The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips

School choice is one of the most talked-about education topics in the country right now — but many parents are still unclear about what it actually means. In this episode, Suzanne is joined by Corey DeAngelis, widely known as the "school choice evangelist," to unpack the realities behind the policies, politics, and possibilities surrounding educational freedom. Corey is a leading advocate for parental rights in education and the national bestselling author of The Parent Revolution. With a Ph.D. in education policy and years of research and advocacy, he brings clarity to a conversation that is often filled with confusing rhetoric. But this conversation goes deeper than politics. At its core, school choice is about recognizing that children learn differently. Not every student thrives in the same environment, and the traditional system often fails to consider the diverse ways children grow and learn. Suzanne and Corey discuss why families are increasingly leaving traditional school systems, how school choice policies impact homeschooling families, which states are leading the movement, and what parents can do if they want to take action. This episode will challenge assumptions and encourage parents to think carefully about the future of education.

✔️ Corey DeAngelis' personal journey into school choice advocacy ✔️ Why many now refer to public schools as "government schools" ✔️ The real reasons families are leaving traditional school systems ✔️ How school choice policies work and who they impact ✔️ Why these policies can benefit homeschool families ✔️ The number of states currently offering school choice options ✔️ Which states offer the most generous programs — and which resist change ✔️ The biggest barriers to passing school choice legislation ✔️ The practical benefits of educational freedom for families ✔️ Concerns homeschool families sometimes raise about these policies ✔️ How parents can take action and advocate for their children ✔️ What the future of school choice could look like in 2026

📚 The Parent Revolution by Corey DeAngelis A national bestselling book explaining how parents can reclaim control of their children's education. 👉 Learn more → https://amzn.to/47mZXqM

📲 Connect with Corey DeAngelis Follow Corey for ongoing insights and updates on school choice policy and education reform. 👉 X (Twitter): https://x.com/DeAngelisCorey?t=uogaiJZlZh2DMPlmWltEjg&s=09

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent

• Instagram → @suzannephillips_
• Instagram → @beacon_parent
• Website → www.beaconparent.com

✨ Join Parent Club If you want ongoing encouragement, biblical clarity, and community as you navigate parenting and education decisions: 👉 Join here: www.beaconparent.com/parentclub

Every child is uniquely created and designed to learn differently. When parents have the freedom to pursue the environment that best fits their child's gifts and needs, education becomes formation — not just information.

Parents — conversations like this matter because the future of education directly impacts the future of our children. If this episode helped you think more clearly about school choice, share it with another parent navigating education decisions. 🎧 Share Now →

Episode Summary

For decades, the path after high school seemed obvious: graduate, go to college, get a degree. But today, families are asking better questions. In this refreshing and inspiring episode, Suzanne sits down with Jonathan Brush to explore a bold alternative to traditional college pathways. Jonathan brings nearly 25 years of experience helping young adults ask the right questions, take action, and build lives of meaning and purpose. Unbound is not anti-college — it's pro-intentionality. It challenges the assumption that information equals formation and instead focuses on habits, mentorship, real-world experience, and a biblical worldview as the foundation for adult life. As more parents reconsider what success looks like after graduation, this episode offers clarity, confidence, and a compelling alternative. Because education is not one-size-fits-all — and formation matters as much as information. Episode Highlights ✔️ Jonathan's background and journey into alternative higher education

✔️ What Unbound is — and how it works ✔️ Why questioning the traditional college model is healthy ✔️ How Unbound combines academics, mentorship, and real-world experience ✔️ Retention rates and student outcomes ✔️ What students consistently say about the experience ✔️ The most important takeaway students leave with ✔️ The overall vision: formation, not just credentialing ✔️ Class size and community culture ✔️ What parents and communities are noticing about Unbound graduates ✔️ Why this model works so effectively ✔️ Encouragement for hesitant parents considering a nontraditional path Featured Resource: Unbound A nontraditional, biblically grounded approach to post-high school education focused on formation, mentorship, and real-world learning. 👉 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/be.unbound/ 👉 Website → https://beunbound.us

