What if we've been thinking about education all wrong?

As a mother, I've always believed that every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and discover what they're capable of. But here's something I keep coming back to: Why are we still expecting every child to learn the same way, in the same classroom, following essentially the same model we've used for generations?

My guest this week is my dear friend Katie Gorka, and I absolutely loved this conversation because Katie has spent so much time getting out into schools, talking with teachers and parents, and seeing firsthand what's really happening in education across America.

Katie is the Executive Director of the America 250 Civics Education Coalition at the America First Policy Institute, a bestselling author, and someone who cares deeply about the future of our country and our children.

We talked about something that really surprised me. America spends roughly $1 trillion a year on K–12 education, yet so many of our children are struggling with basic reading and math. Where is all that money going? And why aren't we seeing better results?

Katie shared some incredible stories from her visits to schools across 14 states, including educators who are completely rethinking what a classroom can look like. We talked about microschools—which I have to tell you, I knew very little about before this conversation!—and how families are coming together to create learning environments that actually work for their children.

And we talked about school choice. I was fortunate to have choices when raising my own children, and I know what a difference that made for our family. But what about the single mother working two jobs? Or the family living in a rural community where the nearest alternative school might be an hour away? Those are real challenges, and I loved hearing Katie's thoughts on how we can begin addressing them.

One of the things that stayed with me most was our conversation about teachers. We have so many wonderful, dedicated teachers in this country who genuinely love their students. Yet we've created a system where they're buried in paperwork, struggling with classroom discipline, and too often unable to do what they entered the profession to do—teach!

Katie also shared the remarkable progress happening in Mississippi, where a renewed focus on reading fundamentals and accountability has helped students make tremendous gains. It's such an encouraging reminder that improvement really is possible.

And of course, we talked about something close to both our hearts: raising children who understand character, responsibility, kindness, and what it means to be a good citizen. Because education is about so much more than passing a test. We're helping shape the next generation of Americans.

I walked away from this conversation feeling hopeful. There are people all across this country doing extraordinary things for our children, and I think we need to spend more time celebrating them, learning from them, and giving families the freedom to find what works.

I hope you'll join Katie and me for this important conversation about our children, our schools, and the opportunities we can create when we're willing to think a little differently.

Thank you for watching!

OXO,

Stacey

What does it look like when God takes one of the most painful chapters of your life and gives you the courage to use it for someone else?

My dear friend Kayleigh Kozak is one of the strongest women I know. She is a wife, a mother of five, a survivor, an advocate, and a member of our incredible team at the America First Policy Institute. But what I admire most about Kaylee isn’t simply what she has accomplished. It’s the courage, grace, and faith with which she has chosen to keep showing up—even when showing up means revisiting the most painful parts of her own story.

Kayleigh was just a child when she was sexually abused by a teacher and coach she should have been able to trust. Her abuser was eventually convicted, and Kaylee and her family believed the “lifetime” probation attached to his sentence meant exactly that: lifetime.

Thirteen years later, Kayleigh learned that it didn’t.

She received word that her abuser was seeking to have his probation terminated—and with it, the protections that had prevented him from contacting her. Suddenly, Kayleigh was back in a courtroom, facing the man who had abused her and discovering gaps in the justice system she never knew existed.

But Kayleigh did something extraordinary with that knowledge. She asked a simple question: If this can happen to me, how many other survivors are facing the same thing?

That question became a mission. And that mission became Kayleigh’s Law.

In this episode of Truth Be Told, Kayleigh and I talk about the fight to create lasting protections for survivors, the journey that took her from an Arizona courtroom to testifying before Congress, and what she has learned about a justice system that can force survivors to keep returning to court long after a conviction. We also talk about the myths surrounding “lifetime” sentences, why laws differ so dramatically from state to state, and why Kayleigh believes survivors deserve protection that does not come with an expiration date.

But this conversation is about so much more than a law.

Kayleigh opens her heart about the parts of this journey people don’t always see—the trauma that doesn’t simply disappear, the exhaustion of continuing to fight, the husband and five beautiful children who walk through it with her, and the faith that carries her on the days when she wonders how she can possibly keep going. She talks about asking God “why?” and trusting that He can still use her story to protect someone else.

That is what stays with me most about Kayleigh. She never asked for this story. But she has chosen, again and again, to use her voice so another survivor might be safer, stronger, and better protected because she did.

Sometimes purpose is found in the places we never would have chosen for ourselves. Sometimes courage is simply deciding that what happened to you will not be the end of the story.

And sometimes God takes our deepest pain and uses it to become protection for someone we may never even meet.

Thank you for watching!
OXO,
Stacey

What does it really mean to live with purpose?

I think sometimes we imagine purpose as one big calling—a career, a title, a platform, or a moment when everything suddenly falls into place. But my dear friend Kelly Holscher is such a beautiful reminder that God can use every season of our lives, and that some of our greatest impact happens when we simply look at where He has planted us and ask, “What’s possible here?”

Kelly is a member of the America First Women’s Initiative Advisory Council, a former media and marketing executive, a community leader, a wife, and an incredible mother of five. She grew up in Alaska with a natural curiosity and determination that eventually carried her into a remarkable career in media, where one idea at the Los Angeles Times grew into an entirely new way to educate readers about investing and connect the newspaper with some of the biggest names in financial media.

But what I love about Kelly’s story is that her ambition didn’t disappear when her life changed—it found a new purpose.

When Kelly stepped away from corporate America to raise her family, she took the same creativity, courage, and instinct for bringing people together and poured them into her children, their school, her church, and her community. She helped build service programs that taught children to care for everyone from veterans to the elderly to children in need. And she has worked to raise her own children with the understanding that when you see a problem, you don’t just complain about it—you ask how you can help solve it.

In this episode of Truth Be Told, Kelly and I talk about motherhood, resilience, faith, mentorship, gratitude, community, and the courage to pursue an idea before you know exactly where it will lead. We also talk about something I believe so deeply: women don’t need a title, a perfect plan, or someone else’s permission to make a difference.

God has already given each of us gifts. Our job is to recognize them, use them, encourage them in others, and be willing to plant seeds even when we may never see how far they grow.

Kelly’s story is proof that success isn’t only about the career you build. It’s about the people you invest in, the values you pass down, and the lives that are different because you were willing to show up and serve.

That is leadership. That is legacy. And that is purpose.

Thank you for watching!
OXO,
Stacey