We’re continuing our conversation with Mosheh Oinounou, a journalist who breaks down daily headlines of the biggest, most relevant news stories on his Instagram. He also publishes a newsletter that aims to share real, verified news sources and hosts a daily news podcast as part of his Mo News Network. We discuss how to come together despite our division, how to handle differences of opinion within our communities, and what to do about our political polarization. You can download show notes for t...
Aug 24, 2022•38 min
We’ve been discussing the importance of critical thinking lately, and today’s guest is a perfect example of why it’s so important—and also incredibly difficult. I’m speaking with Mosheh Oinounou, a journalist who has risen to fame on Instagram for his neutral approach to the news, digging into headlines, and discussing social issues. On top of that, he is a fabulous conversationalist, which shines through in this interview. He focuses on verified headlines and is interested in facts above all el...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 5 min
It’s okay to make messes. Continuing our series on the four forces of enchantment, we’re going to take a look at one that might put you on edge: Risk. By allowing ourselves—and our kids—to break rules, make mistakes, and push boundaries, we open up new levels of creativity and expression. And when kids are more comfortable with taking risks, they’re more likely to try new things. It also encourages critical thinking! So get out there and make some messes. You can download show notes for the podc...
Aug 15, 2022•5 min
How did it go thinking about surprise as a force for good? In our series on the four forces of enchantment, it's time to look at the second force, which is “mystery.” Let’s explore what mystery is, why it’s a critical tool for developing a sense of enchantment, and the ways you can facilitate a sense of mystery in your kids’ lives. You can download show notes for the podcast here: https://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/ Resources: bravewriter.com/tea raisingcriticalthinkers.com thebravel...
Aug 08, 2022•7 min
Let me know if this sounds familiar: You’re trying to think about all of the things you need to accomplish, not just in a day, but over the course of your child’s life—from birth to adulthood? Eating, walking, reading, writing, riding a bike, instilling good morals… the list goes on! And homeschooling only adds more of that responsibility onto your plate. It can be so overwhelming. So how do we plan a life that accounts for each child’s personal needs and gets them to the finish line of adulthoo...
Aug 03, 2022•50 min
It’s summertime! Are you planning for the upcoming school year? Whether you’re homeschooling or sending kids to a traditional school, writing is that one skill that so many of us find unnerving. One of the big problems is that your child’s age or grade level doesn’t tell you much about your writer. Writing develops the same way as any other skill: over time, at the writers’ own pace. Over 22 years of working with tens of thousands of students, I’ve developed what I call the natural stages of gro...
Jul 27, 2022•25 min
If we want our kids to be open to surprise then so should we be. One of the most difficult parts of any relationship is the fantasy we create in our heads of how it should go as compared with how it really is. We have scripts, we have characters, we have motivations. But sometimes, if we stay open, if we can hold back from projecting our expectations onto the ones we love, we might find ourselves surprised. You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/po...
Jul 25, 2022•7 min
Maya Payne Smart is a writer, parent educator, and literacy advocate who has served on the boards of numerous library and literacy organizations. She and her family live in Milwaukie, Wisconsin where she serves as affiliated faculty in Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at Marquette University. At her website, MayaSmart.com , she provides tips and tools for parents to nurture, teach, and advocate for kids on the road to reading. Maya’s new book, Reading for Our Lives ,...
Jul 20, 2022•46 min
Does it sometimes feel like your personality and your temperament are at odds with one another? Whether you keep a ship-shape house or you’re relaxed and casual, let me promise you this: There is no one personality type better suited to homeschooling than another. And no one personality type better for parenting, loving, or nurturing. Each has it’s own strengths and liabilities, and the goal is to work to become more self-aware, recognize when we are in our element, and find out what it means to...
Jun 29, 2022•13 min
No one person can balance the needs of a family alone. There’s nothing wrong with prioritizing and taking care of your own needs. I’m going to offer some tips to help you make sure your needs are accounted for. 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-started Sign up for the Brave Writer newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doin...
Jun 22, 2022•13 min
It takes courage to change. The moment we make changes in our lives, we feel uncomfortable—maybe even afraid—about how those changes will impact our relationships. Certainty and predictability are comforting, even when that certainty can be a dreaded rush hour commute to work. Yet on the other side of change, we often feel relief. Here’s what’s amazing about change: Not only do we have a right to change our minds, but we can change our attitudes and desires, too. When we make changes in our live...
Jun 15, 2022•43 min
We’re continuing our conversation with the brilliant Rita Cevasco! In case you missed out last episode with the owner and creator of Rooted in Language , go listen to it now . In this second part, we’re going to dive into practical steps to help your kids learn to read. In this podcast episode, we talk about: the difference in offerings between Brave Writer and Rooted in Language, who the Pinwheels program is for and what they’ll learn, and how reading comprehension affects kids’ recognition in ...
Jun 08, 2022•44 min
Learning to read and write is absolutely life-changing, but it doesn’t come easily to all kids. Rita Cevasco is a friend and colleague of mine and the founder of Rooted in Language, a company dedicated to helping parents to feel effective in teaching their kids to read and to handwrite, especially if they struggle with language delays. We talk about what is going on in our kids’ brains when trying to process their thoughts as sounds, identifying reading disorders such as dyslexia, and how parent...
Jun 01, 2022•36 min
Whitney Goodman is the radically honest psychotherapist behind the Instagram account @sitwithwit, and the owner of The Collaborative Counseling Center, a private therapy practice in Miami, Florida. Her new book, Toxic Positivity, talks about the downside of our cultural obsession with being happy – and how to better embrace and balance all of life’s emotions. Happiness has been commodified. We get sold the idea that, if we do all the right things, we can be rewarded with happiness. But we don’t ...
May 25, 2022•52 min
Today we’re going to talk about motherhood like you’ve never heard it before. I have five grown children and two grandchildren (with another on the way), and have been deeply invested in the wellbeing of mothers and motherhood for decades. It feels as if there’s little left to learn in that space for me. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Erin Lane’s book, Someone Other Than a Mother: Flipping the Scripts on a Woman’s Purpose and Making Meaning Beyond Motherhood, and felt the full richness of...
May 18, 2022•57 min
Amber Johnston is a brand new author, debuting with her book, A Place to Belong: Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in the Home and Beyond. Her mission is to see all of us celebrate our cultural heritages while also honoring the unique expressions of identity in others. Her book is practical, beautifully conceived, and filled with transparent storytelling that makes you fall in love with Amber and her family. We talk about why she wanted to write it, finding what she wanted to say, how you can fi...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 5 min
What do we do with regret? On one hand, dwelling on our past – giving in to feelings of remorse, guilt, or shame – is not exactly productive. But on the other hand, regret is trying to tell you something, perhaps that you’ve been doing things wrong and could stand to make a change. So what do we do with that feeling and how do we channel it productively? Let’s explore. You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/ Resources: raisingcriticalthink...
Feb 11, 2022•38 min
This is a special episode for me: my new book, Raising Critical Thinkers, is now available! I have been thinking about thinking for decades. My bookshelves are full of texts dealing with the big ideas we all excavate, explore, and uncover as we become adults and strive to figure out our place in the world. But when kids are presented with abject facts, they can still look us in the eye and completely deny reality. What it takes to think critically is a skill that’s instantly recognizable in it’s...
Feb 01, 2022•19 min
Last week we discussed how the path to giving our kids the best possible outcomes in life comes down to some counterintuitive advice: You have to think – and care – less about that outcome. Easy, right? Maybe not. Now that you’ve hopefully bought into the theoretical concept, we’re going to dive into more practical advice about how to apply it. I’m going to offer tips and tricks for caring less and calming down – both for yourself and for your child. You can download show notes for the podcast h...
Jan 27, 2022•22 min
As parents and caregivers, we all care so much about giving our kids the best outcomes, education, and experiences possible. We’ve probably even spent an inordinate amount of time diving into books, podcasts, consulting with others, and other ways of learning what we think we need to know in order to be good parents. But what if all of that ends up backfiring? What if we end up killing our children by caring? I’m going to share how caring less might end up being the best thing you can do for you...
Jan 25, 2022•21 min
In our last episode, I explored the difference between setting boundaries and setting rules. I want to continue that conversation because there is so much to tease apart between the two. Part of what makes setting boundaries so difficult is the sense of responsibility parents or caregivers have over their children: responsibility to create a healthy environment, to ensure a solid education – whether at home or at school, and to provide food and a safe place to live. But, in the midst of all of t...
Jan 19, 2022•15 min
Welcome to the first episode of a new segment I’m calling “Julie Pep Talks,” where I narrow in on one particular topic and give you my thoughts about it and suggestions you can quickly put into practice. Today’s topic is all about setting boundaries, not setting rules. At the start of a new year, we’re often coming from the combined high of family gatherings, as well as the residual resentment that can come when your closest relatives push your buttons in all the wrong ways. Couple that with the...
Jan 17, 2022•21 min
This week, we connect with Grace Llewellyn, a staple of the unschooling community who shaped my own homeschooling approach. She taught for three years before leaving the profession to write a classic in the unschooling world: The Teenage Liberation Handbook. The book was published in 1991, when she was only 26 years old, and has been thoroughly updated and re-released for it’s 30th anniversary in 2021. In 1996, Grace founded Not Back to School Camp to bring together unschooled teenagers and it’s...
Jan 14, 2022•43 min
This interview did not go the way I expected – in the most delightful way imaginable. We wound up discussing the power of travel in a teen’s life! Super fun. Blake Boles is the Founder and Director of Unschool Adventures, and he’s written several helpful books including his most recent title, “Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?” He also hosts the Off-Trail Learning podcast and has delivered dozens of presentations for education conferences, alternative schools, and parent groups. Stu...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min
The hardest part of being a homeschooling parent in this era is the pressure of being caught smack dab in the middle of idealism and the Mamasphere. Anne Helen Petersen writes the substack newsletter Culture Study, which I’ve followed for quite some time. She’s a cultural commentator and journalist, and is the author of four books, most recently Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home, which comes out in December 2021. We discuss the influence of the Mamasphere and...
Nov 17, 2021•52 min
Even, and especially, when a task is easy for us, teaching children a life skill is harder than it seems. As a parent, this can be extremely frustrating. The positives, though, are worth the trouble. Consider this, the sooner our kids know how to help around the house, the sooner they can help us around the house! More importantly, and beyond our own benefit, ensuring they’ve got the most recent software update on self-sustaining skills like tying their shoes and reading a clock provide the dail...
Nov 10, 2021•46 min
Picture this, your child asked for, and happily ate an easy and nutritious dish the other day. Today, you prepare the same thing but they’re not interested. They refuse to even entertain the idea. No, you’re not going crazy. And, no, you haven’t found yourself in a rebooted episode of The Twilight Zone. There is a method to their madness, even if they’re not acutely aware of it. Today’s episode of Brave Writer is packed with well-researched methods for bringing your family’s habits and home life...
Nov 03, 2021•58 min
It took decades of researching, writing, and editing to be standing on the precipice of my book launch. Raising Critical Thinkers is now officially available to pre-order! I am thrilled to unleash this project into the world and stimulate a conversation on how we read and discern information – a theme on top of everyone’s minds – and social media feeds. Tune in as I share why Raising Critical Thinkers will nourish future generations of worldly, passionate, and thoughtful learners. Plus: the key ...
Oct 25, 2021•28 min
When it comes to politics, keeping your facts straight can feel nearly impossible. It seems as if every outlet has some political bias, and misinformation can run rampant on social media and take hold of millions without question. That’s why critical thinking — especially in this realm — is incredibly important. Sharon McMahon of SharonSaysSo has so much to teach me — and all of us — about government, history, and whales. She’s a former high school government and law teacher who earned a reputat...
Jun 23, 2021•52 min
As we talk about critical thinking, the conversation tends to skew towards teenagers and high schoolers, but you’d be amazed at the powerful wheels turning in the minds of our little ones. We can prime the environment for them to be quality thinkers at as young as preschool or even toddlerhood. Susie Allison has a lot of insight into this age group. She runs the popular Instagram account, Busy Toddler, and she’s created a wealth of experiences for her own children and other families. Busy Toddle...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 2 min