Call-to-Actions (CTAs) 📲 Connect with Unbound

• Instagram: @be.unbound
• Website: beunbound.us

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent

• Instagram → @suzannephillips_
• Instagram → @beacon_parent
• Website → www.beaconparent.com

✨ Join Parent Club Ongoing support, biblical clarity, and practical guidance for parents navigating education and cultural conversations. 👉 Join here: www.beaconparent.com/parentclub

Identity Truth for the Family Success is not defined by a diploma alone. When parents prioritize formation, mentorship, character, and calling, young adults are prepared not just for careers — but for life. In Closing Parents — before you default to the expected path, ask better questions. If this episode gave you fresh vision for your student's next step, share it with another family navigating post-graduation decisions.

Sexual identity conversations are no longer rare or distant — they are happening in classrooms, friend groups, churches, youth ministries, and homes. In this deeply thoughtful and compassionate episode, Suzanne is joined by Elizabeth Woning, Co-Executive Director of the CHANGED Movement — a community of individuals who once identified as LGBTQ+ and now testify to experiencing transformation through their faith in Jesus Christ. Elizabeth shares her powerful personal story — from openly identifying as lesbian, advocating for LGBTQ affirmation in seminary and church spaces, to a life-altering encounter with Jesus that reshaped her theology, identity, and direction. Today, she works with pastors, parents, and church leaders to navigate one of the most emotionally charged and culturally dominant issues of our time. This episode does not aim to inflame — it aims to equip. With 26% of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ+, many families feel blindsided and unprepared. Suzanne and Elizabeth discuss how believers can hold firm to biblical convictions while extending grace, patience, and love — especially when the conversation becomes personal. This is an episode about truth without cruelty. Love without compromise. And hope for families walking through difficult identity conversations.

✔️ Elizabeth's personal story and transformation ✔️ The founding and mission of the CHANGED Movement ✔️ Why sexual identity conversations are accelerating among Gen Z ✔️ The spiritual and emotional layers beneath identity struggles ✔️ How schools and cultural messaging shape identity formation ✔️ The most pressing needs facing families navigating LGBTQ issues ✔️ Trends parents must be aware of in today's cultural climate ✔️ Supporting pastors, parents, and churches with compassion and clarity ✔️ Practical guidance for parents whose child identifies as LGBTQ+ ✔️ Stories of transformation and reconciliation ✔️ The importance of holding truth and love together 🎧 Listen Now

A community of friends who once identified as LGBTQ+ and now celebrate the freedom and comfort found in Jesus Christ. 👉 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changedmvmt 👉 Elizabeth → https://www.instagram.com/elizabethwoning 👉 Website → https://changedmovement.com 👉 Elizabeth's Website → https://elizabethwoning.com

📲 Connect with Elizabeth Woning

• @elizabethwoning
• elizabethwoning.com

📲 Learn More About CHANGED Movement

• @changedmvmt
• changedmovement.com

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent

• Instagram → @suzannephillips_
• Instagram → @beacon_parent
• Website → www.beaconparent.com

✨ Join Parent Club If you want ongoing support, biblical clarity, and a community of parents navigating cultural conversations together: 👉 Join here: www.beaconparent.com/parentclub

Truth and love are not enemies. Compassion and conviction are not opposites. Parents who remain anchored in Christ can create homes where hard conversations are met with both grace and clarity.

