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In this episode of the Ex-Homeschoolers Club, I'm sitting down with artist and college educator Jennifer King to explore what really happens when you grow up inside strict Evangelical Christian homeschool culture. Jennifer opens up about navigating deep childhood social isolation, recognizing the toxicity of patriarchy and purity culture at an early age, and the sudden culture shock of transitioning into college life. She shares how visual art became a powerful outlet for processing stored emotions when words fell short, and why healing from a sheltered background often requires balancing strong boundaries with an understanding of family history.
Key Takeaways
Connect with Jennifer
Resources
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Chapters
00:00 Welcome to the Ex-Homeschoolers Club
00:36 Finding An Ex-Homeschool Community
04:39 Jennifer Background and Upbringing
12:52 Finding Belonging and Reading Bad Vibes
19:17 Patriarchy and Purity Culture
25:05 Sex Shame and Relationship Rules
36:02 Leaving Home and College Fears
41:19 The Culture Shock Of College
45:22 Secular Music Debate
49:14 Leaving For Art
50:23 Art Roots And Purpose
53:46 Choosing Oil Paint
55:25 Art As Escape
58:21 Museums And Meaning
01:03:40 Homeschooling Advice Today
01:09:43 One Good Thing From Your Homeschool Experience
01:13:22 What Is One Thing You'd Want To Change
01:17:24 How To Find Jennifer's Artwork
01:20:04 Healing And Closing
If you want to support the channel, like, comment, share, or consider buying me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclubJoin Book ClubGrab a copy of the book "A Well-Trained Wife" by Tia Levings: https://bookshop.org/a/128680/9781250898050
Join the discussion over on the Fable App: https://fable.co/club/ex-homeschoolers-book-club-with-jacob-gooden-585330795145
The landscape of homeschooling has shifted dramatically over the last decade. In this episode, host Jacob Gooden sits down with homeschool parent and tech entrepreneur Oshri Cohen to discuss modern education strategies, navigating neurodiversity, and leveraging contemporary technology. Oshri shares his family's journey into homeschooling after traditional public, private, and Montessori school environments failed his two dyslexic sons. Rather than forcing rigid structures, Oshri and his wife focus on teaching applied knowledge, critical thinking, and real-world experience.
Throughout the conversation, Oshri explains how his family integrates cutting-edge tools into their daily routine. His children use artificial intelligence daily to ask deep questions, explore complex topics, and learn via the Socratic method. Oshri also highlights the concept of worldschooling, sharing how living in places like Bulgaria, Costa Rica, and Panama provides his sons with hands-on history and cultural lessons that books alone cannot replicate.
The discussion also tackles common homeschooling misconceptions, including the ubiquitous question of socialization. Oshri explains why interacting across diverse age groups and real-world environments fosters stronger communication skills than standard classroom settings. He offers valuable encouragement for parents contemplating homeschooling, emphasizing that the biggest hurdle is often shifting the adult mindset around how learning is measured.
Key Takeaways
Focus on applied knowledge and real-world context rather than rote memorization or standard testing metrics.
Integrate interactive AI tools to encourage children to think critically through Socratic questioning.
Embrace worldschooling and travel to give children firsthand exposure to culture, economics, and history.
Reframe socialization around meaningful communication across all age groups rather than strict peer groups.
Shift the parental mindset from measuring schoolwork completed to evaluating actual learning and curiosity.
Resources / Links
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Check out our Substack: https://exhsclub.substack.com
Email Newsletter: https://exhsclub.beehiiv.com/Message Me On Socials
Email me at [email protected]
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclub
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@exhsclub Listen on Podcast Players
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1hIhpMeEy6VJuqNUwfz5TE
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ex-homeschoolers-club/id1641525487
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-ex-homeschoolers-club-201877573Chapters
00:00 Welcome Back to the Ex-Homeschoolers Club
02:46 Meet Oshri Cohen
04:16 Why We Chose Homeschool
06:06 Testing ADHD and Dyslexia
08:08 Quebec Curriculum Reality
09:54 Teaching Real History
12:26 Applied Learning Tools
16:14 Writing and AI Skills
18:59 Libraries and Classics
23:03 Understanding Dyslexic Minds
33:05 Hard Conversations at Home
36:25 Context Not Control
37:31 Peer Influence Reality Check
38:31 Homeschool Socialization Myth
42:57 Worldschooling Hubs Explained
46:11 Travel As Real Education
49:26 Tech Tools At Home
53:33 Building A Safer YouTube
01:01:20 Teaching Critical Thinking
01:03:44 Homeschooling Is More Not Less
01:06:26 Parent Mindset And Measuring Learning
01:08:33 Final Thoughts And Wrap Up
If you want to support the channel, like, comment, share, or consider buying me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclub
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On today's show, I dive deep into my personal journey growing up as a homeschool kid in Southern California. From starting out in public school to transitioning into home education for 2nd grade and going all the way through high school, this is a candid reflection on how my upbringing shaped my independence, routine, and confidence. I open up about the positive aspects (such as building strong time-management skills and thriving in unique extracurriculars like swing dancing and mime troupe) while addressing the flaws, including creationist-focused science curricula and a lack of exposure to diverse worldviews. Finally, I share my current perspective on the homeschool debate, advocating for common-sense regulations to protect children while emphasizing the need for nuanced, open conversations.
