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Hannah Beach explains why true play and “void moments” are essential for healthy child development. She describes void moments as unstructured, unstimulated time where children are not directed, entertained, or managed, and shows how these moments allow children to process experience, develop identity, regulate emotions, and build resilience. Hannah is an award-winning educator, author, and emotional health consultant with more than 25 years of experience developing play-based and relationship-centered programs for children, families, and schools. She is co-author of Reclaiming Our Students and works internationally with educators, school systems, and organizations to support children’s emotional well-being through play, attachment, and community. 🗓️ Recorded December 15, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://hannahbeach.cahttps://www.instagram.com/hannahbeacheduhttps://www.facebook.com/hannahbeachedu https://www.youtube.com/@hannahbeachedu https://x.com/HannahBeachEDUhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-beach-edu 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

Anthropologist Jeppe Trolle Linnet explains how men’s fear of vulnerability is shaped by dominance, shame, and competition, drawing on years of work with men’s groups and recent field research in Greenland. He describes why men struggle to share pain, how loneliness and divorce intensify isolation, and how fatherhood, emotional listening, and community spaces offer alternative models of masculinity grounded in trust rather than control. 🗓️ Recorded December 8, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeppelinnetJeppes personal Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067588879414 🔗  DareGender https://www.daregender.dk/ https://www.facebook.com/DareGender https://www.instagram.com/daregender/ https://x.com/daregender https://www.linkedin.com/company/daregender/  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

Ex-detective turned homeschooler Victoria Lenormand describes leaving a policing career as it shifted from service to force and recognizing the same pattern in her son’s early schooling. In this conversation, she explains how grading, labels, and constant assessment eroded confidence, and how home education replaced pressure with agency, learning by doing, and community built through shared interests rather than age-based classrooms. 🗓️ Recorded December 8, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://geminidirections.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-lenormand-2129227b/https://www.instagram.com/geminidirections.co.uk/https://www.facebook.com/geminidirectionshttps://amzn.eu/d/dZz1BqH 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

Nicklas Bergman is a deep-tech investor and technology explorer who focuses on how new tools shape everyday life rather than predicting distant futures. The episode examines AI, social media, and regulation through concrete examples from work, education, family life, and investing, with an emphasis on curiosity, skepticism, and personal judgment. 🗓️ Recorded November 19, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://www.nicklasbergman.comhttps://ncklsbrgmn.substack.comhttps://se.linkedin.com/in/nicklasbergman 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

Susan Yao is an educator, school founder, and advocate of self-directed learning. She previously served as Middle School Head at Friends Academy in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, following more than a decade of teaching. She co-founded the Vermont Village School, a community-based microschool emphasising student-led learning, autonomy, and community engagement. The episode connects her parents’ years in China’s school closures with her own path through American schooling and into the early stages of unschooling. The conversation outlines her family’s approach to dyslexia, late reading, and open learning rhythms. 🗓️ Recorded November 6, 2025. 📍 Tarragona, Spain 🔗  Relevant links https://susyao.substack.com/ https://www.vermontvillageschool.org/ https://www.lionsroar.com/author/susan-yao/The Math Myth by Andrew Hacker: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620970686/  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

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.comhttps://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

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.comhttps://www.facebook.com/thehiveadventure https://www.instagram.com/thehiveadventurehttps://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/B001LOEFZUThe 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

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

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

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.dkhttps://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

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/selfdirected127Second episode with Jamie Rumble: https://www.theconrad.family/selfdirected128📚 Books mentioned in this episode Nomad Century by Gaia Vince - Get it on AmazonDigital Nomad by Tsugio Makimoto & David Manners - Get it on AmazonEducation 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

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.comhttps://www.facebook.com/thehiveadventure https://www.instagram.com/thehiveadventurehttps://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

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

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/yournaturallearnerhttps://naturallearningshop.comhttps://bridgeacademy.us https://yournaturallearner.substack.comhttps://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

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.adventuresFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/blake.bolesBooks by Blake Boles Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?: https://amzn.to/3RCDi20The Art of Self-Directed Learning: https://amzn.to/3GEXpXeBetter Than College: How to Build a Successful Life Without a Four-Year Degree: https://amzn.to/3RCiwzxCollege 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