Boundaries, Burnout and Black Educator Wellness with Josephine Ampaw-Greene

In this powerful episode of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Josephine Ampaw-Greene a licensed family therapist and former educatorto explore what it truly means to sustain wellness while navigating the demands of education and racial battle fatigue. Josephine shares her unique journey from paraeducator to residential school teacher to therapist and business owner. She opens up about the importance of pausing, setting boundaries, embracing joy, and why "being well means not pretending to be well."

Together, they unpack how career identity intersects with self-worth, how to support educators experiencing racism-related stress, and what families can do to create restorative spaces for their loved ones working in schools.

Key Topics Covered:

• How to decide how much of your identity belongs to your career

• Creating trauma-informed practices that center joy and authenticity

• The impact of racism-related stress on educators and their families

• The role of community and family in educator wellness

• Practical regulation tools for teachers, like the ice cube trick

• How Josephine builds a teaching practice that launches therapists of color

• Why leaving education isnt a failureits a transition toward wholeness

Amidst all of the conversations about the recruitment of Black educators, where are the discussions about retention? The Exit Interview podcast was created to elevate the stories of Black educators who have been pushed out of the classroom, main or central office. The podcast asks guests to share their education journey, the "last straw" that made them decide to leave education, and, most importantly, what they are doing now that they have left the traditional education sphere.