The Hannah Frankman Podcast

Rachelle Noble is the co-founder of Microschool Solutions, an organization that helps people launch and operate microschools. In this episode, you’ll learn about Rachelle’s story and personal experience with alternative education, how transformative microschools can be both for the students and adults, and how putting children first and taking them seriously can make all the difference. This episo...

Chris Turner is the founder of Moonrise, a co-learning space in Atlanta providing a new type of childcare for families participating in homeschooling or alternative education. In this episode you’ll learn about the origin of Moonrise, the plans for expansion, the regulations and roadblocks that stand in the way, and some of the philosophical ideas that are shaping Chris’s approach. This episode is...

Carlos Carvalho is a professor of statistics at UT Austin and is the founder of the Salem Center , where he hosts guest lectures open to students and the general public. In this episode, you’ll learn why the Salem Center lectures have become so controversial, how the academic standards have declined for college students, the importance of statistics, and why data is becoming more and more importan...

Tim Kennedy is a former UFC Fighter, active Green Beret, and founder of Apogee. In the fall of 2024 he will be expanding Apogee to 50 schools across the country. In this episode, you’ll learn why education is one of the biggest problems in America, how he’s moving a national movement of education and scaling it so quickly, and why the nuclear family is the foundation of America. Tim shares insight...

Kyle Kingsbury is a former Division 1 Football Player, UFC Fighter, and Unschooling dad of two. He is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to health and wellness and formerly worked as the Director of Human Optimization at Onnit in Austin, TX. Kyle is now building a regenerative ranching operation while unschooling his two kids on the farm. In this episode, you’ll hear why Kyle decided to unschool...

Arjun Khemani is a 17 year old high school dropout who is currently working on Airchat with Naval Ravikant. In this episode you’ll learn about Arjun’s educational experience in India and how he learned to leverage the internet to connect and work with his intellectual heroes. You’ll hear the story of how Arjun wrote 100 blog posts in 100 days before becoming involved in Airchat and beginning to wo...

Lenore Skenazy was once branded as “America’s Worst Mom” for letting her nine year old son ride the subway alone. She is the founder of Free Range Kids and co-founder of Let Grow . In this episode, you’ll learn how America became so risk averse. You’ll discover why we’ve become so afraid of letting our kids be independent, the developmental implications of blocking our kids from exploring the worl...

Mitchell Earl is the COO of Praxis, a personal and professional development program for young adults. In this episode you’ll learn Mitchell’s opinions on whether or not it’s important for a young person to go to college, How to think philosophically about your career and your life trajectory. You’ll also hear some great stories about Mitchell’s education, his start up career, and the lessons he le...

Dr. Gena Gorlin is a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with founders. In this episode, You’ll learn how Gena watches the development of her children through the lens of a psychologist, how she helps founders embody “The Builders Mindset” and how you can apply these principles when raising children; helping set a foundation for your kids where they operate within the world from a pla...

Jason Pedicone is the co-founder and President of the Paideia Institute. He received his Ph. D. in Classics from Princeton University in 2013. In this episode, you’ll learn the value of learning “dead languages” and how the Classics can help people understand the world that they live in, the history of thought and the human condition. You’ll also learn about Jason’s Institute, how these languages...

Will Reusch is a high school civics teacher in LA who has been working inside the public education system for 18 years. In this episode you’ll learn how Will teaches his students the art of critical thinking, using the socratic method in the classroom, how to leverage the internet as a teacher, and how parents can support their kids by encouraging them to ask big questions. Chapters: 0:00 - Will R...

Danielle Strachman was one of the orginal operators of the Thiel Fellowship and is a cofounder and general partner of 1517 Fund, a VC firm that focuses on backing founders that are getting their education through starting a business rather than attending university. She has worked with young entrepreneurs for over a decade. In this episode you’ll learn about Danielle’s views on education, the type...

