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
An Apogee Network Micro-High School Takes Root in Texas
Jun 6, 202500:37:55Tap to summarizeToday’s guest is Sarah Pevehouse, founder of Apogee Dripping Springs Micro High School in Dripping Springs, Texas, west of Austin, which she launched in 2024. With a background in Waldorf and alternative education, Sarah has served as a teacher, administrator, and enrollment director, shaping real-world learning experiences for students. She has taught in overseas military schools, led summer camps, and held leadership roles in private K-8 and preschool programs. Sarah is a mom of two daughters, ages 13 and 15, and is an active member of both the Apogee Strong network of education centers, as well as the KaiPod Catalyst microschool accelerator program. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
Transcribe →
Why more families of color are choosing homeschooling, with Homeschool Our Way founder, Elan Page
Jun 3, 202500:43:12Tap to summarizeToday's guest is Elan Page, the founder of Homeschool Our Way based in Dallas, Texas. She created Homeschool Our Way in 2023 to help other families of color avoid the overwhelm she had experienced in starting something new. Homeschool Our Way offers a weekly podcast, an online course called the Homeschool Launch Blueprint, homeschool coaching services, and other resources to empower families of color to educate their children with confidence and clarity. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly e-newsletter on education entrepreneurship and innovation at edentrepreneur.org.
Transcribe →
Trauma-Informed Education with Ellemercito Academy founder Lizette Valles
Oct 17, 2023Tap to summarizeToday's guest is Lizette Valles, a longtime teacher and school librarian who founded Ellemercito Academy in 2021 as a microschool focused on experiential learning and trauma-informed approaches to education. She is also the founder of Compass Educators, an educational services center that began as a holistic tutoring program but expanded to offer more services driven by parent demand, including support for navigating school choice policies, and support for "road schooling" and "worldschooling" families. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Transcribe →