#5 | Bonding through Building (a Plane), with Natasha & Latham

#7 | Using AI to Help Our 3 & 5 y/o Kids Learn, with Lydia & Kevon

Let me introduce you to Lydia and Kevon. Their energy, their relentless desire to turn ideas into experiments into products, together, is an inspiration. Lydia’s a math tutor, Kevon’s worked at the crossroad of tech and education for years. She’s the determined, achieving mother passionate about how to get students (including her own kids) cultivate interest in learning ; he’s the creative, tinkerer dad exploring how the latest tech tools can enhance learning possibilities, spicing up what schools provide, now empowering 12-16 years old [https://alphastage.org/mentorship] to get out there with their unique projects. They are the parents of two daughters, 5 years old Avery and 3 years old Audrey. Together, we talk about: - navigating between creative learning and the school system learning - children meltdown and the Whole Brain Child - homeschooling vs “semi-homeschooling”, making time to bond with your kids - local vs international schools in Hong Kong, homework and the pressure to perform - knowing what you love and pursue it, teaching girls toughness - what makes a good partner and teammate : enforcing what you said, being on the same side, (then) talking, taking responsibilities over - Alpha School, reimagining the teacher's role - AI x kids : carefully embracing AI to enhance learning 00:00 Introduction: Meet Lydia & Kevon 01:48 Family Background & Professional Journey 04:16 Building Fun Sheets: A Family Project 06:56 Challenges of Raising Young Children 16:01 Parenting Styles & Handling Meltdowns 24:25 Education in Hong Kong: School Choices & Pressures 32:00 Homeschooling vs. Traditional Schooling 42:40 Nurturing Traits: Independence, Toughness, and Curiosity 47:46 Communication & Partnership in Parenting 54:26 Bringing Creativity into Learning 57:12 Building in Public: Kevon’s Journey with Public Lab 1:01:33 Exploring AI in Education & Parenting 1:08:14 Thoughts on Alpha Schools & AI-Driven Learning 1:20:59 Book & Resource Recommendations 1:24:35 Worldschooling & Cultural Exchange 1:27:19 Final Thoughts dig deeper: - approaching music differently: https://instagram.com/p/DOxcAG6E5Fk - how Alpha School works, by founder Mackenzie Price: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENdAWT6N0V4 - The Anxious Generation, a book by Jonathan Haidt: https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/ - Brave New Words, How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing), a book by Salman Khan, founder of Khanmigo and the Khan Academy: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/740806/brave-new-words-by-salman-khan/ - The Whole-Brain Child, a book by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson: https://drdansiegel.com/book/the-whole-brain-child/ - The Disengaged Teen, a book by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop: https://www.thedisengagedteen.com/

#6 | It Is Enough Because We Care And We Try, with Sam & Simon

In this episode, Sam and Simon walk us through the 17 years of experience parenting their three children. Beyond the parents lies the couple. And there is a lot of wisdom to take from their journey.  Together, we talk about their evolving roles over the years, the pain of being successful, the masculine archetype, cherishing connection above anything else, making sure a child is being heard, expectations with regards to school and sports, the commitment to one another, embodying ourselves what we want to pass on to our children, the need to heal from our own trauma, to go through hard stuff together as a couple, the messy middle of navigating tech at home, and their own recipe for a good enough relationship to tech. 00:00 Introduction 04:15 Meet Sam & Simon 14:21 Parenting Philosophy & Roles 21:09 Intentional Parenting Differences 28:06 Expectations Around School & Sports 47:04 Childhood Influences & Family Background 57:44 Healing, Trauma, and Generational Patterns 1:11:23 Tech, Social Media, and Parenting in the Digital Age 1:41:09 Advice, Resources, and Closing Thoughts dig deeper - Seen, the Film : https://seenthefilm.com/ - The Social Dilemma : https://youtu.be/uaaC57tcci0?si=8SdX-qd56Dqsosdh - Embrace Kids : https://youtu.be/UVfkDwQaHik?si=XsQ1FlD_d_i1WKo9 - Circle of Security : https://youtu.be/1wpz8m0BFM8?si=vvVwKwO9LpwipEQC

