It took decades of researching, writing, and editing to be standing on the precipice of my book launch. Raising Critical Thinkers is now officially available to pre-order!

I am thrilled to unleash this project into the world and stimulate a conversation on how we read and discern information – a theme on top of everyone’s minds – and social media feeds.  Tune in as I share why Raising Critical Thinkers will nourish future generations of worldly, passionate, and thoughtful learners. Plus: the key dates to put in your calendar to take this community and conversation further. 

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• Pre-order: Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent's Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age
• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2021 and you’ll get a free seven-day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz
• Join the Launch Party for the book here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rctlaunchparty

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

When it comes to politics, keeping your facts straight can feel nearly impossible. It seems as if every outlet has some political bias, and misinformation can run rampant on social media and take hold of millions without question. That’s why critical thinking — especially in this realm — is incredibly important.

Sharon McMahon of SharonSaysSo has so much to teach me — and all of us — about government, history, and whales. She’s a former high school government and law teacher who earned a reputation as “America’s Government teacher” amidst the historic 2020 election proceedings for her viral efforts to educate the general public on political misinformation. Through a simple mission to share non-partisan information about democracy, Sharon launched her Instagram account to explain the facts without the political bias and clickbait that often go along with them. Her community of governerds have raised over 1.3 million dollars for people with needs and to relieve medical debt. She’s here to discuss the art of critical thinking.

We talk about the importance of unpacking biases, how to identify facts, when to defer to the experts, and how to think like a scientist.

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2021 and you’ll get a free seven-day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

As we talk about critical thinking, the conversation tends to skew towards teenagers and high schoolers, but you’d be amazed at the powerful wheels turning in the minds of our little ones. We can prime the environment for them to be quality thinkers at as young as preschool or even toddlerhood.

Susie Allison has a lot of insight into this age group. She runs the popular Instagram account, Busy Toddler, and she’s created a wealth of experiences for her own children and other families. Busy Toddler has grown up to become a worldwide brand, with Susie authoring “The Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting.” She has a degree in Elementary Education and is currently earning her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• Follow Susie on Instagram: @busytoddler
• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2021 and you’ll get a free seven-day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Today’s guest is someone of which I’m a huge fan, who lives as a role model for my future, who has hundreds of thousands of followers, and who has even been featured in commercials for GoDaddy.

She’s Lyn Slater, the Accidental Icon. She has multiple degrees and lives in New York where she taught social work at Fordham University for 20 years. She’s a fashion icon, but what really sets her apart is her critical thinking. Throughout her academic work and teaching career, she balances creativity with thoughtfulness for learning and education. She’s also a person of integrity and depth.

Lyn started Accidental Icon when she had trouble finding a fashion blog that offered an urban, modern, and intellectual aesthetic for women who live what she calls “interesting but ordinary” lives in cities. Women who – like her – aren’t celebrities, but are smart, creative, fashion-forward, thoughtful, engaged, and comfortable with who they are.

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• Learn more: accidentalicon.com
• Instagram: @iconaccidental
• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2021 + you’ll get a free seven-day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Is university a rite of passage or merely a means to success? Or is there even more to it? Could college grow our young adult’s minds and hearts in addition to their thinking and practical skills?

Dr. Adam Clark is a professor and theologian at Xavier University. He’s committed to the idea that 21st century theological education must equip and inspire students to live according to the St. Ignatius dictum, “Go forth, and set the world on fire.”

During his tenure, Dr. Clark has received many distinctions and awards for his work. His courses contribute to the Jesuit practice of educating students in the service of faith and the promotion of justice. He currently serves as the co-chair of Black Theology Group at The American Academy of Religion, and he is frequently in demand by news programs for his comments on issues related to social justice.

Adam speaks from the fullness of his personal, Christian faith as he discusses critical thinking. His concepts, however, are life-giving – no matter which belief system you hold.

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• Want help getting started with “Brave Writer?” Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the “Brave Writer” newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we have in 2021 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

The Enneagram can be a useful tool for understanding the different ways in which people perceive the world, but how can it apply to critical thinking?

