Educator Forever

Hosted by Lily Jones, Teacher Advocate

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189

Latest episode

Jun 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.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

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.

June 3, 202633 min

187. From Regulation to Liberation with Dr. Niki Elliott

Dr. Niki Elliott is a clinical professor and director of the Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity at the University of San Diego. A leading voice in neurodiversity and trauma-informed education, she has trained thousands of teachers, school counselors, and helping professionals worldwide to better support children with learning differences, mental health diagnoses, trauma histories, and behavioral challenges. In this episode, Dr. Niki and I discuss the importance of embodied equity and the impact of the physical environment on neurodiverse children's nervous systems. We also get into her Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity and how she prepares teachers for working with neurodiverse children. For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode187.

May 27, 202627 min

186. Fostering Creativity with Josh Davidson of Night Zookeeper

Josh Davidson is the creator and co-founder of Night Zookeeper, an award-winning online learning program that helps children fall in love with reading, writing, and creativity through games and storytelling. Josh is passionate about giving kids the confidence to see themselves as writers and creators, and he speaks regularly about the power of play, stories, and co-created worlds in education.Josh and I have a great time talking about inspiring creativity and a love of learning in kids. We get into the challenges he faced creating his show and he provides a lot of great tips for budding content producers. You’ll want to tune in!For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode186.

May 20, 202613 min

185. The Three Things That Change How You Learn Anything

I have spent decades — decades — studying how people learn. I've read the research, I've built the frameworks, I'm literally getting a graduate degree in learning design from Johns Hopkins right now. And I still catch myself thinking: I need to know more before I'm ready to start.Ironic, right? Someone who studies learning... afraid to learn out loud.But here's what's wild: that fear? That "not ready yet" feeling? It turns out it's not a personal flaw. It's just... how learning actually works. And once I understood that, everything changed.So today I want to take you inside the framework we've built at Educator Forever — our approach to learning — and specifically, I want to talk about three ideas that I think will shift the way you think about learning anything.For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode185.

May 6, 202613 min

184. The 5 Stages of Starting an Education Business

If you've been thinking about starting an education business, it can feel really overwhelming knowing how to start, and most people really only see businesses when they're polished and successful. And it can feel intimidating, because we see these really well put together businesses that feel streamlined, and we don't see the messiness that goes into creating them. And so today I want to normalize the messiness that's how we learn.For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode184.

April 29, 202636 min

183. Centering Educator Wellbeing with Monika Robinson of Reparations Ed

Monika Robinson is an Educator Wellbeing Coach with 17 years of experience across school systems. Her career includes roles as an elementary teacher, instructional coach, nonprofit director, and consultant giving her a deep understanding of the challenges educators face and what it takes to thrive in demanding environments.In our conversation, Monika and I talk about educator wellness and how she started her consultancy Reparations Ed in 2020, which initially focused on educational equity for black students but later shifting to educator wellness. We get into so many important issues teachers face, including teacher retention and the need for teachers to prioritize their well-being.For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode183.

April 22, 202629 min

182. From Classroom to Congress with Will Staton

Will Staton began his career as a high school history teacher, and has worked as a teacher, Dean and administrator in Memphis, New York City and Washington, DC. Most recently, Will worked as an independent nonprofit consultant.Now he is now running for Congress as an independent in central New York, where he lives in Syracuse with his wife and two daughters. In our talk, Will and I discuss his journey from education to politics, and how he wants to improve the public school system. If you care about our education system, you’ll want to tune in.For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode182.

April 15, 202620 min

181. Teaching Kids to be EcoHeroes with Brett “Mr. Eco” Edwards

Brett "Mr. Eco" Edwards is the founder and Chief Eco Officer of the Eco Hero show. He created Mr. Eco in college and has brought the brand to life since 2014. He is an environmentalist, an educator, an entrepreneur, a Grammy-voting member, a YouTuber and a philanthropist.Brett and I talk about how he created the Eco Hero show and his climate change activism. He talks about the shows’s growing success and also gives some fantastic tips on how to build a show’s momentum.For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode181.

April 8, 202627 min

180. Growing an Online School with Brittanie Bates of Crimson Global Academy

Brittanie Bates is a curriculum developer, educator, principal and parent, who's redefining what's possible in global online education. As founding academic head and principal of the global online school, Crimson Global Academy's U.S. diploma pathway, she has built an online learning model that proves digital education is a powerful catalyst for breaking down barriers and unleashing student potential worldwide.Brittanie and I talk about her teaching journey, and how she fell into online teaching. She gets into how the Crimson Global Academy started and what led to its success, and provides some great advice for teachers wanting to transition into online teaching.For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode180.

April 1, 202621 min

179. Bringing Dignity & Hope to Youth in Foster Care with Rob Scheer of Comfort Cases

Rob Scheer is the founder and CEO of Comfort Cases, an international nonprofit dedicated to bringing dignity and hope to youth in foster care. His and the organization’s mission is clear: to eliminate the heartbreaking and dehumanizing practice of children being handed a trash bag to carry their belongings when entering the foster care system. Since founding Comfort Cases in 2013, Rob and his team have distributed more than 300,000 backpacks and duffle bags filled with essential and comforting items to youth in every U.S. state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.In this episode, Rob and I discuss Rob’s journey and how he came around to start Comfort Cases. We also get into the importance of education in the lives of foster children and how a teacher’s kindness helped him in a difficult time.For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode179.