Key Takeaways
Favorite Quote
"It's not as simple as yes regulation, no regulation. Like, it's not as simple as just saying, 'Let's take existing rules and slap them on this thing.' It's not that easy. It's very much a conversation that needs to continue to happen and evolve with lawmakers, with alumni, with current homeschool families, with the education systems that are building the curriculums that are being used for kids." — Jacob Gooden
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Chapters
00:00 Welcome To The Ex-Homeschoolers Club
01:33 Support The Show and Join Book Club
03:30 My Homeschool Experience
18:39 Homeschooling Is A Privilege
19:47 Getting Into College
24:41 If You've Got Questions, Ask Them
25:12 Would I Have Succeeded In Public School?
27:24 3 Thing I Liked About My Homeschool Experience
33:17 Some Things I'd Change About My Homeschool Experience
39:55 Where Do I Stand Today With Homeschooling?
47:48 One Of The Biggest Criticisms Of The Show
48:55 Do You Want To Be A Guest On The Show?
54:13 Recap and Wrap Up
Help financially support Jodie's Documentary: https://gofund.me/0c4256b53
Jodie was homeschooled from preschool through high school in a very Christian, Independent Baptist environment. Her mom gave her a lot of freedom to explore subjects she was interested in, but often relied on textbooks and self-teaching instead of actually teaching the material. Over time, Jodie fell behind academically (especially in math) and entered college realizing just how many educational gaps she had to overcome.
In this episode, Jodie shares what it was like discovering that college was even an option, catching up academically as an adult, and realizing how homeschooling had affected her. We also talk about religious deconstruction, coming out as gay, family reactions, and the supportive role her wife has played. Jodie also shares her plans for a documentary exploring homeschooling, its lack of regulation, and the stories of people affected by it.
In this episode, we talk about...
Connect with Jodie
Jodie is currently looking for people to participate in her documentary, including homeschool alumni, educators, people with experience in law or politics, and anyone with relevant experience to share.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodie_justice/
Support Ex-Homeschoolers Club
Have a story or thoughts you'd like to share? Email me at [email protected]
If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story.
Chapters
00:00 Meet Jodi and the Show
00:31 Newsletter and Episode Setup
01:08 Jodi Homeschool Background
01:41 Curriculum Chaos and Sale Bins
03:50 Co-ops and the Church Bubble
05:34 Religion in the Mix
08:05 I Got To Pick My Electives But No One Was Teaching Me
11:05 Self-Teaching Lead To Me Falling Behind
16:46 Finding Motivation For College And Catching Up
22:17 Discoverying My Career Direction
24:39 The Making Of A Homeschool Documentary
26:24 Unregulated Homeschooling Reality
29:10 Realizing How Homeschool Harmed Me
30:20 Finding Ex-Homeschool Support
31:16 How Educated By Tara Westover Radicalized Me
34:06 Grieving The Past And Rebuilding For The Future
36:59 Partner Support System
41:18 What Did Coming Out Look Like For You?
49:29 Family Reactions To Coming Out
52:42 Where Do You Stand With Homeschooling Today?
56:40 Documentary Call For Help
59:41 Final Thanks And Wrap Up
If you want to support the channel, like, comment, share, or consider buying me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclub
Today, I'm sitting down with Rachael to unpack her experience growing up homeschooled in a deeply evangelical Christian environment. Rachael shares how undiagnosed ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia made school difficult while the pressure to be a “perfect” homeschool kid led her to blame herself rather than question the system. She also talks about purity culture, rigid gender roles, the pressure to discover God’s perfect plan for her life, and why she felt completely unprepared to launch into adulthood after graduation. Her journey eventually took her to YWAM and overseas to Thailand, where new experiences helped her begin recognizing emotions she had spent years denying (including anger). Today, Rachael is working through years of religious deconstruction and therapy while reconnecting with the creativity and artistic identity she once felt ashamed to embrace.
If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story.
