Exploring Unschooling

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Explore unschooling with Pam Laricchia, unschooling mom and author. Enjoy in-depth interviews with veteran unschooling parents sharing their family’s experience, dig into a wide range of unschooling topics with experienced guests, and get answers to listener questions in the Q&A episodes. Choosing t…

Pam Laricchia

Ontario, Canada


    • May 22, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 58m AVG DURATION
    • 418 EPISODES

    4.9 from 145 ratings Listeners of Exploring Unschooling that love the show mention: homeschooling, moms, thanks so much, deeper, children, kids, keep them coming, resource, changing, voices, thankful, lives, helpful, beautiful, inspiring, grateful, heart, journey, learning, hearing.


    Ivy Insights

    The Exploring Unschooling podcast has been an incredible resource for me as a parent to an 11-year-old who decided to pull my son from public school and pursue unschooling. It has answered so many questions I had and provided me with the reassurance and support I needed to feel confident in my decision. The episodes where Pam interviews graduated homeschoolers have been particularly helpful, as they offer insights and perspectives from individuals who have gone through the unschooling journey themselves. Overall, this podcast covers a wide range of topics related to unschooling and has helped me feel more confident in my choice to educate my son in this way.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is the variety of experiences shared by different families. Each episode offers a unique perspective on unschooling, allowing listeners to gain a well-rounded understanding of the concept. Pam's hosting skills are also commendable, making each conversation natural and insightful. I have learned so much from each episode I have listened to.

    However, there aren't really any significant negative aspects to this podcast. It would be interesting to hear more diverse viewpoints or challenges faced by unschooling families, but overall, it is hard to find fault with such an informative and supportive resource.

    In conclusion, The Exploring Unschooling podcast has been life-changing for me. Not only has it provided me with answers to my pressing questions about unschooling, but it has also given me confidence in my parenting choices and brought positive changes to my relationships with my daughter and spouse. This podcast should be considered an invaluable resource for parents on the unschooling journey or those open to new perspectives on parenting. Thank you, Pam and all the guests for sharing your stories - my family and I are forever grateful.



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    Latest episodes from Exploring Unschooling

    EU163 Flashback: Growing Up Unschooling with Adrian Peace-Williams

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 44:04


    This week, we share a conversation that Pam had with Adrian Peace-Williams back in 2019. At the time, she was 24 years old and in college. Pam and Adrian talked about her childhood unschooling, her choice to go to high school, her years of traveling the world after high school, where she was at the […]

    EU385: Foundations: People Are Different

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 17:48


    For this week's episode, we're sharing the next Foundations episode of the Living Joyfully Podcast with Pam and Anna, People Are Different. It's natural to assume that other people see the world in the same way we do, and that they experience and process things just like we do. But in reality, we are all […]

    EU384: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: The Stories We Tell Ourselves

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2025 33:14


    We are back with another episode in our Unschooling Stumbling Blocks series and this time, we're talking about the stories we tell ourselves. Stories is a topic that comes up a lot in conversations on the Living Joyfully Network. In fact, we had a monthly theme by that name! When we start to get curious […]

    EU105 Flashback: Unschooling Dads with Nick Hess

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2025 39:06


    In this week's flashback episode, we're sharing an interview that Pam had in 2018 with Nick Hess. At the time of the interview, Nick, also known online as The Unschool Dad, and his wife were unschooling their five children. They chatted about about his family's move to unschooling, what it was about unschooling that resonated […]

    EU383: Foundations: Connection

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 17:29


    For this week's episode, we're sharing the next Foundations episode of the Living Joyfully Podcast with Pam and Anna, Connection. How connected we're feeling to the people in our lives is a helpful barometer of our relationships. Feeling disconnected can be a sign that it's time to more intentionally cultivate connecting moments. Anna shares one […]

    EU382: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: It’s Not the Unschooling

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 27:33


    We are back with another episode in our Unschooling Stumbling Blocks series and this time, we're talking about how it's not the unschooling! It can be really common for newer unschoolers to blame unschooling for the things that come up in their family lives. Unschooling was a big new change in their lives, and so […]

    EU036 Flashback: Deschooling with Lauren Seaver

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025 42:04


    In this week's flashback episode, we're sharing an interview that Pam had in 2016 with Lauren Seaver about deschooling. At the time of the interview, Lauren Seaver was an unschooling mom to 9-year-old River. She first considered the possibility of homeschooling way back when she was in college to become a teacher. Life took some […]

    EU381: Foundations: Priorities

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2025 18:55


    For this week's episode, we're sharing the first Foundations episode of the Living Joyfully Podcast with Pam and Anna, Priorities. We are handed a set of priorities by society and our culture, but when we really consider ourselves and our personal values, we can see how individual our priorities can be! When we choose priorities […]

