The Unschool Space

In this episode, I'm  chatting with Lucy Aitkenread. Lucy is originally from the UK, but 10 years ago, set off travelling with her partner Tim, and their two young daughters. They settled in New Zealand, which is where they live now. Their daughters are now 10 and 13 and haven’t been to school. So, today we talk about the culture of school and what a huge impact it has on our lives, even as adults. And how, it often takes our children to take us back to the roots of many limiting beliefs we have about ourselves, which is why the deschooling process can run so deep. Lucy tells us about their lives in New Zealand, how she has found and created a rich community around them, and how our very different children really open us up to so many possibilities. Connect with Lucy: InstagramFacebook You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

Today, my guest is Ruth Macallan. Originally from Edinburgh, Ruth now lives for most of the year in Zambia with her husband and her two children, who are 2 and 5. We talk about what Ruth’s child-led days look like, what it means to allow a child the freedom to go at their own pace, and how living in rural Zambia has helped Ruth to learn how to  slow down and to appreciate the beauty in the moment. And, we also chat about the importance of creating community, travelling with children, and of course, taking good care of ourselves. Connect with Ruth on InstagramYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

My guest today is Claire Gillespie from Hertfordshire in the UK. Claire lives with her husband and two sons, who are 15 and 13, and they’ve been unschooling for four years, after their oldest son asked to leave school. Amongst other things, we talk about the fascinating learning journeys children embark on when they’re in charge, how different we all are from each other and the inevitable ebb and flow of the days. And Claire shares how this way of living has impacted her and the choices she makes in her own life.Connect with Claire on InstagramVisit her website You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

Today I’m chatting with Daniel Moeller from Pennsylvania. Daniel is a former teacher and has a 10-year old son, called Kai who has been unschooling for four years. Daniel came across unschooling whilst struggling himself to reconcile many parts of the school system, and in particular the power over dynamic that he was expected to conform to as a teacher. Today we talk about how our own beliefs and responses are often rooted in our own experience of this dynamic as children, and how, to unpack it all and to reconnect with our deeper values, we need to have a lens of openness and curiosity, as well as being intentional about our actions and choices. You can hear more from Daniel and Kai on their podcast, Unschooling with Kai. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniel.t.moeller/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

My guest today is Donna, from East Sussex in the UK. Donna has two daughters, who are 13 and 11. Her eldest daughter had always struggled with school, and it wasn’t until Covid that Donna realised just how deep the school stress was embedded in the whole family. Eventually feeling that there was no alternative but to try something different, she took her daughter out of school. Today Donna talks about how easy it is to get blinkered and stuck in that space of stress and deficit. And, about how liberating it has been for both of them to shift into a new place of possibility, trust and curiosity. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

Today, I’m chatting with Dr Emma Svanberg. Emma is a clinical psychologist, author of Parenting For Humans and mother of two children. As well as exploring unschooling with her family, Emma helps other parents on their own parenting journeys. We talk about how the deeply held narratives we all have about ourselves often don’t serve us as parents, and can keep us reactive and disconnected. And, how our children offer us an incredible opportunity to unravel these stories and to find the courage it can take to fully embrace and support them. We also talk about neurodivergence in an unschooling home, ways to regulate our nervous systems, and learning to embrace the unknown. Website: www.dremmasvanberg.comBook: Parenting for humansInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mumologist/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

My guest today is Hayley from Derbyshire in the UK. Hayley has four children, who are now 25, 22, 18 and 10, and her journey to unschooling started 14 years ago when her eldest child was 11. We talk about how unschooling is so much more than education. It’s about the importance of relationships, and of living in a way that feels coherent to us, and about incorporating joy into our lives. And Hayley tells us about the very different journeys that each of her children are making through life. Find Hayley on Instagram at @takingakinderpathFollow Hayley's blog: https://takingakinderpath.com/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

In this episode, I’m chatting with Holly from South Wales. Holly has three children, aged 9, 7, 5 and began unschooling three years ago, when  her eldest started to struggle at school. Holly worked as a teacher, and shares her experience of transitioning from a schooled way of thinking about learning to unschooling. We chat about how this way of life allows for different rhythms, choice and autonomy. And, how if when we move away from ticking boxes for our children, we also free ourselves from ticking boxes, allowing us to live our lives in a more aligned and liberated way. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

My guest today is Fran Liberatore. Fran is Italian but lives with her family between Bangkok, Maine and Sicily. Her children are now aged 10 and 12 and If you’d like to hear more from Fran you can also hear her in episode 12 of the podcast a couple of years ago. Today we talk about how Fran and her family have found community in the different cultures they move between. We also talk about neurodivergence and how the perspective can be in an unschooling home, consent-based parenting, being our children’s advocates, and the hard work of deschooling that goes into all of this. Connect with Fran on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigmothering/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace

Today, I’m chatting with Chelsea, who lives in LA with her husband and two sons, who are 10 and 6. Chelsea had never planned to unschool, and in fact her older son was very happy at a project-based school in his earlier years. She tells us about why they made this choice and what it has meant for her family. We talk in particular about how the parent’s deschooling journey often means becoming aware of all the power dynamics at play, not only in relation with our children, but in many other facets of our lives and in the society around us. And, Chelsea shares what the deschooling process has looked like for her so far.You can find Chelsea at https://www.instagram.com/the.matcha.mamaYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.unschoolingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace