Shows
The Unschool Space#100 In celebration of 100 conversations and The Unschooling Summit 2026, with Melissa Crockett-JoyoueTo mark the podcast's 100 conversations, this episode is a little different. I am in conversation with Melissa Crockett-Joyoue who runs the Weave online community and is also an unschooling mother. She and I co-founded The Unschooling Summit with last year and we are currently working on this year’s event. It is free, online and takes place on March 20th-22nd, with recordings available. You can sign up for reminders at www.theunschoolingsummit.org.We just wanted to talk a bit about the summit, and how our experiences, and all the podcast conversations have helped to shape thi...
2026-02-0330 min
The Unschool Space#99 Trusting the ebb and flow - unschooling with four neurodivergent children, with Cassie Emmott in East Sussex, UKMy guest this episode is Cassie Emmott from East Sussex in the UK. Cassie lives with her husband and four children, who are all neurodivergent, and two of her children have additional needs. We talk about how unschooling looks in Cassie’s family and how she and her husband manage everyone’s different needs and interests. We talk about the deep learning that she sees happening in its own time, and the importance of those moments of deep connection with our children that naturally arise in the day. And we talk about how important it is that we ar...
2026-01-2039 min
The Unschool Space#98 There is no one right way to live, with Stephanie McDowell in TexasIn this episode, I am talking with Stephanie McDowell. Stephanie lives in the US with her husband and five-year old daughter and is a former high-school teacher. Burnt out from her teaching career, she and her husband chose to homeschool their daughter, but Stephanie found the structure and school-focused ways of the homeschooling community an uncomfortable mismatch. She realised that she needed to focus first on herself and began to unpick some trauma from her childhood and her relationship with food. Stephanie shares how a large part of the healing work came from realising that there is no one...
2026-01-0643 min
The Unschool Space#97 Looking back—reflections on grown unschooled children, with Linda Velwest in New JerseyIn this episode I am chatting with Linda Velwest, who lives in New Jersey and has three adult son, now aged 26, 28 and 31, who were all unschooled for many years. It’s always lovely to talk with parents of adult unschoolers, and Linda reflects on their journey, the very different paths each child took and the many things that she and her family all took from the experience.Linda also recently published a fiction book called City Rescue Pets: Second Chances for Love and Hope featuring an unschooling family, and inspired by her own family’s fostering adventures. You...
2025-12-1037 min
The Unschool Space#96 Following a deeper knowing and letting go of systems that don’t serve us, with Ash Winton in Queensland, AustraliaToday I am chatting with Ash Winton. Ash has lived in Queensland, Australia for the last 12 years, but is originally from Alaska, and is of the indigenous Tlingit people. She and her husband, who run a trail building company, have a four and half year old son, who they unschool and plan to continue doing so. Among lots of things, we talk about what natural learning looks like, how social norms can often be in direct opposition to our intuition, and the importance in all this of being in touch with our own nervous systems, and what it means...
2025-11-2747 min
The Unschool Space#95 Thriving at 14, after school burnout, with Maddy in SomersetI’m delighted to be chatting today with Maddy, who is a doctor and lives in Somerset with her husband and son who is 13 and daughter who is 14. Maddy’s daughter left school two years ago after beginning secondary school and not coping at all. Maddy talks about what burnout looked like for her daughter and how her daughter was able to slowly reconnect with the things she loved and is now thriving. And Maddy talks about letting go of the “shoulds” of school and learning has been life changing for her too. I hope you enjoy the conversation. You...
2025-11-1246 min
The Unschool Space#94 Journeys from burnout to recovery, with Holly from South WalesI’m really happy to be talking today with Holly from South Wales, who I first spoke to two years ago. We talk in depth about Holly’s experiences of accompanying her children through burnout and emotional distress. We talk about how unschooling can offer us the time and space to do this in a far more compassionate way than our society preaches, and how as adults we are often programmed to just keep rushing and pushing through. Holly shares how her own recent experiences also offered her a deeper understanding of her children. And, we talk about the impo...
2025-10-2955 min
The Unschool Space#93 The courage to step into the unknown, with Claire Gillespie in Hertfordshire, UKI’m delighted to welcome back Claire Gillespie, who was a guest on the podcast almost two years ago. Claire lives in the UK with her husband and two sons, who are 15 and 17, and who left the school system around six years ago. Claire now works as a coach and also runs a creative business called The Cardboard Shed. Today we talk about why it takes so much courage to leave mainstream school, even when it isn’t working, and how taking that step caused such a huge shift in her own life. We also talk about the importance of n...
2025-10-1453 min
The Unschool Space#92 Unschooling our autistic children–finding joy in the unknowing, with Mariam Carter in Southern CaliforniaToday I’m with Mariam Carter who lives in Southern California with her husband and two sons, who are 12 and 9. Their oldest son is autistic and the family’s jouney to unschooling journey began during the pandemic. Mariam describes the shift she had to make from equating life success with academic achievement, what it means to trust the journey when your child learns differently, and how her job as a mental health therapist is such a parallel journey. And we talk about what it means to create a place of safety where our chil...
2025-10-0147 min
The Unschool Space#91 From London to Silicon Valley, with Makeba Garraway, USMy guest today is Makeba Garraway. Originally from the UK, Makeba moved to Silicon Valley with her husband and two children who are now 12 and 9, seven years ago. They came to unschooling after realising that mainstream school did not feel like a good fit for their eldest and not finding any alternative either. Makeba worked as a doctor in the UK and we talk about that shift to no longer working, and what it meant to take a new look at an education system that she had outwardly thrived in. And amongst lots of other things, we talk about...
2025-09-1646 min
The Unschool Space#90 From falling apart to building something new, with Nicola Leyland, UKMy guest in this episode is Nicola Leyland. Nicola has two children who are now 19 and 17. Her journey to unschooling began when her son was just eight years old and had an accident that resulted in a brain injury. Nicola talks about her experience of seeing everything fall apart, and her son’s traumatic return to school, and the consequences of following what others said she should do rather than what she felt was right. And she shares the journey of taking her children out of school and slowly building something new that’s based on choice and agency. We t...
2025-09-0241 min
The Unschool Space#89 Living in alignment: from school to unschool to worldschool, with Ivana Petersen in DenmarkMy guest this episode is Ivana Petersen, who is from Croatia and her husband is from Denmark. They have three children who are 13, 10 and 7. They took their eldest two children out of school six years ago, feeling burnt out by the stress and lack of connection of modern life. Ivana describes the healing journey that took place as they searched for a more authentic and aligned way to live. From there it became a natural progression to unschooling and then finally to worldschooling. The family has been travelling now for several years, and Ivana explains how that lifestyle looks...
2025-08-2043 min
The Unschool Space#88 Finding trust in our own paths, with Esther Grimes in AustraliaToday I am chatting with Esther Grimes, who lives in Australia with her husband, and three sons, who are 1, 4 and 8. Although Esther and her husband were already looking at less conventional ways to live as a family, they hadn’t questioned school. It wasn’t until it became very clear that their oldest son couldn’t cope with school that they started to figure out another way. We talk about their journey to unschooling, how hard it can be to step away from the well trodden path and how life looks for the family now. I hope you enjoy the co...
2025-07-2343 min
The Unschool Space#87 From organic fruit farming to worldschooling, with Irene Genelin in Minnesota, USMy guest today is Irene Genelin from Minnesota. Irene and her husband used to have an organic fruit farm, but sold that a few years ago to travel almost full time with their daughter, who is now 10. We talk about how they came to that decision, how they organise their travels and what community looks like on the road. As well as what learning looks like for their daughter and the kinds of things that come up that still require some unravelling. Here's a link to the episode of Irene's podcast that she mentions.
2025-07-0843 min
The Unschool Space#86 Putting our children's mental health and happiness first, with Lizz Mears in Dorset, UKIn this episode I am chatting with Lizz Mears from Dorset in the UK. Lizz has two children, who are 21 and 13. After many difficult school years that took their toll on her older child’s mental health and on her own, Lizz chose to take her younger child out of school when she was unable to cope with the move to secondary. Amongst lots of other things, we talk about how they transitioned from a more curriculum style learning to unschooling, and the challenges that come with letting go of how we think learning should look. We talk about why...
2025-06-2441 min
The Unschool Space#85 Slowing it all right down, with Ruth Macallan in ZambiaMy guest today is Ruth Macallan, who I also chatted with in episode 54. Ruth is originally from the UK but she and her family live for most of the year in Zambia where her husband runs an NGO. Today, amongst other things, we talk about boredom and how to help our children navigate those tricky moments, and we talk about the huge value in just slowing down and enjoying the present moment. And, Ruth tells us about their unschooling life in Zambia. I hope you enjoy the conversation.Connect with Ruth on Instagram
2025-06-1146 min
The Unschool Space#84 Intentional living and learning in the Canadian Boreal Forest, with Erin Cummings in OntarioMy guest this episode is Erin Cummings. Erin grew up in Ottawa and now lives with her husband who is of the indigenous Métis community and their three young sons, in the boreal forest in Treaty 3 Territory of Northwest Ontario. Here they live on a 200-acre piece of land where they farm, own livestock and are building their family home. Erin talks about their choice of living an intentionally simple life which centres on their relationships with each other and with the land, and of her experiences as a school teacher. And we chat about how important our o...
2025-05-2749 min
The Unschool Space#83 Redefining success and learning to trust our children, with Dana Huraimi in DubaiToday, I am with Dana Huraimi. Dana is Palestinian and grew up in Kuwait and Jordan. She now lives in Dubai with her husband and two sons who are almost 10 and 13. Today we talk about Dana’s deschooling journey, how she is letting go of her conditioning around education, learning and what success looks like. We talk about how she sees natural learning unfold in such different ways in her two children, and why compliance is not what we need to be cultivating for a better world. And we talk about the challenges of choosing this way of life in...
2025-05-1340 min
The Unschool Space#82 Slowing down and watching life and learning unfold. With Fiona Sim in ScotlandThis episode I am with Fiona Sim who is from Scotland. Fiona lives with her husband who is from Lithuania, and their two daughters who are 3 and 6. This is their first official year of home education since their older daughter would have started school last September. We talk about how easy it is to overplan the days, and how good it can feel to let go of the busyness and just embrace the gift of time. And we talk about that other big learning edge of working out when we should step in and when we...
2025-04-2941 min
The Unschool Space#81 Unravelling our old narratives, with Leila in Melbourne, AustraliaToday I’m with Leila from Melbourne, Australia. Leila has three children who are now 9, 7 and 4, and their journey to unschooling began when they decided not to continue with school for her eldest child after the Covid lockdown. Leila describes how her interest in conscious parenting and centering the relationship with her children helped her move away from trying to force the learning and to see instead how the natural learning unfolded. We talk about how hard it is to get beyond our own conditioning and all the triggers that come up, and we talk about Leila’s own expe...
2025-04-1645 min
The Unschool Space#80 Making unschooling work for the whole family, with Cyrielle in Ontario, CanadaThis episode, I’m chatting with Cyrielle who is originally from France but now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and their eight year old daughter (this conversation takes place while they are on a long road trip through the US). Cyrielle used to be a teacher and realised early on that she wanted something different for her child. Amongst other things we talk today about neurodivergence, friendships and community and in particular how important it is that as the parent we explore what makes us thrive too. Follow Cyrielle on InstagramYou can fin...
2025-04-0339 min
The Unschool Space#79 The freedom of embracing our children and ourselves for who we are, with Nora McDonald in Costa RicaAnd today I am with Nora McDonald. Nora is originally from the UK but now lives in Costa Rica with her husband and two children who are 10 and 7. They felt that school just wasn’t going to be a good fit for their eldest child, and so originally began home educating in Cambridge in the UK. Nora talks about her move toward unschooling and how her family’s relationship with technology was the catalyst for that. We talk about what it looks like when your child doesn’t particularly like groups and organised activities and how freeing it is to dro...
2025-03-1150 min
The Unschool Space#78 When unschooling is a healing journey, with Essie Richards in Cornwall, UKIn this episode I'm chatting with Essie Richards from Cornwall in the UK. Essie’s family came to unschooling nine years ago after realising that school was not a place where their childre, who were three and six could thrive. Later, Essie began an Agile Learning Centre for 10 to 15-year olds. Today we talk about the deconditioning we need to go through as parents in order to give our children real agency and how that can work can be deeply healing, what it means to be neurodivergent and unschooling, and all the practices that can help us along the wa...
2025-02-1953 min
The Unschool Space#77 Following the golden threads, with Shannon Stoltz in Houston, TexasI am very happy to be chatting in this episode with Shannon Stolz from Texas. Shannon has four children who are now all in their 20s. Shannon describes how in their early years, as their dad wasn’t yet onboard with unschooling, they would have some days that were more traditional school at home, and others that were self-directed. Shannon could see how different these experiences were for all of them, and finally, when her oldest daughter was 13, they just embraced unschooling. Among lots of things, we talk about navigating this with a skeptical partner, the importance of relationship, an...
2025-02-0450 min
The Unschool Space#76 Life and learning alongside John Holt, with Pat Farenga in Massachusetts, USINTROI'm chatting in this episode with Pat Farenga from Massachusetts. Pat is the father of three now adult unschooled daughters, and he worked with the late John Holt—the New York Educator who coined the term unschooling and wrote several books about learning. Pat worked with him on his magazine Growing Without Schooling and continued the magazine for many years after John Holt passed. We chat about his experiences with John Holt, how unschooling looked back in the '70s and '80s and how things have and haven’t changed in the last 50 year...