    EU380: Revitalizing Our Nest

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2025 30:13


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika talk about revitalizing our nests. Our homes are such an important part of our unschooling lives. We can get open and curious and creatively find ways to make the spaces in our home fit the individual people in our family. After all, people are different! We share examples […]

    EU379: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: Personal Hygiene

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2025 27:53


    We are back with another episode in our Unschooling Stumbling Blocks series and we're talking about personal hygiene. Questions and concerns about hygiene come up regularly in parenting circles and, in unschooling communities, this topic can sometimes trigger fear. We wanted to dive into personal hygiene to address some of the most common areas that […]

    EU378: Bringing a Playful Energy to Our Days

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 30:53


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika explore bringing a playful energy to our days. Shifting to a playful energy can be helpful when we're feeling stuck, with spinning thoughts, worrying about the future, or focused on external expectations. We can cultivate a lightness and curiosity that helps us get creative and come up with […]

    EU377: Consent and Autonomy

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024 33:19


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika dive into consent and autonomy. Moving towards respecting our children's autonomy and consent is typically an important part of the unschooling journey. In our conversation, we talk about independence vs autonomy, looking for underlying needs, questioning societal messages, and moving from control to connection with our children. We […]

    EU376: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: Weaving In Our Needs

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2024 37:05


    We are back with another episode in our Unschooling Stumbling Blocks series and we're talking about weaving in our needs. When we first come to unschooling, it's common to start questioning the traditional roles of parent and child. Maybe we go from seeing adult needs as the priority and then we swing on the pendulum […]

    EU375: Supporting Our Children’s Inner Voices

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2024 29:57


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika dive into supporting our children's inner voices. External messages and cultural roles can disconnect us from our internal wisdom and knowing. Our unschooling lives give us an opportunity to provide time and space for our children to really tune into their inner voices, and showing them that we […]

    EU374: Beyond the Golden Rule

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2024 20:38


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika explore the popular maxim known as the Golden Rule, which states, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Once we realize how different people are, however, we can see how treating others how we would like to be treated may fall short in our […]

    EU373: Navigating Disagreements with Our Partner

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2024 57:55


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika talk about navigating disagreements with our partner. No matter how harmonious your relationship, disagreements will inevitably come up between two people. We share some tools that can help us navigate disagreements and give a few examples from our own lives where these have come into play. We hope […]

    EU372: Building Trust with Our Kids

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2024 35:39


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika talk about building trust with our children. We regularly mention trust on the podcast, as we've found that trust is the foundation of the strong relationships that help unschooling thrive. We had a lot of fun talking about ways to build trust in and with our children. We […]

    EU371: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: Transitional Ages and Seasons

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2024 50:30


    We are back with another episode in our Unschooling Stumbling Blocks series and we're talking about transitional ages and seasons. While there is definitely not one path through childhood, there are common transitional ages where major changes typically occur. In this episode, we talk about some shifts that happen from the toddler to child years, […]

    EU370: There’s Plenty of Time

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2024 25:49


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika talk about one of Anna's favorite sayings, “There's plenty of time.” This mindset shift is so helpful in many different circumstances, making it a very useful tool! We talk about using it in busy moments, when thinking about learning and child development, and even in more urgent situations. […]

    EU369: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: People Are Different

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2024 39:29


    We are back with another episode in our Unschooling Stumbling Blocks series and we're talking about how people are different. “People are different” has become a common refrain on the Exploring Unschooling Podcast and in the Living Joyfully Network and for good reason! Once we sink into the reality that people are truly so different—their […]

    EU368: Curiosity-Led Learning

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2024 34:11


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika talk about curiosity-led learning. We thought this would be a fun topic to dive into during this back-to-school season! Focusing on curiosity—our own and our kids'—can be so grounding. In this episode, we explore the definition of learning, how school-based learning looks different than learning through unschooling, and […]

    EU282: Teachers Turned Unschoolers (Encore)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2024 82:46


    Let's dive into a question I get pretty regularly, and that's whether I have podcast episodes with unschooling parents that used to be teachers. It's fun to ponder the why behind the question. Does it seem like a strange leap to make? To me, choosing teaching indicates an interest in children and in learning, so […]

    Exploring Unschooling Q&A (EU333 Encore)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2024 49:06


    Anna, Erika, and I dive into listener questions! We talk about the fears and doubts that come up at the start of the unschooling journey, the idea of wanting to measure success, and what to do when a child is interested in a topic that seems too grown up for them. And as I mention […]

    Exploring Unschooling Q&A (EU328 Encore)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2024 62:24


    Anna, Erika, and I dive into listener questions! We talk about navigating sibling and friend relationships, the idea of self-regulation when it comes to technology, and the journey of finding community and connection for ourselves and our children. And as I mention at the beginning of our conversation, our Q&A conversations aren't focused on giving […]

    Exploring Unschooling Q&A (EU322 Encore)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2024 48:30


    Anna, Erika, and I dive into listener questions! We talk about cocooning and connecting with young teens, the mainstream concept of productivity and how we get curious about external messages of judgment, and the idea of an “ideal unschooler.” And as I mention at the beginning of our conversation, our Q&A conversations aren't focused on […]

    Exploring Unschooling Q&A (EU314 Encore)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2024 56:58


    Anna, Erika, and I dive into listener questions! We explore technology and “screen time,” deschooling, connection, and validation. And as I mention at the beginning of our conversation, our Q&A conversations aren't focused on giving anyone the “right” answer. That's because there isn't a universal “right” answer for any given situation that will work for […]

    EU367: The Abundance Mindset

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2024 33:46


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika explore the abundance mindset. We often find ourselves thinking about abundance versus scarcity in conversations on the podcast and in the Living Joyfully Network. In this episode, we dive into the many ways that shifting to abundance has helped us and our families with creative problem solving. We […]

    EU366: Talking Consent with Sara Davidson

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2024 71:22


    Pam and Anna are joined by Living Joyfully Network member Sara Davidson to talk about what she's been learning about consent. Sara was previously on the podcast in episode 312. It was great to hear her family updates and to dive deep into the topic of consent. We talked about four different types of consent, […]

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    EU365: The Independence Agenda

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2024 32:59


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika dive into a very interesting lens on parenting—the independence agenda. It's fascinating to see how this seemingly reasonable goal of fostering our children's independence can get in the way of not only our relationship with them, but their developing self-awareness and inner voice. We talk about how different […]

    EU364: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: Including Kids in Decisions

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2024 30:53


    We are back with another episode in our Unschooling Stumbling Blocks series and we're talking about including kids in decisions. There are many reasons why parents may rush through big decisions without giving children a chance to weigh in, but we've found that including kids in decisions provides us with useful questions and information, helps […]

    EU363: Deschooling

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2024 44:27


    Deschooling is a bit of a buzzword in homeschooling and alternative education spaces at the moment. So, let's dive in! Pam, Anna, and Erika talk about the definition of the word, what that transition to unschooling can look like for parents and adults, the importance of letting go of expectations, some of the paradigm shifts […]

    EU362: On the Journey with Kendel Ricker

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2024 55:48


    We're back with another On the Journey episode! We had a delightful conversation with Living Joyfully Network member Kendel Ricker. Kendel is an unschooling mom of two kids, 11 and 9, and she shared some of her journey with us. Kendel's own education included homeschooling, private school, and public school, as well as university and […]

    EU361: Siblings

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 43:10


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika explore the sibling dynamic and some of the questions that come up when unschooling families navigate sibling relationships. We talk about letting go of expectations, watching out for casting our children in roles, understanding our own triggers, and how “fair” doesn't mean “equal.” We hope you find our […]

    EU360: What’s So Magical About Age 18?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2024 50:50


    What's so magical about age 18? Pam, Anna, Erika, and our guest Erin dig into the transition from childhood to adulthood and what it means for our unschooled kids. It's common for parents to bump up against some cultural beliefs about this phase of life and inadvertently put expectations on young adults. Strangers, friends, and […]

    EU359: Unschooling Stumbling Blocks: Quitting vs Sticking It Out

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2024 37:52


    In this episode, we are starting a new series called Unschooling Stumbling Blocks, where we talk about common challenges on the unschooling journey. For this first stumbling block, Pam, Anna, and Erika talk about “quitting” vs “sticking it out.” This idea comes up in parenting regardless of whether you're unschooling or not. Do we need […]

    EU358: On the Journey with Jahaira Luzzi

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2024 58:55


    This week, we're back with another On the Journey episode. Pam and Erika are joined by Living Joyfully Network member Jahaira Luzzi. Jahaira is an unschooling mom of two, ages 6 and 8, and a former early childhood educator. We talk about Jahaira's path to unschooling, including her exploration of various types of elementary schools […]

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    EU357: Building Community

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2024 41:17


    In this episode, Pam, Anna, and Erika dive deep into building community. As we regularly mention, people are different, and each member of your family will likely have different needs for community, friendship, and social time. We talk about in-person versus online connections, the value of interest-based communities, some of the many different ways we've […]

