Ep 28 - Jessica Reid - Simple Mondays
From Classroom Burnout to Building Simple Mondays: A Teacher's AI Platform for Lesson Planning
Most teachers know the feeling of running on empty, but very few turn that breaking point into a business that helps thousands of other teachers do the same job in a fraction of the time.
In this episode, I'm sitting down with Jessica Reed, founder of Simple Mondays, an all-in-one AI lesson planning platform built by a teacher, for teachers.
Jessica shares the moment that changed everything, crying in her car before daycare pickup, and how it sparked a tool that's now growing globally:
- How burnout became the unlikely catalyst for one of the most practical EdTech tools for teachers
- How Jessica validated her idea through community feedback before building a single thing, and
- Why setting boundaries, pricing with confidence, and holding onto your teacher identity are all part of building a sustainable education business.
IN THIS EPISODE:
→ What Simple Mondays is and how it streamlines lesson planning, quizzes, and parent communication using AI
→ How Jessica went from using free ChatGPT to survive the workload to building her own teacher-driven platform
→ Why validating your idea through community, before hiring a developer, is the move that changes everything
→ How to think about pricing as an educator entrepreneur and why giving everything away works against you
→ What the identity shift from teacher to founder actually feels like, and how to hold both at once
→ Jessica's vision for global growth and a teacher affiliate program, and what that could mean for educators worldwide
Links mentioned:
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Connect with Jessica
Jessica Instragam: https://www.instagram.com/jessicam.reid/
Simple Mondays Instagram: simple.mondays
Jessica Reid Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicam.reid
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Thank you so much for spending your time with me.
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Disclaimer: This podcast is for education and motivation only. I’m sharing what’s worked for me and my clients, but it’s not financial, legal, or accounting advice. Your decisions and results are always your own. Please seek professional guidance before making any financial or business decisions.