2025-01-2246 min
The Unschool Space#75 Following our own rhythms—unschooling with PDA, with Rose from Oxfordshire, UKIn this episode, I'm chatting with Rose from Oxfordshire in the UK. Rose lives with her husband and her six-year-old son who is Autistic PDA. They chose not to send him to school, realising that it was just not an environment that could work for him. Rose talks about how life unfolds for them at home and what socialising and learning look like, the value of being able to go at their own rhythms, and the huge importance of placing connection at the centre of everything. And, Rose describes how she supports Leo when things feel particularly challenging for...
2025-01-0756 min
The Unschool Space#74 Connection, understanding and creating our own paths, with Coralie Steadman in Cambridgeshire, UKMy guest today is Coralie who lives in Cambridgeshire with her partner and two children who are 9 and 5. Coralie’s own experiences of school made her realise that life and learning need to feel meaningful and driven by our own unique passions and interests not by external requirements. That, coupled with her son’s diagnosis of Autism and PDA, led her family first to a Steiner school and then to unschooling. Coralie describes what unschooling looks like for her family, how they work together as a family to try to meet everyone’s needs, and what community looks like for th...
2024-12-1049 min
The Unschool Space#73 Allowing our children to be who they are, with April Scully in South CarolinaMy guest today is April Scully. April is a former teacher, who is originally from Toronto but now lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children who are 6 and 9. We talk about how doing well at school doesn’t necessarily help us know who we are or what we want to do, and what it is to have the time and space to explore our passions. And we chat about what that means for us and the impact that unschooling has on our own lives, from taking better care of ourselves to following our own interests.
2024-11-2650 min
The Unschool Space#72 Unschooling and PDA—connection, patience and safety, with Helen Stuart, Rochdale, UKToday I’m chatting with Helen Stuart of Rochdale in the UK. Helen lives with her husband and between them have six children. Although the older five children had challenges at school, it wasn’t until their 7-year-old daughter who is Autistic PDA was born, that they considered taking a different path. We talk about how essential it is for children to feel safe and regulated in order to engage freely with life, what learning looks like when we take a low-demand approach to life, and why co-regulation and modelling are so important.Connect with Helen on I...
2024-11-1345 min
The Unschool Space#71 Consent-based living and learning, with Alice Bramhill in Nottingham, UKMy guest today is Alice Bramhill, a psychotherapist from Nottingham in the UK, who lives with her husband and two sons who are ten and 13. They went to mainstream school until six years ago, then after trying a Steiner school for six months, finally left the school system altogether. We talk today about how unravelling our own stories is an essential part in all of this. And, about how, if we want our children to be free to live into their whole selves, then we have to allow them to have agency, which means learning to trust them and...
2024-10-2949 min
The Unschool Space#70 A journey to authenticity, with Dr Nicole Vito, in CaliforniaToday, I’m chatting with Nicole Vito who lives in California with her husband and 6-year-old daughter. Nicole describes how she began to question how we rush children when her daughter was just two, realising that everything that needed to happen did happen when her daughter was ready and allowed to go at her own pace. In her professional work as a psychologist, Nicole was also noticing how many of her clients who suffered from depression or anxiety seemed to have lost their connection to themselves, with them often pinpointing to a time in their childhood. We talk about ho...
2024-10-1544 min
The Unschool Space#69 From burnout to thriving, with Lizzie in Hampshire, UKMy guest today is Lizzie, who lives with her husband and three children, aged 8, 9 and 12 in Hampshire in the UK. Lizzie’s family came to unschooling three years ago when their youngest son, who is diagnosed Autistic PDA was in burnout after a very difficult time at school. Now, both her sons are unschooled, whilst their daughter has chosen to stay at school. Among lots of things, we talk about how difficult and liberating it is to challenge our old conditioning and all the shoulds that we have in our heads and Lizzie shares how this way of life was...
2024-10-0154 min
The Unschool Space#68 Unschooling and neurodiversity—the power of community and keeping our own balance, with Melissa Crockett-Joyoue in New ZealandToday I'm chatting with Melissa Crockett-Joyoue from New Zealand. Melissa was on the podcast about two years ago, so it’s great to catch up with her again. Melissa and her partner have two neurodivergent children, who are now 6 and 9 and they came to unschooling after their son had an extremely challenging time at school. We talk particularly about the challenges of learning beyond school when that is never how you expected life to look, the importance of being able to regulate our own nervous systems, particularly when we have a PDA child or one who struggles to self re...
2024-09-1652 min
The Unschool Space#67 A journey back to ourselves, with Francine Wise in Kent, UKMy guest today is Francine Wise. Francine lives in Kent in the UK with her husband and two daughters, who are 8 and 6. They chose this route when their eldest daughter was four years old and school just didn’t feel right. Francine tells us about how she imagined home education and learning would look and the process she went through of trying out lots of different things from Waldorf to Charlotte Mason, and all the frustration that came with that. Eventually she came to the realisation that this was really about living in a way that felt authentic and le...
2024-09-0248 minThe Unschool Space#66 From Silicon Valley to roadschooling, with Stacey Yates Sellar in ScotlandI’m chatting today with Stacey Yates Sellar, a Conscious Parenting Coach and author of Conscious Parenting Your ADHD Child. Stacey and her husband have two boys, who are 13 and 10. Until four years ago, they lived and worked in California, but had many misgivings about the highly competitive schooling system. Eventually they decided to sell their house and travel, and have been worldschooling ever since, and are now in Scotland. Among many other things, we talk about how to let go of our social conditioning and our expectations, embrace our children for who they are and embrace our ow...
2024-07-1745 min
The Unschool Space#65 Helping our children follow their joy, with Melissa Miles McCarter in Missouri, USToday, my guest is Melissa Miles McCarter, who lives in Missouri with her husband and her 8-year-old daughter Willakate. Melissa worked as a college professor and chose not to put her daughter in school, realising that it wasn’t a system she would thrive in. She talks about what her own deschooling looked like and how she partners with her daughter to help facilitate her interests. And Melissa describes how her daughter’s passion for acting led her to explore script writing and then to producing a film, which they’re working on right now. We also talk about what b...
2024-06-1844 min
The Unschool Space#64 Living, learning and healing, with Linsey, in the East Midlands, UKMy guest today is Linsey, who lives in the UK with her partner and three children who are 10, 6 and 1 and a half. Her family’s journey to unschooling started when they decided to take their eldest son out of school after two years extremely difficult years. Linsey soon realised that a schooled approach wouldn’t work at home either, so began to lean in to what her son needed and how he was really learning. Amongst lots of other things, we talk about the deschooling journey and how powerful it is when we start to unpick social expe...
2024-06-0449 minThe Unschool Space#63 Finding our balance, embracing rest, and lots of self-compassion, with Claire Windmill in Devon, UKToday I’m chatting with Claire Windmill who lives in Devon in the UK with her husband and two children, who are seven and nine. Claire was a social worker and early years teacher and is now a parenting mentor and coach. She shares how her family came to unschooling after taking some time out to travel and they realised how much happier and less stressed their children were out of school. We talk about the impact that messages around fitting in and what’s right and what’s wrong can have on children, and what it can look like w...
2024-05-0752 min
The Unschool Space#62 Trusting our children, and learning to value rest and play, with Robyn Tamlin-Lea in New ZealandMy guest today is Robyn Tamlin-Lea. Robyn is South African but now lives in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand, with her husband and two children who are seven and three and a half. Robyn took her daughter out of school when she saw that already at a very early age, there was a strong narrative around academic expectations and her daughter not doing well enough. We talk about how when we sit back and observe, there is so much learning happening all the time, and how beyond the academic learning, living in this way with our children...
2024-04-2346 min
The Unschool Space#61 Honouring our children and learning to let go, with Danii Oliver in TexasThis episode, I’m chatting with Danii Oliver, who lives in Texas with her husband and two children who are almost 6 and 11. Danii shares her story of leaving New York City behind in search of something new for and her and family, and to live a more gentle and connected life, which they now do on their permaculture farm in Texas. We talk about the deschooling process and how, even though Danii was clear from the start that they would unschool, it still took her a lot of work to unravel the deep conditioning she had from her Caribbean ch...
2024-04-0946 min
The Unschool Space#60 Unschooling and playful living, with Heidi Steel in West Sussex, UKIn this episode. I’m delighted to chat with Heidi Steel who was first on the podcast in 2021. Heidi is a former teacher and has four children who are 16, 15, 12 and 9 and who have never been to school. Heidi shares what unschooling looks like for her family and we talk about the enormous value of play in children’s learning and development. And, amongst other things we also discuss how valuing our children’s voices and opinions over compliance is essential for them as they get older, and how living in this consensual way with our children can be far more j...
2024-03-2644 minThe Unschool Space#59 Four of the most-asked questions I get about unschooling, with Esther JonesOnce in a while it felt like it could be helpful to take a moment to answer some of the most common questions that I get. Of course, every family is completely different, so if any of these questions or worries are relevant to you, you might want to take my thoughts as a hopefully useful starting point for your own reflections. Let me know if this is helpful for you and if you’ve any particular questions you’d like to hear discussed in the future. You can drop me a line at contact@esther-jones.comS...
2024-03-1128 min
The Unschool Space#58 Unravelling our own stories to raise empowered children, with Adrienne Miller in VancouverMy guest today is Adrienne Miller who lives in Vancouver with her husband and three children who are 10, 7 and 4. Adrienne was a teacher, and realised when her oldest child turned school age that it wasn’t a choice they wanted for him. After growing up in a strict, religious home, Adrienne also shares her journey of unravelling her deep conditioning, and the freedom it has given her and her family. And we chat about natural learning, trusting our children and lots more. I hope you enjoy the conversation.Connect with Adrienne on InstagramY...
2024-02-2853 min
The Unschool Space#57 Embracing the ease of natural learning, with Julie Walter in Ontario, CanadaIn this episode, I’m chatting with Julie Walter from Ontario, Canada. Julie has three children who are 9, 11 and 13 and have never been to school. As a former teacher, Julie talks about how impacted she was by the differences between the resistant nature of learning in a classroom and the kind of natural learning she was seeing unfolding happily at home. We talk about what it means to accompany our children in this journey, and why our relationships with our children are at the heart of this. And, we talk about how we can stay trusting during the i...
2024-02-1352 min
The Unschool Space#56 Older unschoolers and the value of practising being yourself, with Missy Willis in North CarolinaMy guest today is Missy Willis from Charlotte, North Carolina. Missy is a former teacher who lives with her husband and two children, who are now 21 and 16. They chose to unschool when their eldest child reached school age as it felt like a better fit for their family. Missy’s experience in the classroom as a teacher had also made her question a model in which adult coercion was understood to be essential in learning. We talk about the fear many parents have in the beginning and how important it is to hear other people's stories. We als...
2024-01-3052 min
The Unschool Space#55 Deschooling and moving beyond our limiting beliefs, with Lucy Aitkenread in New ZealandIn this episode, I'm chatting with Lucy Aitkenread. Lucy is originally from the UK, but 10 years ago, set off travelling with her partner Tim, and their two young daughters. They settled in New Zealand, which is where they live now. Their daughters are now 10 and 13 and haven’t been to school. So, today we talk about the culture of school and what a huge impact it has on our lives, even as adults. And how, it often takes our children to take us back to the roots of many limiting beliefs we have about ourselves, which is why the des...
2024-01-1651 min
The Unschool Space#54 Nature, freedom and slowing down, with Ruth Macallan in ZambiaToday, my guest is Ruth Macallan. Originally from Edinburgh, Ruth now lives for most of the year in Zambia with her husband and her two children, who are 2 and 5. We talk about what Ruth’s child-led days look like, what it means to allow a child the freedom to go at their own pace, and how living in rural Zambia has helped Ruth to learn how to slow down and to appreciate the beauty in the moment. And, we also chat about the importance of creating community, travelling with children, and of course, taking good care of ourselves.
2023-12-1953 minThe Unschool Space#53 Living, learning and thriving as a family, with Claire Gillespie in Hertfordshire, UKMy guest today is Claire Gillespie from Hertfordshire in the UK. Claire lives with her husband and two sons, who are 15 and 13, and they’ve been unschooling for four years, after their oldest son asked to leave school. Amongst other things, we talk about the fascinating learning journeys children embark on when they’re in charge, how different we all are from each other and the inevitable ebb and flow of the days. And Claire shares how this way of living has impacted her and the choices she makes in her own life.Connect with Claire on Inst...
2023-12-0552 min
The Unschool Space#52 Intentional deschooling and lining up with our values, with Daniel Moeller in PennsylvaniaToday I’m chatting with Daniel Moeller from Pennsylvania. Daniel is a former teacher and has a 10-year old son, called Kai who has been unschooling for four years. Daniel came across unschooling whilst struggling himself to reconcile many parts of the school system, and in particular the power over dynamic that he was expected to conform to as a teacher. Today we talk about how our own beliefs and responses are often rooted in our own experience of this dynamic as children, and how, to unpack it all and to reconnect with our deeper values, we need to ha...
2023-11-2155 min
The Unschool Space#51 A place of possibility - living, learning and healing beyond school, with Donna in East SussexMy guest today is Donna, from East Sussex in the UK. Donna has two daughters, who are 13 and 11. Her eldest daughter had always struggled with school, and it wasn’t until Covid that Donna realised just how deep the school stress was embedded in the whole family. Eventually feeling that there was no alternative but to try something different, she took her daughter out of school. Today Donna talks about how easy it is to get blinkered and stuck in that space of stress and deficit. And, about how liberating it has been for both of them to shift in...
2023-11-0848 min
The Unschool Space#50 Unravelling our stories, with Dr Emma SvanbergToday, I’m chatting with Dr Emma Svanberg. Emma is a clinical psychologist, author of Parenting For Humans and mother of two children. As well as exploring unschooling with her family, Emma helps other parents on their own parenting journeys. We talk about how the deeply held narratives we all have about ourselves often don’t serve us as parents, and can keep us reactive and disconnected. And, how our children offer us an incredible opportunity to unravel these stories and to find the courage it can take to fully embrace and support them. We also talk about neurodivergence in a...