Parents — this is not a topic to avoid. It is a topic to approach thoughtfully. If this episode brought perspective, courage, or language to a conversation you've been afraid to have, share it with a trusted friend, small group, or fellow parent. 🎧 Listen Now

Can we raise children who are deeply rooted in the Kingdom of God and grateful for the country they live in? In this important and thought-provoking episode, Suzanne sits down with Jill Simonian, Director of Outreach and co-creator of PragerU Kids. With over 20 years of experience in media, parenting commentary, and education advocacy, Jill brings clarity and courage to conversations surrounding merit-based education, patriotism, parenting trends, and digital culture. Together, Suzanne and Jill unpack a bold question: Can America survive with unpatriotic youth? This conversation explores the tension parents often feel — wanting to raise children who serve God first while also teaching gratitude, civic responsibility, and love for the freedoms we've been given. From divisive policies in schools to the erosion of merit standards, from grit and self-reliance to digital overconsumption, this episode challenges parents to think clearly and lead intentionally. Because what happens under our roof shapes what happens in our nation. ⸻

✔️ The mission and "why" behind PragerU and PragerU Kids ✔️ Over 1,200 free pro-America resources for families and schools ✔️ What "merit-based education" really means — and why it matters ✔️ Why children cannot afford to "make zeros" academically or character-wise ✔️ How divisive school policies (DEI mandates, restorative discipline, gender ideology) impact students ✔️ Teaching capability, self-reliance, resilience, and grit at home ✔️ Digital consumption — where parents must draw lines ✔️ Can America survive with unpatriotic youth? ✔️ How PragerU Kids resources are being used in education (including Oklahoma) ✔️ What's next for PragerU Kids 🎧 Listen Now ⸻

Over 1,200 pro-America videos, books, lesson plans, worksheets, and character-building resources — available FREE for families and schools. Resources teach:

• Values & character
• U.S. & world history
• Civics
• Financial literacy
• Cultural literacy

👉 Website: PragerUkids.com ⸻

📲 Connect with Jill Simonian

• Instagram: instagram.com/jillsimonian
• X: x.com/jillsimonian

📲 Explore PragerU Kids

• Instagram: instagram.com/pragerukids
• Website: PragerUkids.com

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent

• Instagram: @suzannephillips_
• Instagram: @beacon_parent
• Website: www.beaconparent.com

✨ Join Parent Club Biblical clarity, cultural discernment, and practical leadership support for parents navigating today's world. 👉 Join here → https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/mLSFLoXT/checkout 🏫 Considering Alternative Education or Homeschool Pod? Explore The Pod Packet — a step-by-step guide for creating simple, intentional learning communities for your family. 👉 https://www.thepodpacket.com ⸻

Gratitude for our nation does not compete with allegiance to God's Kingdom. Children can be formed with humility before God and appreciation for the freedoms that allow them to live it out. Parents who teach truth, history, gratitude, and responsibility raise leaders — not spectators

⸻

Parents — the future of our nation is shaped in living rooms long before it's shaped in legislatures. If this episode encouraged you to think more intentionally about how you're forming your children, share it with another family, educator, or small group.

Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than most parents can track — and it will shape our children's future far more than it will ever shape ours. In this essential episode, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Ryan Findley — a Christian, husband, father of three, former teacher turned tech professional, and founder of Evergreen Faith. Having spent six years working in Silicon Valley, Ryan has seen firsthand how quickly AI capabilities are expanding and how easily they could follow the same dangerous trajectory as social media and smartphones if parents don't act now. This conversation moves beyond fear or hype and equips parents with a biblically grounded framework for thinking clearly about AI. Together, Suzanne and Ryan explore how to prepare children for a world we haven't lived in — not just practically, but spiritually — by addressing the root issues of discernment, formation, and worldview. If you feel overwhelmed, uncertain, or underprepared for the Age of AI, this episode will bring clarity, language, and direction. ⸻

✔️ Ryan's journey from education into the tech world ✔️ Why AI will impact our children more than any generation before them ✔️ How Christians should approach AI from a biblical worldview ✔️ A helpful framework for parents: shortcuts, supports, and superpowers ✔️ Why "doing nothing" is not a neutral option ✔️ How parents can begin setting boundaries and forming discernment now ✔️ What churches and schools must consider in the Age of AI ✔️ Practical steps families can take today — without panic ✔️ The shadow side of AI:

• Stunted development & digital sloth
• Siloed and severed lives
• Substitution of AI for human growth
• Superiority thinking & detachment from reality

