A Life Unschooled

About A Life Unschooled

Social commentary from the perspective of children are people!! On this podcast, we critique parenting & education trends, methods & books from a children's rights angle. alifeunschooled.substack.com (https://alifeunschooled.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Fran Liberatore

Category

kids & family · kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

20 Feb 2022

Latest episode

24 Jan 2025

Latest episodes

31 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   24 Jan 2025

   E1: "Tradwives aren't even trad" with Caroline J. Sumlin

   Hello hello! I’ve renamed my pod and we’re embarking on a new season! The title, Unparenting, is somewhat provocative - this pod is aiming to do social commentary on parenting trends & discourses around childhood from a lens of children’s rights and child liberation. It’s going to be fun/harrowing - buckle up! In this episode, I talk to Caroline J Sumlin about the worrying tradwife movement and its political implications, and of course, the white supremacy of it all. There is a transcript you can access, but pls not that I don’t edit it for errors, etc. A little bit about Caroline: Caroline J. Sumlin is a writer and speaker dedicated to inspiring others to break free from societal expectations and reclaim their authentic lives. Through her work, she challenges cultural norms and highlights the intersections of self-worth, identity, and systemic oppression. Caroline is the author of We'll All Be Free (https://carolinejsumlin.substack.com), How a Culture of White Supremacy Devalues Us and How We Can Reclaim Our True Worth. You can also find her as a contributing writer at The Everygirl. Caroline received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Howard University in Washington, DC. I hope you enjoy the show! Comment below with your thoughts and please share, rate and review on whatever app you’re listening on - it really helps! Fran x Some links from the show: This pod now has a Patreon (https://patreon.com/unparenting?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink) You can follow me on IG @radical.mothering (https://www.instagram.com/radical.mothering/), and follow Caroline @carolinejsumlin (https://www.instagram.com/carolinejsumlin/). Find the pod on Youtube. (https://www.youtube.com/@unparentingpod) Caroline’s piece on tradwives: My piece on tradwives: The article I quoted from: Sykes, S., & Hopner, V. (2024). Tradwives: Right-Wing Social Media Influencers. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 53(4), 453-487. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416241246273 This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alifeunschooled.substack.com/subscribe (https://alifeunschooled.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   27 Apr 2024

   Homeschool boss moms & hustle culture with Adele Jarrett-Kerr

   I’m thrilled to be sharing this conversation with you. I am a long-time follower and fan of Adele’s writing, and in this podcast we discuss her piece Homeschool mum hustle culture is giving MLM vibes (https://open.substack.com/pub/adelejarrettkerr/p/homeschool-mum-hustle-culture-is?r=4cmx3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web), and all of our many thoughts about it. It was a beautiful, rambly (in all the good ways!) conversation that went so many places. We talk about: * working while homeschooling and the very specific challenge of that * why we don’t see HOW people make it work, even while we’re often told we can do it, too! * home education as a win-win lifestyle choice * how we are part of the decision-making around how to craft a life unschooled * the danger of online promises that you too, can have it all by following these easy steps (and paying for this workshop!) And so much more!! I would love to know your thoughts too. Do you homeschool and work for pay? What is tough about it, and what is wonderful? Why do we shy away from talking about the significant downsides of homeschooling, or the realities behind how people actually make it work? Fran x More about Adele: Adele Jarrett-Kerr is a Trinidadian mother of three who lives in Cornwall, UK. She home educated her kids until they were 13, 10 and 7 and founded Soulcraft, a learning community for home educated tweens and teens. She also works as a freelance writer. If you follow her online you'll get some thoughts on self direction and consent-based parenting. You can find Adele on instagram, and here on Substack (https://adelejarrettkerr.substack.com). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alifeunschooled.substack.com/subscribe (https://alifeunschooled.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   2 Apr 2024

   How we honour divergent experiences with Marni Kammersell

   Hello friends! This is episode 2 of my new series that aims to challenge and critique some of the ways we view education, parenting and children’s autonomy. In this episode, I chat to Marni Kammersell. We talk about the Neurodiversity paradigm, moving away from a medical model, her own family’s journey discovering their neurodivergence, and how they moved into unschooling.It was such an honour and joy to have this conversation with Marni! I hope you enjoy it too. Some things that came up in this episode: * how figuring out who we are is a slow, unfolding journey - and it looks so different for everyone * Marni helped me define some common terms - so if you’re unsure or confused about what neurodiversity, neurodivergence, and neuronormativity mean, this is the episode for you * We discussed the Neurodiversity paradigm v. the pathology paradigm * We talked about how our Western language around neurodiversity is not necessarily transferrable to all people and all cultures.. and how there are plenty of critiques around this idea * We talk about giftedness and Twice Exceptionality - what this is, how difficult the language can be, and what these kids need * Marni shared her experience moving into self-directed education and about the research she is currently doing as a grad student A little bit more about Marni: Marni Kammersell is a neurodivergent educator who specializes in creating empowering, neuro-affirming home and learning environments. She is passionate about the neurodiversity paradigm, self-directed education, non-coercive relationships, and understanding experience through the lens of the nervous system. Currently pursuing her doctorate with a focus on neurodivergence and self-directed education, Marni has over 15 years of experience in alternative educational settings such as homeschooling, unschooling, community education, democratic schools, and forest schools. Her greatest teachers are her own three children, who have never been to school. You can find Marni at Wandering Brightly (https://wanderingbrightly.substack.com/?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fwandering%2520brightly&utm_medium=reader2&utm_campaign=reader2) here on Substack, and on her website. (https://wanderingbrightly.com) Please bear in mind I do not edit the transcript at all, and so you may not get an accurate transcription of our conversation. You can also listen to A Life Unschooled on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-life-unschooled/id1707639692), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/08UAOb5gsNuFwnAYrdHxkn?si=052f69cbcf014eaa), and most other podcast apps. I hope you enjoy this episode! Fran x This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alifeunschooled.substack.com/subscribe (https://alifeunschooled.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

57

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

30

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.