Connect with me
Chapters
00:00 Welcome Back To The Ex-Homeschoolers Club
00:41 Meet Rachel
02:02 How Cancer Traumatized A Family
05:19 What The Early Years Of Homeschooling Looked Like
08:28 The Struggle Of Undiagnosed Learning Struggles
11:23 How Faith Fostered An Environment Of Perfectionism
15:00 What Did Homeschool Community Look Like For You?
19:11 What Role Did Gender Roles And Purity Culture Play In Your Life?
22:11 Moving To Colorado
26:50 Finding Homeschool Friends Via Seminary
29:25 Taking Public School Classes As A Homeschooler
33:36 Homeschool Hierarchy Pressure
36:19 Preparing Your Kids To Launch Into Adulthood
37:50 Rachael Was Unprepared To Launch
41:47 Crashing After High School Graduation
43:42 What Is Gods Will In My Life
47:35 Finding YWAM And Launching Into Adulthood
54:32 Red Flags Of YWAM
58:11 Discovering Anger
01:02:41 Find Myself And Reclaiming Creativity
01:08:35 Where Do You Stand With Homeschooling?
01:14:00 Find Your Self-Autonomy
01:16:19 Thanks For Tuning In
If you want to support the channel, like, comment, share, or consider buying me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclub
After growing up between Switzerland and the United States, Bradley Wyss had a homeschool experience that was anything but conventional. He moved between public school and homeschooling, eventually earning a Swiss education, starting college, and then returning to the U.S. where he had to complete high school all over again. But the biggest changes came after leaving the tightly connected Christian homeschool community he grew up in. Bradley shares what it was like to question the religious beliefs he had been raised with, deal with purity culture and the fear of breaking the rules, and eventually build a life based more on curiosity, independence, and taking chances. Today, he works in the wind industry, travels extensively, and embraces an adventurous approach to life.
What I especially loved about this conversation was Bradley's perspective on fear. He's faced plenty of uncertainty, from being medically discharged from the Marine Corps because of his degenerative vision condition to figuring out a career and navigating life outside of his childhood religion. Instead of waiting until he feels completely confident, Bradley has learned to take the leap and figure things out along the way.
In This Episode
If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story.
Connect with me
Chapters
00:00 Welcome Back To The Ex-Homeschoolers Club
00:38 Support The Show
01:27 Meet Bradley
02:43 Swiss To US Schooling
03:57 Back To Switzerland Shift
05:42 Divorce And US Return
08:01 ACE Program And ACHEV
12:32 Homeschool Community Life
16:58 Graduating High School A Second Time
17:33 Marine Corps Setback
18:33 Vision Loss Reality
21:15 Finding A Career In Wind
22:39 Goals Travel And Freedom
27:35 Taking Risks Pays Off
33:38 Questioning Faith Begins
39:20 Leaving Religion And Rules
43:44 Tithing and Credit
46:41 Gods Will and Free Will
48:11 Purity Culture Guilt
49:45 Leaving the Church
53:23 Telling Your Parents
57:20 What Do You Think Of Homeschooling Now?
01:01:18 Tough Talks Not Bubbles
01:06:01 Finding Zest for Life
01:12:25 Freedom Through Travel
01:15:31 Hobbies and Adventure Mindset
01:18:20 Small Joys and Farewell
If you want to support the channel, like, comment, share, or consider buying me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclub
Check out Part 1 of our convo: https://youtu.be/mUWjdOu6y5w
Support some fellow homeschool alum and grab a copy of Mixed-Up Metaphors: https://a.co/d/0bueQkeT
Wait no longer, part two of my conversation about friendship with Cari, Jenève, and Noah is here! Find out what happens to friendships as we grow up, move away, get married, have kids, change our beliefs, and become different versions of ourselves. We talk about how adult friendship often looks less like perfectly planned nights out and more like helping a friend clean the house, running errands together, or simply eating pizza and playing cards. We also dig into why shared values and the willingness to let people change can matter more than having identical beliefs. You’ll also here as we compare our homeschool experiences, talk about AWANA and Adventures in Odyssey, share creative projects we made together, and reflected on some of the "glow ups" we've experienced since leaving homeschooling. Ultimately, this conversation comes back to one thing: find the people who will keep showing up as you grow and change.
In this episode, we talk about:
Wanna Join Book Club?
Grab a copy of Educated by Tara Westover: https://tarawestover.com/book
If you want to join our virtual Zoom meeting on August 29th 1pm EST - 10am PST, sign-up here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/bxCrsDpgTFGNvsWVgVdHXA
Check Out My Previous Episodes With Cari, Jenève, and Noah!
If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story.
