Let ‘em go Barefoot

Julie Bogart is an author, podcaster, mother of 5 children, and the founder of Brave Writer, which has been supporting, encouraging, and inspiring homeschool families for years!

I have been following Julie’s work for a long time and find myself regularly impressed with her level-headed approach to learning, parenting, and thinking. And I'm so glad we got to talk about all these things plus her wonderful book, Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent's Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age.

In this episode we discuss:

• Julie's upbringing, school experiences, and how the Internet has changed since she was raising kids

I hope you'll tune into this fabulous episode and let us know what resonated with you.

How to stay in touch with Julie:

Website:  www.bravewriter.com

Social Media: @juliebravewriter

Podcast: https://blog.bravewriter.com/2024/01/03/podcast-complete-list-2024/

Book:  Raising Critical Thinkers

How to stay in touch with Missy:

Instagram: @letemgobarefoot

Facebook: @letemgobarefoot

Website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

eBook: Life Unschooled: A Guide to Living and Learning Without School

Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/

Dr. Robyn Koslowitz is a licensed school psychologist and clinical psychologist. She is also an author, writting the book she needed as a mom, (due to be out in 2025).

As someone who suffered from childhood trauma and PTSD, she knew that her panic attacks and flashbacks would impact her ability to parent her son. So, she set out to understand only to find that the research was limited. Fast forward 26 years and she has created a community to support parents, a YouTube channel, a podcast, and is the educational director of the Targeted Parenting Institute.

You won’t regret setting aside an hour of your time to listen to her wonderful insights and wisdom about mental health, self-care, parenting, relationships, and understanding how our nervous system works.

Much of what she shares can be applied today!

Here are some of the questions we address and ideas we discuss:

• What is trauma?

As always, I’d love to hear what resonated. Please share your aha moments with us.

People/Things mentioned in the podcast:

Steven Hayes’ work

Polyvagal Theory

Erikson’s developmental model

Where to find more of Dr. Koslowitz:

Website: https://www.drrobynkoslowitz.com/about/

Instagram:  @dr.koslowitzpsychology

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drkoslowitzpyschology

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@posttraumaticparenting

How to stay in touch with Missy:

Instagram: @letemgobarefoot

Facebook: @letemgobarefoot

Website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

eBook: Life Unschooled: A Guide to Living and Learning Without School

Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/

Deb Adamson is a writer, children’s book author, and has worked in radio and broadcasting, been a journalist, and had a syndicated column about homeschooling that documented her family's homeschooling journey. Her goal with the column was to “bridge the gap” by showing people what homeschooling could be.

Now, she has written a children’s book about homeschooling, A Thank You Letter to My Homeschool, which gives homeschooling children a chance to see themselves in the pages of a book. This book celebrates homeschool in all its forms.

In this episode we discuss her interesting career, how homeschooling came onto her radar, her family’s homeschooling journey and where her son is now (hint: working towards a Ph.D. in semi-conductors!) and what goes into writing a children’s book and getting published.

We also discuss:

• The fear we can have about “messing our kids up” if we choose to homeschool.

This conversation is so inspirational and is a beautiful reminder that we are never too old to try something new or to chase our dreams.

You can now pre-order A Thank You Letter to My Homeschool through Amazon or from Barnes and Noble.

What a unique and delightful book to add your child's book collection. 

*****

Other books mentioned in the show:

Stormy The Baby Dolphin/A Gulf Coast Rescue by Deb Adamson

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

**SPECIAL OFFER**

For those who pre-order “A Thank You Letter to My Homeschool” and provide a proof of purchase, Deb is graciously offering a chance to win a picture book manuscript critique for those interested.

**Deadline to be included in the drawing is August 31st, 2024. Please send your proof of purchase to [email protected] or through DM on Instagram.