🎧 Listen Now: ⸻

AI Parenting Course A comprehensive course equipping parents to navigate AI wisely and biblically. 👉 www.aiparentingcourse.com 💸 Use Code BEACON1 for $10 off

AI Self Defense (For Kids & Families) Tools to help children understand, recognize, and respond to AI risks. 👉 www.aiselfdefense.kids 💸 Use Code BEACON1 for $5 off Evergreen Faith A hub for parents, churches, and schools seeking support in the Age of AI. 👉 Visit evergreen.faith online for guidance and resources ⸻

📲 Learn More from Ryan Findley & Evergreen Faith Explore resources that help families integrate AI safely and intentionally. 📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent

• Instagram: @suzannephillips_
• Instagram: @beacon_parent
• Website: www.beaconparent.com

✨ Join Parent Club Foundational discipleship, cultural clarity, and community support for parents navigating today's challenges. 👉 Join here → https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/mLSFLoXT/checkout 🏫 Considering Alternative Education or Homeschool Pod? Explore The Pod Packet — a step-by-step guide for creating simple, intentional learning communities for your family. 👉 https://www.thepodpacket.com ⸻

Technology will shape the future — but formation shapes discernment. When parents lead with truth, wisdom, and intentional boundaries, children learn to engage innovation without losing their humanity or their faith. ⸻

Parents, you were not called to raise children who simply keep up with the future — but children who can discern it. If this episode helped you think more clearly about AI, share it with another parent, pastor, or educator who needs language and confidence for this conversation.

Screens are not going away — but what our children consume on them matters more than ever. In this timely and encouraging episode, Suzanne Phillips sits down with Brent Dusing, founder and CEO of TruPlay, a Christian entertainment platform created by parents, for parents. Brent shares his remarkable journey from venture capital and major tech exits to building a biblically grounded gaming platform that protects children while reinforcing faith, character, and joy. At the same time, this conversation exposes the real battle happening behind the scenes: faith-based content being flagged, throttled, or banned — while sexually explicit, violent, and agenda-driven material is freely promoted to children through algorithms. This episode offers parents both clear warning and practical direction — reminding families that while reducing screen time is wise, having aligned, trustworthy options is essential in a digital world children already inhabit.

✔️ Brent's entrepreneurial journey — and why TruPlay was born ✔️ Why "safer" entertainment isn't enough — alignment matters ✔️ What TruPlay Games actually is and how it works ✔️ The resistance faith-based platforms face from Big Tech ✔️ How algorithms push sexualized and violent content to kids ✔️ Three key ways parents can protect children in digital spaces ✔️ The hidden mental health cost of toxic screen exposure ✔️ Why faith-based entertainment reinforces discipleship at home ✔️ How gaming can nurture character instead of eroding it ✔️ Encouragement for parents who feel exhausted and behind 🎧 Listen Now!

A safe, ad-free, biblically authentic entertainment platform where kids can play, learn, and grow in faith — without hidden agendas or chat rooms. 👉 Website → https://www.truplaygames.com 👉 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/truplaygames 👉 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/truplaygames 👉 YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCutwcoaalmdoIoxaZ2coQhA

📲 Connect with TruPlay:

• @truplaygames
• https://www.truplaygames.com

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent:

• Instagram → @suzannephillips_
• Instagram → @beacon_parent
• Website → https://www.beaconparent.com

✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership) Ongoing discipleship, teaching, community, and support for parents navigating culture, technology, and family formation with clarity and conviction. 👉 Join here → https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/mLSFLoXT/checkout 🏫 Considering Alternative Education or Homeschool Pod? Explore The Pod Packet — a step-by-step guide for creating simple, intentional learning communities for your family. 👉 https://www.thepodpacket.com

Entertainment shapes imagination — and imagination shapes belief. When parents choose content that aligns with truth, beauty, and goodness, screens can become tools for reinforcement rather than erosion of faith.

