Educator Forever

Hosted by Lily Jones, Teacher Advocate

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Episodes

197

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

There’s a lot that needs to change in education. But there are inspiring movements going on too! At Educator Forever, we believe teachers need to be at the forefront of education reform and be empowered to create career pathways that work for them. Do you ever think about leaving the classroom but have absolutely no idea what else you could do? You may not realize it yet, but you have acquired highly valuable skills throughout your teaching journey, and there is unlimited potential for you to use them. Tune in each week to hear about career opportunities that will help you achieve the income, impact, and freedom you’ve always dreamed of. The best part? You can do all of this without having to leave the world of education entirely. In addition to showing you the many ways you can expand your impact beyond the classroom, we’ll introduce you to inspiring leaders in education. Want to learn about new research? Looking to get familiar with innovative approaches to teaching and learning? We’ve got you covered. Your host, Lily Jones, is a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher who transitioned out of the classroom to work in curriculum design, writing content for ed tech companies and even launching her own educational product-based business. After quadrupling her teaching income, she realized she could help other teachers do the same. Now Lily runs Educator Forever, where she empowers teachers to expand their impact beyond the classroom, and Educator Forever Agency, where she works with a team of educators to create inspiring curricula. For more helpful resources, head to www.educatorforever.com.

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60 recent

August 19, 202623 min

197. From Teacher to Web Designer with Jenelle Rawlins

Jenelle Rawlins is the founder of Janelle Marie Web Design and Branding. She helps service businesses who have outgrown their current website and want to work with more premium clients. She specializes in custom logo design and website makeovers so that her clients have the confidence, authority and messaging. In our discussion, we talk about how Janelle taught for 16 years before getting into web design. Then she gets deep into her work, from how she learned to do it to the aspects of website design that folks might not know. If you need a website for your new business, you’ll want to tune in. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode197 .

August 12, 202611 min

196. Career Change Tips for Teachers

There comes a moment for many teachers in their careers when the classroom no longer feels like the right fit. It can show up as burnout or exhaustion. Or it might be a curiosity or feeling that there’s something else out there for you. If you’re a teacher considering a career change, you’re likely wondering what’s next. The great news is you don’t have to leave your passion for education behind. In this podcast, I break down how to make a successful career change for teachers (or former teachers), so you can navigate your next step with clarity and confidence. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode196 .

July 29, 202635 min

195. Nervous System Literacy with Monica Rollins of Rooted: A Wellness Collective

Monica Rollins is the founder and CEO of Rooted, a wellness collective. She partners with preschool programs to give teachers what traditional SEL training misses: practical nervous system literacy, trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness practices, and the co-regulation skills needed to lead calm, connected classrooms. Her approach is grounded in brain science, honors cultural responsiveness and centers the belief that regulation, not behavior management, is the foundation of social emotional learning. In this episode, Monica tells me about how her work in early childhood education, emphasizing the importance of nervous system literacy. We dive deep into the importance of regulation and of course we get into starting a new business! For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode195 .

July 22, 202624 min

194. Scaling a Business and Building a Personal Brand with Luba Patlakh of Kidology

Luba Patlakh is a speech and language pathologist, myofunctional therapist, and founder of Kidology. She's also an entrepreneur, podcast host, and children's book author. Luba has expanded her mission beyond one-on-one services through education, content creation, and community building. She is the host of the Growth Lab podcast, author of the children's book Bobo Wears a bow tie and creator of the Confident IEP Parent, an ebook to help parents navigate the IEP process with greater confidence and clarity. In our discussion, Luba and I talk about her busy life, going from broadcast journalism to entrepreneurship and founding Kidology. She gets into the importance of one’s communication skills when working with children and the difficulties of being an entrepreneur. If you’re thinking about starting your own brand, you need to tune into this episode. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode194 .

July 15, 202625 min

193. Empowering Kids Through Art with Chinon Maria of Art World Explorer Kids

Chinon Maria is an artist, educator, and founder of Art World Explorer Kids. For the past 15 years, she has dedicated her work to empowering and teaching children across the globe about the power of art. In this episode, Chinon tells Lily how became such a major part of her life and educator journey. She also discusses how she balances her successful art career while being an educator. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode193 .

July 8, 202623 min

192. Teaching Success Skills with Rob Heller of the Boost Program

Rob Heller is a successful entrepreneur, youth development innovator, and founder of the Boost Program, a comprehensive personal development curriculum designed to equip teens and young adults with the essential life, social, and mental health skills that traditional education overlooks. Drawing from a century of personal development wisdom—distilling the teachings of Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, and other thought leaders into accessible, actionable lessons—Rob developed Boost as the "missing course" for today's youth. In this episode, Lily and Rob dive into the creation of the Boost Program and why he thought children needed it. We also get into what makes Boost work and his plans for expansion. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode192 .

July 1, 202629 min

191. What Educators Need to Know About Childhood Trauma with Julianna Burmesch

Julianna Burmesch is a former principal, speech pathologist, brain development trainer, and parent educator. She is also the author of Life with Less of Me, a memoir about the connection between trauma and long-term physical and mental health. Julianna and I discuss her education journey and her studies in communication disorders. We also go through her book, talking about the long terms effects of childhood trauma and her work pushing for educators to address it in schools. Get ready to dive deep into social emotional learning! For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode191 .

June 24, 202633 min

190. Building Collaborative Schools with Kurtis Hewson of Jigsaw Learning

Kurtis Hewson is an author and the co-founder of Jigsaw Learning, a consultancy that teaches educators its Collaborative Response frameworks. With over a decade of experience as an administrator, Kurtis has championed the call for collaborative structures in schools to ensure success for all students. In this episode, Kurtis and I discuss the creation of the Collaborative Response frameworks and how they’re used. We get deep into the four layers of team collaboration and the importance of letting teachers address the needs of their students. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode190 .

June 17, 202631 min

189. From Antiracism to Abolition with Abby Emerson

Dr. Abby Emerson is a former fifth-grade teacher and now an assistant professor of childhood education at Hunter College at the City University of New York. She is the author of the book, From Anti-Racism to Abolition: Professional Learning for Liberating Schools, which is a book coming out this fall for educators who are curious about how to better use professional development to work towards racial justice in schools. Abby and I take this episode to discuss seeing structural racism in our education system, among many other deep topics. If you want to see racial justice in education, you’ll want to tune in. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode189 .

June 10, 202633 min

188. Implementing Science Research in K-12 Classrooms with Matt Wilkins of Galactic Polymath

Matt Wilkins is a former middle school teacher, scientist, and founder of Galactic Polymath Education Studio. He has spent the last 10 years trying to translate cutting-edge research into engaging videos, and fun, standards-aligned lessons that a non-specialist can teach. In our discussion, Wilkins notes his work focuses on translating cutting-edge research into accessible lessons for K-12 classrooms. He highlights the disconnect between scientific knowledge and public understanding, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary education. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode188 .