Apr 28, 2026

Kerry McDonald talks with Kelsy Achtenberg, founding teacher and Executive Director of The Innovation School, a private K-8 school in Bismarck, North Dakota. They discuss the school’s Reggio Emilia-inspired model, its focus on passion, play, and projects, and the recent launch of a hybrid homeschool program to...

Apr 21, 2026

Kerry McDonald speaks with Marc Porter Magee, CEO and founder of 50CAN, about the organization’s nationwide efforts to expand education choice and empower families. Drawing on a new survey of 23,000 parents, Marc shares insights on growing demand for tutoring and flexible learning options and key differences between...

Apr 14, 2026

In this episode of LiberatED, Kerry McDonald talks with Lexi Hanson and Kayla Phipps, two “superguides” at Prenda, a national microschooling network founded in 2018 by Kelly Smith that has since served roughly 10,000 students in hundreds of tiny schools across the US.

Lexi and Kayla share their journeys...

Apr 7, 2026

In this episode of LiberatED, Kerry McDonald speaks with Frish Waller, founder of Brainforest Academy, a Montessori microschool in Florida designed to serve both neurodiverse and neurotypical learners.

Frish shares her unconventional journey toward entrepreneurship—from teaching internationally to serving in...