2023-10-2352 min
The Unschool Space#49 Putting the relationship first, with Hayley in Derbyshire, UKMy guest today is Hayley from Derbyshire in the UK. Hayley has four children, who are now 25, 22, 18 and 10, and her journey to unschooling started 14 years ago when her eldest child was 11. We talk about how unschooling is so much more than education. It’s about the importance of relationships, and of living in a way that feels coherent to us, and about incorporating joy into our lives. And Hayley tells us about the very different journeys that each of her children are making through life. Find Hayley on Instagram at @takingakinderpathFollow Hayley's blog: https://takingakinderpath.co...
2023-10-0247 minThe Unschool Space#48 Unschooling our children and our own lives, with Holly from South WalesIn this episode, I’m chatting with Holly from South Wales. Holly has three children, aged 9, 7, 5 and began unschooling three years ago, when her eldest started to struggle at school. Holly worked as a teacher, and shares her experience of transitioning from a schooled way of thinking about learning to unschooling. We chat about how this way of life allows for different rhythms, choice and autonomy. And, how if when we move away from ticking boxes for our children, we also free ourselves from ticking boxes, allowing us to live our lives in a more aligned and libe...
2023-09-1942 min
The Unschool Space#47 Consent-based parenting around the globe, with Fran LiberatoreMy guest today is Fran Liberatore. Fran is Italian but lives with her family between Bangkok, Maine and Sicily. Her children are now aged 10 and 12 and If you’d like to hear more from Fran you can also hear her in episode 12 of the podcast a couple of years ago. Today we talk about how Fran and her family have found community in the different cultures they move between. We also talk about neurodivergence and how the perspective can be in an unschooling home, consent-based parenting, being our children’s advocates, and the hard work of deschooling that goes into...
2023-09-0552 min
The Unschool Space#46 Unschooling and shifting our parenting paradigms, with Chelsea in LAToday, I’m chatting with Chelsea, who lives in LA with her husband and two sons, who are 10 and 6. Chelsea had never planned to unschool, and in fact her older son was very happy at a project-based school in his earlier years. She tells us about why they made this choice and what it has meant for her family. We talk in particular about how the parent’s deschooling journey often means becoming aware of all the power dynamics at play, not only in relation with our children, but in many other facets of our lives and in the soci...
2023-07-1157 minThe Unschool Space#45 Healing from school and holding our children's journeys lightly, with Rhonda Ziman in East SussexMy guest today is Rhonda Ziman. Rhonda lives in East Sussex with her husband, 14-year-old stepdaughter and 11-year-old daughter. I’ve known Rhonda and her daughter Martha since last year, when her daughter finally left school after struggling to attend for a long time. Today, Rhonda talks about that time and how difficult it was. And she talks about how, without the pressure of school, she has seen Martha relax and engage once more with the things she enjoys doing. We also talk about how hard it can be for the parent to embrace a different kind of learning. An...
2023-06-2746 minThe Unschool Space#44 From high school teaching to unschooling, with Angela Harders in MarylandToday I'm chatting with Angela Harders who lives in Maryland with her two children, who are now 9 and 4. Angela was a public high school teacher for 12 years. And although she took her daughter out of school four years ago when her daughter was five, she continued to work as a public school teacher for three more years, until it felt too at odds with how she was seeing learning naturally take place at home. Angela has published a book about this, called Tales of a Toxic Teacher. Today, among many other things we talk about how coercion t...
2023-06-0639 min
The Unschool Space#43 Creating a self-directed learning community, with Lorna Norton in North YorkshireIn this episode, I'm chatting with Lorna Norton. Lorna has a 5-year-old son and, together with her husband, founded a learning community called Kith Homestead in North Yorkshire. Lorna came to alternative education through her studies of psychology and education and then her many years of working with children. We talk about her own deschooling process that was required in order to be able to create a space in which children can have real autonomy, and how she sees children thrive within a natural and loving environment in which they can truly direct their time and activities. We also...
2023-05-2147 min
The Unschool Space#42 Why self-directed learning is a natural fit for our children, with Naomi FisherMy guest this episode is Naomi Fisher, who I am delighted to have back for a second conversation (see #5 for our previous chat). Naomi is a clinical psychologist, mother of two children who are at a self-directed learning centre, and author of the book Changing our Minds, which is about the importance of choice, autonomy and self-direction in education. Naomi has a new book coming out in June entitled A Different Way to Learn, which looks at how neurodivergent children learn in self-directed environments. Today, among many other things, we talk about how children naturally learn and...
2023-05-0859 minThe Unschool Space#41 In search of wholeness - deschooling and shedding all the layers, with Sari Gonzàlez and Becka Koritz in MexicoToday I'm joined by Sari Gonzàlez and Becka Koritz wholive in Puerto Escondido in Mexico. Becka moved to Mexico from Sweden and Sari from the US, both leaving lives that felt stressed and disconnected. They now run Explora ALC, an agile learning centre. Both Sari and Becka have neurodivergent sons but began their deschooling journeys long before having children, in their search for more fulfilling and joyful lives. We talk about how deschooling is a shedding of all the layers of programming we’ve internalised through our lives, and a reconnection with ourselves beyond fear and trau...
2023-04-2349 minThe Unschool Space#40 A new journey - slowing down, reconnecting, and embracing our children's autonomy, with Caroline Frances in OntarioToday I’m chatting with Caroline Frances from Ontario. Caroline lives with her husband and two sons who are 7 and 10, and they are just in the second month of their unschooling journey. They had tried different school environments, but found that, in particular for their eldest son, who is diagnosed Autistic with a PDA profile, they needed to find another way to live. Today, among lots of other things, we talk about what a huge job it is to hold space for our children, and how intertwined that is with our own learning and our own alignment. And Caroline sh...
2023-04-1052 minThe Unschool Space#39 Unschooling on the path to healing, with Sarah Rose in MaineMy guest today is Sarah Rose. Sarah lives in Maine with her husband and her 11-year old daughter. Her family’s journey to unschooling stemmed from their daughter’s illness, which resulted in her leaving school and embarking on a long healing journey at home. We talk today about providing a judgment-free space in which our children feel seen and supported, and the deep inner work we need to undertake in order to do this. We also chat about how uncomfortable a child with their own voice can make people feel, and Sarah shares how she has embraced her daug...
2023-03-2752 min
The Unschool Space#38 How children naturally educate themselves, with Peter Gray, author of Free to LearnI’m so delighted to be talking today with Peter Gray, author and research professor at Boston College. Many of you will have read his wonderful book, Free to Learn, or his regular writing for Psychology Today about children, play and learning. Among many things, we talk today about his experience of self-directed education through his son, what self-directed children are doing that makes their learning so different from what happens in schools, what he learned through his research into unschooled children, and his inspiring vision for learning in the future. You can find Peter Gra...
