Self Directed

By Cecilie & Jesper Conrad

Self Directed - A Podcast on Life, Learning, and Raising Free Thinkers. Hosts Cecilie and Jesper Conrad, full-time travellers since 2018 and parents of four, invite a new guest on the podcast every

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FAQs about Self Directed:

How many episodes does Self Directed have?

The podcast currently has 162 episodes available.

Self Directed episodes:

November 09, 2025Missy Willis | From Unschooling To Exams
What happens when unschooled teens meet college systems, exams, and external expectations? Jesper and Cecilie Conrad speak with Missy Willis about how adolescents raised with freedom step into formal learning without losing curiosity or confidence. The conversation follows family transitions, changing homes, and the moment when rigor and motivation finally align.
🗓️ Recorded November 4, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain
🔗 Relevant links
https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com
https://letemgobarefoot.com

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
1h 1min
October 25, 2025Kate McAllister | Nervous System Regulation: From Reaction to Response
Kate McAllister describes how nervous system regulation shifts behavior from reaction to response. The conversation maps how stress patterns shape daily life, from parenting and school to refugee camps and co-regulation through rhythm and presence. Breath, movement, and sensory grounding become practical tools for returning the thinking brain online when fight, flight, or freeze take over.
🗓️ Recorded October 23, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain
🔗 Relevant links
https://www.thehiveadventure.com
https://www.facebook.com/thehiveadventure
https://www.instagram.com/thehiveadventure
https://www.tiktok.com/@thehiveadventure
https://www.youtube.com/@thehiveadventure
https://www.linkedin.com/in/misskatemcallister
🔗 Books mentioned in this episode
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté
https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Your-Kids-Parents-Matter-ebook/dp/B001LOEFZU
The Chimp Paradox: The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme for Confidence, Success and Happines by Steve Peters
https://www.amazon.com/Chimp-Paradox-Acclaimed-Management-Confidence-ebook/dp/B006K26BEQ

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
53min
October 17, 2025Summer Jean | Unschooling - Living Without the Need to Prove Yourself
Summer Jean describes how growing up unschooled shaped her ideas of work, freedom, and value. She explains how her mother’s focus on connection over control helped her develop confidence in her own sense of rightness. The episode contrasts inner conviction with productivity as a measure of worth.
🗓️ Recorded October 16, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain
🔗 Relevant links
https://www.facebook.com/mermaidartglass/
https://www.instagram.com/summerisafairy/
https://www.instagram.com/andanzasanpancho/
https://www.instagram.com/mermaidartglass/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/mermaidartglass
🔗 Books by John Taylor Gatto
https://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Curriculum-Compulsory-Schooling-ebook/dp/B072F9VRZP
https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-Schoolteachers-Compulsory-ebook/dp/B0097DE6XI
https://www.amazon.com/Underground-History-American-Education-Investigation/dp/0998919101/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Taylor_Gatto

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
1h 13min
October 09, 2025Timmy Eaton | Choosing a Life with Golden Hours
Cecilie and Jesper Conrad describe how illness, travel, and questioning convention led their family from a more or less traditional path in Denmark—through a Freinet-inspired free school—to a fully unschooled, nomadic life. They explain how unschooling developed through practical choices, legal frameworks, and value-based reflection rather than ideology.
🗓️ Recorded September 20, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Solrød, Denmark
🔗 Relevant links
https://www.thisgoldenhour.org/podcast
https://www.instagram.com/this.goldenhour

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
1h 8min
October 05, 2025Lise Damkjær | Life Is Easy—When We Allow It to Be
Co-creation unfolds when control gives way to trust. Life Is Easy grew from a shared intention among ten people who wrote together without plans or deadlines. The process reveals how purpose and openness can replace pressure, turning collaboration into a form of ease.
🗓️ Recorded September 30, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain
🔗 Relevant links
https://learning4life.dk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lise-damkjær/

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
58min
September 28, 2025Jamie Rumble | Nomadic Becoming in the Anthropocene
Jamie Rumble shares his research on digital nomadism in the era of climate change. We explore how mobility, mental health, and community connect—and what nomads can teach about resilience.
🗓️ Recorded September 22, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark
🎙️ Listen to:
First episode with Jamie Rumble: https://www.theconrad.family/selfdirected127
Second episode with Jamie Rumble: https://www.theconrad.family/selfdirected128
📚 Books mentioned in this episode
Nomad Century by Gaia Vince - Get it on Amazon
Digital Nomad by Tsugio Makimoto & David Manners - Get it on Amazon
Education in a Time Between Worlds: Essays on the Future of Schools, Technology, and Society - Get it on Amazon

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
1h 16min
September 18, 2025Kate McAllister | The Human Hive: Building Communities of Purpose and Learning
Kate McAllister shares her journey from traditional teaching in the UK to creating The Human Hive in the Dominican Republic. We talk about learning through global projects, raising children outside the standard map, and what it means to discover that there are no dragons when you step off the expected path.
🗓️ Recorded September 10, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark

🔗 Relevant links
https://www.thehiveadventure.com
https://www.facebook.com/thehiveadventure
https://www.instagram.com/thehiveadventure
https://www.tiktok.com/@thehiveadventure
https://www.youtube.com/@thehiveadventure
https://www.linkedin.com/in/misskatemcallister

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
21min
September 11, 2025Amanda Ashworth | Building Community: Creating a Worldschooling Hub in Goa
Amanda Ashworth shares how reading The Four Hour Workweek led her to question conventional success, homeschool her children, and eventually create the World Schooling Hub in Goa. She explains discovering her son’s hidden learning needs, why Goa became her family’s second home, and how the hub supports children, teens, and even parents through education, play, and wellness practices. We also explore community life, balancing family and business, and why parent and dad circles matter for building connection.
🗓️ Recorded September 10, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark

🔗 Relevant links
https://www.worldschoolinghubgoa.com/
https://www.instagram.com/worldschoolinghubgoa/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561303705469
https://www.linkedin.com/company/worldschooling-hub-goa/
https://www.tiktok.com/@worldschoolinghubgoa
http://amandaashworth.com/

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
48min
September 03, 2025Leah McDermott of Your Natural Learner | Why I Chose Unschooling
What happens when a kindergarten teacher moves to teaching fifth grade and discovers that in just five years, the educational system has extinguished the light in children’s eyes? For Leah McDermott, this stark realization sparked a journey from conventional educator to unschooling advocate.
In this episode we talk with Leah about her path out of the classroom and into unschooling with her own family. She shares what it was like to grow up homeschooled in a very rigid, school-at-home way, and how that experience shaped the choices she made later. We hear how becoming a mother pushed her to rethink education completely, and why she founded Your Natural Learner to support families making the same shift.
Leah explains why homeschooling often repeats the same problems as school when parents bring curriculum, tests, and grades into the home. She talks about the process of deschooling for parents, unlearning the reflex to correct or measure everything, and learning instead to trust children’s natural curiosity. Her own son’s love of math shows what this can look like in practice—solving complex problems in his head without ever being taught traditional methods.
We also talk about how unschooling can feel isolating at first, when friends and family don’t understand the choice. Leah reflects on the constant questions children face, like “What grade are you in?” or “What did you learn today?” and why shifting those questions toward real interests matters. She reminds parents that the pressure to justify unschooling often says more about their own uncertainty than about the curiosity of others.
🗓️ Recorded August 28th, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark

🔗 Relevant links
https://www.instagram.com/yournaturallearner
https://www.facebook.com/yournaturallearner
https://naturallearningshop.com
https://bridgeacademy.us
https://yournaturallearner.substack.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yournaturallearner
https://x.com/therealleahmcd
https://www.youtube.com/@Yournaturallearner

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
58min
August 28, 2025Blake Boles | Escaping Routine: Deep Conversation and wanting a Galactic Commune
Blake Boles joins us to talk about his recent editorial, "I Don't Want a Nuclear Family, I Want a Galactic Commune - on the pursuit of quality conversation", which is about the decline of quality conversation and his resistance to the nuclear family model.
We discuss the difference between daily logistics and real dialogue, why travel often brings deeper connections, and how temporary communities can support richer conversations. Blake shares ideas like hosting travelers, playing structured games like Hot Seat, and treating every interaction as a chance to learn something new.
Listen to our first episode together with Blake Boles | Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids To School? : https://www.theconrad.family/selfdirected48
🗓️ Recorded August 26th, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark

🔗 Relevant links
Website: https://www.blakeboles.com/
Blake on Substack: https://letters.blakeboles.com/
Podcast: https://www.blakeboles.com/dbr/
Website: https://www.unschooladventures.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blaketotheboles/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unschooladventures/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unschool.adventures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blake.boles
Books by Blake Boles
Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?: https://amzn.to/3RCDi20
The Art of Self-Directed Learning: https://amzn.to/3GEXpXe
Better Than College: How to Build a Successful Life Without a Four-Year Degree: https://amzn.to/3RCiwzx
College Without High School: A Teenager’s Guide to Skipping High School and Going to College: https://amzn.to/3RkZlc2

Support the show
PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily
...more
59min

FAQs about Self Directed:

How many episodes does Self Directed have?

The podcast currently has 162 episodes available.

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