Parents, you don't have to choose between total screen shutdown and surrendering your children to digital chaos. There are better options — and choosing them is an act of leadership. If this episode encouraged or equipped you, share it with another parent who is navigating screens, gaming, and digital boundaries in their home.

Episode Summary Social media is no longer just a distraction — it is shaping identity, behavior, mental health, and safety for an entire generation. In this eye-opening episode, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Nicki Petrossi, a former social media executive turned national advocate for child safety online. Nicki is the founder of Scrolling 2 Death, co-founder of the Tech-Safe Learning Coalition, and a leading voice helping parents understand what is actually happening behind screens. Nicki brings insider knowledge from her time working inside social media platforms — paired with real-world stories, research, and current cases that reveal how algorithms, AI, gaming, and school-issued devices are putting children at risk. This conversation moves beyond fear into clarity — offering parents both warnings and solutions, so they can lead their families with confidence instead of overwhelm. Episode Highlights ✔️ Nicki's journey from social media executive to child safety advocate ✔️ What parents need to understand about Meta trials and fraud allegations ✔️ AI dangers — including Character AI and emotionally manipulative chatbots ✔️ Whether ChatGPT and AI companions are harming vulnerable users ✔️ How Instagram ranks content and why it matters for kids ✔️ The Motion Picture Association's influence on content normalization ✔️ "The Heat Is On" — what it means and why parents should pay attention ✔️ Snapchat and its connection to sex trafficking ✔️ Sextortion schemes using platforms like GroupMe ✔️ UNESCO testing and global digital experimentation ✔️ AI-generated nudes, "Sharenting," and image exploitation ✔️ Video game addiction and dopamine-driven design ✔️ How parents can stay informed without living in fear Featured Resource: Scrolling 2 Death A parent-focused platform providing education, advocacy, and real-time insights into social media risks and digital culture. 👉 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/scrolling2death 👉 Learn more → via Nicki's resources and coalition work Take Action 📲 Connect with Nicki Petrossi: • Instagram → @scrolling2death 📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent: • Instagram → @suzannephillips_ • Instagram → @beacon_parent • Website → www.beaconparent.com 📚 Beacon Parent Parent Club Ongoing discipleship, teaching, and community for parents navigating cultural pressure and digital challenges. 👉 Join here → www.beaconparent.com 🏫 Concerned About Screens in Education? Explore tools that help parents create safer learning environments. 👉 Learn more → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket Identity Truth for the Family Children were not designed to be raised by algorithms. Parents who stay informed, engaged, and courageous can interrupt harmful digital patterns and restore real connection, security, and discernment in their homes. Parents, the digital world moves fast — but you are not powerless. If this episode gave you language, clarity, or courage to engage your child's online world more intentionally, share it with another parent who feels overwhelmed or unsure where to start. 🎧 Listen Now

Episode Summary This is one of the most consequential and challenging conversations ever hosted on The InFormed Parent Podcast. In this episode, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Del Bigtree — journalist, filmmaker, former Emmy-winning producer, and one of the most influential voices calling for transparency in public health and medical science today. Del is the founder and CEO of Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), host of The HighWire, and Executive Producer of the documentary An Inconvenient Study. This episode centers on a never-published vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated study conducted within the Henry Ford Health System — a study Del challenged the institution to run in 2016, with a simple condition: publish the results no matter what they show. The study was completed. It was never submitted for publication. Through legal action, FOIA requests, investigative journalism, and now film, Del walks parents through what the study revealed, why it matters, and why asking questions in medicine has become controversial — even dangerous — for those inside the system. This is not an episode telling parents what to think. It is an episode that insists parents must be allowed to ask questions, see data, and make informed decisions for their families. Episode Highlights ✔️ Del Bigtree's background — from mainstream media to investigative journalism