Bryan Caplan is a professor of economics at George Mason University and author of The Case Against Education. In this episode you’ll learn where and when to be a nonconformist, whether the college path is useful for the average student as a mechanism for launching their career, the cost benefit of acquiring a degree, the inefficiencies of school funding in America, and practical ways of exiting th...

Ken Danford a former public school teacher who quit his job to start North Star: A teen learning center that views school as optional. In this episode, you’ll learn why the traditional education model fails so many kids, how North Star is structured for freedom and consent, why treating kids like adults and giving them agency is so important, The ESA movement and politics of school funding, and ad...

Matt Bateman is a philosopher in residence and co-founder of Higher Ground Montessori, one of the largest networks of Montessori schools in the world. Matt was a former philosophy professor at universities, is an expert in early childhood development, and has been working in the Montessori world for years. In this episode, among many things, you’ll learn why ed tech as a sector is failing, the rea...

Magatte Wade is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker dedicated to unlocking Prosperity in Africa. She is the creator Tiossan Academy and the author of The Heart of a Cheetah In today’s episode you’ll learn about what childhood in Senegal and France was like for Magatte, the unique education traditions in Africa, and how education changed during the colonial era. You’ll also learn about the Tiossan...

Pano Kanelos is the founding president of the University of Austin. Prior to that, Pano was the president of St. John’s College. In this episode you can expect to hear about the importance of the Great Books and reading the classics, whether the college system has a monopoly on people’s ability to prepare themselves for the real world, the definition of human flourishing and how one should think a...

Dr. Naomi Fisher is a clinical psychologist and education expert. She is the author of two incredible books, Changing Our Minds and A Different Way to Learn. In this episode, you’ll learn about the effects of the current education system on children's mental health and how psychological issues later in life may have been set in motion by the traditional education system. You’ll also hear about Nao...

Craig Biddle is an objectivist philosopher and founder of The Objective Standard and Objective Standard Institute . He also hosts a yearly Level Up Conference In this episode you’ll hear philosophical arguments around critical thinking & objectivity, The concept of “privilege”, why education is not a human right, and why pursuing happiness is the moral thing to do. Chapters: 0:00 - Craig Biddl...

Kelly Smith is the founder of Prenda , one of the largest networks of microschools in the country. In this episode, you’ll learn about Kelly’s unique path going from studying nuclear fusion at MIT to spearheading a massive network of microschools around the country. You’ll hear opinions on the optimal standardization, size and environment for microschools, the landscape of education post pandemic,...

Graham Frey has made a lifelong commitment to helping young people to grow and succeed. Graham currently serves as the CEO of Hallcraft School Studio and the past six years, was CEO of Alpha, an innovative network of K-12 schools based in Austin, Texas. In this episode you’ll learn about the biggest problems in the education system, the implications of technology in education and how to go about c...

Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His latest book, THE FOUNDERS: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley , was a debut best-seller and has earned praise from the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times , The New Yorker, and The Economist. Expect to hear Jimmy’s opinions on cancel culture, how learning and writing has changed in the age of social media, the signific...

This week I’m speaking with Ryan Delk. Ryan is the founder of Primer, a network of microschools being built across the country. In this episode, we talk about Ryan’s personal education experience and how it shaped and impacted the way he thinks about the schools he is building. We talk about what makes a good microschool and the most important things to be thinking about when developing schools an...

This week I’m speaking with Sky King. Sky is a podcast consultant who has worked with some of the biggest names in podcasting such as Chris Williamson, Aubrey Marcus, and many more. Sky was extremely helpful in the process of launching this show and is a deeply studied student in the art of advertising, marketing, and podcasting. In this episode we explore the ever-evolving media landscape, with a...

Today I’m speaking with Kerry McDonald. Kerry is a fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education, a writer for Forbes and The 74, host of the LiberatED Podcast, and author of Unschooled. Kerry is one of the most well versed people I know when it comes to what is happening in the alternative education movement. In this episode, we talk about the history of education in America, the inception of t...