The Life Without School Podcast
The Life Without School Podcast is your grounded, research-backed companion for homeschooling, unschooling, and raising your kids outside the system. Hosted by Issy (aka Stark Raving Dad), a home educating dad of four, each episode offers clear, honest guidance to help you build a life that works - for your child, and for you.
Episodes
June 21, 2026 • 58 mins
A lot of parents are sensing that the gap between school and the real world has become very large. But many are having a hard time pulling all the threads together to work out why that gap feels so vast, and what the impact on their children might end ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
January 15, 2026 • 40 mins
What actually happens when an unschooler decides they want to try school? In this episode, I’m sharing the story of our 9-year-old daughter choosing to go to school. Before that day, she had never once stepped into a classroom. I talk about why we agre...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 5, 2025 • 25 mins
I want to put something to you. If you’ve chosen to home educate your children - whatever form that takes, however structured or unstructured you are - there’s a good chance you’re not valuing yourself, or your role, nearly as much as you should. And I...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 9, 2025 • 50 mins
For all of human history, childhood has been a time of preparation for an adulthood you could see, and understand, and picture yourself living. You could look ahead and see the kind of adult you were likely to become. You could picture the work you'd d...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
April 1, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode, I’m unpacking one of the biggest questions home educating families face: how do I know this whole thing is actually working? I explore: Why the “gaps” in your child’s learning might be their greatest strength. How traditional benchmark...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
January 20, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode, I'm digging deep into what could be the most important commitments we make as home educators this year. I explore: How to confidently reject any and all expectations that don't serve your family Building genuine confidence as your chil...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
October 19, 2024 • 79 mins
In this episode, I’m digging deep into one of the biggest challenges facing homeschooling families today: finding balance with tech and screen time. I explore: What the latest research really says about the impact of screens on our kids (it's not as si...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
March 21, 2023 • 26 mins
In this episode, I spend some time examining three common perceptions that are unique to unschooling: That unschooling is 'unparenting' That unschooling will create lazy children And that unschooling means you have no rules or structure whatsoever It’s...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
October 20, 2022 • 23 mins
In this episode, I'm sharing six ways you can overcome any feelings you have about not being 'enough' as a home educating parent. Not smart enough, organised enough, social enough, qualified enough... I wrote a post recently that started scratching at ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 29, 2022 • 32 mins
In this episode I'm talking more about something this podcast was literally born from: the idea of children falling behind where they should be. First, I talk about how the world generally views progress in childhood, and why it’s so problematic and br...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
May 4, 2022 • 22 mins
In this episode I'm going to do something that might feel a bit uncomfortable. But if we want to move education forward in any real meaningful way, the kind of thinking I’m about to take you through is incredibly important. I’m going to take some of th...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
March 31, 2022 • 34 mins
With so many families making the decision to leave the formal education system and take their own path through life, it also means there are a whole lot of grandparents out there going... Hold on, what’s happening here?! We have a comprehensive, effect...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
February 14, 2022 • 34 mins
The definition of education is being taught, and the learning that results from it. A process that happens, for a child, in a classroom. But if you read that a couple of times, does it sound interesting and inspiring? Does it really sound like it’s cen...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
February 3, 2022 • 31 mins
Will your children be sheltered? How will you educate them properly if you're not a qualified teacher? How will they get a good job when they grow up? Everyone who chooses a life without school will be asked these kinds of questions at some point. In t...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Monthly Q&A: Comparing Your Children To Others | Slow Life Seasons | Explaining Home Ed to Your Kids
January 27, 2022 • 28 mins
We're back with another question and answer episode, where I take a few of your questions and talk my way through them. I really love working on this episode each month, because your questions always reflect the struggles, the worries, and the hopes an...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
January 20, 2022 • 37 mins
Today, I want to talk about why I believe it’s so important that we - as home educating parents - play the role of coach, and mentor, and guide to our children. I want to take you through the simple, but powerful, framework Kate and I have used to help...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
January 13, 2022 • 32 mins
Happy New Year, everyone! The Life Without School Podcast is BACK. For the very first episode of 2022, I’m taking you through seven things that will help set your family up for the best possible home educating year. These are all things that, through y...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
December 30, 2021 • 5 mins
The global home educating community has grown like crazy in 2021. More families are choosing a life without school than ever before, and it’s never been more important - as we go into the new year - to lift each other up, and encourage, and support, an...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
December 13, 2021 • 29 mins
In this episode I want to help you build your de-schooling muscle. The process of taking everything you know about education, wiping your mental slate as clean as possible, and coming at the whole idea of how children learn as fresh as you can. To do t...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
December 6, 2021 • 18 mins
Welcome back to another question and answer episode - where I take some time to dig into things you all want to hear more about it. They might be things you’re personally struggling with, or worried about, or planning for...and I really love having the...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.