Welcome to the ”Teacher, Let Your Light Shine” Podcast! Calling all parents and teachers!! The future of education is in YOUR HANDS! If you are a teacher ready to teach your way, ditch the overwhelm and design a life you love, this is the podcast for you! If you are a parent currently homeschooling, or thinking about the possibility, but also needing to make an income to support your family-tune in! Makenzie Oliver is here to help teachers and parents create profitable micro-schools and homeschooling businesses so they can provide a rich and desirable education for their own children and many others. The time to transform education is now, and this podcast will teach you how to build, scale and market an educational business that is changing the culture of schools and learning environments all over the globe. Teacher friend, is your passion for teaching slowly burning out? Is our broken educational system frustrating you to the point of quitting this career, but you just can’t stand the thought of letting your ”teaching gifts” go to the wayside? Do you envision teaching children with more energy, aliveness, and creativity, but you are ”stuck” conforming to the standardized tests, mandates, and overwhelming policies that just aren’t working? Are you dreaming of freedom, flexibility, and an income that continues to grow exponentially? Have you ever said, ”I should just start my own school”? Wouldn’t it be lovely to teach without unrealistic expectations, endless data collection, meetings, and restrictions? What if you could create your own schedule, curriculum, and class size? Would you sense freedom and fulfillment if you could take learning outside, on field trips, and beyond the state standards? Do you long to use your teaching gift for God’s glory, while creating engaging lesson plans, experiences, and positive relationships with students? Starting your own micro-school or homeschooling business can give you the financial freedom, time freedom, and teaching experiences you are longing for! Parents, are you frustrated with the experiences your child is having in public or private school? Are you searching for a learning experience that LIGHTS your child up? Are you currently homeschooling but you desire to provide financially for your family and want the two worlds to collide? What if you could continue teaching your child but also make an income while providing educational and enrichment experiences to other children and families? If your child is longing for socialization, interaction, and engaging experiences, a profitable homeschooling business would not only provide financial peace and freedom to your family but provide your child with a wonderful learning opportunity! Learning pods, resource centers, and micro-schools are coming your way! Teacher friend, If you’ve ever thought, ” I wish I could stay home and give my children all the attention I give to so many others!”? ”If only I could make money while staying home, teaching, and taking care of my children.... !” OR maybe you are thinking of teaching YOUR OWN WAY, having your OWN BUSINESS, and creating as much profit as you desire while ALSO using your teaching gifts! Let’s get down to business! What if you could have a business right in your backyard-around the corner, or up the street...where children run free, learn authentically, and collaborate with peers like never before? What if YOU could leave a legacy not only for your family but for the generations to come? If you’re a teacher or parent searching for freedom, flexibility, and unlimited financial possibilities- you’re in the right place! In this podcast, I will teach you how to start a fulfilling, profitable, micro-school or homeschooling business built on a foundation of faith! If you’re here for teaching on your own terms and making a bigger impact with a bigger income, You‘re in the right place! I’m Makenzie Oliver. After 14 years in public school as a teacher, instructional coach, and after receiving ”Teacher of the Year” accolades-God changed my heart and led me down a path that has lit my soul on fire. He crafted a dream in my heart to start a school-right out of my living room! Now I run a successful, growing micro-school with unlimited possibilities for career growth, experiences, and lifelong memories! I‘m here to help teachers and parents build a teaching business around the most important aspects of life. For me, this includes motherhood, marriage, and a God-given mission. I help parents and uncover their calling as teachers, build and scale a profitable homeschooling business and or micro-school ! You have the potential to run your own business, from anywhere, while also making a massive impact! Get ready to discover “The Teacher God Created You to Be”, “The God Confidence to Create Your Own Business” and “Effective Ways to Organize and Produce and Plan for Your Micro School” ”Business Basics” and ”The Possibilities Empowering YOU to teach with FREEDOM AND JOY”! Sharpen Your Pencil, Get out your notebook, Re-heat your coffee...It’s time to get your teach on! Let Your Light Shine, Makenzie Oliver Visit our Website for Free Resources, Learn more about Micro schools, AND Receive Coaching to Build Your Business! www.teachersletyourlightshine.com Come Connect with us in our Facebook Group: Teacher Let Your Light Shine-Start Your Homeschooling Business! https://www.facebook.com/groups/250368126648112 Come Connect with me on Instagram: @Teacherletyourlightshine Want to chat? Have some questions? I‘d love to hear from you! Send an Email:teacherletyourlightshine@gmail.com Twitter: @teacher_light Check out Our School on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lighthouselearningmicroschool
What does it look like to step out of traditional education and wait on God’s timing to build something completely new?