#5 | Bonding through Building (a Plane), with Natasha & Latham

In this episode, meet Natasha and Latham, homeschooling their two children around a pretty unique project : building an airplane! Together, we talk about down to earth topics like what's a usual weekday in their family, the cost of building an airplane, the tools they’re using to support their home education, the social aspects of homeschooling too. We also take a step back, dig deep into topics like what they learnt from their time in the military, the sense of identity when you give up a pretty exciting career to dedicate 100% to your children's education, we talk about doubt, about the pressure to “get it right”, about bringing your son’s desire to work with his hands into an academic setting so that he could unlock that same level of learning. Overall, we talk about team work, about adversity, about resilience, about togetherness and identity. Enjoy! 00:00:00 Introduction & Meet Natasha and Latham 00:03:50 Natasha’s Background & Family Dynamics 00:06:10 Latham’s Background & Transition to Homeschooling 00:10:25 Deciding to Homeschool & Family Decision Process 00:14:59 Homeschooling Both Kids & Daughter’s Journey 00:17:56 What Keeps You Up at Night? Parental Concerns 00:20:00 A Typical Homeschool Day 00:23:05 Structuring the Day & Learning Styles 00:28:46 Measuring Progress & Academic Growth 00:32:46 Social Aspects of Homeschooling 00:36:30 Support Systems & Community 00:39:00 Financials & Building the Airplane 00:42:00 Kids’ Big Projects & Aspirations 00:45:00 Documenting the Journey & Introspection 00:48:00 Parental Identity & Non-Judgment 00:52:00 Military Lessons & Parenting 00:56:00 Tech, Social Media, and Screen Time 01:00:00 Final Thoughts & Book Recommendations 01:01:30 How to Reach Out & Closing More about them, and the references they talk about: https://newkid.ai/p/ep5-bonding-through-building-a-plane

#4 | Nurturing Freedom and Seeing Kids as Sunset, with Carina & Franco

In this episode, we explore being back in Hong Kong after two years in London, giving children a fair amount of freedom at a very young age, picking up schools, inspiring teachers and more. 00:00 – Introduction: Meet Carina and Franco, parents raising two young children in Hong Kong with a unique approach to freedom and independence. 01:30 – Family Background: Moving between Hong Kong and London, and how their experiences shaped their parenting. 03:00 – Parenting Philosophy: Embracing being the minority in Hong Kong by encouraging freedom, independence, and limited extracurriculars. 06:00 – Balancing Love: Honest stories about sibling rivalry and the challenge of giving equal love to both children. 09:00 – Language & Culture: Navigating bilingualism, cultural expectations, and the influence of tradition in Hong Kong. 13:00 – School Choices: Picking schools based on happiness and strong teacher-student bonds, not just academics. 18:00 – Extracurriculars & Free Play: Why they intentionally limit activities and prioritise unstructured family time. 22:00 – Reflections on Upbringing: How their own childhoods and inspiring teachers influence what they want to pass on to their kids. 27:00 – Technology & AI: Thoughts on introducing AI, screen time policies, and preparing kids for a changing world. 32:00 – Core Values: The importance of self-confidence, family connection, and leading by example. 36:00 – Inspirations & Final Thoughts: Who inspires them, what they hope to pass on, and advice for other parents. 39:00 – Outro: Reflections on parenting, support, wrap up

#3 | Unwrapping Unlimited Screen Time, with Lindl & Steyn

01:07 intro  03:30 Montessori schooling and Taking Children Seriously 04:59 about to relocate: from a Montessori school to homeschooling with a tutor 11:25 Lindl’s experience as a homeschooled kid 14:52 Steyn’s experience in a mainstream school 16:09 the ideal mix 17:36 what’s an exceptional tutor 20:00 Steyn’s focus : the ability to feel and sense, to better solve problems 24:42 Lindl’s focus : be true to yourself (about manners, too) 25:28 about discipline 25:57 the non-coercive approach : how do you make other people feel 29:21 screen time : creating an environment where they will flourish 31:32 how their kids deal with screens 32:58 crafting the environment 37:38 building a YouTube look-alike app using AI, involving kids in the curation 40:20 Minecraft and creativity ; video games 41:49 watching stories together  46:48 screens and boredom 51:01 trust the process 52:39 no time outs  53:44 dealing with crisis and sibling rivalry 59:39 Taking Children Seriously 01:00:58 The Sovereign Child 01:02:16 disagreements 01:07:05 AI and kids : from fact checking to video generation 01:11:30 AI and what to be hopeful for 01:15:11 content they’d like to share with parents (see below) 01:18:24 about their life philosophy : "I don't know what can be more important in life than how we make other people feel, which makes it easier to raise your kid in a non coercive way" ; "being able to say I am sorry"