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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 what it means to be "safe" and the weaponization of safety to shut down conversation the family unit and it's importance for child well-being toxic environments and how environmental changes can "cure" mental distress current public school model being misaligned for children's well-being special considerations for praising children what neurodiversity means and the side effects of the neurodiversity paradigm and movement importance of being honest and clear about a child's clinically significant disordered behavior separating the person from the behavior the power of internal motivation making decisions that are right for "your particular child" and more! 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"

Marta Obiols Llistar is a trained teacher who believed in the school system. She didn’t think she would homeschool her children, but the school system “broke her heart”. In this episode we discuss the how and why of her transition to homeschooling with her three children and talk about her very first book, 18: An Unschooling Experience. Marta never thought she would write a book, but the experience of her oldest son turning 18 created a lot of emotions and she had a gut feeling she needed to put her experiences into words so that she could help other parents. We talk about why she kept unschooling a secret for a little while from her husband, the way her three children pursued their interests and how she supported them on their unique journeys, and how Marta learned to trust the process and to respect her children’s choices and decisions, and how to get out of their way. We dig into the variety of emotions that come up as homeschooling parents and we discuss what it has meant for her to live in the U.S. and raise her kids here although her heart is in Spain. We touch on the amazing experiences her children had in her home country when they spent five months there. We also talk about “being in bed” with John Holt (HA!) and how his books changed her life. Marta is passionate, deep, and an absolute pleasure to talk to. She has finished her second book which is available now:  A Successful Education: How to tailor an education to fit your unique child’s needs. I know you will enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Find more Marta: https://mollbkg.wixsite.com/unschool https://www.asuccessfuleducation.com/ on Instagram @unschoolingstory18 on Tiktok @unschoolingstory18 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"  

Welcome to episode #31! Erin Majeske is the creator and director of the Barefeet Farm School located in Bellingham, WA. She gathers daily from Monday through Thursday with 12 preschoolers, her own baby, and two teachers in a large fenced-in property with a creek and boat that has been converted into a playhouse. The inspiration for the outdoor preschool came together over time and especially after Erin realized how stifling and unsettling the indoor preschool space was for her and the children she cared for. As she found, being indoors all day seemed to constantly go against children being children. Nature is where they thrived.  In this episode, we discuss how her farm school came to be, the importance of being in nature all day, building skills through play, nervous system regulation through music and singing, observing children and noticing where their growing edges are, child-led learning, being more comfortable with conflict, conscious discipline, and so much more! Find the Barefeet Farm School here: https://www.barefeetfarmschool.com/ Resources: https://www.barefeetfarmschool.com/resources And on Instagram @barefeetfarmschool New to homeschooling or unschooling? Grab the new Life Unschooled guide I co-wrote with Ann Hansen of Inner Parent Coaching. This beautiful 43-page downloadable support book was written to empower parents and to shift the paradigm of learning from a school-focused lens to a life-is-learning one. Get your copy, here: Life Unschooled e-book To be a part of The Great Educational Awakening, follow along on my Substack newsletter. And on Instagrm @letemgobarefoot

EPISODE 30:  Emily is a homeschooling mom of two and the creator of the Home Tribe, a California based, international online platform created to connect parents to each other, resources, and educators. While her mission is to help parents reimagine education, she was not originally a homeschooling parent. In this episode, we talked about her journey to homeschooling including when she felt like a failure and put her kids back in school. We discussed how Covid impacted her decision to try homeschooling again. We discussed the development of Home Tribe and how her background working in the tech industry inspired her to create an interactive platform. We talk about taking a leap of faith, working parents and homeschooling, reimagining time spent on direct instruction, an agile approach to education, how children change and grow, and the importance of critical thinking. We also talk about the way we may lose connection with our kids when we fall into thinking educator’s have “authority” over them and we wonder, are we experiencing a crisis of community? Emily encourages parents to be involved in their kid’s education and to embrace the freedom to make choices that align with our values and goals. Check out Home Tribe at www.hometribe.com and follow Emily on Instagram @ourhometribe Also mentioned in the podcast: https://freedomkeepersunited.org/ https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/ To become a part of the Great Educational Awakening, sign up for Missy's Substack newsletter: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/

In episode 29 I talk to Amber and Madeleine, the creators of Barefoot University...a forest school with "barefoot kids and endless possibilities".  They share their journey from idea to implementation along with the learning and pivots they have made along the way. Amber and Madeleine are enthusiastic, adventurous moms who have a mission to get a Barefoot University program in all 50 states in the U.S., because, according to them, the science is clear....kids need to be barefoot outside. I couldn't agree more! To learn more about their program, please visit https://barefootuniversity.org/ Instagram: @barefoot_university To become a part of the Great Educational Awakening, sign up for Missy's Substack newsletter: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/ Instagram: @letemgobarefoot    

In episode #28, I talk to Jason Kantor, a homeschool teacher and mentor to struggling teens.  Jason lives in Queens, New York and has worked with students in several capacities, including as a tutor in a scripted, academic private setting which definitely taught him a thing or two about what being a teacher truly means. He has worked with kids from all walks of life and from all family backgrounds. The one thing he realizes each child needs for learning is a connected relationship. Jason shares about his own struggles in school and how he went through a time of feeling lost and frustrated. We discuss how he landed in a teaching position then eventually came to create the 4 pillars of his coaching approach. We talk about what parents can look out for if they are interested in hiring a coach for their teen.  We also discuss leveling with kids, listening to their concerns, not comparing them to others or their sibilings, and supporting their interests.   You can find Jason on Instagram @coachjasonkantor making informative reels about education and living and learning with teens. He's also on Twitter @thecoachjason  You can find Missy writing and sharing about unschooling, self-directed education, and conscious parenting through the lens of a former teacher turned unschooling mom on Instagram @letemgobarefoot . She's also writes long-form essays and updates on events and community support options over on Substack . Are you feeling the tug to skip school and join the Education Revolution?  JOIN US!    

Gill Howarth grew up and lives in Perth, Australia. She cut her teeth as a Kindergarten teacher in South Korea then returned to teach in Australia while growing her family. While she loved working with children, her discomfort with what the educational system expected and what she knew children needed became too much to ignore. For instance, play, which is highly valued in the research was being removed from the school day. When she became pregnant with her third child, the stress of being a teacher became overwhelming, and she left the profession. However, her creative spark and desire to work with children didn’t stop. She soon set the intention to create time and space to be with children and what started as a one-day program eventually turned into a three-day one. Born Wise Education was born and is a nature micro school that she joyfully runs with her artist friend, Nat. In this conversation we discuss her journey from teacher to homeschooling mom. We talk about children’s intuitive nature, building a micro-school from the ground up, the importance of being in nature and the power of play for growth, connection, and emotional intelligence, and following our children’s interests. We talk about having other adults around to help us expend our lens, the inspiration that can come from social media, and how exciting it is to see this movement of getting back to nature, grow.  Gill is delightful and inspiring! It is obvious she loves what she does. You can follow her Instagram @ _born_wise_education and learn more about Born Wise and the Nature Network here: www.bornwise.com.auwww.wearenaturenetwork.com.au   To register for the Barefoot Playground gatherings, please go here: https://barefootcoaching.as.me/schedule.php You can read more about Missy, the podcast host, at www.letemgobarefoot.com Instagram:  @letemgobarefoot

Raising Readers, Home as Epicenter with Nikolai Pizarro, Episode 26 From an MBA to Literacy Advocate, Nikolai Pizarro believes deeply in the power of community. She embodied self-directed education early and flew under the radar in school by learning advanced math with a neighbor that eventually landed her acceptance to the University of Chicago much to the surprise of one high school teacher in particular. When she became pregnant, while managing a tax refund franchise, her attention shifted to studying brain science. She realized that the studies on early childhood development were largely based on her demographic. This motivated Nikolai to share what she learned with others and to build up her community by disseminating information and empowering parents. To date, she has worked with over 500 organizations and 2000 children! We also discuss her experiences with public school as a parent and how her son was severely impacted early on. While her original goal was to support schools from the inside and maintain the philosophy of “centering home” and “home as epicenter”, it became clear that the school setting was not what he needed. Nikolai’s story is powerful, her work is a force for positive change, and she is a shining example of when there’s a will, there’s a way. To learn more about her literacy work and to support her mission you can follow Nikolai on Instagram @raisingreaders and visit her websites: https://www.fromhighchairtofreedom.com/ https://www.homeasepicenter.com/ Sold a Story (link below) is the investigate report we touched on that uncovered the literacy issues in our public schools. https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/ Interested in live gatherings to discuss topics about learning and living consciously with your children? Join us over on The Barefoot Playground. Follow Missy on Instagram @letemgobarefoot

Pam Laricchia joins me for episode 25. Pam is a mom to three grown children and has been immersed in the unschooling world for over 20 years. She has written multiple books about learning and living with children. I find her joyful, curious, and open way of living alongside kids, in partnership and connection, to be comforting and inspiring. In this episode, we focus on her beautiful book, The Unschooling Journey: A Field Guide (2018) and how the idea to mirror Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces came to be. We dig into various sections of the journey, such as answering the call to adventure, what it means to be in the “belly of the whale”, accessing “beginner’s mind”, challenging our own beliefs, accepting the value of all experiences, as well as embracing our challenges as integral to the journey, not as a sign that we must stop pursuing adventure or jump off the path altogether.  Come walk with us as we explore unschooling through the lens of the hero's journey.    Connect with Pam: https://livingjoyfully.ca/ Instagram @pamlaricchia and @livingjoyfullypodcast Book: The Unschooling Journey: A Field Guide https://amzn.to/3kRkQVI Connect with Missy: www.letemgobarefoot.com Instagram @letemgobarefoot On Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/ ----more---- If you enjoyed this episode and would like to support the podcast, you can add a tip to the tip jar here. Thank you! Have you heard about The Barefoot Playground? It's my new online "micro school" for parents and educators to gather over topics of interest. From understanding right-brain dominant learners to self-directed education and emotional well-being you can sign-up for interactive discussions with authors, veteran unschooling moms with grown children, therapists, specialists, and more. Come on over!

Welcome to episode 24 of the Let 'em go Barefoot podcast. My guest today is Hannah Frankman. Hannah is an insightful, self-directed entrepreneur, and the creator of Rebel Educator, an online resource hub with a mission to transform education. In this episode she walks us through her journey as a studious homeschooled kid, the reasons she decided to skip college, and the choices she made to seek meaningful work and projects that align with her values and goals. We talk about her work at Praxis, how Rebel Educator came to be, and her Twitter account where she shares everything from lists of books for parents and kids to read, to reasons why parents should consider homeschooling, to top skills kids need for life. I also ask her some questions that a few of my Instagram followers had for her.  Hannah is determined to empower parents and to help them find better educational options for their children. As stated on her site, RebelEducator.co: “Your child was built to learn, explore, and create. Our goal is to help unlock that potential.” Find more Hannah: https://rebeleducator.co/ https://rebeleducator.substack.com/ https://twitter.com/rebelEducator Things mentioned in the show: https://www.learnoutloud.com/Resources/Publishers-and-Retailers/Modern-Scholar/80   https://www.thegreatcourses.com/ Find more Missy: Facebook or Instagram (where I spend most of my time these days) @letemgobarefoot Substack https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/ The Barefoot Playground, where we meet to dive into topics related to education, unschooling, parenting, relationships, neuroscience, and more! Join the Right-Brained Learner series with Cindy Gaddis beginning March 9th @6pm EST: https://barefootcoaching.as.me/playground  

In episode 23 of the podcast, I talk to Christina and Nick Caster, the creators of the live-action, fully-handcrafted, preschool TV show, Gus Plus Us. The Casters are also the creators of the full- service entertainment studio, Caster Studios that resides outside of Austin, Texas. Nick and Christina discuss how the show came to be, the intention behind it, the time and thoughtfulness that went into making the show and how it really is a full family effort. We discuss the other projects the studio is working on, how the studio has changed and grown since it started in 2007, their decision to homeschool their two children including the books and people who inspired them, and so much more. Stay tuned for Season 2! In the meantime, enjoy the 13 episodes that are already available. Keep up with Nick and Christina over on Instagram: @casterstudios @gusplusus You can learn more about their studio here:  https://casterstudios.com/ And find the show, Gus Plus Us, here: https://gusplusus.com/ And on KidoodleTv here: https://www.kidoodle.tv/2403/gus-plus-us ----more---- Follow Let ‘em go Barefoot on Instagram @letemgobarefoot and join me live over on The Barefoot Playground where we turn theory into practice and connect with one another as we create joyful, supporting learning environments for our kids. Look for my writing over on Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/ and if you'd like to support the podcast or add a tip to the tip jar, you can do so here or here: paypal.me/letemgobarefoot  Thank you!

Welcome to episode 22 with Sheila Rumble! Did you know the idea of archetypes goes back a very long time? They are patterns of behavior that are innate, universal, and across cultures.  Sheila has done an in-depth study of archetypes and does energy and healing work through her practice Rowan Holistic Healing & Wellness. On the podcast we discuss: Survival Archetypes and how they impact us and our society Masculine and Feminine Energy The Light and Shadow side of Archetypes Understanding archetypes as a template for understanding ourselves Archetypes in movies, fairytales, literature, and shows as an exaggeration of archetype patterns The mother in shadow and devouring mother/father archetypes as well as various forms of the mother archetypes How shadow attracts shadow and light attracts light The potential to grow from “our enemies” Understanding when the child shows up and why The dark night of the soul Healing ourselves by working with our bodies and loving ourselves and more! Sheila is offering a discount to listeners. Book a private session with her and learn about your archetypes! Follow this link: http://rowan-wellness.com/archetypal-consultation/  and use code: LGB15  Follow Sheila @sheilarumble_quantumhealing on Instagram for more great insights on healing thyself. ****** In other news, The Barefoot Playground is kicking off the year on February 16th at 6pm EST with author, speaker, and micro school creator, CINDY GADDIS. It will be a wonderful gathering about how to support your right-brained learners.  Please reserve your spot here: https://barefootcoaching.as.me/playground ----more---- Look for my writing over on Substack: https://letemgobarefoot.substack.com/ and if you'd like to support the podcast or add a tip to the tip jar, you can do so here. Your support is much appreciated. Thank you!