Jenny Mundy-Castle On Consent & A Life Across Continents

Content note: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault, including childhood experiences (approx. 13:20–28:25). Support is available 24/7 through the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 or rainn.org. Mild Ted Lasso spoiler (newest season) at approx. 59:10.

Steph Lokelani sits down with educator, curriculum leader, and writer Jenny Mundy-Castle for a wide-ranging conversation about consent, resilience, education, and a life lived across continents. Born in Edinburgh and raised in Nigeria, Ireland, Texas, upstate New York, and Santa Fe, Jenny shares what it means to be a Third Culture Kid and how a frightening chapter in Abuja ultimately led her to Boise.

Jenny opens up about her memoir, Every Time I Didn't Say No: A Memoir of Consent, written in the wake of #MeToo. She talks about examining the gray areas of consent, what EMDR therapy revealed about her writing process, and how family and old friends reacted when she published her story.

Then the conversation turns lighter: a speculative YA novel set in Los Alamos, a suburban satire inspired by Meridian, 18 years in the classroom, the politics of public education, and why rigor isn't the same as more hoops in gifted education. Jenny reflects on the Santa Fe democratic free school that set her on a path to Columbia, her sprawling family across three continents, and the one word that describes her at her core.

ABOUT JENNY MUNDY-CASTLE:

Jenny Mundy-Castle is an educator, writer, and creative thinker whose work explores identity, resilience, creativity, and human potential. A graduate of Columbia University, she holds a master’s degree in education from Pace University and two Education Specialist degrees in Educational Leadership and English as a New Language. With more than two decades of experience teaching and leading in the United States and internationally, she currently serves as a district-level Curriculum Coordinator overseeing World Languages, Fine Arts, and Gifted and Talented education. Jenny is passionate about challenging conventional ideas of family and growth. She is also a novelist and essayist whose writing explores the complexities of human relationships and survival.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

- Third Culture Kids may never feel fully at home anywhere, and can also make a home anywhere.

- Consent lives in the gray areas. Not saying no is not the same as saying yes.

- Your story is yours to tell. Survivors don't owe anyone a heads-up first.

- Open conversations about assault break the cycle of shame and show others they're not alone.

- Rigor means deeper thinking, not more hoops. Grades should never replace learning.

- Gifted learners have a distinct academic need, not a gold star.

- Public education thrives when good people stay and help it serve their communities.

- Curiosity can be a compass, even when it makes staying put hard.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Content note

1:18 Welcome + meet Jenny Mundy-Castle

2:14 From Edinburgh to Lagos, Ireland, Texas & Santa Fe

4:15 Being a Third Culture Kid

5:43 What brought Jenny to Boise

7:43 Steph's path from Hawaii to Boise

8:44 Is Boise insular?

9:52 Staying put for her daughter

10:26 Steph's New York dream and Frodo

11:55 Chasing traditional publishing

13:23 "Every Time I Didn't Say No: A Memoir of Consent"

17:14 EMDR, PTSD, and writing as clarity

18:58 #MeToo and owning your story

21:03 Steph's documentary + I May Destroy You

22:13 The impact of publishing on those you write about

28:28 Revisiting a speculative YA novel

30:28 How Jenny got into writing

31:15 Favorite childhood books

32:31 Narrative nonfiction + a suburban satire

33:49 Steph's love of dark comedies

35:06 From classroom teacher to curriculum leader

36:25 The politics of public education

38:16 What makes a good teacher

39:30 Rigor vs. jumping through hoops

41:09 When grades replace learning

42:54 Steph's gifted program story

45:18 Identifying and serving gifted learners

48:48 The democratic free school that shaped her

51:54 Getting into Columbia

53:57 Where to travel next

55:32 Six wives, nine children

57:19 Who is Jenny at her core?

59:10 Ted Lasso: "I am lovable" (spoiler)

1:00:02 Rebecca, Keeley, and women supporting women

1:01:15 Wrap-up