I’m delighted to welcome back Claire Gillespie, who was a guest on the podcast almost two years ago. Claire lives in the UK with her husband and two sons, who are 15 and 17, and who left the school system around six years ago. Claire now works as a coach and also runs a creative business called The Cardboard Shed. Today we talk about why it takes so much courage to leave mainstream school, even when it isn’t working, and how taking that step caused such a huge shift in her own life. We also talk about the importance of nurturing our relationships and looking after ourselves, and of seeing all the things that can flourish when we give them the space.

Connect with Claire on Instagram

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

Today I’m with Mariam Carter who lives in Southern California with her husband and two sons, who are 12 and 9. Their oldest son is autistic and the family’s jouney to unschooling journey began during the pandemic. Mariam describes the shift she had to make from equating life success with academic achievement, what it means to trust the journey when your child learns differently, and how her job as a mental health therapist is such a parallel journey. And we talk about what it means to create a place of safety where our children can explore their autonomy and agency.   I hope you enjoy the conversation. 

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest today is Makeba Garraway. Originally from the UK, Makeba moved to Silicon Valley with her husband and two children who are now 12 and 9, seven years ago. They came to unschooling after realising that mainstream school did not feel like a good fit for their eldest and not finding any alternative either. Makeba worked as a doctor in the UK and we talk about that shift to no longer working, and what it meant to take a new look at an education system that she had outwardly thrived in. And amongst lots of other things, we talk about autonomy and our children’s hygiene, how a deep dive into gaming came to its natural end, and how we handle the heartbreak in the world in our conversations with our children.

Connect with Makeba on Instagram

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest in this episode is Nicola Leyland. Nicola has two children who are now 19 and 17. Her journey to unschooling began when her son was just eight years old and had an accident that resulted in a brain injury. Nicola talks about her experience of seeing everything fall apart, and her son’s traumatic return to school, and the consequences of following what others said she should do rather than what she felt was right. And she shares the journey of taking her children out of school and slowly building something new that’s based on choice and agency. We talk about the freedom that Nicola has also found as she has unpicked the social conditioning she grew up with, and her rediscovered creativity that she now channels into making short films about her family’s experience. 

Connect with Nicola

https://www.youtube.com/@WildlyCompassionate

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/wildlycompassionate_

https://www.facebook.com/wildlycompassionate

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest this episode is Ivana Petersen, who is from Croatia and her husband is from Denmark. They have three children who are 13, 10 and 7. They took their eldest two children out of school six years ago, feeling burnt out by the stress and lack of connection of modern life. Ivana describes the healing journey that took place as they searched for a more authentic and aligned way to live. From there it became a natural progression to unschooling and then finally to worldschooling. The family has been travelling now for several years, and Ivana explains how that lifestyle looks and how it has been a healing experience for them all. I hope you enjoy the conversation. 

Connect with Ivana:

Worldschooling blog: www.ivanapetersen.dk

Instagram: ivanapetersen.dk and barefeet.around.the.world

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

Today I am chatting with Esther Grimes, who lives in Australia with her husband, and three sons, who are 1, 4 and 8. Although Esther and her husband were already looking at less conventional ways to live as a family, they hadn’t questioned school. It wasn’t until it became very clear that their oldest son couldn’t cope with school that they started to figure out another way. We talk about their journey to unschooling, how hard it can be to step away from the well trodden path and how life looks for the family now. I hope you enjoy the conversation. 

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest today is Irene Genelin from Minnesota. Irene and her husband used to have an organic fruit farm, but sold that a few years ago to travel almost full time with their daughter, who is now 10. We talk about how they came to that decision, how they organise their travels and what community looks like on the road. As well as what learning looks like for their daughter and the kinds of things that come up that still require some unravelling. 

Here's a link to the episode of Irene's podcast that she mentions.

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

In this episode I am chatting with Lizz Mears from Dorset in the UK. Lizz has two children, who are  21 and 13. After many difficult school years that took their toll on her older child’s mental health and on her own, Lizz chose to take her younger child out of school when she was unable to cope with the move to secondary. Amongst lots of other things, we talk about how they transitioned from a more curriculum style learning to unschooling, and the challenges that come with letting go of how we think learning should look. We talk about why our children’s mental health has to be the most important part in all of this, the courage it can take to walk away from a system that doesn’t work for you and why that can be healing for everyone. 

Connect with Lizz:

https://linktr.ee/Lizzmears 

https://www.ndparentrevolution.com 

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest today is Ruth Macallan, who I also chatted with in episode 54. Ruth is originally from the UK but she and her family live for most of the year in Zambia where her husband runs an NGO. Today, amongst other things, we talk about boredom and how to help our children navigate those tricky moments, and we talk about the huge value in just slowing down and enjoying the present moment. And, Ruth tells us about their unschooling life in Zambia. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Connect with Ruth on Instagram

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest this episode is Erin Cummings. Erin grew up in Ottawa and now lives with her husband who is of the indigenous Métis community and their three young sons, in the boreal forest in Treaty 3 Territory of Northwest Ontario. Here they live on a 200-acre piece of land where they farm, own livestock and are building their family home. Erin talks about their choice of living an intentionally simple life which centres on their relationships with each other and with the land, and of her experiences as a school teacher. And we chat about how important our own happiness and fulfilment is as parents, and why embracing our own interest is a wonderful model for our children and a far more satisfying way to live. I hope you enjoy the conversation!

See here for more information about the Métis Nation

You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:
www.esther-jones.com

Or, connect with me on
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace