeschooling and microschooling. Gabriel shares his experience launching a low-cost microschool inspired by Acton Academy, his exploration of homeschooling and classical education, and his current journey with his son at Alpha School in Austin....

In this episode of the LiberatED podcast, Kerry McDonald talks with David Richards, founder and CEO of Changemaker Education , about his fascinating career path from banking to teaching, to launching charter schools, and now microschools. David shares how a simple LinkedIn post sparked the launch of six pilot microschools across the country—and how he plans to grow that network to 100 schools over...

What does it take to launch and grow a thriving microschool for neurodiverse learners? Kerry McDonald talks with Yorelle Haroush, founder of Trailblazers Microschool in Florida, about her entrepreneurial journey, her adventure-based approach to learning, and the overwhelming demand from families looking for alternatives to conventional schooling. Yorelle discusses both the challenges and the oppor...

Jess Alfreds never set out to build a network of microschools. What began in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as "pandemic pod" quickly grew into a thriving community of 100 students—and today, Carolina Kids Co-Op has expanded into 20+ independently-operated microschools across five states. In this episode of the LiberatED podcast, Jess shares how she combined secular academics, social-emotional learn...

In this episode of the LiberatED podcast, Kerry McDonald talks with Maggie Van Camp, founder of Happy Hens Farm & Forest School in New Hampshire. Maggie shares her journey from teaching in the Boston Public Schools to building a thriving microschool inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, blending outdoor learning, the arts, acdemics, and homesteading on her 11-acre property. She explains how her...