2023-03-141h 00The Unschool Space#37 The natural joy of living in partnership with young children, with Lou Westall in Brighton, UKMy guest today is Lou Westall, who lives in Brighton, in the UK, (though she was travelling in South Africa when we recorded this episode). Lou and her husband have two daughters, who are 6 and 8. They had never considered home education until their eldest daughter began school, and things just didn’t feel quite, particularly regarding the early approach to academic subjects. After deregistering her from school, they spent a while finding their feet, first trying some school at home, then finally reaching an unschooling way of life. We talk today about the importance of community, how living in pa...
2023-02-2847 minThe Unschool Space#36 Unschooling and living a slower, more intentional life, with Ashley Short in Ontario, CanadaToday, I’m chatting with Ashley Short. who lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two sons, who are 6 and 9. Ashley is a former teacher, and her family came to unschooling during the pandemic, when her son, who had always found the school environment difficult, refused to engage in any school-like work. Among other things, we talk about prioritising relationships above everything, living a slower, more intentional life, and how we can meet everyone’s needs, including of course, our own. I hope you enjoy the conversation. You can connect with Ashley on I...
2023-02-1553 minThe Unschool Space#35 Healing, trust, and low demand parenting. Unschooling and PDA, with Amanda Diekman in North CarolinaMy guest this episode is Amanda Diekman. Amanda lives in North Carolina with her husband and three sons, who are 6, 8 and 10. Amanda’s journey to unschooling started with her 8 year-old who is autistic, PDA and the reality that school was a difficult and traumatic experience for him. Her 10 year old son, who is also autistic later chose also to leave school. We talk about how we can meet the needs of a PDA child, and how essential it is that we leave behind any mainstream ideas about parenting and education that are unlikely to serve us. Amanda ta...
2023-01-3151 minThe Unschool Space#34 Creating an authentic life that meets everyone's needs, with Emma Hosfeld in IllinoisToday’s conversation is with Emma Hosfeld from Illinois. Emma lives with her husband and three children, who are 7, 5 and 4. Emma traces the roots of her journey to unschooling back to when she was pregnant and the sense of disempowerment she felt within the medical system, and the choices she then made for a more empowered birth experience. She describes how unschooling has affected many areas of her life, and how it has given her the confidence to create a lifestyle that feels authentic to her, from leaving her 9-5 job to building a thriving community around her...
2023-01-1752 minThe Unschool Space#33 Living joyfully and in relationship with our children, with Pam Laricchia in OntarioToday, I am beyond thrilled to be chatting with Pam Laricchia. Pam lives in Ontario, Canada and has three adult children, who are now 30, 28 and 25, and I came across her website about unschooling, which is called Living Joyfully, early on in my own journey, when I was still a little shaky. I found her so incredibly warm and reassuring. So, it was such a huge delight to be able to invite her to The Unschool Space and to have this wonderful conversation with her. Pam has written extensively about unschooling, both on her blog, and also in s...
2023-01-0355 minThe Unschool Space#32 Worldschooling and partnership parenting our teenagers, with Lainie Liberti in MexicoToday, I’m chatting with Lainie Liberti. Lainie is originally from California, but, in 2008, decided to go travelling with her 9-year-old son for a year. She closed the business she had been running for some years and took her son out of school. He is 24 now and they never went back. They’ve travelled extensively, given a Ted talk together on worldschooling, and they now both live in Mexico. Lainie has recently published a book about partnership parenting with teenagers, and she and her son run twice-yearly retreats for teenagers. Today, Lainie shares her experiences of travelling with...
2022-12-1248 minThe Unschool Space#31 Moving from eclectic homeschooling to unschooling, with Marni Kammersel in ColoradoMy guest today is Marni Kammersel from Boulder, Colorado. Marni lives with her husband and three children, who are 13, 10 and 6. She tells us about her family’s recent transition from an eclectic homeschool style to full-on unschooling, a move inspired by her oldest entering his teens, and her youngest having a huge need for autonomy. We talk about how nuanced some of this shift can be, and how so much of it is more about our intention than what we actually do. She also talks about how dropping time limits on screen use was a major part of this sh...
2022-11-2953 minThe Unschool Space#30 Four different journeys - as our unschoolers become adults, with Erin Rosemond in Ontario, CanadaToday I’m chatting with Erin Rosemond in Ontario, Canada. Erin has four children, who are now aged between 17 and 23. Erin came to unschooling when her oldest child reached school age, after connecting with home educating parents and realising that school would be a bad fit for her son. Today we talk about what unschooling looks like as our children get older. How highly individualised it is to each child and their particular interests, and how their own motivation moves them naturally forward on their path. We also talk about our changing roles as parents and what it mea...
2022-11-1355 minThe Unschool Space#29 A new unschooling journey and challenging old stories, with Katy from ConnecticutToday, I’m chatting with Katy, who lives in Connecticut with her husband, her five year old son and her two year old daughter. Katy and her family have just started out on their unschooling journey. As a teacher for many years, Katy had frequently felt uneasy about many aspects of mainstream education, but felt she had no other option for her children. When her son began preschool she realised how bad a fit for him school would be and that they had to look at alternatives. We talk today about how deeply conditioned we are by our...
2022-10-3055 minThe Unschool Space#28 Deschooling, healing, and stepping off the treadmill, with Emily GhassempourMy guest today is Emily Ghassempour. Emily has a son and a daughter, who are 8 and nearly 6, and they left mainstream school just six months ago. School had become a source of extreme stress for the whole family. Daily meltdowns and anxiety finally culminated in the children refusing to go to school and in the family’s decision that they had to try something else. The children now go to the self-directed East Kent Sudbury School three days a week. Emily describes the changes she’s seen as they have relaxed into living and learning naturally, and how she feel...
2022-10-1740 minThe Unschool Space#27 Reflections on life with grown unschooled children, with Ann Hansen in OregonMy guest today is Ann Hansen from Oregon. Ann has two sons, who are now 19 and 20. They went to an alternative school for a couple of years but decided to try out unschooling and were immediately hooked. Besides teaching yoga, Ann now works as a coach with other families who choose not to take the mainstream route. Today Ann reflects on what she learned during those unschooling years and how having the freedom to choose their paths has given her sons the tools to navigate life according to their own needs and desires. We also talk...
2022-10-0347 minThe Unschool Space#26 Unschooling and healing from trauma and upheaval, with Melissa Crockett-Joyoue in New ZealandThis week I’m chatting with Melissa Crockett-Joyoue from New Zealand. Melissa lives with her wife Doria and their two children, who are 7 and 4. Their journey to unschooling began about a year ago because their son, who is diagnosed dyslexic and gifted found school extremely difficult and stressful. Both Melissa and Doria have also had life-threatening health issues which have impacted the children and led to severe separation anxiety. We talk about Melissa’s deschooling experiences, how unschooling is helping her family to heal from their recent trauma and upheaval, and how learning about our children helps us to disc...
2022-09-2044 minThe Unschool Space#25 From tiger mother to peaceful parent, with author, Iris ChenMy guest today is Iris Chen, author of the wonderful book, Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent. Iris and her husband have two boys, who are 12 and 14, and in the book Iris charts her journey from strict, perfectionist mother to advocate of peaceful parenting and unschooling. Iris is Chinese American, as is her husband, so her book addresses the cultural conditioning that she had to shed in order to parent in a way that felt truly coherent to her. Among other things, we talk about how we can go about untangling all our own conditioning...
2022-08-2445 minThe Unschool Space#24 Unschooling and unraveling our beliefs, with Esther Jones (and guest host Nicola Corcoran)A few people have asked me to talk about my journey so, in this episode, my good friend Nicola Corcoran is taking over as host, and is interviewing me : ) Nicola has two children, who are 19 and 16, and she and I often enjoy long conversations pondering our experiences as mothers, and as people in the world, so it's a delight to have this conversation with her today.We talk about how my family came to unschooling and all the unraveling I've had to do of my own beliefs around children and education. We also talk about the things...
2022-08-0842 minThe Unschool Space#23 Three unschooled journeys. Reflections on her adult children's paths in life, with Jane Evans in New ZealandToday, I’m chatting with Jane Evans from New Zealand. Jane has three adult children, who are now 23, 21 and 18. We talk about how important it is to trust our children and the choices they make, and how learning can just take so many forms. And, we reflect on how vastly different each person’s path will be if it comes from their own deep knowing. As always we dip into the topic of tending ourselves too, and the importance of investing time in our own happiness, not just to strengthen our capacities, but also because whether we like it or n...
2022-07-0645 minThe Unschool Space#22 A healing journey. Autism, PDA, and life beyond school, with Eliza FrickerMy guest today is Eliza Fricker. Eliza has a 14-year old daughter who is autistic, PDA, and who struggled hugely with school. Eliza spent many years attempting to navigate the education system and advocate for her daughter, but after much frustration and despair, finally decided that leaving mainstream education was the only option. Eliza has published a book called Missing the Mark, in which, through her illustrations, she shows her process of trying to navigate a confusing, system which often fails to embrace neurodivergent children for who they are, focusing instead on the fixing of the child. She has...
2022-06-1347 minThe Unschool Space#21 Trust and flow - a post-pandemic unschooling journey, with Arielle Nobile in ArgentinaMy guest today is Arielle Nobile. Arielle is an artist, musician and filmmaker who lives with her husband and 11-year-old daughter. They moved recently from Illinois to Argentina, where her husband, who is also an artist, is from. Arielle and her family came to unschooling mid-pandemic after a number of years struggling with the school system, and in particular with their daughter being bullied. They made several school changes, and even moved from Colorado to Arielle's native Illinois in search of a better environment. Finally, after witnessing their daughter's stress on returning to school after lockdown they...
2022-05-0551 minThe Unschool Space#20 Reflections on an unschooled childhood, childbirth and self-directed education, with Bria BloomIn this episode, I chat with Bria Bloom, from Portland, Oregon. Bria lives with her husband and her 11-year-old stepson, who attends a self-directed education project. I've known Bria for some time through her work as Community Manager for The Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE), but only recently found out that she was unschooled herself.Today, we talk about her experience as an unschooler who went on to university, and how her upbringing has influenced the choices she has made in her life and her parenting. Bria and her husband are expecting a baby this summer, so...
2022-04-1842 minThe Unschool Space#19 Unschooling and living in relationship with our young children, with Sarah Plazas in Boulder, ColoradoMy guest in this episode is Sarah Plazas, who lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two children, who are three and five. When her son, Arlo, was three, Sarah and her husband realised that he wasn't coping with the demands and stimulation of preschool. They made the choice to change the way they were living, with both parents moving to part-time work in order to make it possible to have Arlo at home along with his baby sister. Today, we talk about what it means to really respect children as whole beings, and how it ac...
2022-03-1440 minThe Unschool Space#18 Tending relationships. Reflections on self-directed education and living with adult children, in Montreal, Canada, with Renee TougasMy guest in this episode is Renee Tougas, who lives in Montreal, Canada with her husband and three adult children (22, 21 and 19). Renee discovered self-directed learning when her children were small and, whilst she had initially imagined that homeschooling would be all about academics, she soon realised that things just naturally unfolded in the right environment. Her children are now young adults and intentionally living at home whilst each pursuing a different path in higher education.Today, we chat about the need to let go of expectations or attachment to particular outcomes in order to allow our children...
2022-02-0844 minThe Unschool Space#17 The right environment and lots of trust - two essential ingredients for unschooling with autism/PDA, with Simon CrummayToday, I’m talking with Simon Crummay. Simon lives in East Sussex in the UK with his partner Wendy, and their son Luca, who is 13. Luca is diagnosed autistic with demand avoidance and went to school on and off for some years. After almost two years out of school, during which Simon and Wendy adopted an unschooling approach to learning, Luca now attends a self-directed learning centre in the afternoons. We talk about the impact of a child’s environment on their mental health, how learning can look for a child with PDA and why trust really is the corners...
2022-01-1635 minThe Unschool Space#16 Intersectional unschooling in East London, with Naomi ClarkeMy guest in this episode is Naomi Clarke. Naomi lives in East London and has two sons who are 11 and 6. Naomi is the co-director of Gamechangers, a self directed learning and democratic community which her eldest son also attends. Naomi has been home educating since her eldest child was 5, and embraced unschooling after he was seriously ill in hospital. In her words, she decided to "choose happiness". Today, among many other things, Naomi talks about how she has experienced unschooling as a black family, with the added pressure she felt on opting out of mainstream education, and t...
2021-12-0744 minThe Unschool Space#15 Holding space for our children and uncovering our limiting beliefs, with Nadia JoshuaToday I’m talking with Nadia Joshua. Nadia lives in Barry Island in Wales and has two daughters, who are six and nine. Until her daughter left school, three years ago, Nadia was working as a social worker. She took her daughter out of school when she was six years old and had just started year one, as she had rapidly become unhappy and self-critical. Nadia knew there had to be a different way, and could see that her daughter needed more agency over her own life. She discovered unschooling through the works of Pam Laricchia. Today, among other th...
2021-11-2234 minThe Unschool Space#14 Letting go: from teacher to unschooling parent in Atlanta, Georgia, with Marta ObiolsMy guest today is Marta Obiols. Marta is originally from Spain, but has lived in the US for 21 years. She now lives with her husband and three children in Atlanta, Georgia. Marta was a teacher when her children were small, but became interested in unschooling after taking her children out of school and coming across the works of John Holt. She quickly let go of being 'the dictator in the living room' and fully embraced unschooling. Marta's eldest son recently turned 18, and Marta was inspired to write a book about her family's experiences, entitled 18: An unschooling experience. T...
