Radical Learning Talks

A Gentle Invitation…

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re still in the season of our Reset series, but taking a quick pause to share a special, limited-time support resource for families choosing trus...

The Reset - Epi 5 (Growing Beyond the Edge)

08 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 5 — Growing Beyond the EdgeWhen we stop hiding the tools that changed us… everything shifts.We talk tarot, constellation work, nervous sys...

The Reset - Epi 4 (Under the Surface)

08 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 4 — Under the SurfaceYou might think you’re stepping into unschooling to get your kid out of a broken system. But, as we’ve learned, tha...

The Reset - Epi 3 (Becoming the Story)

08 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 3 – Becoming the StoryWhat happens when the work you love starts hurting you? In this part 3/5 of our new Mini Series (The Reset), Becka tra...

The Reset - Epi 2 (Peeling the Layers)

08 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 2 – Peeling the LayersWhat if devotion has been disguised as depletion? In this episode of the Mini Series - The Reset: We love this work, b...

The Reset - Epi 1 (Outgrowing the Pot)

08 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 1 – Outgrowing the PotWhat happens when the thing you’ve built no longer fits who you’ve become? In this opening episode for our new Min...

Getting ready for something new!

01 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve been in a quiet, tender season - pausing, listening, and letting things evolve. In this short bit, we share a bit about what’s been happenin...

We’re Pausing… and Celebrating 100 Episodes!

18 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re pausing to breathe, celebrate 100 episodes 🎉, and make space for what’s next. And so… to thank you for being part of this Radical Learn...

100. Gathering the Courage to Step Into the Unknown

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this milestone conversation, we reflect on what courage has meant in our lives and in the journey of unschooling, deschooling, and liberated living...

99. Family, Teachers & Tensions: Critiquing School Without Breaking Relationships

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was born from a heartfelt question we received from a parent in our community. How do you navigate the strong feelings that come up when ...

98. Raising Humans, Not Blueprints

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when our hopes for a better world start turning into expectations for our kids? We want the best for them, but when does care turn into c...

97. Unschooling, Intuition & the Power of Pause w/ Chemay Morales-James

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if learning isn’t about doing more, but about slowing down and remembering who we are?In this powerful conversation with our dear friend Chemay...

96. How to Trust the Process of Unschooling

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it really mean to trust our kids - and ourselves? In this raw and tender episode, we respond to a listener’s question about how to move be...

95. You Asked, We Answered: A Community Q&A

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we respond to our community’s questions from our recent survey. We talk about everything from navigating unsolicited advice, buildi...

94. What If I’m Making the Wrong Decision For My Kid?

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if I’m making the wrong decision for my kid?That question haunts so many of us - especially when we step away from the norm. In this episode, w...

93. Can I Really Do This Unschooling Thing?

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Can I really do this unschooling thing?”So many parents ask this, and it makes sense. We’ve been conditioned to measure, assess, and perform ou...

92. Unschooling as Initiation w/ Chevanni Davids

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if unschooling isn’t just an educational choice, but a sacred initiation into presence, connection, and becoming? In this powerful and poetic c...

91. Decolonizing Education

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it really mean to decolonize education? In this episode, we unpack the colonial roots of conventional schooling and explore how education sy...

90. Beyond Deschooling: Akilah S. Richards on Grief, Liberation and the Ritual of Becoming

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if deschooling wasn’t just about learning? What if it was also about grief, ritual, and honoring the life that unfolds when we stop trying to c...

89. Supporting Young People to Thrive in Uncertain Times

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Right now, we’re living through a massive shift. Systems are crumbling, disempowerment is widespread, and uncertainty feels overwhelming. It’s no ...

88. Dreaming & Deschooling to Build the Future We Want

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we dive deep into something that comes up again and again in our work and personal conversations: how to create a different way of be...

87. Can You Unschool If You Are Still in the System?

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we dive into a question we hear a lot: Can you still unschool if your kids have to be in the system? Spoiler alert…yes, you can.Tod...

86. Beyond Drop-Off: What It Takes to Build Thriving SDE Communities

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of RLT we explore what truly makes self-directed learning communities thrive, and why so many struggle. Parents often enter these spac...

85. Unschooling/Homeschooling During Life’s Tough Times

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Life is messy—grief, financial struggles, or just the everyday unpredictability. But what happens when you’re navigating homeschooling, unschoolin...

84. Self-Care as a Tool for Family Care When Unschooling

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do we prioritize self-care while unschooling? As unschooling families, we often find ourselves juggling countless responsibilities, meeting the ne...

83. Living Without the Shadow of School

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when we let go of the shadow of schooling and simply live? In this episode, we reflect on the liberating journey of moving beyond school-...

82. What's Wrong with the School System?

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered why the school system looks the way it does—and if it’s really serving our kids? In this episode, we dive into the history ...

81. Autonomy and Youth Rights in Education

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do kids today truly have the freedom to be themselves? In this episode, we explore youth rights and how the conventional education system often limits...

80. Supporting Youth Autonomy while Navigating Responsibility

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you support a child’s independence while keeping them safe? It’s tricky, but in this episode, we’re breaking down that delicate balance. ...

79. Can Parents Be Friends with Their Kids?

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Can parents really be friends with their kids? In this episode, we dig into that big question and break down the myths around adultism and power dynam...

78. Can Kids Socialize Without School?

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ever been asked, “But how do unschooled kids socialize?” It’s one of the most common questions homeschooling parents hear. In this episode, we d...

77. How Can You Teach Your Kid If You're Not a Teacher?

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can you teach your kid if you're not a teacher? This is one of the most common questions homeschoolers and unschoolers get. In this episode w...

76. Can Self-Directed Kids Handle Life’s Challenges?

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we adress a common concern of many folks that are new to unschooling… If kids only focus on what they like and do and what seems fun...

75. Meeting Our Kids Where They’re At

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you navigate between trusting your kid’s natural learning process and supporting them in doing really hard things that they might feel they’...

74. Homeschoolers: Listen Up! Ways to Support Your Kids to Thrive

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What are the differences between homeschooling and unschooling? And why is it that so many homeschooling kids aren’t thriving? When we leave school ...

73. The Missing Link in Self-Directed Education (Culture Creation)

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Radical Learning Talks, we talk about what culture creation is and why we find it to be one of the most important things to focus o...

72. Not Back to School Camp w/ Zoe & Christian

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever heard of Not Back to School Camp? In this sparkling interview, we chat with NBSC-camper Zoe and ex-camper now advisor Christian, about ...

71. Proud to Be: A Deep Dive w/ Cuee into Deschooling, Resilience & Black Trans Joy

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we celebrate Pride month, join us for this deep and joyful conversation around authenticity and the right to be who we truly are! We have Cuee in t...

70. Deschooling Friendships

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you deschool friendships? We don’t really have an answer to that, but in this episode we explore our respective journeys through friendships...

69. New Perspectives on Neurodivergence w/ Marni Kammersell

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marni Kammersell is a neurodivergent parent to three neurodivergent children and passionate about a lot of things, including the neurodiversity paradi...

68. Unschooling an Only Child

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we address a question proposed by one of our listeners… Is it possible to unschool an only child? What does unschooling look like to...

67. Dropping Demands w/ Low Demand Amanda

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we chat with Amanda Diekman, also known as Low Demand Amanda - an autistic adult, parent coach, author in the neurodiversity space and...

66. Deschooling Money with Meenadchi

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this weeks episode we have Meenadchi in the house! Meenadchi is a somatic healing practitioner and the author of Decolonizing Non-Violent Communica...

65. A Conversation on SDE as a pathway to world peace

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is an unsual conversation that took place on the last day of our The Shift training we did in Ojai, February 2024. It was requested by on...

64. Burnout... Deschooling Grind Culture

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Burnout is real. And it’s no stranger to unschooling and/or running alternative education projects! But what does burnout even mean?! Well, it’s n...

63. Social Justice through Inner Change w/ Dr. Sundiata Soon-Jahta

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Once again, we have the great honor of having Dr. Sundiata Soon-Jahta on our podcast! This time, we talk about how social justice movements can often ...

62. What's Up with The Shift?

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not often we decide to get together and offer The Shift, our 7-day in person Deschooling Intensive. For those who’ve taken it, they know the ...

61. Supporting Transgender Kids w/ Orion Queer

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For us, unschooling is about so much more than learning or who gets to decide what it is and how and when it unfolds. It's about dismantling the p...

60. The Essence of Childhood

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many adults spend so much time preparing kids for adulthood in ways that society has predetermined as the necessary or “right way”. Yet, we don’...

59. When Your Transformation Rubs Others the Wrong Way

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We like to think about deschooling as meeting and expanding beyond our edges into new versions of ourselves that better align with our desired way to ...