Leslie Hershberger has a unique blend of wisdom, practical training, and insight. She has worked with the three-centered Enneagram approach for over 20 years as a consultant, master teacher, coach, spiritual guide, facilitator, and mentor. She’s certified in The Narrative Tradition and in Enneagram in Business and has served on the board of the International Enneagram Association.

Leslie talks about how critical thinking shows up in each of the nine Enneagram types. Some of this conversation gets into the weeds of the Enneagram system, but if you stick with it you will come away with a greater understanding of the ways people sort the world.

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• lesliehershberger.com
• Sign up for The Centers Approach Course and get 25% off using code “bravewriter”
• Read: “The Complete Enneagram” by Beatrice Chestnut
• Peter O’Hanrahan: theenneagramatwork.com
• Purchase our Intuitive Homeschool Planning Tool at store.bravewriter.com
• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Homeschooling should be an option for everyone. That doesn’t sound like a controversial statement, and yet many of us struggle to make our homeschool right for us and our family.

Maren Goerss and Angela Sizer are the dynamic duo behind Homeschool Unrefined, an inclusive and non-sectarian podcast and community all about keeping homeschool simple, real, and fun. These friends of more than 20 years carry a breezy chemistry that bleeds into every topic they touch. They are both former public school teachers with master’s degrees in education and they want parents to know that homeschooling can be less about lesson-plans and more about nurturing the inherent, natural love of learning already within our kids.

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Raising five kids during the internet era, everyone is dying to know what my thoughts on video games are! How many hours, how many minutes, how many days? Are they too violent? Is it okay if they love Minecraft? Will they lose all motivation to work? Let’s discuss all this and more!

Ash Brandin (they/them) is a middle school teacher from Golden, Colorado. After researching the use of video games in classrooms, Ash found that there was very little research about how games compel people to play, and how this can be brought into the classroom — or any educational environment. Since 2016, Ash has spoken across the country about how academic spaces can mimic game structures to make learning compelling, motivating, and engaging. They believe games, specifically entertainment based games, can help us create better teaching, more engaged learning, and motivated lifelong learners.

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

The podcast has been dark for a few months… and for a good reason! Julie just wrapped up writing her newest book (out February 2022). Now that it’s in the hands of publishers, she’s ready to get back to the business of podcasting. The theme for this season comes from the topic of the book: Critical thinking. Let’s peel back the layers and get a closer look at what it means to be a critical thinker.

Dr. Diana Hill is a psychologist and podcaster with Off The Clock Psychologists. At the beginning of the pandemic, when so many people unexpectedly had their children at home with them, Dr. Hill discovered Julie’s book “The Brave Learner.” She used the ideas in The Brave Leaner to become a home educator herself. In today’s podcast, Diana talks about how to create a better relationship with ourselves. She has co-authored a therapeutic personal journal that features a practice called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT is cutting-edge, evidence-based psychology that helps people develop psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility is one of the best indicators of effective parenting, and recent research shows that psychological flexibility reduces the impact of pandemic stress on families and kids.

Psychological flexibility involves directing yourself towards your values — even in the face of difficulty and challenges. It takes skills in acceptance, perspective taking, values, being present, stepping back from thoughts, and commitment to become psychologically flexible. The ACT Daily Journal breaks psychological flexibility into an eight-week program that helps people in each of these skills to get present, identify their values, and take committed action in the direction that matters most to them.

You can download show notes for the podcast here: blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts

Resources:

• drdianahill.com
• Instagram: @drdianahill
• Purchase: "ACT Daily Journal"
• Listen: Psychologists Off the Clock
• Learn about our Brave Learner Home membership and our special offer at bravewriter.com/specialoffer
• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: bravewriter.com/blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Join Julie today as she talks with best-selling author and award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig. Together, they explore their shared enthusiasm for Shakespeare and how to bring the Bard to life for our children. Learn about memorizing soliloquies, examining Shakespeare’s language, and the details of how Shakespeare’s plays have been preserved for us to enjoy (it’s a great story!).

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-started
• Sign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie:

• Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
• Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
• Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

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Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media