2021-11-0636 minThe Unschool Space#13 The daily practice of unschooling, healing and gentle parenting, with Sarada VilleneuveToday I’m joined by Sarada de Villeneuve. Sarada lives in Brighton, UK, with her husband and three children, who are 14, 11 and 8 . They began unschooling seven years ago, when their eldest son was seven and having a difficult time at school. Sarada had already felt some conflict around sending her children to nursery at a young age, and found her way to unschooling after seeing home educating families in her local park. Sarada describes the daily practise that unschooling is. The deep work of getting beyond our own triggers and old parenting assumptions and engaging with our chi...
2021-10-2536 minThe Unschool Space#12 Living without school, from Dubai to Maine, with Fran Liberatore.My guest in this episode is Fran Liberatore. Fran has two children, aged 7 and 9, and has just moved to an island in Maine after spending three years in Dubai. Fran first came across unschooling some years ago when she discovered John Holt, and her intention had been to to home educate her children. For different reasons, it took until the pandemic for her to finally take the leap. We talk today about how she and her children have adjusted to life without school, the importance of being able to set and maintain our own boundaries (both us a...
2021-08-2339 minThe Unschool Space#11 Unschooling in the south of France, with Laura SmithToday I’m delighted to be joined by Laura Smith. Laura and I have been in touch online for a few years, but this the first time we've spoken. Laura lives in the south of France with her partner and her son, Rowan, who is nearly six. For her family, unschooling was really a natural progression that felt coherent with the way they were living and parenting. We talk about the need to often just surrender to the moment and how hard that can be, and how we deal with our triggers. We also discuss how doing things differently ca...
2021-07-1634 minThe Unschool Space#10 Unschooling teens, the importance of mental health, and a father's perspective, with Anthony Eldridge-RogersMy guest in this episode is Anthony Eldridge-Rogers. Anthony has three teenage children with his wife Lehla (my podcast guest in episode #8) and, together, they wrote a book recounting their family's experiences, called Jump Fall Fly. Anthony works with people with behavioural health challenges and is a specialist recovery and wellness coach.Today, we talk about his daughters’ transition from self-directed learning at home to a college environment and the importance of our children’s mental health. He also shares his experiences as a father and some valuable insights into the particular challenges fathers can face when a fa...
2021-06-2739 minThe Unschool Space#9 Joy, fun, trust, and creating a life that works for you, with Lianne CampbellIn this episode, I chat with Lianne Campbell, a dancer, performer, well-being coach, and mother to 12-year-old Anoushka. Lianne came to unschooling when seeing that her young daughter had no desire to be in school. She hadn't considered home education as she assumed that would mean her doing the teaching and she had left school herself with few qualifications. When someone mentioned unschooling to her, she realised that it was the natural path for them and a continuation of how she had been parenting her daughter all along. She decided to trust her daughter and her own intuition and t...
2021-06-1340 min
The Unschool Space#8 Undoing our scripts, letting go, and unschooling with teenagers, with Lehla EldridgeIn this episode, I’m joined by Lehla Eldridge. Lehla is an illustrator and a performer. She and her husband Anthony have three children, twin daughters, who are nearly 18, and their son who is 15. They’ve been unschooling for many years, and their desire to try something different took them to Italy for four years, and then back to the UK. Lehla and her husband wrote about their experiences in their book Jump Fall Fly, which they published four years ago. An updated edition will be coming out soon. I was really delighted to finally chat with Lehl...
2021-06-0234 minThe Unschool Space#7 A new unschooling journey and embracing the whole child, with Paige HallMy guest in this episode is Paige Hall. Paige has three children, who are nine, seven and four, and she came to unschooling during the pandemic. Without the expectations of school and with the focus entirely on her connection with her children, she found that everyone was happier and more confident, and learning to exercise their own autonomy. So, from there she has embraced a new way of living, and has spent this year learning and really working at picking apart the old paradigms. I absolutely loved talking with Paige, and hearing how radically her family is being transformed. A...
2021-05-0535 minThe Unschool Space#6 Living in connection with our children and rediscovering ourselves, with Heidi SteelIn this episode I am joined by Heidi Steel. Heidi has four children and lives in West Sussex in the UK. Before having children, Heidi used to work as an early years primary school teacher. Her experience in the education system was part of her and her husband’s choice not to send their children to school. Heidi runs a Facebook group called Live Play Learn, where she supports unschooling families. Heidi also works with unschooling families, one on one, and runs the podcast Unschooling Conversations. Among other things, we talk about how learning happens without a curriculum, liv...
2021-04-2034 minThe Unschool Space#5 Unschooling our neurodivergent children, with Naomi FisherMy guest this episode is Naomi Fisher. Naomi is a clinical psychologist and mother of two. Her children were unschooled for six years and now attend a self-directed learning centre. Naomi has just published a wonderful book about self-directed learning, entitled Changing our Minds, which explores the theory and research behind autonomous learning, alongside lots of real-life examples. In this episode, we talk about why autonomy is so important to learning, why school can be particularly tough for our neurodivergent children and how these children can truly thrive in an unschooling environment.You can find my blog, wo...
2021-04-0336 minThe Unschool Space#4 Raising empowered people, and trusting ourselves, with Sophie LovettToday, I’m joined by writer and mother-of-two, Sophie Lovett. Sophie has two sons, aged eight and three, and found her way to unschooling as a natural progression of attachment-style parenting. Sophie was formerly a teacher, but found it hard to reconcile how she wanted her children to live with the demands of mainstream schooling. Like so many of us, she has found the journey into unschooling to also be a journey into her own learning and into the ways that her own experiences of education continued to manifest in her life long into adulthood. For Sophie, this has in...
2021-03-1730 minThe Unschool Space#3 Self-therapy, balance and living with our children, with Sophie LarcherIn this episode of The Unschool Space, I'm delighted to be talking to my friend Sophie Larcher. We met when we both lived in Barcelona, and I remember being so excited to finally come across another unschooling family. Sophie is French and is a costume designer. She, her partner Claudio, who is an artist and teacher, and their two children, Rita and Sacha, have just moved to London. Sophie's journey into unschooling began when they took their daughter out of school after just three weeks. From there, she has never really looked back. In this episode we c...
2021-03-0232 minThe Unschool Space#2 Wellness, healing and living for the moment, with Nicola CorcoranToday I'm joined by Nicola Corcoran, whose journey into life without school began as a search for wellness and happiness. Nicola was diagnosed with cancer 11 years ago, when her children were just three and six. She left her job as an illustrator and took time to focus on her healing. The following year, after her son became seriously ill, she and her husband decided to take both children out of school and find a new way to live as a family. They moved from the city to a small town in pursuit of a less stressful, more joyful life. Ni...
2021-02-1328 minThe Unschool Space#1 Deschooling and taking care of ourselves, with artist and mother Jenny ArranArtist and single mother, Jenny Arran, joins me to chat about the process of our own deschooling. We talk about cultivating trust in our children, the ways they direct their own learning, and what we need to do in order to support ourselves on this sometimes challenging journey. As an artist, Jenny brings a wonderfully observant eye to her own process, and shares how being in nature and making time for reflection help keep her nourished.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me on...
2021-01-3029 min