Empowering Black Educators through Wellness: A Conversation with Dr. Asia Lyons
- Dr. Eulanda Sanders
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
At iNNOVATION Insights…We transform our clients' career journeys through the art of storytelling via our consulting, coaching, and career management services.
At INNOVATION Insights, we believe in spotlighting changemakers who redefine industries, reshape communities, and inspire innovation through bold action. In a recent episode, I had the incredible honor of sitting with Dr. Asia Lyons — Founder and Lead Designer of Lyons Educational Consulting and Creator and Host of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators. Our paths crossed through LinkedIn, where her advocacy, thought leadership, and deep commitment to supporting Black educators' wellness moved me. It was immediately clear that her work was innovative and essential.
From Engineering Dreams to Educational Impact
Dr. Lyons' journey into education began unexpectedly. Although she originally pursued chemical engineering at her father’s urging, her path shifted after a profound moment of self-reflection and realignment. A serendipitous work-study job at a preschool led someone to suggest she would make an excellent teacher — a suggestion that ultimately changed her life. Dr. Lyons followed her calling, completed her education, and embarked on a twelve-year teaching career, leaving a lasting impact on countless students.
During our conversation, Dr. Lyons shared how her experiences as a classroom teacher, particularly during politically and socially volatile times, profoundly shaped her future work. Teaching social justice in middle school, she experienced intense pushback from parents and administrators, a reality that led to personal and professional trauma. Recognizing the systemic challenges Black educators face — and the emotional and physical tolls — she chose to transition out of traditional teaching and pursue a new path: supporting Black educators' wellness.
Lyons Educational Consulting: A Mission of Healing
Thus, Lyons Educational Consulting was born, evolving from curriculum development work into a full-fledged mission-driven organization focused on racial battle fatigue, healing, and liberation for Black educators. Dr. Lyons’ innovative approach transforms research into real-world impact. Grounded in her doctoral work, she has developed programs like the Black Educator Wellness Cohort, half-day retreats, workshops, and keynotes that help Black educators navigate and heal from systemic harm.
One of the most profound parts of our discussion centered on racial battle fatigue. Dr. Lyons explained that racial battle fatigue is not racism itself, but rather the physical, emotional, and mental toll racism takes on the body over time. Symptoms such as panic attacks, hair loss, insomnia, and emotional exhaustion manifest as the body’s response to chronic racial stress. Dr. Lyons advocates for proactive wellness strategies such as finding community-based support systems outside the workplace, micro-dosing wellness throughout the day, reconnecting with nature, and creating home environments that radiate Black love and excellence.
The Exit Interview: Centering Black Educators' Stories
Through her podcast, The Exit Interview, Dr. Lyons also offers a powerful platform for Black educators to share their exit stories — a critical counter-narrative to the constant focus on recruitment. In a system that often fails to conduct exit interviews, Dr. Lyons creates an archive of lived experiences illuminating why retention remains challenging. Her work surfaces crucial themes: racism and systemic harm, emotional exhaustion, pay inequities, and a toxic lack of support, especially for Black women educators.
A particularly striking takeaway from our conversation was Dr. Lyons' assertion that the harm inflicted on Black educators extends beyond individuals — it ripples outward, impacting their families, communities, and ultimately the Black educational pipeline itself. Children witnessing their parents endure racism internalize those experiences. Communities lose trusted mentors, and the dream of pursuing education as a career becomes dimmer for the next generation. Dr. Lyons' insights on how institutions must engage educators and their families when assessing impact were revolutionary.
Looking Ahead: Building a More Supportive Future
Her vision for the future includes expanding her cohort work to pre-service Black educators, ensuring they are equipped with tools to recognize and navigate racial battle fatigue before stepping into the classroom. By intervening early, she hopes to break cycles of trauma that too often go unaddressed until far too late.
Dr. Lyons’ passion, warmth, and authenticity shone through throughout our conversation. She is reshaping how we think about supporting educators of color and actively building spaces where healing, thriving, and community can happen.
Final Reflections
I left this interview profoundly inspired by Dr. Lyons’ innovation. She takes personal pain and scholarly research and transforms them into sustainable, community-centered solutions. She is a true innovator, using storytelling, research, and action to create systemic change.
It is not enough to talk about diversity or inclusion — actual innovation demands that we design new systems of care, healing, and liberation. Dr. Lyons is leading that charge with brilliance, grace, and courage.
Follow Dr. Asia Lyons’ journey at Lyons Educational Consulting and tune in to The Exit Interview Podcast to hear the stories that deserve to be told. Together, we can reimagine education — not just for Black educators, but for everyone.
Keep innovating!
Eulanda
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