The Unschool Space

113 Episodes

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#113 From school burnout to unschooling: reconnecting and building capacity, with Sharon & Heidi in North Yorkshire

2026-09-1639:38

In this episode, I am joined by Sharon and Heidi, two unschooling mothers from North Yorkshire. Both have neurodivergent children who eventually burned out at school. They describe how incredibly depleting it was to try get their children in to school each day and to advocate for the support they needed. We talk about how the transition was from school to home and the relief of stepping away from a system that isn’t working. And, we talk about why our capacity is so important and how we can k...

#112 From maths teacher to a life without school, with Ruth Rinaldi in Cumbria, UK

2026-09-0251:55

Today I am chatting with Ruth Rinaldi, a former maths teacher now unschooling parent of two. We talk about what led Ruth not only to home educate her children but also to leave her career as a maths teacher and head of department, which she had worked so hard at. Ruth shares how the experience has looked for her and her family, and what it felt like to make such a huge change. We also talk about maths, of course, and the problems with how it is approached in schools. And Ruth gives us all som...

#111 Calling us home to our truth, with Olivia Roff, Sussex, UK

2026-08-0437:49

My guest today is Olivia Roff who lives in Sussex with her husband and two children, who are 10 and 5, and both neurodivergent. Olivia had wanted to try home educating some years ago, but wasn’t able to. She talks about how it feels to finally jump into it, the joy of seeing her daughter start to flourish again, and the realisation that she has always been an unschooling parent. I hope you enjoy the conversation! Connect with Olivia https://www.instagram.com/mystical_birthing https://www.face...

#110 The lifelong journey of living and learning, with May Ling Thomas in London, UK

2026-07-2243:05

My guest in this episode is May Ling Thomas. May Ling lives in London with her husband and two daughters, who are 13 and 10, and who have always been unschooled. May Ling came across the idea of unschooling when her oldest was still a baby, and it felt a natural fit with how she and her husband wanted to raise their children. We talk about what this all looks like and, of course, all the unlearning we have to do. I hope you enjoy the conversation. Connect with May Ling: https://www.maylingtho...

#109 Helping teenagers find their path beyond school, with Dr Naomi Fisher, UK

2026-07-0849:31

Today I am joined by Naomi Fisher, a child psychologist and parent of two unschooled teenagers. So, we are talking about the teenage years and how hard it can be particularly for those young people who have left the school system after some stress and difficult experiences. Naomi tells us about her soon-to-be-published book, The Teenager's Guide to Taking Control of Your Education: Learning Beyond School. And we talk about what parents can do to help their teenagers reconnect with themselves ...

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