The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators

The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators

Amidst all of the conversations about the recruitment of Black educators, where are the discussions about retention? The Exit Interview podcast was created to elevate the stories of Black educators who have been pushed out of the classroom, main or central office. The podcast asks guests to share their education journey, the "last straw" that made them decide to leave education, and, most importantly, what they are doing now that they have left the traditional education sphere.

Episodes

March 31, 2026 68 mins

Kelly Mitchell's journey through education is a crash course in recognizing when systems are working exactly as designed...not for us. From stumbling into teaching via Craigslist after the 2009 recession, to middle school math teacher, to high school dean managing 350 students, to state workforce development, Kelly kept asking, "Who can fix this?"...

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Kai Hamer's journey from aspiring rapper to special education teacher to parent engagement director is a love letter to the Bronx. Starting in shelters and after-school programs, she spent 10+ years teaching in her own neighborhood, collecting kids from behind soda machines, visiting grandmothers who couldn't leave home, and fighting for students ...

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This conversation is a testament to how classroom teaching can birth movements that extend far beyond what we could ever imagine.
In this episode, Dr. Asia sits down with Latoya Turner, M.A., a Detroit-born educator, author, and filmmaker who spent 13 years in the classroom before pivoting to create Brown Hands Literacy, a nonprofit dedicated to educating chi...
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What does it mean to be the only Black teacher at the table year after year?

In this powerful episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Monika Robinson, a former public school teacher, instructional coach, nonprofit leader, and founder of Reparations Ed, to unpack the quiet iso...

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This episode with Whitney Tolliver is essential listening for educators at any stage of their career, administrators who wonder why they can't retain staff, and anyone who's ever sacrificed their well-being for a job that demands perfection over presence.
In this powerful episode of the Exit interview, Whitney
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In this episode, Dr. Asia Lyons interviews Khiara Mills Mills, a licensed therapist and former school counselor, about her journey through education, mental health, and personal growth. Mills shares how setting boundaries became a cornerstone of her healing, both professionally and personally. She discusses the challenges of working in behavioral schools, the importance of self-care and core values, and how grief and resilience sha...
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In this episode, Dr. Asia welcomes Jeanine L. Williams, PhD, a retired educator turned ancestral medicine woman, for a powerful conversation about liberation, sovereignty, and healing beyond academia. Dr. Williams shares her journey through higher education, the challenges of navigating oppressive systems, and the importance of community care and ancestral wisdom.
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November 25, 2025 89 mins
In this episode, I sit down with educator and bibliophile Kamye Hugley to explore what happens when Black women in education refuse to stay quiet in the face of harm.
Kamye traces her journey from her grandmothers urging to be a teacher, to a Teach For America placement that threw her from third grade to Head Start mid-year, to a Head Start class...
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In this powerful episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Ashlee Saddler shares her journey from mental health professional to educational leader, and the unique challenges she faced as a Black woman in predominantly white school systems. Dr. Saddler opens up about the emotional and physical toll of leadership, including her battle with breast cancera diagnosis she links to the relentless stress and self-sacrifice demanded of Black ...
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In this impactful episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Oakland educator Whitney Redd discusses how her experience in after-school programs, youth shelters, and mental health settings has shaped her approach to teachingcombining heart, structure, and intentionality. After being diagnosed with ADHD, Whitney redefined discipline a...

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In this heartfelt and inspiring episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia sits down with Dr. Franita Nita Ware, educator, author, and the brilliant mind behind Warm Demander Teachers. Together, they trace Dr. Wares unexpected journey from substitute teache...

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In this episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia sits down with Candice Renee Person, a 20-year veteran educator, organizer, writer, and soon-to-be digital nomad. Candice shares a deeply layered journey that spans classrooms in New York City, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia, and beyondeach c...

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From publish or perish to learn to liberate, Dr. Lance Bennett shares how he reimagined higher ed to serve actual people. We unpack the community care roots of his model (yes, the Black church is a blueprint), the role of therapy and mentorship in big career shifts, and why being well can mean picking Option B or C over the plan you wrote. Come for the origin story of The Peoples Institute for t...

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What happens when the bad kid becomes the kind of educator the system never saw coming? In this episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Asia sits down with Aurelius Raines II, whose unorthodox path into education began not with a degree, but with curiosity, care, and disruption. From aftercare teacher to museum-based innovator, Aurelius shares how his early struggles with school shaped his radical approach to teaching...

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What does it cost to teach with integrity in a system that demands your silence? In this powerful episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Akil Parkera former finance major turned math educator, tutor, and founder of All This Mathto explore his 20-year journey through classrooms, charter schools, and community spaces. Akil shares honest reflections on being pushed out of schools for challenging harmful...

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This episode is a masterclass in reclaiming purpose, honoring your calling, and choosing wholeness over hustle. If youve ever been called too much for simply doing whats rightthis one is for you.

In this episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with transformational le...

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This episode challenges us to reflect: What traits define us? Who are we outside of productivity?


In this deeply affirming conversation, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Amanda Miller Littlejohnexecutive coach, journalist, and author of The Rest Revolutionto unpack burnout, identity, and the systems that pressure Black educators to overperform at the expense of their wellness. Together, they explore how the culture of overachievem...

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What happens when a Black educator survives a natural disaster, a political awakening, and a broken school systemall in the same year?

In this deeply moving episode of The Exit Interview, Colorado State Representative Jennifer Bacon recounts how her early teaching career in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina became a catalyst for her journey into law, educat...

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What happens when you're doing everythingleading a school, serving your community, answering the phones, teaching mathand still feel like you're drowning? In this Exit Interview live show, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Joy Delizo-Osborne, who shares the real reason she left her role as a founding principal: her doctor said qui...

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What happens when an educator's deep love for liberation collides with the realities of traditional schooling?
In this episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Jamilah Pittseducator, author, yoga teacher, and founder of She Imprintsto explore her journey through the educatio...

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