✔️ The fallout from Vaxxed and the professional backlash Del experienced

✔️ The connection between politics, public health agencies, and vaccine policy

✔️ Inside An Inconvenient Study — how the film came to be and why it matters

✔️ What the unpublished vaccinated vs. unvaccinated data reveals

✔️ The dramatic rise in chronic conditions among children

✔️ Questions surrounding infant health, SIDS, and NICU outcomes

✔️ Genetic susceptibility and MTHFR considerations

✔️ Why the study was never submitted for publication

✔️ Dr. Marcus Zervos' on-camera admissions and their implications

✔️ The collapse of open scientific debate — and why it matters for families

✔️ Rebooting the scientific method through transparency and accountability

✔️ ICAN's legal, media, and legislative response to criticism

✔️ How parents can engage, learn more, and take responsibility without fear

🎧 Listen Now Featured Resource: An Inconvenient Study A documentary by Del Bigtree and ICAN examining an unpublished vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated study and the broader implications for public health transparency. 👉 Watch & Learn More → https://www.aninconvenientstudy.com Call-to-Actions (CTAs) 📲 Connect with Del Bigtree & ICAN: • The HighWire → https://thehighwire.com • ICAN → https://icandecide.org • X (Twitter) → https://x.com/delbigtree • Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/delbigtree 📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent: • Instagram → @suzannephillips_ • Instagram → @beacon_parent • Website → www.beaconparent.com ✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership) Ongoing discipleship, teaching, and community for parents navigating complex cultural issues. 👉 Join here →https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/mLSFLoXT/checkout 🏫 Exploring Educational Freedom? The Pod Packet helps parents create small, intentional learning communities with confidence. 👉 Learn more → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket Identity Truth for the Family Informed consent is not rebellion. Asking questions is not disobedience. Parents were entrusted with the responsibility to protect, steward, and advocate for their children — especially when systems grow complex and opaque. Closing CTA Parents, this episode may challenge you — and that's the point. You don't have to agree with every conclusion to recognize the importance of transparency, open debate, and informed decision-making. If this conversation stirred questions, sparked reflection, or helped you feel less alone in asking hard things, share it with another parent who needs space to think critically and courageously. 🎧 Listen Now

Episode Summary Season 6 opens with a powerful solo episode from Suzanne Phillips, founder of Beacon Parent, setting the tone for what lies ahead. In this monologue, Suzanne reflects on the cultural moment parents are navigating right now — one marked by confusion, exhaustion, pressure, and noise. From education and technology to identity, sexuality, and discipleship, parents are being asked to make high-stakes decisions without clarity or support. This episode is both an invitation and a reset. Suzanne explains why this season exists, what has shaped the direction of the conversations ahead, and why being informed is not optional for parents who want to lead with wisdom rather than react from fear. She addresses the subtle ways culture disciples families, the danger of passive parenting, and the urgent need for parents to reclaim their role as leaders, protectors, and disciplers in their homes. Season 6 is about discernment — learning to recognize what is shaping our children, understanding where ideas come from, and choosing intentional formation over cultural default. If you've felt overwhelmed, behind, unsure, or simply tired — this episode will remind you that you are not alone, and that clarity is possible. Episode Highlights ✔️ Why Season 6 was created and what prompted its focus ✔️ The difference between reacting to culture and discerning it ✔️ How parents are being discipled — often without realizing it ✔️ Why "busy" is one of the enemy's most effective tools ✔️ The cost of passive parenting in a high-pressure culture ✔️ Why informed parents make different decisions ✔️ What listeners can expect from Season 6 conversation ✔️ An invitation to slow down, listen, and lead with clarity 🎧 Listen Now Featured Resource: Beacon Parent Beacon Parent exists to equip parents to parent with purpose, disciple with direction, and lead their families with clarity and conviction in an increasingly confusing world. This season, Beacon Parent resources are designed to help you: • understand cultural influence • strengthen identity formation • disciple intentionally at home • make informed decisions for your family 👉 Learn more → www.beaconparent.com Call-to-Actions (CTAs) 📲 Stay Connected with Suzanne & Beacon Parent • Instagram: @suzannephillips_ • Instagram: @beacon_parent • Website: www.beaconparent.com 📚 Beacon Parent Free Resource Hub Practical tools, teaching guides, and identity-building resources for parents. 👉 Access free resources → https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/7dFPbYXY/checkout/ ✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership) Ongoing discipleship, community, teaching, and support for parents who want to lead well — not alone. 👉 Join the Parent Club →https://community.beaconparent.com/offers/mLSFLoXT/checkout/ 🏫 Exploring Education Alternatives? From pods to hybrids, The Pod Packet helps families take intentional next steps. 👉 Learn more → www.thepodpacket.com Identity Truth for the Family Parents were never meant to follow culture — they were called to lead their children. Discernment is not fear. Being informed is not reactionary. Intentional parenting is an act of love. Closing CTA Season 6 is an invitation to slow down, open your eyes, and lead with wisdom. If this episode resonated with you, share it with another parent who feels the weight of these decisions — a friend, a small group, or someone who needs encouragement to step out of autopilot and into intentional leadership. 🎧 Listen Now →

