Self Directed

Hannah Beach explains why true play and “void moments” are essential for healthy child development. She describes void moments as unstructured, unstimulated time where children are not directed, entertained, or managed, and shows how these moments allow children to process experience, develop identity, regulate emotions, and build resilience. Hannah is an award-winning educator, author, and emotional health consultant with more than 25 years of experience developing play-based and relationship-centered programs for children, families, and schools. She is co-author of Reclaiming Our Students and works internationally with educators, school systems, and organizations to support children’s emotional well-being through play, attachment, and community. 🗓️ Recorded December 15, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://hannahbeach.ca https://www.instagram.com/hannahbeachedu https://www.facebook.com/hannahbeachedu  https://www.youtube.com/@hannahbeachedu  https://x.com/HannahBeachEDU https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-beach-edu Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Anthropologist Jeppe Trolle Linnet explains how men’s fear of vulnerability is shaped by dominance, shame, and competition, drawing on years of work with men’s groups and recent field research in Greenland. He describes why men struggle to share pain, how loneliness and divorce intensify isolation, and how fatherhood, emotional listening, and community spaces offer alternative models of masculinity grounded in trust rather than control. 🗓️ Recorded December 8, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeppelinnet Jeppes personal Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067588879414  🔗  DareGender https://www.daregender.dk/  https://www.facebook.com/DareGender  https://www.instagram.com/daregender/  https://x.com/daregender  https://www.linkedin.com/company/daregender/  Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Ex-detective turned homeschooler Victoria Lenormand describes leaving a policing career as it shifted from service to force and recognizing the same pattern in her son’s early schooling. In this conversation, she explains how grading, labels, and constant assessment eroded confidence, and how home education replaced pressure with agency, learning by doing, and community built through shared interests rather than age-based classrooms. 🗓️ Recorded December 8, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://geminidirections.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-lenormand-2129227b/ https://www.instagram.com/geminidirections.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/geminidirections https://amzn.eu/d/dZz1BqH Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Susan Yao is an educator, school founder, and advocate of self-directed learning. She previously served as Middle School Head at Friends Academy in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, following more than a decade of teaching. She co-founded the Vermont Village School, a community-based microschool emphasising student-led learning, autonomy, and community engagement. The episode connects her parents’ years in China’s school closures with her own path through American schooling and into the early stages of unschooling. The conversation outlines her family’s approach to dyslexia, late reading, and open learning rhythms. 🗓️ Recorded November 6, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://susyao.substack.com/  https://www.vermontvillageschool.org/  https://www.lionsroar.com/author/susan-yao/ The Math Myth by Andrew Hacker: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620970686/  Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

What happens when unschooled teens meet college systems, exams, and external expectations? Jesper and Cecilie Conrad speak with Missy Willis about how adolescents raised with freedom step into formal learning without losing curiosity or confidence. The conversation follows family transitions, changing homes, and the moment when rigor and motivation finally align. 🗓️ Recorded November 4, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com https://letemgobarefoot.com Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Summer Jean describes how growing up unschooled shaped her ideas of work, freedom, and value. She explains how her mother’s focus on connection over control helped her develop confidence in her own sense of rightness. The episode contrasts inner conviction with productivity as a measure of worth. 🗓️ Recorded October 16, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗 Relevant links https://www.facebook.com/mermaidartglass/ https://www.instagram.com/summerisafairy/ https://www.instagram.com/andanzasanpancho/ https://www.instagram.com/mermaidartglass/ https://www.etsy.com/shop/mermaidartglass  🔗 Books by John Taylor Gatto https://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Curriculum-Compulsory-Schooling-ebook/dp/B072F9VRZP  https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-Schoolteachers-Compulsory-ebook/dp/B0097DE6XI  https://www.amazon.com/Underground-History-American-Education-Investigation/dp/0998919101/  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Taylor_Gatto  Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Cecilie and Jesper Conrad describe how illness, travel, and questioning convention led their family from a more or less traditional path in Denmark—through a Freinet-inspired free school—to a fully unschooled, nomadic life. They explain how unschooling developed through practical choices, legal frameworks, and value-based reflection rather than ideology. 