Self Directed

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.thehiveadventure.com/] * https://www.facebook.com/thehiveadventure [https://www.facebook.com/thehiveadventure]  * https://www.instagram.com/thehiveadventure [https://www.instagram.com/thehiveadventure/] * https://www.tiktok.com/@thehiveadventure [https://www.tiktok.com/@thehiveadventure]  * https://www.youtube.com/@thehiveadventure [https://www.youtube.com/@thehiveadventure]  * https://www.linkedin.com/in/misskatemcallister [https://www.linkedin.com/in/misskatemcallister/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2103333/support] PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast [http://theconrad.family/podcast] YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 [https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365] Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple [https://www.theconrad.family/apple] Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify [https://theconrad.family/spotify] RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss [https://theconrad.family/rss] SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily [https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily] Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast [https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family [https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily [https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily] Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily [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.instagram.com/worldschoolinghubgoa/ [https://www.instagram.com/worldschoolinghubgoa/] * https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561303705469 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561303705469]  * https://www.linkedin.com/company/worldschooling-hub-goa/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/worldschooling-hub-goa/]  * https://www.tiktok.com/@worldschoolinghubgoa [https://www.tiktok.com/@worldschoolinghubgoa]  * http://amandaashworth.com/ [http://amandaashworth.com/]  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2103333/support] PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast [http://theconrad.family/podcast] YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 [https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365] Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple [https://www.theconrad.family/apple] Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify [https://theconrad.family/spotify] RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss [https://theconrad.family/rss] SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily [https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily] Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast [https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family [https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily [https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily] Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily [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.instagram.com/yournaturallearner ] * https://www.facebook.com/yournaturallearner [https://www.facebook.com/yournaturallearner/] * https://naturallearningshop.com [https://naturallearningshop.com/] * https://bridgeacademy.us [https://bridgeacademy.us]  * https://yournaturallearner.substack.com [https://yournaturallearner.substack.com/] * https://www.linkedin.com/in/yournaturallearner [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yournaturallearner]  * https://x.com/therealleahmcd [https://x.com/therealleahmcd]  * https://www.youtube.com/@Yournaturallearner [https://www.youtube.com/@Yournaturallearner]  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2103333/support] PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast [http://theconrad.family/podcast] YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 [https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365] Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple [https://www.theconrad.family/apple] Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify [https://theconrad.family/spotify] RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss [https://theconrad.family/rss] SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily [https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily] Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast [https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family [https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily [https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily] Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily [https://twitter.com/theconradfamily]

Blake Boles joins us to talk about his recent editorial, "I Don't Want a Nuclear Family, I Want a Galactic Commune - on the pursuit of quality conversation", which is about the decline of quality conversation and his resistance to the nuclear family model.  We discuss the difference between daily logistics and real dialogue, why travel often brings deeper connections, and how temporary communities can support richer conversations. Blake shares ideas like hosting travelers, playing structured games like Hot Seat, and treating every interaction as a chance to learn something new. Listen to our first episode together with Blake Boles | Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids To School? : https://www.theconrad.family/selfdirected48 [https://www.theconrad.family/selfdirected48] 🗓️ Recorded August 26th, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark 🔗  Relevant links * Website: https://www.blakeboles.com/ [https://www.blakeboles.com/] * Blake on Substack: https://letters.blakeboles.com/  [https://letters.blakeboles.com/] * Podcast: https://www.blakeboles.com/dbr/ [https://www.blakeboles.com/dbr/]  * Website: https://www.unschooladventures.com/ [https://www.unschooladventures.com/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blaketotheboles/ [https://www.instagram.com/blaketotheboles/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unschooladventures/ [https://www.instagram.com/unschooladventures/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unschool.adventures [https://www.facebook.com/unschool.adventures] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blake.boles [https://www.facebook.com/blake.boles] Books by Blake Boles * Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School? [https://amzn.to/3RCDi20]: https://amzn.to/3RCDi20 [https://amzn.to/3RCDi20] * The Art of Self-Directed Learning [https://amzn.to/3GEXpXe]: https://amzn.to/3GEXpXe [https://amzn.to/3GEXpXe] * Better Than College: How to Build a Successful Life Without a Four-Year Degree [https://amzn.to/3RCiwzx]: https://amzn.to/3RCiwzx [https://amzn.to/3RCiwzx] * College Without High School: A Teenager’s Guide to Skipping High School and Going to College [https://amzn.to/3RkZlc2]: https://amzn.to/3RkZlc2 [https://amzn.to/3RkZlc2] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2103333/support] PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast [http://theconrad.family/podcast] YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 [https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365] Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple [https://www.theconrad.family/apple] Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify [https://theconrad.family/spotify] RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss [https://theconrad.family/rss] SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily [https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily] Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast [https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family [https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily [https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily] Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily [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.chrisbalme.com/]  * https://www.instagram.com/chrisbalme [https://www.instagram.com/chrisbalme]  * https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBalme/ [https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBalme/]  * https://www.amazon.com/Challenge-Accepted-Adventures-Middle-Awesome/dp/B0FJ2R8DY8 [https://www.amazon.com/Challenge-Accepted-Adventures-Middle-Awesome/dp/B0FJ2R8DY8]  Books mentioned in the podcast * Baol by Stefano Benni [https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24707.Stefano_Benni] * The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13651.The_Dispossessed] * The Humans by Matt Haig [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16130537-the-humans] 🗓️ Recorded August 15th, 2025. 📍 Lindale, Grange-over-Sands, UK Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2103333/support] PODCAST INFO Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast [http://theconrad.family/podcast] YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365 [https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365] Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple [https://www.theconrad.family/apple] Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify [https://theconrad.family/spotify] RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss [https://theconrad.family/rss] SUPPORT & CONNECT Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily [https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily] Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast [https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family [https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily [https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily] Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily [https://twitter.com/theconradfamily]