Shows
Self DirectedChris Balme | Challenge Accepted: Turning Adolescence into Adventure Chris BalmeSend us a textAdolescence is often seen as something to endure — awkward years full of turbulence and struggle. But what if these years could be a time of discovery, adventure, and growth?In this episode, Jesper and Cecilie Conrad talk with Chris Balme on the launch day of his new book, Challenge Accepted: 50 Adventures to Make Middle School Awesome. We were introduced to Chris by our friend and former guest, Blake Boles, and quickly said yes to the conversation.Chris shares why adolescence is one of the most po...
2025-08-2147 min
The Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E12 | Unschooling Isn’t Freedom Gone Wild: Why Choices Matter More Than Ideals🔗 Sandra, Sue and Cecilie's websiteshttps://sandradodd.com https://storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com https://cecilieconrad.com🗓️ Recorded June 11, 2025. 📍 Åmarksgård, Lille Skendsved, Denmark ____In season two of The Ladies Fixing the World, host Cecilie Conrad is joined by renowned unschooling advocates Sandra Dodd and Sue Elvis to explore unschooling as a lifestyle.
2025-07-191h 33
Self DirectedJamie Rumble | Beyond the Classroom: Learning Emerges When We Stop Teaching and Start LivingSend us a textWhat if our traditional education system is fundamentally misaligned with how humans naturally learn? Jesper and Cecilie Conrad continue their conversation with Jamie Rumble, exploring the philosophy and practice of unschooling within a nomadic lifestyle.Jamie shares how his background, including influences from Paulo Freire and the concept of eco-pedagogy, shapes his approach to teaching and learning.The discussion challenges the traditional structure of schooling, contrasting prescribed curricula with the emergent, curiosity-driven learning that happens in real life. Cecilie and Jesper explain why their family chooses not to worry...
2025-07-101h 21The Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E11 | Unschooling, Attachment, and the Art of Letting Go: Building Trust Instead of RulesWhat happens when unschooling parents trade control for genuine connection? In this deep and honest conversation, Cecilie Conrad (Denmark), Sandra Dodd (USA), and Sue Elvis (Australia) tackle the big questions of attachment, freedom, and how trust transforms the parent-child relationship.Many parents fear that giving their children more freedom will mean losing influence over values and choices—or that it will lead to chaos. But as these three unschooling pioneers explore, true freedom isn't something we “give” our kids—it's something they already have. The real question: How do we nurture healthy attachment and remain an anchor, even as...
2025-07-061h 33The Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E10 | Is It Working? Wrestling with Doubt in UnschoolingCecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd, and Sue Elvis discuss doubt and fear in unschooling—where they come from, how they spread, and how to move through them without defaulting to school-based thinking. They explore the pressure of responsibility, the impact of lingering fears, and why letting go of outcomes helps build trust in both learning and relationships.They talk about how fear can be reinforced through casual conversation, especially when parents share worst-case scenarios or compare their children to school-based standards. The discussion includes the idea that much of what parents worry about is based on assumptions that ha...
2025-06-221h 36
Self DirectedJack Stewart | What I Learned When I Turned Off the Internet: Real Life BeginsSend us a textWhen Jack Stewart turned off the internet, he discovered that digital connection often acts as a “social appetite suppressant”—satisfying on the surface, but not deeply nourishing. In this conversation, Jack explains how removing online distractions led him to seek out in-person connection, from literally knocking on neighbors’ doors to organizing his own book and writing salons.We discuss the qualitative difference between digital admirers and real friends, and why meaningful conversations rarely happen through casual online chat. Jack outlines how he created formal spaces—book clubs, writing groups, salons—to foster intel...
2025-06-1954 minThe Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E9 | Unschooling: How Do We Know They’re Learning?What if we abandoned the question "How do we know they're learning?" and trusted that they are? In this conversation, Cecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd, and Sue Elvis look closely at the fears that drive many unschooling parents to seek proof of learning—and why those fears may come from old conditioning rather than real concerns.They explore how learning in an unschooling context doesn’t always look like progress, mastery, or academic benchmarks. Instead, it often appears as play, conversation, curiosity, or even stillness. The episode also addresses the "big mix-up in the mind of the p...
2025-06-081h 48The Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E8 | The Math Myth: How Do Unschooled Kids Learn Math?In this episode, we explore one of the most persistent questions in unschooling: What about math? Cecilie, Sandra, and Sue examine the widespread belief that children can’t learn math without formal instruction — and explain why that belief doesn’t hold up.Cecilie reflects on the early years of home education in her family, the pressure to “cover” math, and the quiet fear of doing too little. Sandra shares examples of how her children developed mathematical thinking through games, practical needs, and everyday problem-solving — without ever relying on school-based methods. Sue talks about letting go of struct...
2025-05-252h 19The Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E7 | Unschooling is Carried by ConversationsDinner tables, car rides, bedtime chats, café corners—this episode dives into the real places where unschooling lives and grows. Cecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd, and Sue Elvis examine how conversations—often unscheduled, informal, and unplanned—become the central structure of a learning life.They discuss the Danish tradition of the daily family dinner, the rigid rituals of American mealtime culture, and the café catch-ups that shaped Sue’s large family. The conversation travels through memories, cultural habits, and practical insights into how families can hold space for curiosity, connection, and growth—without curriculum, tests, or set agendas.Fro...