In this inspiring episode, I sit down with Jennifer Pinto, co-founder of Logos Homeschool Academy in Iowa. After leaving traditional schooling in 2023, Jennifer connected with a like-minded friend—whom she met in the library—and together they launched a homeschool hybrid program rooted in faith, family, and fr...
Starting a microschool comes with incredible joy—but it also comes with the pressure of making everyone happy: parents, students, even your staff. If you’ve ever felt the weight of parent expectations on your shoulders, this episode is for you.
In today’s conversation, I’m pulling back the curtain on how new founders can manage parent pressure without burning out. We’ll talk about: ✨ Why boundaries are essential for your sanity...
Ep 385: A Mother’s Heart, a Founder’s Struggle: Navigating the Heartbreak and Hope of School Choices
For six years, I’ve poured my heart into building a microschool—creating a place of freedom, belonging, and personalized learning. My daughters were the reason I started this journey. And yet, today, neither of them are with us at our microschool.
In this episode, I open up about:
My daughter’s transition from a small, nurturing microschool environment into the overwhelm of middle school.
My other daughter’s leap from bei...
Behind every thriving microschool is a leader who is juggling 1,000 spinning plates — curriculum, enrollment, parent communication, staff management, and personal life. In this candid behind-the-scenes episode, I’m sharing the honest truth about what’s actually saving my sanity right now as a microschool founder…and what’s not.
You’ll hear the daily routines, systems, and decisions that keep me grounded, plus the areas where I’m st...
Running a microschool requires relentless focus, clarity, and strong systems. If you’re spinning your wheels every September—re-creating lesson plans, re-building operations, and re-learning the same organizational habits—you’re headed straight for overwhelm.
In this episode, I walk you through a 4-Week Reset System that will help you:
Audit what’s working (and cut what’s not).
Build repeatable systems that save time, money...
Welcome To The Teacher, Let Your Light Shine: Throwback-To-School Series! You are a teacher, a dreamer, and a builder. This new, refreshing month, we are bringing you something special. Our throwbacks series! Featuring hand-picked episodes from the vault that are JUST as powerful now as when they first aired!
August is one of the most transformational, and, let's be honest, intense months for microschool builders. Whether you're ge...
Welcome To The Teacher, Let Your Light Shine: Throwback-To-School Series! You are a teacher, a dreamer, and a builder. This new, refreshing month, we are bringing you something special. Our throwbacks series! Featuring hand-picked episodes from the vault that are JUST as powerful now as when they first aired!
August is one of the most transformational, and, let's be honest, intense months for microschool builders. Whether you're ge...
Welcome To The Teacher, Let Your Light Shine: Throwback-To-School Series! You are a teacher, a dreamer, and a builder. This new, refreshing month, we are bringing you something special. Our throwbacks series! Featuring hand-picked episodes from the vault that are JUST as powerful now as when they first aired!
August is one of the most transformational, and, let's be honest, intense months for microschool builders. Whether you're ge...
Welcome To The Teacher, Let Your Light Shine: Throwback-To-School Series! You are a teacher, a dreamer, and a builder. This new, refreshing month, we are bringing you something special. Our throwbacks series! Featuring hand-picked episodes from the vault that are JUST as powerful now as when they first aired!
