From Training to the World Stage: A Conversation with Marin McKinney

From Training to the World Stage: A Conversation with Marin McKinney

Marin McKinney returns to the Lady K Podcast to share what has been a remarkable and transformative season. After completing her sophomore year at Hillsdale College, Marin devoted herself to training for USA Shooting selection matches and recently competed for the opportunity to represent the United States in international competition. But this conversation goes far beyond athletics. Marin reflects on the pressures of competition, the lessons learned through setbacks, and the importance of developing a calm and disciplined mind. Together, Katy and Marin discuss perseverance, confidence, and why failure is often one of our greatest teachers. Whether your child is an athlete, a student, or simply learning how to face challenges with courage, this episode offers practical wisdom and encouragement. It is a reminder that growth rarely comes without difficulty and that character is formed through the steady practice of beginning again. Topics discussed include: • USA Shooting and the selection match process • Competing under pressure and learning from setbacks • Developing mental discipline and confidence • The importance of positive self-talk and preparation • Why failure is a necessary part of growth • Lessons that apply far beyond athletics At Lafayette Academy: A Classical School, we believe education is about more than academics. It is about forming young men and women who are prepared to pursue excellence with humility, perseverance, and gratitude. For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/ For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1bTzrVhqWoCcYmW7LLBipzfP7wacRrjwI]

Finding Classical Education: An Educator’s Story

What draws someone to teaching, and what does it take to become a great teacher? In this episode, Head of School, Katy McKinney, welcomes Ms. Glidden, who spent the year serving as an intern at Lafayette Academy: A Classical School,  under the mentorship of master teacher Grace Leonard. Ms. Glidden shares what she learned from working alongside experienced educators, teaching young students, and stepping into the daily rhythms of a classical classroom. Their conversation explores the importance of humility, lifelong learning, mentorship, and the formation of both teacher and student. Ms. Glidden reflects on how her experiences, from teaching swim lessons and jiu-jitsu to working with elementary students, helped prepare her for the classroom and shaped her understanding of what it means to teach well. This episode offers an encouraging look at the next generation of educators and the kind of formation that helps teachers grow in wisdom, confidence, and love for their students. If you've ever wondered how great teachers are formed, this conversation provides a thoughtful and hopeful perspective. For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/ For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1bTzrVhqWoCcYmW7LLBipzfP7wacRrjwI]

Published by the Federal Reserve: Lafayette Students Explain the Invisible Hand Behind a Hit Song

What does a popular song have to do with economics? In this episode, Katy sits down with four Lafayette Academy students whose economics project was selected for publication by the Federal Reserve's Journal of Future Economists. Inspired by the classic essay I, Pencil, the students set out to answer an intriguing question: What does it actually take to bring a song to life? What they discovered was far more than a story about music. From songwriters and recording studios to instrument makers, streaming platforms, marketers, and countless others working behind the scenes, every song depends on an extraordinary network of people contributing their unique skills and talents. Together, they reveal a powerful economic principle often called the "invisible hand", the idea that people pursuing their own work and interests can create something valuable that benefits millions. Along the way, the students discuss their research process, what surprised them most, and why understanding economics is really about understanding human cooperation. For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/ For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1bTzrVhqWoCcYmW7LLBipzfP7wacRrjwI]

What Great Relationships Teach Us: A Senior Thesis Conversation

In this special episode, Head of School, Katy McKinney, sits down with one of Lafayette Academy’s students, Ellie Schweizer, who just completed her senior thesis exploring virtue, friendship, and the “good life” through the philosophy of Aristotle and the novels of Jane Austen. The senior thesis is a capstone that reflects years of reading deeply, writing with care, and learning to think with clarity. Through works such as Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice, this conversation explores how relationships shape human character—for better or worse—and why virtuous friendships are essential to human flourishing. This conversation offers a rare look at what a student is capable of before graduation, when both intellect and character are taken seriously. If you have ever wondered what the end result of a classical education can be, this episode gives you a clear and compelling picture. At Lafayette Academy: A Classical Education, education is not only about knowledge, but about the formation of character and the cultivation of virtue. The senior thesis is one expression of that formation. It reveals a student’s ability to engage meaningful ideas, speak with confidence, and pursue truth with humility.  In the end, education is not merely the transfer of information; it is the formation of the whole person.  📚 Featured Works Mentioned * Nicomachean Ethics — Aristotle * Emma * Sense and Sensibility * Pride and Prejudice For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/ For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1bTzrVhqWoCcYmW7LLBipzfP7wacRrjwI]

Lafayette’s Approach to History: Forming the Moral Imagination and Future Citizens

In this episode of the Lady K Podcast, Katy McKinney pulls back the curtain on how Lafayette Academy: A Classical School teaches history, and why it’s so much more than dates, battles, and tests. From kindergarten stories about George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette to tales of pioneers, Almanzo Wilder, and Benjamin Franklin, we explore how history is intentionally used to build moral imagination, shape character, and form future citizens who can sustain our Republic. Discover why we teach restraint through Washington’s refusal of kingship, patience and self-control through Farmer Boy, courage and justice through real historical dilemmas, and the dangers of resentment through Benedict Arnold. At Lafayette Academy, history isn’t just content, it’s formation. If you want your children to love what is good, recognize evil, and develop the virtues needed to be thoughtful participants in a free society, this episode reveals the deeper purpose behind our approach. Join Katy as she explains how we’re not just educating students, we’re forming citizens. For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/ For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1bTzrVhqWoCcYmW7LLBipzfP7wacRrjwI]