In this episode, Alyssa sits down with Briana, mom of Delta Learning Microschool’s very first student, Finleigh, for an honest conversation about wanting another option, the fears that come with leaving traditional school, safety, socialization, and taking a chance on something completely different.

They also talk about how one child needing another way ultimately helped spark an entire microschool—and how Alyssa began realizing that the message behind her children’s book, Ethan and the Inside-Out Sandwich, was showing up in her classroom too: different doesn’t mean wrong.

This isn’t about one type of school being right or wrong. It’s about educational choice, knowing our kids, and asking a different question: Instead of constantly asking kids to fit the mold, what if we built environments where they could thrive?

Welcome to Inside-Out Education. ❤️

It started with one little girl who needed something different.

Kids don’t naturally struggle with differences — we teach them to.

In today’s episode of the Upside-Down Podcast, I share the beautiful, real-life moments I’ve witnessed as a mom, teacher, and children’s author: kids welcoming the child who sits alone, embracing friends of different abilities, building friendships across language barriers, and showing love across different faiths.

This is a Christ-centered conversation on inclusion, compassion, and the kind of childlike faith Jesus calls us to.

It’s a reminder that the world may divide us, but kindness can always bring us back together.

Tune in for:

• Why kids are naturally inclusive

• How adults accidentally pass down bias

• What Scripture says about loving our neighbors

• Simple ways to model acceptance at home, in church, and in school

• How this message inspired Ethan and the Inside-Out Sandwich

💛 Let’s raise a generation that leads with kindness, not comparison.