Brave Writer

Karen Goldstein and her son Elijah are struggling with the difficult transition into high school. It can be a challenge to fit in the oftentimes-rigorous high school work while still allowing breathing room for a laid-back, enjoyable lifestyle – and holding on to the love of learning throughout it all!“More subjects leaves less time for in-depth exploration, field trips, time in nature, rabbit trails, and down time. I miss that. There is only so much time in a given day. We are both working harder than ever,” Karen says. “Working hard isn't a bad thing but I am wondering how to make high school feel smoother?”You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedPreorder Julie’s upcoming book at thebravelearner.com (releasing Feb. 5th, 2019)Looking to kickstart your writing program this school year? Download the FREE 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Today’s guest, Jennifer Hunter, is a mother struggling with a problem that afflicts many homeschooling parents.Jennifer says, “My homeschool challenge is that I am lonely! My kids are all young, and while I am honoured to be spending my days helping them learn, it isn’t always stimulating for me.”We expect this is something that every homeschooling parent experiences at one point or another. We all love our kids, of course, but it can be difficult to connect with other families, or even just our personal friends, when they operate on a completely different schedule.But it’s also really important that we do because community is a critical part of our mental health! Luckily, though, Julie has been there and done that, and she has some great tips for finding communities online and in your area.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedPreorder Julie’s upcoming book at thebravelearner.com (releasing Feb. 5th, 2019)Looking to kickstart your writing program this school year? Download the FREE 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

There’s a dilemma that plagues every homeschooling parent’s mind at some point in their journey, filling threads online and conversations in person: How can we make learning fun?And then the natural follow up question comes up: Do we have to make learning fun? Because the truth is that education won’t be fun 100 percent of the time.This is the dilemma brought to us by our guest Anne Trott, who asked how she can push through these challenging moments and teach perseverance, without hurting her relationship or connection with her kids.It’s a fine line some days, but Julie has some advice to guide you through the difficult daysYou can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedPreorder Julie’s upcoming book at thebravelearner.com (releasing Feb. 5th, 2019)Want to kickstart your writing program this school year? Download the FREE 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!) -- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Jenniver Vetter is a brave mother of six who has been homeschooling for nine years. She has embraced the emphasis on relationship and freedom in learning that homeschooling offers, but she worries that her children also need to learn skills that don’t lend themselves as easily to fort building and play.Jennifer asked, “How do I balance the love and creative side of learning with the nuts, bolts and rules side of learning?”We know this is a big question in the Brave Writer community, but Julie has a few ideas for how homeschoolers can meet both of those goals.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedPreorder Julie’s upcoming book at thebravelearner.com (releasing Feb. 5th, 2019)Want to kickstart your writing program this school year? Download the FREE 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!) -- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

In this day and age, we are so connected to technology. We carry these magic little screens with us everywhere – and if you’re anything like us, it can start to feel like a third arm! We use them for work and for entertainment, and when our kids see us using these tools, they want to use them too.But what is too much screen time for our children, and what is an appropriate use of that time?Today we’re going to explore those questions with our guest Lindsay McCarthy, a homeschooling mother of a boy and a girl ages nine and five. Lindsay also runs a Facebook community called The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families.When Lindsay reached out for help, she said, “One of my biggest struggles is how to help my kids love to read when they are bombarded with easier ways of entertainment and fact-finding due to technology.“We have a limit for them of 2 hours of screen time a day, but often get complaints from them when we enforce that rule. I'd love some tips on how to balance technology in our homeschool.”So how do we foster a family culture that values what technology offers, without allowing it to take over? Listen to find out.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Please consider donating to Tammy Kim and family, survivors of the Camp Fire in CA. They’ve lost their home and everything in it. gofundme.com/tammykimfundJoin The Miracle Morning for PARENTS & FAMILIES Community on FacebookWant help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedPreorder Julie’s upcoming book at thebravelearner.com (releasing Feb. 5th, 2019)Want to kickstart your writing program this school year? Download the FREE 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Today we’re going to talk to a brave mother who wants to support her children’s dreams, is inspired by everything she’s learned about on Brave Writer... but feels stumped. She wants her family to be immersed in a culture of learning, without always being in “school mode,” but she’s struggling to figure out how.That brave mother is Christa Gregg, a homeschool mother of three children with a Master’s degree in social work and a background in counseling.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedPreorder Julie’s upcoming book at thebravelearner.com (releasing Feb. 5th, 2019)Want to kickstart your writing program this school year? Download the FREE 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Over the past four seasons, our help inbox has been flooded with What Abouts: What about the kid who won’t work hard? What about college? What about chores?There are vexing dilemmas that come up in a lot of our home education journeys, and they can lead to a lot of questions and self-doubt. Homeschooling is hard! We get it, and we’re here to help.So we’re calling this season Ask Julie because Julie Bogart is here to help you figure these questions out, while discussing all the ways you can improve your experience of being home with your kids!We’d like to thank the wonderful parents who have given us permission to see the insides of their family lives. It’s incredibly brave to expose their insecurities and feelings of inadequacy so that we can grow together, and we’re honored that they shared their time.So each episode of this season will feature a parent’s or a group of parents’ dilemma, their conversation with Julie, and a follow-up communication sharing how it all turned out.If you’re thinking that all sounds wonderful, but how can I get all of these ideas in one convenient place – well, you’re in luck! Julie has a new book coming out, The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life, which will be published on February 5th, 2019.So let’s meet our first parent, Tammy Kim, who brings forward one of the most common and vexing of homeschool dilemmas: she is experiencing a sense of overwhelm and worry over her effectiveness as a homeschool educator!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedLearn more about Julie’s new book at thebravelearner.comWant to kickstart your writing program this school year? Download the FREE 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Our guest MacKenzie Koppa (aka Bold Turquoise) is the creator of a slew of resources for families: the Cultivating the Lovely podcast, the Lovely Homeschool online course, and the brand new The Same Page podcast.The Same Page is practically designed with Brave Writer families in mind. The core of each episode is memory work encompassing poetry, Shakespeare, historical facts, and scripture.So in five minutes or less, you can get a spoonful of great literature and, over the course of multiple episodes, you and your family can memorize them while enjoying a shared experience.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Learn more at boldturquoise.comConnect with Mackenzie: Instagram | TwitterListen to The Same PageListen to Cultivating the LovelyRead: The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Homeschooling changes when you transition into the scary world of teenagers, so today I want to discuss teens in general and what you can expect from a homeschool with teenagers.After home births, breastfeeding, babywearing, cosleeping, and having a wonderfully close relationship with her young children, Julie thought that she would seamlessly move into the teen years and escape all of the weirdness that other families talk about. Their family was so tuned in, so it was going to be different.Then Julie had a rude awakening!But even if there are difficult and distant moments, hold onto the memories of when you were close and know that you will be close again – you just have to weather the storm.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Join Julie on Instagram: @juliebravewriterCheck out this free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Before Julie started Brave Writer, she worked as a freelance writer, freelance magazine editor, and a ghostwriter – which is to say, yes, you can simultaneously pursue a dream or passion and homeschool!Whether you want to earn money, go to grad school, start a business, or write a blog, you can do that and still be a phenomenal homeschooling parent.In today’s episode, Julie shares some of her experiences in developing a working lifestyle, as well as what it feels like to earn money while being a woman and a home educator.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Join Julie on Instagram: @juliebravewriterCheck out this free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters