# When A Microschool Founder Has To Step Away

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/liberated-podcast-4897868/when-a-microschool-founder-has-to-step-away
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/liberated-podcast-4897868/when-a-microschool-founder-has-to-step-away.md
Podcast: [LiberatED Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/liberated-podcast-4897868)
Published: 2026-06-30T13:08:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.liberatedpodcast.com
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/c378c474-ac1a-4738-bc29-87987b4e13ec/When_A_Microschool_Founder_Has_To_Step_Away_FINAL_audio.mp3?dest-id=3264842
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/liberated-podcast-4897868/episodes/when-a-microschool-founder-has-to-step-away
Duration seconds: 2149

## Resource

When Niki Harris and her husband launched Farm School on their working farm in Northern California in 2018, they were simply looking for a better educational option for their own four children. What began as a part-time co-op quickly grew into a thriving place-based microschool serving dozens of students through multiple programs. But after nearly a decade of growth, unexpected circumstances forced Niki to make one of the hardest decisions any school founder can face: halting operations in the middle of the school year. On this episode of LiberatED , Niki shares the remarkable story of Farm School's evolution, the emotional and operational challenges of pausing a beloved microschool, and the lessons every education entrepreneur can learn from her experience. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

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## Transcript

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