Nicole Kardoes began homeschooling while her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Kardoes, served in the Air Force. Frequent moves and long deployments were simply part of life, and homeschooling became a way to bring consistency to their ever- changing world. In 2022, Michael passed away from burn pit exposure. Homeschooling quickly became much more than an educational choice, it became a lifeline. Nicole and her children were given the gift of the flexibility and stability they needed to grieve, heal, and rebuild. In this episode, Nicole shares her story of love, loss, and resilience, and how the military homeschooling community and organizations like the Tunnel to Towers Foundation helped her family find hope and strength through it all. "Resiliency, being part of a community, academics—they all play a part in homeschooling. I have kids that are married with their master's degree, and they had scholarships all the way through. I have other kids that did community college. I have two that aren't sure they even want to go to college. (My 15-year-old wants to be a farrier, so she wants to go trade school.) There is room for all these things within homeschooling! Whether it's the kid who absolutely hates academics and they just want you to hurry up and count the credits and be done, [or] the kid who aspires for graduate school or maybe becoming a professor themselves someday and getting that PhD, there's room for [both]. That's the beautiful thing. We can tailor it to that while we are giving them other skills as well."—Nicole Kardoes

From beginning homeschooling in the early 1990s to a grand vision for a community that uplifts and empowers Black homeschool families with resources, representation, Joyce Burges has probably seen it all. In this episode, Joyce opens up to HSLDA Attorney Amy Buchmeyer to discuss the origins of National Black Home Educators and the impact they are making today, her curriculum, why preserving family traditions is important, and how building strong parent–child relationships are at the heart of homeschooling. If you're looking for encouragement and a reminder that homeschooling is about more than academics, Joyce's story will inspire you! "I was reading Little House on the Prairie books to my daughter [when] she asked the question, 'Mama, is there someone in our family who quilts, who make jams and jellies, who has a farm, you know, who lives in the country, who's a pioneer?' I was blessed to be around my grandparents and to be raised on their farm and to see all of the great things that my grandmother did. That put me on the journey to finding books that align with Little House on the Prairie to let her see herself as a black little girl that other black children have done this as well other than just me, her mom, to see young girls that partake of these things. And why was that important? It was important because it brought family together."—Joyce Burges

Parenting can feel like a balancing act of love, discipline, and endless patience. Dr. Daniel Huerta, a licensed counselor and homeschool dad, reminds us that the journey isn't just about shaping our children, it's also about the transformation happening in us. In this episode, Dr. Huerta unpacks the seven traits of effective parenting and offers encouragement for parents to lean into these values while adapting to each child's unique personality and needs. "Parents are doing the best they can with what they have, and I encourage them to look at that. Are you bringing the best you can with what you've got?. . .With that, you get to guide your kids, you get to have a relationship with them. You can give your kids the investment of time and the investment of your attention. That is hard in homeschooling because you've got so many things grabbing for your attention, you have multiple kids that are needing your attention your guidance, then you've got the chores of the house that are right there in front of you. . .that's where the intentionality comes in of how you're going to invest that time to have a relationship. They need you to know who they are."—Dr. Daniel Huerta

Davy Liu, former Disney animator (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan), walked away from Hollywood at the height of his career. In this episode, Davy joins Jim Mason, HSLDA President, to discuss how leaving Disney fueled his passion to launch Kendo Films, an animation studio to create high-quality, biblically based films for kids. Learn how Davey is inspiring homeschool parents to nurture creativity in their children, why every child is a "diamond," and get a sneak peek at his upcoming film, The Giant Leaf. "Davy Liu, as a kid, he was a troublemaker because he loved to scribble on textbooks. Now he grew up and found his creativity; his innovations, and he's able to connect his faith with his Maker. I just want to give parents hope, saying that your kids at home [might not be able to] sit still, and that doesn't follow the perfect rhythm of academic studies. There's hope."—Davy Liu

What does it look like to raise children who can stand firm in their faith—while also engaging the culture with grace and truth? In our latest Homeschool Talks episode, Jonathan Noyes from Stand to Reason shares his own journey from atheism to Christianity and how that transformation fuels his passion for equipping families. In this discussion with HSLDA President Jim Mason, they explore how to introduce varying worldviews while planting seeds of the gospel in your children. "We don't just keep our kids in these little bubbles and then suddenly when their adults throw them out, because they won't survive. What we should be doing is inoculating our kids with the truth. Teaching our kids. in the context of our homeschool communities, teaching them about evolution, and not just the Christian perspective of evolution. Teach them from the naturalistic, the "true evolution", and then you teach them what it really means to be an evolutionist. You teach them why [it is] wrong. . .we should be exposing our kids in appropriate ways to worldview issues at a young age because they're going to get exposed. Once your kid gets a phone, once your kid get access to online stuff, it's already too late. So we should be exposing our kids in order to inoculate, not isolate, in order expose them to the wind so they don't just get pushed over."—Jon Noyes