    Harbor Highlights, Issue #1

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2023 12:58


    Pam shares the first edition of Harbor Highlights, the new monthly audio dispatch she's creating for her Patreon supporters. In it, she'll be sharing the behind-the-scenes details of her next grand adventure! Listen in to learn more. And click here to join her on Patreon! Note that it's only her Patreon page name that has […]

    EU356: Unschooling “Rules”: About Food

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2023 39:36


    We're back with another episode in our Unschooling “Rules” series. And we use the word “rules” in quotes to draw attention to the fact that there is no such thing as an unschooling rule! It can feel easier to reach for a set of rules to follow, especially when we're learning something new, but we […]

    Podcast Update, Nov 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2023 4:33


    Quick Links Check out the Black Friday-inspired bundle specials on the newly refreshed Living Joyfully Shop! Transcript Hello, everyone! I'm Pam Laricchia from Living Joyfully and I'm popping in to share a couple of bits of news with you. First is the Black Friday-inspired sale happening in the Living Joyfully Shop right now! It runs […]

    EU355: Unschooling “Rules”: Freedom Leads to Self-Regulation

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2023 33:09


    We're back with another episode in our Unschooling “Rules” series. And we use the word “rules” in quotes to draw attention to the fact that there is no such thing as an unschooling rule! It can feel easier to reach for a set of rules to follow, especially when we're learning something new, but we […]

    EU354: Unschooling “Rules”: Unschoolers Should Never Divorce

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2023 23:15


    On this episode of the podcast, we're sharing another entry in our Unschooling “Rules” series. We use the word “rules” in quotes to draw attention to the fact that there is no such thing as an unschooling rule! It can feel easier to reach for a set of rules to follow, especially when we're learning […]

    Redefining Success and Parent-Child Relationships

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 70:52


    This week on the podcast, we're sharing a conversation I had recently for the Self Directed Podcast with Jesper and Cecilie Conrad. It was such an invigorating conversation that I asked if we could share it here as well and they graciously agreed. We dive into the art of fostering strong, respectful, and trusting parent-child […]

    EU353: Unschooling “Rules”: Unschooling is Child-Led

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2023 32:41


    This week on the podcast, we're sharing a new episode in the Unschooling “Rules” series. We use the word “rules” in quotes to draw attention to the fact that there is no such thing as an unschooling rule! It can feel easier to reach for a set of rules to follow, especially when we're learning […]

    EU138 Flashback: The Sparkle of Unschooling

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2023


    This week on the podcast, we're sharing a compilation of experienced unschooling parents answering the question, “Looking back, what has been the most valuable outcome from choosing unschooling?” Another apt title might be Remembering Our Why, which is why we think it's especially powerful to listen to during this back-to-school season. When we are able to […]

    EU352: Unschooling “Rules”: Unschoolers Are Always Happy

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2023 27:52


    This week on the podcast, we're sharing a new episode in the Unschooling “Rules” series. We use the word “rules” in quotes to draw attention to the fact that there is no such thing as an unschooling rule! It can feel easier to reach for a set of rules to follow, especially when we're learning […]

    EU351: Bringing It Home: Navigating Technology

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2023 27:49


    This week on the podcast, we're diving into another Bringing It Home episode. We're looking deeper at our last Unschooling “Rules” topic, that unschoolers have unlimited screen time, and exploring what it can look like to navigate technology with our unschooling families. Unsurprisingly, there is no one right approach. It's so much about seeing through […]

    EU350: On the Journey with Sarah McMackin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2023 47:39


    This week, we're back with another On the Journey episode. Pam, Anna, and Erika are joined by Living Joyfully Network member Sarah McMackin. Sarah is an unschooling mom to Eamon, who just turned seven. She also runs a restaurant in Austin, TX with her husband, Ray. We talk about Sarah's experience unschooling an only child, […]

    EU349: Unschooling “Rules”: Unlimited Screen Time

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2023 29:35


    This week on the podcast, we're sharing a new episode in the Unschooling “Rules” series! We use the word “rules” in quotes to draw attention to the fact that there is no such thing as an unschooling rule! It can feel easier to reach for a set of rules to follow, especially when we're learning […]

    EU348: Q&A Deep Dive

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2023 27:20


    In this week's Exploring Unschooling podcast episode, we're diving deep into a listener question submitted by Michelle in Texas. She writes, I listened to the episode with Xander regarding gaming, and it really helped change my perspective, especially during this unschooling phase. The question that keeps coming for us is definitely fear-based, but for good […]

    EU347: Bringing It Home: Staying Up Late

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2023 29:50


    This week on the podcast, we're diving into another Bringing It Home episode. We're looking deeper at our last Unschooling “Rules” topic, that unschoolers don't have bedtimes, and exploring what it can look like to navigate staying up late with our unschooling families. Unsurprisingly, there is no one right approach. It's so much about seeing […]

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