Connect with me
Chapters
00:00 Welcome Back To The Ex-Homeschoolers Club
00:22 Ways You Can Support The Show
01:04 Why Adult Friendships Are Hard
02:06 Leaning Into Mom Friends
05:10 Errands As Hangouts
08:47 Friendship Phases And Adapting
10:17 Kids As A New Hobby
12:02 Values Keep Friends Close
14:54 Sticking Through Big Changes
17:58 Homeschool Similarities
20:55 Mime Memories And Odyssey
22:15 Nostalgia Versus Deconstruction
24:54 Mime Confidence And Showman
26:03 Showman Song Tangent
26:52 Their Book Plug
27:54 Mixed Metaphors Origin
29:37 How The Book Works
30:23 Old Songs And Videos
31:09 Three Hour Movie Story
33:21 Creating Together Lessons
35:20 Homeschool Glow Up Talk
36:53 Glow Up Stories
46:42 Wrapping Up And Community
If you want to support the channel, like, comment, share, or consider buying me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclub
What happens to the friendships you make as a homeschooled kid once you grow up? In this episode of Ex-Homeschoolers Club, I sit down with three longtime friends, Cari, Noah, and Jenève, to talk about the friendships that started through homeschool groups, co-ops, extracurriculars, and family connections — and how those relationships changed as we became adults. We talk about childhood memories, long-distance friendships, reconnecting after college, and what it means to have someone who understands where you came from. We also get into the complicated rules many of us grew up with around opposite-sex friendships, dating, physical affection, and the pressure to avoid anything that might look romantic.
In this episode, we talk about:
Wanna Join Book Club?
Check Out My Previous Episodes With Cari, Jenève, and Noah!
If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story.
Connect with Me
Chapters
00:00 A Few Things Before We Get Into The Episode
02:10 Welcome Back To The Ex-Homeschoolers Club
03:09 Cari's Homeschool Elevator Pitch
05:20 Jenève' Homeschool Elevator Pitch
07:19 Noah's Homeschool Elevator Pitch
09:37 How We First Met
15:00 Favorite Memories Together
25:35 Post College Friendship Shift
33:55 Opposite Sex Friend Stigma
38:36 Prom Night Pressure
41:27 Homeschool Dating Rules
44:16 Rumor Mill Trauma
45:30 Taboo And Modesty
50:46 Side Hugs And Shame
54:39 Friend Zone In College
01:01:33 Protection Vs Preparation
01:12:36 Healing With Parents
01:14:45 Hugging Younger Self
Check out CRHE's Research: https://crhe.org/research/research-resources/
Growing up homeschooled across multiple countries, experiencing homelessness, transitioning into public school, and eventually earning a PhD, Dr. Jonah Stewart has a story unlike most. In this episode, I sit down with Jonah to talk about their unconventional homeschool experience, the challenges of adapting to traditional education, and how those experiences ultimately shaped a career researching education and advocating for homeschool reform through the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE). We also discuss ADHD, social development, college, and why every homeschool story is unique.
Key Takeaways
Resources Mentioned
Listener Question
Have you ever transitioned from homeschooling into public or private school? What was the biggest surprise for you? Share your story in the comments!
If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to the Ex-Homeschoolers Club and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps more homeschool alumni discover these conversations and join the community.
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Chapters
00:00 Welcome to the Ex-Homeschoolers Club
01:21 Jonah Homeschool Background
03:22 Curriculum and Daily Routine
08:22 How Our Parents Built Structure with ADHD Students
11:29 Did You Find Homeschool Community or was it Isolating
16:15 Why did you Switch to Public School
19:20 Adjusting to Public School
25:53 Finding Stability and Good Teachers
32:04 The Different Forms of Intelligence and Social Skills
35:57 Launching into Independence and College
39:25 Leaving Home Reality Check
43:31 Hiding Homeschool Roots
44:24 Stereotypes and Self Proof
49:40 Reinvention in Grad School
50:28 Coming Out and Finding Belonging
55:42 Turning 30 Confidence Shift
01:00:49 Finding CRHE and Purpose
01:05:54 Research Gaps and Regulation
01:12:58 Key Studies to Read
01:19:39 Future Research Questions
01:26:05 Why Lived Experience Matters
01:28:35 Wrap Up and Resources
If you're loving the show and want to show some support, consider buying me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclub
This week's episode is a little different. Instead of sitting down with a guest, I'm celebrating two major milestones: turning 30 and the Ex-Homeschoolers Club officially passing its second anniversary. I reflect on the challenges of my late twenties, the pressure of reaching a new decade, and why I'm choosing hope instead of fear as I step into this next chapter. I also share my gratitude for everyone who has listened, supported, and trusted me with their stories over the past two years.
Join the Book Club
If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story.
Connect with me
Chapters
00:00 Welcome Back To The Ex-Homeschoolers Club
00:22 It's My Birthday!
03:06 Happy Birthday To The Show
06:52 August Book Club Announcement
08:31 Thanks for Supporting
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