Where to find Deb:

Instagram and Twitter: @debadamsonbook

Website:  www.debadamson.com

Author page on Amazon

Homeschooling column:

https://www.sturgisjournal.com/story/bulletin-tab/2008/10/31/deb-adamson-taking-chance-with/65126111007/

Book Publisher:

Sourcebooks 

How to stay in touch with Missy:

Instagram and Facebook: @letemgobarefoot

Website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

eBook: Life Unschooled: A Guide to Living and Learning Without School

Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/

Ruth Rinaldi is an unschooling mom of two and the creator of Joyful Maths. She spent 11 years in the school system, eventually becoming the head of a math department in secondary school then the pandemic hit. She struggled with the way things were going and what she was required to do. At the same time, she noticed that her son’s behavior was different when he was home versus being in preschool. He was happier. This propelled her to take a sabbatical which turned into choosing the unschooling life.

Now, she hopes to spread math joy instead of math stress.

In this episode we take a deeper look at a subject that tends to make people nervous...Math.

We discuss:

• myths around maths,

People mentioned in the podcast:

https://drchatterjee.com/blog/category/podcast/

https://ed.stanford.edu/faculty/joboaler

Find more of Ruth’s work:

Instagram: @joyfulmaths_homeed

Tiktok

Facebook

Visit her Stan Store for resources and support: https://stan.store/Joyfulmaths_homeed

How to stay in touch with Missy:

Instagram: @letemgobarefoot

Facebook: @letemgobarefoot

Website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

eBook: Life Unschooled: A Guide to Living and Learning Without School

Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/

Erin wears many hats and brings so much wisdom and reflection to the conversation!

As the mother of four, veteran unschooling mom who is also employed outside of the home, writer and podcast host, we discuss what life looks like as an unschooling family in the older years. 

We address societal pressure to conform even when our kids become young adults and we talk about how community isn't necessarily an option, but in many ways an absolute need.

We talk about how our kids change and grow and how it's important for us to stay flexible through their development. We discuss how mentors and work can be great for our teens and young adults and why some unschooling kids want to pursure academics and the standard schooling model when they get older. 

If you have a teen or young adult or will soon, this is a wonderful conversation. I think will give you comfort, things to think about, and ideas to consider as you navigate this part of your parenting journey. 

How to stay in touch with Erin:

https://www.everlearning.ca/

Instagram:  @_everlearning_

Podcast:  Virtual Kitchen Table

How to stay in touch with Missy:

Instagram: @letemgobarefoot

Facebook: @letemgobarefoot

Website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

eBook: Life Unschooled: A Guide to Living and Learning Without School

Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/

Adam Cohen is a father or two and the creator of Brain Based Parent. You can find him on social media @brainbaseddad. 

In this episode, Adam shares his journey from a discontent school kid to a circus student, performer, then circus skills teacher. He shares how coming across a mentor who introduced him to Applied Neurology changed the course of this life. 

In this fascinating conversation about the power and purpose of our brain, we dive into: 

• how our brain is (negatively) impacted in our modern day world,

Adam brings a unique perspective to the parenting conversation. Don't miss this one! 

How to stay in touch with Adam:

Website: https://www.brainbaseddad.com/

or follow him on YouTube or Instagram @brainbaseddad.

How to stay in touch with Missy:

Instagram and Facebook: @letemgobarefoot

Website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

eBook: Life Unschooled: A Guide to Living and Learning Without School

Kirsten Cobabe is a therapist and “teen whisperer”, and I believe she is doing what she was put on this earth to do: support teens and parents during this unique time.

Although Kirsten had not planned on living in Hawaii, she was called there. Water surrounds her literally, but it is also a consistent theme in the work she does.

In this episode we talk all things TEENS (and get some solid reinforcements from a neighboring rooster!) Kirsten shares insights from the work she has been doing for over 20 years. Here are some things we discuss:

• Conflict and Struggle and Misunderstanding teens

Tune it for a lovely conversation that explores living with teens, parenting, awareness, relationship, curiosity, and connection. Let us know what resonated. We’d love to hear from you!

How to stay in touch with Kirsten:

Instagram @kirstencobabe

Website:  www.kirstencobabe.com

How to stay in touch with Missy:

Instagram and Facebook: @letemgobarefoot

Website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

eBook: Life Unschooled: A Guide to Living and Learning Without School

Books and People mentioned during the episode:

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

The Bonds that Make Us Free by C. Terry Warner

The Arbinger Institute https://arbinger.com/

Untethered Soul By Michael Singer

Dr. Becky Good Inside:  https://www.goodinside.com/

Erik Erikson: https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/erik-erikson

Karema Akilah is witty, a visionary, a force, and an inspiration. She is a widowed mother of six children, a trained teacher turned unschooling mom and the creator of The Genius School and GeniiDAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization).  

This episode is full of insight and ideas for creating foundational, supportive frameworks in our homes, communities, and online spaces. Karema shares the “x factor” of the Genius School which is guided by the 5 Pillars of Invitation:

1. Know Thyself,

And we discuss the next big frontier in education: Web3 and cryptocurrency!

Karema’s community is thinking big and taking action to find a solution to the micro school funding problem. They have developed their own crypto, the $BeMe token, and aim to fund seven micro schools and their staff, support self-directed learners, and revolutionize education.

As she says, “we can do what we’ve always done, and we’ll get what we’ve always gotten” or you can do things differently and that’s what Karema and her community are doing. Plus, you are invited to join the education revolution, too!

To learn more about how to get involved and to provide support for the children and families who wish to utilize self-directed education communities, here are a few steps you can take:

1. Join the GeniiDao Mighty Network community here: https://genii-5pillargeniuscommunities.mn.co/share/RYP4dE_7Rxi-z36G

Also mentioned, Dr. Glenn Doman: https://iahp.org/about-glenn-doman/

For more of Missy's writing and work, follow along on Instagram @letemgobarefoot and Substack: https://substack.com/@letemgobarefoot

To purchase a copy of Life Unschooled, click here.

Karla Marie Williams is an author, speaker, and global advocate of children and families. She is also an unschooling mother of six. I invited her back on the podcast to dive deeper into a conversation around academics in unschooling, supporting the unique needs of our teens, freedom in the teen years, and launching them into the world. (You can listen to her family’s journey into unschooling and her inspiration for writing Teens Unleashed in episode 14.)

Karla brings a joyful spirit to our discussion. Her love for mothering and supporting her teens is undeniable. The great, real-life examples she shares about the power of conversation, planning, listening, and resourcing our teens, even on a budget, allows us to see unschooling in practice.

We address the concerns that unschooling might not be “intellectual”, walk through ways to guide each of kid as they develop their skills, talents, and goals, and discuss the important roles we play as parents, including when to get out of the way.  If you have teens or will, don’t miss this one!

Learn more about Karla’s books and work here:

https://www.karlamariewilliams.com/

and on social media @simplykarlamarie

To find more of my writing and musings, visit @letemgobarefoot on social media and my website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

You can now download the ebook I co-wrote with a fellow unschooling mom, Life Unschooled: A Guide to Living and Learning Without School

In this powerhouse episode, I talk to Teva Johnstone, a licensed clinical social worker and a psychotherapist, a homeschooling parent, and Instagram influencer who aims to empower parents and families to parent "their particular child".

Teva and I discuss the road she took to get to this particular moment in time including the race riots and violence she experienced and witnessed in high school and her successful ten-year career as a hair dresser before going back to school to become a therapist.

The overarching theme of our conversation is children's mental health so we touch on a variety of relevant topics, including:

• the roles of social workers

Connect with Teva:

Instagram: @rebel.parents

https://www.tevajohnstone.com/

Information mentioned in the show:

https://www.tevajohnstone.com/blog/is-my-child-disordered

The Free Press essay on autism:

https://www.thefp.com/p/the-autism-surge-lies-conspiracies

Dr. Nick Walker on neurodiversity:

https://neuroqueer.com/neurodiversity-terms-and-definitions/

Connect with Missy:

on Instagram @letemgobarefoot

Website: www.letemgobarefoot.com

on Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/

and download "Life Unschooled: Living and Learning without School"