August is one of the most transformational, and, let's be honest, intense months for microschool builders. Whether you're ge...
Are you a microschool leader running on empty, juggling all the roles, and wondering how to keep going? In this powerful episode, we're diving deep into why professional development isn't a luxury—it's a lifeline. Whether you're starting out or deep in the trenches, this episode will show you how PD can radically transform your confidence, your systems, and your impact as a school leader.
We'll unpack:
Shocking stats on leade...
Are you underestimating the power of your school’s open house? This episode breaks down why open houses are so much more than enrollment events—they're your most effective and affordable in-person marketing strategy to build community, increase visibility, and strengthen your brand.
Whether you're running a microschool, homeschool hybrid, private school, or learning pod, this episode will show you how to turn your open house in...
Are you feeling the weight of trying to do everything as a microschool founder, homeschooling parent, or educational entrepreneur? You’re not alone. In this heartfelt and practical episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on what it really looks like to lead a microschool into a new school year — without burning out in the process.
I’m sharing how I’m intentionally scaling back in order to show up fully — for my family, my team, m...
Are you overwhelmed trying to plan your next school open house? 😩 You’re not alone. In this episode, I pull back the curtain on the chaos, confusion, and emotional weight that comes with trying to host a meaningful event that actually leads to enrollment. Whether you run a microschool, private school, or homeschool hybrid, this episode will help you stop winging it and start building an intentional, repeatable open house system th...
I used to freeze at the thought of “marketing my school.” I’m not naturally outgoing. I’ve always been more of a behind-the-scenes, let-me-do-the-work-in-peace kind of woman. And for a long time, I thought that meant I wasn’t cut out to grow a successful microschool. All I kept hearing was: “You need to network more,” “You need to post every day,” “You have to sell yourself,” and honestly... I just wanted to crawl into a hole.
...
There were so many days I felt completely alone. I didn’t even know how to ask for help—because I didn’t know what kind of help I needed. I just knew I couldn’t keep doing everything by myself.
Maybe you're in that place too. You’re carrying the vision. You’re showing up for everyone else. But deep down, you’re tired… and wondering who’s showing up for you.
In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the loneliest parts of lea...
Creating Community Through Events: How to Plan Meaningful Microschool Gatherings That Grow Connection & Enrollment
As a microschool or homeschool hybrid leader, you’re not just teaching—you’re building a movement. And one of the most powerful (and overlooked) tools in your toolkit? Events. Whether you’re welcoming new families, showcasing student work, or gathering around a holiday tradition, events bring your school to life.
I...
Feeling alone in your microschool journey? Whether you're just starting or several years in, building a microschool community can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to stay that way. In this episode of the Teacher Let Your Light Shine Podcast, I’m sharing how I went from homeschooling a few students in my living room to leading a thriving microschool with a fully engaged Parent Advisory Council and a strong waitlist.
You’ll lear...
You didn’t start your microschool to become a marketing expert… But without students, your vision can’t grow. 💔
If you’re unsure how to get the word out, or you’ve tried everything from social media to word-of-mouth with little return, you are not alone—and you are exactly who I created the Microschool Marketing Blueprint for.
In today’s episode, I’m officially introducing you to the 5-step framework that helped me grow Lighthouse...
Can you really start a microschool in a rural town, homeschool your own kids, and grow an online business—all at the same time?
Let me introduce you to Becky McNichols, a former public school teacher from a small town in rural Kansas. After stepping away from the traditional classroom to homeschool her two children, Becky didn’t stop there. She transformed her basement into a learning hub—what would become the start of her thriving...
If you’ve ever thought: “I know I’m called to this work… but why aren’t families enrolling?”—you are not alone.
In today’s powerful episode, I’m introducing you to Lori Rubel, a former teacher and now the successful founder of Bloom Beautiful Academy, a growing microschool and homeschool hybrid in Florida.
Lori didn’t start with a marketing degree. She started with a calling—and her living room. Like so many of us, Lori left the tr...
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.