Podcast
LiberatED Podcast
Hosted by Kerry McDonald · EN
The LiberatED Podcast tells the stories of the entrepreneurial parents and teachers who are creating innovative K-12 learning options across the US and expanding education options for families.
This weekly podcast is hosted by Kerry McDonald, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and Director of the Education Entrepreneurship Lab. A regular contributor at Forbes.com and The 74, Kerry is the bestselling author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019), and the author of the new book, Joyful Learning: How To Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling (Hachette, 2025). She has a BA in economics from Bowdoin College and a master's degree in education policy from Harvard University. A mom of four, Kerry lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter at edentrepreneur.org.
43episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
A New Orleans Microschool Success Story
Jan 2700:47:47Tap to summarizeOn 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 program now serves 50 students across kindergarten through fourth grade, with plans to expand to fifth grade while maintaining small class sizes and an 8:1 student-teacher ratio. The conversation explores Zoe's Charlotte Mason–inspired, hands-on learning model; flexible enrollment options for families; and the intentional decision to prioritize educational quality over rapid scaling. Emily also offers practical insights for aspiring education entrepreneurs—on starting small, building visibility through word-of-mouth and SEO, navigating state homeschool regulations, and staying grounded in your "why" as your program grows. This episode is a must-listen for educators, homeschoolers, and founders interested in hybrid learning models that are both sustainable and deeply student-centered. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org. Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is available now wherever books are sold!
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Inside NuVu's Studio-Style High School
Jan 2000:38:59Tap to summarizeWhat 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 community laboratory partnering with local schools and homeschoolers to a fully recognized private high school. Founded in 2010 by MIT graduate students Saba Ghole and Saeed Arida, NuVu was inspired by the architectural studio model: immersive, hands-on, interdisciplinary work driven by real-world problems. Today, students spend much of their time engaged in multi-week design studios—building, testing, iterating, and presenting projects that demonstrate deep mastery across disciplines. With more than 100 graduates over 16 years—many heading to selective colleges in design, engineering, and the arts—NuVu offers a compelling example of how today's innovative high schools can prepare students not just for college, but for meaningful work and life beyond school. For families and founders seeking or building something fundamentally different from conventional high school, this episode offers a powerful glimpse of what's possible. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org. Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is available now wherever books are sold!
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How OpenEd is expanding personalized education options to more families
Jul 8, 202500:38:26Tap to summarizeMore than a decade ago, Matt Bowman cofounded My Tech High as a platform that enabled personalized, customized learning through tuition-free partnerships with innovative public and charter schools and in collaboration with individual education providers. With a bold vision to expand personalized learning options to more families, Matt recently rebranded the company to OpenEd.co. To date, his company has served over 12,000 families. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
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From former elementary school teacher to Phoenix faith-based learning pod founder
Jul 1, 202500:40:22Tap to summarizeDeja Hillis is the founder of Faithscape Learning Pod, a faith-based K-5 microschool in Casa Grande, Arizona, near Phoenix, which she launched in August 2024. An early elementary school teacher for nearly a decade, Deja has a passion for literacy education and is the author of four children’s books. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
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“So many parents don’t feel listened to.” From middle school math teacher to microschool founder
Jun 27, 202500:38:42Tap to summarizeToday’s guest is Joanna Cervantez, founder of A Fuller Education Microschool just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which she launched in the fall 2024. Joanna has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education and began her career as a middle school math teacher in inner-city Los Angeles, later teaching in a school for an orphanage in El Salvador. Since 2013, she has been coaching K-12 teachers and administrators to help them transform their classrooms into joyful learning communities. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
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From math teacher to hybrid school founder in Louisiana
Jun 24, 202500:34:42Tap to summarizeToday's guest is Kate Lundquist, founder and principal of Northshore Prep Academy. A former public high school math and physics teacher, Kate opened her secular K-8 hybrid school in Mandeville, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, in 2015. Today, Northshore Prep Academy has 75 students enrolled. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
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From physician to founder, with Barbara Jauregui Wurst of Acton Academy Falls Church
Jun 20, 202500:32:48Tap to summarizeToday's guest is Barbara Jauregui Wurst, a medical doctor and adjunct professor at George Washington University who cofounded Acton Academy Falls Church in Northern Virginia in 2021. Read Courage To Grow by Acton Academy cofounder, Laura Sandefer. Check out this new article at our Education Entrepreneurship Lab by a recent graduate of an Acton Academy in Kansas. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
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Pre-launch plans: A former special education teacher prepares to open a new school
Jun 17, 202500:24:08Tap to summarizeToday's guest is Cassandra Orozco, the founder of Beacon of Hope Academy, a faith-based microschool serving K–5th grade students with special needs in Lake Worth, Florida, set to open this fall. As a certified special education teacher with experience in both charter and private schools, Cassandra is passionate about reimagining education to better serve neurodiverse learners. Through Beacon of Hope Academy, she’s creating a nurturing, individualized environment where every child is seen, supported, and empowered to thrive. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
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Alexandra Batista Rodriguez on creating a microschool for students with special needs
Jun 13, 202500:44:02Tap to summarizeToday’s guest is Alexandra Batista Rodriguez, founder and director of Steps Learning Center in Orlando, Florida, a specialized K-8 microschool for neurodiverse learners with moderate to significant special needs. Steps Learning Center takes a nontraditional, student-centered approach to learning, and serves a variety of families through various flexible programs, including full-time and part-time microschool enrollment options, tutoring services, and curriculum support for homebound students—all financially accessible to students through the state's school-choice programs. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
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Why a former public school teacher launched an Ohio Acton Academy
Jun 10, 202500:36:44Tap to summarizeToday’s guest is Sara James, a former public school teacher who founded Spark Christian Academy, an Acton Academy affiliate in Harrison, Ohio, near Cincinnati, in 2022. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
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