Meet Sarah McCubbin
Building. Connecting.
Equipping.
I partner with parents, educators, schools, and businesses to cultivate education that actually fits the student in front of you.
The newsletter
Notes from inside the work
Several years ago, I met a stranger on internet. I would start by working with him as a virtual assistant to help him create a curriculum. And eventually we would partner to build a curriculum company. Notes From a Curriculum Founder is where I share that story and all the lessons (good and bad) that I learned along the way!
What I do
Three sides of the same work
Educator
Twenty years inside this world
My husband and I have nine children and have homeschooled and used education alternatives for nearly two decades. For six years I directed a homeschool co-op serving about 150 students and have helped others launch and run.
I have a B.A. in English and am pursuing an M.A. in Education.
A business coach once told me to “niche down.” But I’ve found that in the independent education space the problems and solutions overlap in way that is different in the rest of educaton.
Most of what I build began a way to solve a problem I had first— a co-op that needed real structure or was dealing with conflict, a curriculum designed for professionals…or moms without endless hours of prep, a family trying to launch a teenager who wasn’t ready or a business trying to connect with the homeschool community.
One of my favorite things is writing curriculum co-designed with teachers to save time and planning.
the Consultant
Advising the people building it
When you spend enough time inside of independent education, the lines get blurred. I like to say that right now education is a little muddy. People used to pick a lane…public school, private school or homeschooling. But now…parents are picking and choosing from an endless variety and combination of options. This is amazing but also creates unique challenges for businesses and organizations.
Using years of experience working in homeschool marketing, I love working with companies, publishers, and organizations entering or growing in the alternative education market — on positioning, product fit, and how to speak to this audience.
I also enjoy speaking at conventions, parent summits, and co-op leadership trainings, and consulting with founders starting microschools and learning communities.
See speaking topics →
the Writer & Host
Thinking out loud, in public
Coming from a family of lawyers, professionals and red necks, there is no end to the “ideas” that swirl around the diningroom table at our house. Opinions are free and everyone should have them!
It is my hope that when you find me online, that kind of transparency spills into all my work. I host Beyond the Schoolhouse, a podcast on homeschooling, curriculum, microschools, private education, and educational innovation. I also write Notes From a Curriculum Founder on Substack about what it actually takes to build an education company, and have written on the Ten Minute Momentum blog for years — helping parents integrate lifeskills, leadership skills and social skills into their kids education.
Featured
Where to find me
Notes From a Curriculum Founder
My Substack on curriculum, entrepreneurship, publishing, and the unglamorous parts of building an education company.
Indie Education Network
The organization connecting independent educators, curriculum publishers, homeschool leaders, microschools, and education entrepreneurs.
Beyond the Schoolhouse
Conversations on homeschooling, curriculum, microschools, private education, and where independent learning goes next.
Experience
Where this comes from
- B.A. in English, pursuing M.A. in Education
- Nearly twenty years homeschooling
- Directed a homeschool co-op of ~150 students
- Curriculum development & educational publishing
- Education entrepreneurship and community leadership
- Homeschool marketing
- Content marketing and audience building
- AI workflows for curriculum development
Speaking & writing
What I talk about
- Starting a co-op that survives its second year
- Building a curriculum company from scratch
- What microschools are getting right
- Publishing for the independent education market
- Using AI in curriculum development — carefully
- Teaching life skills on purpose
- Leadership and momentum when you’re running on empty
- Homeschool burnout
Conventions, parent summits, leadership trainings, and podcasts. Invite me to speak →
Media kit
For conference organizers and podcast hosts
Everything below is ready to copy and paste — no need to email me first.
Short biography
Sarah McCubbin is a curriculum founder, publisher, and educator working across independent education. She has homeschooled for nearly twenty years, raised nine children, and directed a homeschool co-op serving approximately 150 students. She is the founder of Indie Education Network and Indie Education Press, co-founder of the curriculum company Pallas Center, and host of the podcast Beyond the Schoolhouse. She writes Notes From a Curriculum Founder on Substack and holds a B.A. in English with coursework completed at Oxford.
Speaking
Sarah speaks at homeschool conventions, parent summits, co-op leadership trainings, and staff development sessions for small schools, and appears regularly as a podcast guest. Her talks cover starting and sustaining co-ops, building curriculum companies, publishing for the independent education market, using AI in curriculum development, and leading well through burnout. To discuss an event, email sarah@tenminutemomentum.com.
Get in touch
Tell me what you’re building.
Email is the surest way to reach me, and I answer them myself.
Speaking inquiries
I love speaking at conventions, summits, and leadership trainings.
Custom Curriculum
For co-ops, microschools, and small private schools. At Indie Ed Press, we design curriculum that fits your model and saves your teachers tons of prep time…for about the same price as any other curriculum.
Consulting & partnerships
I help both established and new companies in the homeschool market with any budget with ideas and options for entering and thriving in this market.
Press & media
Interviews, quotes, and podcast guesting.