58. Are We Raising Spoiled Brats?

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Raising kids with respect, consent, autonomy and freedom in our society is definitely going against the norm. It can then be very confusing to see ou...

57. Advancing Liberation Together with Meghan of The Unschool Files

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Language and how we use it are important and can be one of the many ways we either move towards or away from individual and collective liberation. So...

56. When We (and Kids) Lie...

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kids are usually brought up to tell the truth, but the truth is adults lie all the time. So, why do we lie? What does it do to us and to our relations...

55. Enough with Manners!

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"What's the magic word?"; "Say thank you/hello, "; "Sit up straight".... We have either heard these things, been tol...

54. When Unschooling Teens Transition to Adulthood

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For us, the main role of unschooling parents is to support our kids to be who they are and explore their independence, autonomy and critical thinking....

53. Deschooling Pregnancy, Birth, Miscarriage & Abortion

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a deep episode where we share personal stories around how we’re deschooling shame and guilt as it relates to pregnancy, birth, miscarriage &...

52. When Your Co-Parent Isn’t in Deschooling Flow

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when our partner or co-parent doesn't seem on board with unschooling? Or, they say they're on board, but they don't seem to ...

51. When Our Kids Are Deschooling

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"Is my kid really gonna just sit there and do nothing?" This is a question we hear a lot and have even thought about ourselves during our o...

50. What Happens When Your Unschooler Wants to Try/Go Back to School?

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve discovered unschooling and LOVE it! You take your kids out of school, they start deschooling/unschooling and... suddenly they tell you they w...

49. A Peek Into the Agile Learning World w/ Tomis Parker

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we hang out with Tomis Parker, one of the co-founders of the ALC model and of the ASDE, and dive deep into the diversity, struggles a...

48. Ophelia Standing, an Unschooling Teen Critical to Unschooling

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meet Ophelia, an 18 year old Unschooler that shares their perspectives around unschooling and the ways parents can get so invested in unschooling that...

47. Deschooling Fears of Reading

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is a really clear idea in society of what skills have more value than others for our growing young people, and usually on top you will find read...

46. Meeting our Edges & Setting Boundaries

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Limits? Boundaries? What's the difference? What are they about? In this episode, we dive into the deep waters of needs, emotions and what bounda...

45. When Kids Want to Quit

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ahhhh our kids want to quit something! What do we do? If they dont push through they will never learn..  These are thoughts old versions of ourselves...

44. Connecting with Kids through Humor w/ Alex Khost

15 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does unschooling really work? Well, in this episode of Radical Learning Talks we chat with Alex Khost a long time unschooling father, facilitator &am...

43. Can You Deschool without Having Kids?

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“But Sari & Becka, how do you deschool without kids?” We were recently asked this question and it’s also one that we have been trying to fi...

42. Unschooling & Deschooling: From Theory to Practice

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Unschooling can sound really wonderful, and in theory so many of us are totally on board with the concept. But then we start practicing it with our ki...

41. Busting Myths Around Unschooling Tween & Teens

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is so much talk in unschooling/ deschooling circles around supporting younger kids, but we seldom hear about what unschooling with tweens/ teens...

40. Notes From the Field (On Supporting Kids in SDE Spaces) w/ Anthony Galloway Jr.

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever wonder what it's like to build trust with kids, or intentional culture, or what the role of the facilitator is in breaking habits to fully...

39. Deschooling Beauty and Aging

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deschooling is all about challenging oxidized beliefs and it extends past what we think about learning & education, encompassing how we view and t...

38. Supporting Neurodivergent Unschoolers

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is no one size-fits all approach to unschooling. What works for one young person/ family may not for another and we definitely do  our youn...

37. Sitting with Discomfort

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s talk about a hard side of unschooling… sitting with discomfort! As we dig into our deschooling work of looking at and shedding limiting beli...

36. Unschooling Flavors w/ Bria Bloom

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In our last episode of the year, we chat with Bria Bloom, a born and raised unschooler, youth rights advocate and Executive Director of the Alliance f...

35. Reconnecting To Ourselves Through Unschooling

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest wound school inflicts on us is that it disconnects us from our unique configuration of interests and passions - and our ability to read ou...

34. The Evolution from Unschooling to Deschooling

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you come to unschooling focused only on liberated learning, social justice, conscious parenting or from an intersectional lens, the pathway is...

33. Conscious Parenting and Divesting in Sandcastles w/ Domari Dickinson

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Can we tell you how much we love this episode with the amazing and courageous Domari Dickinson - a recovering educator, unschooling mother of 4, badas...

32. When You Discover Your Kid Is Neurodivergent

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when you realize your kid isn't like other kids? Are you trying to force them to behave in a more socially acceptable way? Or do you bl...

31. The Pitfalls of Treating Kids Like Adults

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We often hear parents say that they treat their kids like adults - and believe us, we’ve done it ourselves! But why do we do that? And should we, re...

30. Lifelong Learning with Alex Bretas

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we are chatting with Alex Bretas, a Brazilian visionary, author, community organizer and a leading voice in the SDE movement. We talk ...

29. The Role of The Unschooling Parent

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we share our perception of what our role as unschooling parents is.  For us, the most critical thing in unschooling is understand...

28. Walking the Walk: Deschooling our ALC

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when you realize that your dream project no longer matches how you want to feel or how you want to do things? Well, in our case, when i...

27. Decolonizing Education w/ Chemay Morales-James

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we dive deep with Chemay Morals-James, founder of My Reflection Matters Village and a social liberation & equity coach.  We ...

26. Signs That It's Time to Deschool

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are times in our lives when we just know something is off and needs to shift, but we don't exactly what or how. In this episode we talk about so...

25. Are We Experimenting on Our Kids?

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest fears of us parents is fucking up our kids. Therefore most of us are doing all we can to find a parenting style and an education th...

24. Living Joyfully Without School w/ Lucy AitkenRead

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we have a blast with Lucy AitkenRead, a bad-ass unschooler and unschooling mom that works to support parents on their deschooling/unsc...

23. Are You Having a Teaching Moment?

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever been in a situation with your kid where you suddenly feel the urge to teach them something you think is valuable and find yourself shove...

22. Being Free in an Unfree World?

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We were a little drained recording this one after a big week of some unpleasant but necessary learning experiences in navigating being free in an unfr...

21: Embracing Neurodiversity & Diversity in Unschooling w/ Crystal Byrd Farmer

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we chat with Crystal Byrd Farmer an autistic person of color that runs an ALC focused on supporting neurodivergent kids and the author...

20. We aren’t ferpect parents (...on perfection)

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today Sari & Becka share about their deschooling around the idea of perfectionism. They chat about how perfectionism is actually quite an oppressi...

19. Are you Empowering or Shielding Your Kids?

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"It’s ok... nothing happened, you are all good! Don't worry, we will get another pet! Don’t be upset, you will feel better soon! Don’t be so ang...

18. Unschooling as Liberation & Social Justice Work w/ Iris Chen

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we have the pleasure of chatting with Iris Chen, a deconstructing tiger mom, unschooling partner, youth advocate, liberation activist ...

17. How to Talk About Taboos

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Your kid asks to talk about sex, racism, religion, death, addiction, _______ (fill in the blank)… Do you clam up and freak out, or do see it as an o...

16. Machismo & Raising Conscious Boys

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we pick up from the last episode and get really vulnerable. We share personal stories around the themes of power, patriarchy, machismo...

15. Patriarchy, Power Dynamics and Parenting with Dr Sundiata

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is a big one friends and just might rock your world!  In this episode we are talking to Dr. Sundiata Soon-Jahta, father of 2 self-directed l...

14. Supporting Kids to Take Risks

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Your kid wants to jump off of that cliff, cut with a sharp knife, walk to the store by themselves… How do you respond? In this episode we talk about...

13. The importance of play

05 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we talk about the importance of play in our deschooling process and in supporting ourselves and our youth to live authentic and free l...

12. Why You Shouldn’t Send Your Kids to School with Blake Boles

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wonder what a group of unschoolers does with their autonomy in a foreign country? How unschooling truly prepares youth for the future? What the r...

11. What’s Up with Challenging Our Kids?

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we think we need to challenge kids all the time? What does that say about our mindset, our fears and our trust in our kids? In this episode we ...

10. Slow Living as an Act of Rebellion

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Consumerist practices are wiping out ways of living more slowly. Our lives are dictated by schedules and deadlines and expectations defined by others....

9. Meet Teo Koritz, An Unschooling Teen

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Want to peek into the mind of an unschooler?  In this episode, Teo, a 16 year old neurodiverse unschooler talks about his perspectives on unschoo...