2025-05-111h 19
Self DirectedDavid Cole | Questioning Normal – Our Offbeat Life as a Full-Time Traveling FamilySend us a textEver wondered what life could look like if you broke free from the conventional 9-5?David Cole and his family sold their home in Chicago in 2019 and haven’t stopped moving since. Cecilie and Jesper talk with him about how they made the shift from occasional travellers to full-time nomads."I think what stopped us the most was mindset," David reveals, reflecting on their journey from dreaming to doing. After years of passionate but occasional travel, they finally made the leap—starting with house-sitting across the US before boarding a 22...
2025-05-0141 minThe Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E6 | The Role of Repetition in Learning, Unschooling, and Shaping IdentityWhat’s the value of doing the same thing more than once? In this episode of Ladies Fixing the World, Cecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd and Sue Elvis unfold repetition—how it shows up in our lives, why it matters, and what it reveals.Together, they examine how children tend to gravitate toward watching the same films, reading the same stories, or playing the same games. Rather than dismissing these habits, they unpack the deeper role of repetition in building understanding, creating comfort, and developing personal interests.They explore repetition in unschooling: how revisiting mater...
2025-04-272h 02The Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E5 | Sandra Dodd, Sue Elvis & Cecilie Conrad on Learning to Read & Trusting UnschoolingSandra Dodd, Sue Elvis, and Cecilie Conrad come together to discuss their personal journeys into unschooling, focusing on natural learning, curiosity, and redefining educational expectations.Sandra shares her transition from a public-school teacher to embracing unschooling with her family, exploring how her upbringing influenced her parenting choices. Sue reflects on her experiences returning to unschooling after attempts to follow structured educational methods, and how her understanding evolved with each child. Cecilie offers insights from her journey, including learning experiences through family travel and navigating seasonal challenges.Their conversation delves into how children naturally learn to...
2025-04-132h 11
Self DirectedAmanda Diekman | Radical Acceptance and Low Demand ParentingSend us a textIn this episode, we speak with Amanda Diekman about how her parenting changed when her six-year-old son went into autistic burnout. He lost verbal communication, stopped eating most foods, and couldn't follow basic routines. Faced with a crisis, Amanda chose to stop trying to fix him and instead removed demands to create safety.She explains how this shift became the foundation of low-demand parenting—an approach that prioritizes accommodation, reduces expectations, and gives children more agency. We discuss the fear many parents feel when stepping outside conventional norms, how control-based parenting da...
2025-04-0350 minThe Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E4 | Unschooling: Trusting the Process and Letting Go of ControlTraditional education is built on judgment—constantly measuring children’s progress against rigid standards. Unschooling offers a different path, one that values curiosity over evaluation. In this episode, Cecilie Conrad, Sue Elvis, and Sandra Dodd discuss why letting go of expectations leads to deeper, more natural learning.Reading becomes a key theme, as they challenge the idea that children must read by a certain age. Cecilie shares how her son resisted reading until fourteen, only to become an avid reader once the pressure was gone. Sandra and Sue add their own stor...
2025-03-301h 56
Self DirectedLuz Olid and David Caballero | Education Evolution: Beyond Traditional SchoolingSend us a textLuz and David from Evolving Education left careers in biotechnology to explore and document alternative education models worldwide. Frustrated by rigid schooling systems, they traveled to over 170 learning centers to understand how children learn best outside the traditional classroom.In this episode, we talk about how compulsory schooling originated in 19th-century Prussia as a system designed to produce obedient soldiers and workers, a model later exported worldwide as a tool for colonization and cultural suppression. We discuss how education has been shaped by these historical forces and why so many modern s...
2025-03-2751 min
Self DirectedIris Chen | Untigering: From Control to Connection – Peaceful Parenting for the Tiger ParentSend us a textIris Chen, author of Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent, shares how she shifted from a strict, high-expectation parenting style to a trust-based approach.Raised in a Chinese-American household, Iris grew up with academic pressure and obedience as the norm. She carried those expectations into her own parenting—until she saw how control and punishment were harming her relationship with her children. A parenting workshop on neuroscience led her to rethink discipline, ultimately guiding her toward unschooling.This conversation looks at how tiger parenting is often rooted in...
2025-03-2057 minThe Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E3 | Unschooling and Connections: How Learning Is All About Creating a Web of UnderstandingHow do children learn math without lessons, textbooks, or worksheets?Sandra Dodd, Sue Elvis, and Cecilie Conrad talk about the ways kids pick up mathematical thinking—through games, shared meals, money management, and real-world problem-solving.They discuss what happens when learning is driven by curiosity rather than instruction, sharing stories of children who mastered math in unexpected ways. Their experiences with unschooling reveal how learning develops naturally, often outside the structures designed to teach it.Meanwhile, schools—with their insistence on rigid, standardized learning—often disconnect children from their natural curiosity, someti...
2025-03-161h 36
Self DirectedAnne Kirketerp | Craft Psychology: The Link Between Crafting & WellbeingSend us a textThe moment you carve, knit, bake or start folding paper, something remarkable happens in your brain. The anxious spiral of thoughts quiets, stress hormones recede, and you enter a state that Dr. Anne Kirketerp calls "meaningful self-forgetfulness."Dr. Anne Kirketerp is a psychologist, researcher, and craftsperson who pioneered Craft Psychology—the study of how hands-on creative activities impact mental well-being. With a background in both psychology and craftsmanship, she has spent years exploring the health benefits of making, from reducing stress to enhancing focus and problem-solving skills.Fo...
2025-03-131h 12
Self DirectedAsger Leth | Beyond the 9 to 5 – Finding Freedom & Creating a Space for Deep Conversations & Real ConnectionsSend us a textWhat does it mean to truly connect in a world that’s becoming more digital by the day?Asger Leth is a Danish filmmaker, writer, and creative visionary known for his documentary and feature filmmaking work. He gained international recognition for Ghosts of Cité Soleil (2006), a gripping documentary set in Haiti, and later directed the Hollywood thriller Man on a Ledge (2012). Asger has spent years living and working globally with a background deeply rooted in storytelling and cinema. In this episode, filmmaker and creative visionary Asger Leth...
2025-03-061h 06The Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E2 | Unschooling: Trust, Autonomy, and the Realities of LearningWhat is unschooling? What is it not? And why defining it is so difficult? Sandra Dodd, Sue Elvis and Cecilie Conrad explore how unschooling is not just about rejecting school but fundamentally shifting how families approach learning, trust, and daily life.Sandra shares her decades of experience and the challenge of explaining unschooling in simple terms, emphasizing that true understanding takes time. Sue reflects on her evolution from believing unschooling meant being hands-off to realizing the importance of parental engagement and invitations. Cecilie challenges the assumption that learning must be the goal, arguing instead that curiosity, passion...
2025-03-021h 26
Self DirectedDennis Nørmark | Are We Really Free? Pseudo-Work & Unfreedom: How Work & Society Keep Us TrappedSend us a textMuch of modern work is defined by routine, efficiency targets, and the need to appear productive. But how much of it is actually necessary? Dennis Nørmark, Danish anthropologist, author, and speaker, argues that a significant part of today’s work culture is built on pseudo-work—tasks that maintain appearances rather than create real value. As the co-author of Pseudo-Work: How We Ended Up Being Busy Doing Nothing, he examines why unnecessary work persists and how it shapes our perception of productivity. In I Wish My Boss Was a Chief, he appli...
2025-02-2757 min
Self DirectedManisha Snoyer | Unschooling, Community & Rethinking EducationSend us a textTraditional education often fails to nurture curiosity, creativity, and deep engagement. In this episode, we explore a different path—one that is flexible, self-directed, and built around each child’s unique interests. We discuss homeschooling, unschooling, and modular education, breaking down how families can step away from rigid school structures and embrace learning that feels natural and meaningful.Our guest, Manisha Snoyer, is an entrepreneur, educator, and founder of Modulo, a curated online community that helps homeschooling families access expert resources and support. With experience teaching over 2,000 students worldwide, running a fore...
2025-02-201h 01
Self DirectedJessica Joelle Alexander | Danish Parenting Secrets: Raising Happy & Confident KidsSend us a textWhat makes Danish parenting unique, and how does it raise happy, resilient kids? In this episode, we talk with Jessica Joelle Alexander, bestselling author of The Danish Way of Parenting, about Denmark’s highly regarded child-rearing approach.The Danish approach to raising children is shaped by principles from Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783–1872), a Danish pastor, philosopher, and educator who emphasized personal formation ("Dannelse") as equally important as academic education ("Uddannelse").In the second half of our conversation, we shift into the digital worl...
2025-02-131h 28
Self DirectedEssie Richards | Breaking Free: Unschooling and Reimagining Education in the UKSend us a textHow can unschooling create a safe and empowering educational path for children? In this episode, we talk with Essie Richards about her transformative journey from traditional schooling to unschooling in rural Cornwall, UK. Essie shares how her family chose this path after her son faced bullying, leading them to embrace self-directed education as a way to foster curiosity, confidence, and emotional well-being.Our conversation delves into the principles of unschooling, focusing on its power to nurture children’s natural interests and foster stronger family connections. Essie discusses the role of respectful pa...
2025-02-061h 01
The Ladies Fixing the WorldS2E1 | Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Curiosity, Flexibility, and Trust with Sandra Dodd and Sue ElvisWhat if education wasn’t confined to classrooms but instead flourished naturally through life’s experiences?In this episode of Ladies Fixing the World, renowned unschooling pioneers Sandra Dodd and Sue Elvis join Cecilie Conrad to redefine what learning can look like. We explore the philosophy and practicalities of unschooling—where curiosity, trust, and relationships replace rigid curricula.Sandra shares her journey to define unschooling, describing it as "creating and maintaining an atmosphere where natural learning can flourish." Sue emphasizes the importance of embracing time with children, noting, "We can't go back and reclai...
2025-02-0256 min