The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators
The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators exists to document and honor the lived experiences of Black educators who have chosen to leave the profession. Grounded in archival justice, this award-winning podcast uplifts their stories as a powerful form of truth-telling, healing, and resistance. By centering Black voices and their reasons for leaving and staying, it sparks critical conversations about wellness, racial battle fatigue, and what it truly takes to transform educational spaces into ones where Black educators can thrive.
Podcast & Pause: An Unbook Club for Black Educators
Podcast & Pause is a healing-centered listening circle inspired by The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators. Instead of traditional reading assignments, participants engage with curated episodes, guided reflection, and gentle wellness practices that invite them to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with themselves and one another.
This space transforms listening into liberation, turning each episode into a moment of rest, meaning-making, and collective healing.
This experience includes:
• Guided listening + reflection prompts
• Community dialogue circles
• Gentle grounding and gratitude practices
• 6-session series · 90 minutes · Weekly
Interested In Being A Guest?
We’re always honored to amplify the voices of Black educators whose stories deserve to be heard. If you are a former Black educator (paraprofessional, dean, athletic coach, teacher, professor, administrator, etc.) in Early Childhood Education to Higher Education we’d love to learn more about your journey.
On The Exit Interview, we hold space for honest conversations about joy, struggle, resistance, rest, identity, and the realities of navigating education as a Black educator. Your story can help others feel seen, validated, and less alone.
You might be a great guest if you:
Have taught or led in ECE–12 or higher education
Have experienced racial battle fatigue, burnout, transformation, or transition
Are you navigating a new chapter after leaving a traditional education space
Want to share insights about healing, identity, or educator wellness
Are committed to telling your truth with authenticity and care
What to Expect
Guest conversations are warm, grounded, and guided by storytelling, not performance. Episodes are recorded remotely, and we honor your boundaries, comfort, and consent throughout the process.
If you’re ready to share your story or want to nominate another Black educator, email us. We would love to hear from you.
What Our Guests Have Said…
Talking through it with someone who understands is healing. I was able to extract certain feelings and put them outside of myself, look at them and find a better place for them to live. I will be forever grateful to you Dr. Asia Lyons !
-Sherinda Bryant
This was an incredible interview and one of my friends is literally live posting about it in the chat LOL. I can't thank you enough for that interview. I almost felt like I'd finished a therapy session.
-Aurelius Raines II
“This may be one of the best podcast interviews I’ve ever done… You are a masterful interviewer.”
-Amanda Miller Littlejohn
Honored doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel having the chance to share my story on your phenomenal platform, Dr. Asia Lyons! You created a much-needed space in the world of education and leadership, and I look forward to continuing to share this with others. Thank. You. So. Much
-Dr. Mary Hemphill
Be A Part Our Living Archive
Hear stories that honor Black educator brilliance and fuel campaigns for justice and wellness.
Thank you for listening!