🗓️ Recorded September 20, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Solrød, Denmark 🔗 Relevant links https://www.thisgoldenhour.org/podcast  https://www.instagram.com/this.goldenhour  Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Co-creation unfolds when control gives way to trust. Life Is Easy grew from a shared intention among ten people who wrote together without plans or deadlines. The process reveals how purpose and openness can replace pressure, turning collaboration into a form of ease. 🗓️ Recorded September 30, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗 Relevant links https://learning4life.dk https://www.linkedin.com/in/lise-damkjær/  Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Jamie Rumble shares his research on digital nomadism in the era of climate change. We explore how mobility, mental health, and community connect—and what nomads can teach about resilience. 🗓️ Recorded September 22, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark 🎙️ Listen to: First episode with Jamie Rumble: https://www.theconrad.family/selfdirected127 Second episode with Jamie Rumble: https://www.theconrad.family/selfdirected128 📚 Books mentioned in this episode Nomad Century by Gaia Vince - Get it on Amazon Digital Nomad by Tsugio Makimoto & David Manners - Get it on Amazon Education in a Time Between Worlds: Essays on the Future of Schools, Technology, and Society - Get it on Amazon Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Kate McAllister shares her journey from traditional teaching in the UK to creating The Human Hive in the Dominican Republic. We talk about learning through global projects, raising children outside the standard map, and what it means to discover that there are no dragons when you step off the expected path.  🗓️ Recorded September 10, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark 🔗  Relevant links https://www.thehiveadventure.com https://www.facebook.com/thehiveadventure  https://www.instagram.com/thehiveadventure https://www.tiktok.com/@thehiveadventure  https://www.youtube.com/@thehiveadventure  https://www.linkedin.com/in/misskatemcallister Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Amanda Ashworth shares how reading The Four Hour Workweek led her to question conventional success, homeschool her children, and eventually create the World Schooling Hub in Goa. She explains discovering her son’s hidden learning needs, why Goa became her family’s second home, and how the hub supports children, teens, and even parents through education, play, and wellness practices. We also explore community life, balancing family and business, and why parent and dad circles matter for building connection. 🗓️ Recorded September 10, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark 🔗  Relevant links https://www.worldschoolinghubgoa.com/ https://www.instagram.com/worldschoolinghubgoa/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561303705469  https://www.linkedin.com/company/worldschooling-hub-goa/  https://www.tiktok.com/@worldschoolinghubgoa  http://amandaashworth.com/  Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

What happens when a kindergarten teacher moves to teaching fifth grade and discovers that in just five years, the educational system has extinguished the light in children’s eyes? For Leah McDermott, this stark realization sparked a journey from conventional educator to unschooling advocate. In this episode we talk with Leah about her path out of the classroom and into unschooling with her own family. She shares what it was like to grow up homeschooled in a very rigid, school-at-home way, and how that experience shaped the choices she made later. We hear how becoming a mother pushed her to rethink education completely, and why she founded Your Natural Learner to support families making the same shift. Leah explains why homeschooling often repeats the same problems as school when parents bring curriculum, tests, and grades into the home. She talks about the process of deschooling for parents, unlearning the reflex to correct or measure everything, and learning instead to trust children’s natural curiosity. Her own son’s love of math shows what this can look like in practice—solving complex problems in his head without ever being taught traditional methods. We also talk about how unschooling can feel isolating at first, when friends and family don’t understand the choice. Leah reflects on the constant questions children face, like “What grade are you in?” or “What did you learn today?” and why shifting those questions toward real interests matters. She reminds parents that the pressure to justify unschooling often says more about their own uncertainty than about the curiosity of others. 🗓️ Recorded August 28th, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark 🔗  Relevant links https://www.instagram.com/yournaturallearner  https://www.facebook.com/yournaturallearner https://naturallearningshop.com https://bridgeacademy.us  https://yournaturallearner.substack.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/yournaturallearner  https://x.com/therealleahmcd  https://www.youtube.com/@Yournaturallearner  Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Adolescence 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 powerful stages of development — with a brain growing faster than at any other time, and social awareness reaching new heights — yet why conventional schooling so often gets in the way. Drawing on twelve years of research with adolescents worldwide, he shows how adventures like starting a business, creating guerrilla art, or camping solo can help young people step into their capabilities and keep their curiosity alive. Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn, praises the book: “Buy this book for every middle schooler, or about-to-be middle schooler you know. It just might provide the spark that turns what can be difficult years into years of awesome adventure and growth.” We also explore Chris’s own path from unhappy student to educational innovator — founding a lab school and creating an apprenticeship program that connected more than 17,000 young people with real-world mentors (including one who learned to fly a plane at twelve!). 🔗  Relevant links https://www.chrisbalme.com/  https://www.instagram.com/chrisbalme  https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBalme/  https://www.amazon.com/Challenge-Accepted-Adventures-Middle-Awesome/dp/B0FJ2R8DY8  Books mentioned in the podcast Baol by Stefano Benni The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin The Humans by Matt Haig 🗓️ Recorded August 15th, 2025. 📍 Lindale, Grange-over-Sands, UK Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

How can we recover the essential human connections that make life meaningful and sustainable? How can we create a world where neighbors know each other's names, children play freely outdoors, and no parent faces the overwhelming challenges of raising children alone?  Sarah van Gelder, founder of YES Magazine and author of "The Revolution Where You Live," joins us to explore the troubling fragmentation of our social structures and the promising alternatives emerging in response. A growing number of Danish households are single-person dwellings, and approximately 95% of Danish children attend daycare. There is a global trend toward smaller household units and increasing isolation that contributes to what the U.S. Surgeon General has called a mental health crisis of loneliness. Drawing from her experience raising children in a co-housing community and her 12,000-mile journey exploring grassroots solutions across America, Sarah van Gelder shares examples of how intentional communities create joy, support, and meaning. From worker-owned cooperatives transforming economic power dynamics to neighbourhood initiatives that rebuild social connections, these stories challenge the dominant narrative that privacy and independence should be our highest priorities. The conversation delves into the cultural forces driving our disconnection—media that emphasizes danger over cooperation, economic pressures that separate families, and the glorification of individualism that leaves people feeling they must solve all problems alone.  The path toward more connected living doesn't necessarily require radical lifestyle changes—simple actions like organizing neighborhood gatherings or creating mutual aid networks can begin to rebuild our social fabric.  🔗  Relevant links https://substack.com/@howwerise  https://www.facebook.com/Sarah.van.Gelder/  https://www.yesmagazine.org/  https://www.instagram.com/sarahrvangelder/  https://x.com/sarahvangelder https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sarah-van-Gelder/author/B006ASKW2M  🗓️ Recorded August 6th, 2025. 📍 The Addisons, Whityham, UK Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Send us a text We sit down with Andrew and Heidi Schrum, just three weeks away from starting their life as a full-time nomadic worldschooling family. They ask us direct questions about our seven years of unschooling and worldschooling. We discuss how the biggest changes happened in us as parents—not our children. We describe letting go of academic pressure, seeing teenagers choose their own academic interests, and how travel creates natural learning opportunities. We also talk about why we stepped away from curriculum-based education and what we've learned about trust, autonomy, and family life on the road. Topics include: Trusting children’s natural learning Moving beyond academic schedules Teens choosing study for themselves How travel shapes social and cultural learning Critiques of conventional schooling What changes most for parents in unschooling 🗓️ Recorded August 3rd, 2025. 📍 The Addisons, Whityham,UK Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Send us a text We sit down with Heidi and Andrew Schrum, who are about to leave home and begin travelling full-time with their two young children.  They ask us what we wish we’d known at the beginning, and we talk through everything from reluctant kids and screen time to preparation that doesn’t help and the emotional crash that often comes six months into travel.  We also get into how to parent while unschooling—without stepping back too far—and how public perception shifts when you reframe unschooling as world-schooling.  This is a direct, unscripted conversation about what it actually takes to live nomadically as a family. Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Send us a text Charles Eisenstein is an author and speaker whose books and essays explore themes of community, human connection, economics, and social change. He is known for works such as The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible. Charles joins us to explore how modern family structures have evolved and what's been lost in our transition from community-based living to isolated nuclear families.  