Episode Summary: In this powerful and timely episode, Suzanne sits down with two moms who have lived what so many parents are only beginning to consider: you can change your child's educational story — and it doesn't have to be complicated. Today's guests, Lauren Tatum and Brandy Hansen, both stepped out of traditional education pathways to create thriving, faith-filled homeschool pods for their children and communities. From fear and overwhelm to clarity and confidence, their journeys reveal what is possible when parents refuse to believe the cultural lie that there is only one way to educate kids. This conversation explores the cultural pressure surrounding education, the rise of therapeutic and agenda-driven classrooms, and why more families every year are discovering freedom through pods, microschools, hybrid models, and custom learning environments. Suzanne also introduces The Pod Packet, a practical, step-by-step resource created to help parents launch their own simple-but-powerful pod—without needing to build a full school or reinvent the wheel. Whether you're curious, cautious, overwhelmed, or ready to take action, this episode will give you vision, options, and encouragement for the educational future of your family.

Episode Highlights:

✔️ Lauren & Brandy's personal journeys into alternative education

✔️ Public, private, homeschool — and why they chose something different

✔️ The cultural lies that pressure parents into traditional schooling

✔️ Why pods work — and how simple they can be

✔️ The story behind The Pod Packet and how it equips families

✔️ How to structure a pod, build rhythms, and set expectations

✔️ Real results: confidence, community, joy

✔️ How pods grow into hybrids, microschools, or academies

✔️ Encouragement for parents feeling the nudge to make a change

🎧 Listen Now: [Insert Podcast Link]

Featured Resource: The Pod Packet A practical, step-by-step guide to help families create a simple, effective homeschool pod rooted in vision, community, and clarity.

Perfect for:

• parents
• teachers
• churches
• entrepreneurs
• hybrid or microschool starters

👉 Learn More → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket 👉 Instagram → @thepodpacket

Call-to-Actions (CTAs):

📲 Connect with Today's Guests:

• @thepodpacket
• www.beaconparent.com/podpacket

📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent:

• Instagram: @suzannephillips_
• Instagram: @beacon_parent
• Website: www.beaconparent.com

📚 Beacon Parent Free Resource Hub: Tools for discipleship, identity, parenting, culture conversations & more. 👉 Download free resources → www.beaconparent.com/thehub ✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership): Foundational discipleship, community, teaching, and support for parents. 👉 Join the club → www.beaconparent.com/parentclub 🏫 Considering Alternative Education? Explore The Pod Packet — your first step toward building a meaningful, small-scale educational community. 👉 Get the packet → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket

Identity Truth for the Family: You don't have to choose what culture tells you is "normal." Parents have God-given authority, creativity, and freedom to shape an environment where their children can grow in truth, purpose, and joy.

Closing CTA: Parents — you have more options than ever, and more influence than you know. If this episode encouraged you, share it with another family exploring educational alternatives or seeking clarity for next year. 🎧 Listen Now →