Protecting homeschool freedom takes constant vigilance, strategic action, and strong relationships with lawmakers. In this episode of Homeschool Talks, HSLDA Attorney and Director of HSLDA International, Kevin Boden, joins HSLDA President Jim Mason to share how HSLDA's advocacy is making a difference. From opposing harmful bills to building trust in state legislatures to rallying constituents at the grassroot level, you'll discover why the work HSLDA is doing today (and the last 40+ years!) is essential to preserving hard-won freedoms while advancing homeschool liberty for generations to come. "I don't know where my kids will live when they're educating their own children. But what I do hope is that the freedom that they have is greater than the freedom I have now. And I personally have an opportunity potentially to shape the future of home education that my own kids may operate in. And so, when I wake up in the morning and you're tired and you go, "okay, here's another day, another set of issues to deal with"—you realize that there's a whole generation of kids that will benefit from the work that we're doing. And so that's really, to me, I'll do this another day, I'll this another week, I will send out another alert, I'll make another phone call, I'll drive to another meeting. Because the freedom that I want to hand my kids—I hope—is greater than the one that was handed to me."—Kevin Boden

Fresh off a trip to Puerto Rico, Andrew Pudewa (Founder of the Institute for Excellence in Writing) shares stories from his time with local homeschoolers. Hosted by HSLDA President Jim Mason, they reflect on the growing global homeschool movement and the necessity of homeschool freedom. Together, they dive into the heart of why HSLDA's work matters more than ever—and how emerging technologies like AI are shaping the future of education. "A lot of the people I meet are not aware of the fact that there are people out there who are continuously trying to bring in legislation or influence [against homeschooling]. There are some people who don't like the freedoms that other people have. And it's hard for us to understand. Like, why would you want to interfere with my freedom to be free? And as long I'm doing decently well; I'm not hurting anybody, but no, there's an ideology there. Part of what I've tried to do is get out there and tell people, 'Hey, you know if you want to keep these freedoms, and have your children be free to homeschool their children without government interference or even big restrictions, you've got to be aware, you've got to fight.'"—Andrew Pudewa

Representative Timothy Wesco, a homeschool graduate and Indiana state representative, tirelessly introduced his legislative proposal for 5 consecutive sessions. His bill? Explicitly recognize that a parent has the full legal authority to execute any document necessary to demonstrate their child's education, whether that be a transcript or a diploma. Join Timothy and Jim Mason (HSLDA President) as they discuss Timothy's homeschool experience, how the bill was passed, and the importance of developing relationships proactively with your state legislators. "Often times it's the most conservative and the most liberal members that come together—maybe for slightly different philosophical reasons, but supportive of freedom. And having constituents that are utilizing that freedom really helps to change that dynamic, right? If [a legislator] recognizes that a vibrant homeschool community in their district, that's going to affect their vote on these issues. It's so imperative for homeschool families to develop relationships with their legislators, no matter what the political party their legislator is. We can't make assumptions about their views based on their party"—Timothy Wesco

For Darren Jones (HSLDA Attorney), a single day of playing hooky from public school began as a spontaneous break but turned into a deep realization: there had to be a better way to learn, grow, and live. Darren shares his experiences from becoming a homeschool student to becoming a passionate home education. He became a legal assistant for HSLDA in 1996, and is now an Attorney and Director of Group Services. Explore historical HSLDA processes, notifying members about legal issues in their states through snail mail and answering 75 member phone calls in one day! Darren and Jim Mason (HSLDA President) reminisce about the past and chat about previous legal cases and the busy 2025 legislative season at HSLDA. "I was in public high school. This was 1989. Our church put on a panel about raising kids to be Christians. [The panels featured] parents who were sending their kids to public school, parents who had their kids in private school, and parents who were homeschooling. My parents actually let me play hooky that day. I got to go and watch the panels and came home and told them, I want to be homeschooled. And they decided, sure!"—Darren Jones

What do submarines and science fair projects have in common? They both require strategy, patience, and a solid sense of humor. In our latest episode of Homeschool Talks, HSLDA President Jim Mason dives deep (pun fully intended) with Rear Admiral James Waters about being a homeschool father while navigating a high-stakes military career. This episode features: • Why Admiral Waters and his wife chose homeschooling for their kids, even with a life full of relocations and duty stations • What the military taught him about leadership and how those lessons show up at the kitchen table • Real opportunities for homeschool grads in the military (hint: it's more than marching and mess halls) • How military service can open unexpected doors for careers, education, and personal growth

Whether you're a homeschool parent, a student weighing post-grad options, or just love a good sea story—this episode delivers insight and inspiration! "I am so grateful that my wife and I chose to homeschool our kids. And I am really excited that there continues to be a flourishing culture of homeschooling. I encourage you to keep the United States Navy in mind. As you're thinking about options—as your children graduate from high school—college is great, but it's not the only choice. The trades, the military—I would keep the military in mind because it can lead to all these other options later in life."—Rear Admiral James Waters