What gets lost when we accept today’s idea of “normal” life? Together with Charles we discuss the shift from community to isolated nuclear families, the fading of shared caregiving, and why so many people feel something essential is missing.  Charles shares his view that grief and discomfort about modern life are important signals, not problems to fix.  Together, we question how community skills have eroded and what it might take to rebuild real connection.  If you find yourself questioning “normal” and longing for deeper connection, this conversation offers perspective and encouragement to trust that feeling—and to look for ways, big or small, to rebuild genuine community in your own life. 🔗 Connect with Charles Eisenstein  https://charleseisenstein.org/ https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/  https://www.youtube.com/@charleseisenstein  🗓️ Recorded July 11, 2025. 📍 Bremerhaven, Germany Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Send us a text What happens when a single mom chooses to reject conventional norms, embraces van life, and takes her daughter out of traditional education? Vanessa Woozley joins us to share her inspiring story of courage, resilience, and transformation. Vanessa’s adventure began with short trips, gradually evolving into full-time worldschooling in a van. She dispels myths about needing significant resources or a traditional two-parent household to pursue a life of travel and alternative education. Vanessa reveals how her daughter thrived after leaving conventional schooling, becoming self-motivated and deeply engaged in learning through genuine interests. We explore the practicalities of single-parent van life, covering everything from managing online education and co-parenting arrangements to handling van troubles and finding community through worldschooling hubs. Vanessa's insights on facing fears, handling uncertainty, and embracing resilience offer powerful encouragement to anyone considering a similar journey. Vanessa also shares her holistic approach to health and well-being on the road, highlighting the simplicity and importance of maintaining healthy routines and nutrition despite the nomadic lifestyle. 🗓️ Recorded June 19th, 2025. 📍 Åmarksgård, Lille Skendsved, Denmark 🔗 Connect with Vanessa Woozley https://www.facebook.com/thelifesutras https://www.instagram.com/thelifesutra  https://www.youtube.com/c/VanessaWoozleyTheLifeSutra  https://www.linkedin.com/in/thelifesutra Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Send us a text Sociologist Jennie Germann Molz joins the podcast to discuss her book The World Is Our Classroom: Extreme Parenting and the Rise of Worldschooling. Jennie is a professor at the College of the Holy Cross whose research explores mobility, technology, and alternative forms of family life. Drawing on both academic insight and her own experience traveling the world with her ten-year-old son, she examines what happens when families move beyond traditional education models and choose to learn through travel. We talk about how worldschooling challenges conventional ideas of parenting, risk, and education. The term itself includes a wide range of practices, from part-time educational travel to fully nomadic living. What connects them is a shared belief that learning happens outside institutional classrooms. Jennie also describes how both worldschooling and more conventional approaches like helicopter parenting can respond to the same concerns about preparing children for the future. The conversation looks at worldschooling through the lens of a sociologist, covering how travel shapes emotional adaptability in children, how standardized testing limits our understanding of learning, and how digital tools and post-COVID shifts have expanded possibilities for mobile education. For listeners interested in alternative education, digital nomad families, or learning outside school systems, this episode offers a grounded academic view of the worldschooling movement. 🗓️ Recorded June 10th, 2025. 📍 Åmarksgård, Lille Skendsved, Denmark 🔗 Learn more about Jennie Germann Molz https://www.holycross.edu/academics/people/jennie-germann-molz https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jennie-Germann-Molz/author/B005OSBMGO   Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

Send us a text After her eight-year-old son was expelled from school in the UK, Corianda Shepherd and her partner Joel left behind a life that no longer worked. They moved to rural Spain, bought the first house they saw, and slowly built Shepherd’s Rest—a worldschooling community where families live together, learn in nature, and reject the idea that difference needs to be managed or corrected. This episode is not just about homeschooling. It’s about what happens when the social structure becomes too rigid, when families are stretched thin, and when children who don’t fit are sidelined. We talk about creating a different rhythm, not as an escape, but as a deliberate response to a system that has forgotten its purpose. Corianda shares how her sons began to thrive in a quieter environment, how a diagnosis doesn’t have to define a life, and why she believes family—not institutions—should be the foundation for raising children. Together, we reflect on how the box society offers has become too small, and what it takes to build something more human outside it. 🗓️ Recorded June 3rd, 2025. 📍 Åmarksgård, Lille Skendsved, Denmark 🔗 Connect with Coriandra and Shepherd’s Rest https://www.shepherdsrest.org/ https://www.instagram.com/shepsrest https://www.facebook.com/ShepsRest  Support the show PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily