Fare of the Free Child

What's on the other side of a pause? Last season, we leaned into a focused pause, over and over, episode by episode. We also took that pause with us when the episode ended, and now we are ready to slow-walk our way into what arose for us, and for you.Listen as Naaz (also known as Fatima) Mookadam and Akilah S. Richards speak to some of the themes we'll be sharing this season. You'll hear the voices of all five women who are centered in season 9.  Here they are in the order you heard them in this episode:Chemay Morales JamesDr. Crystal MenziesNaazneem (Fatima) MookadamAkilah S. RichardsVanessa MolanoAnd here are the some of the topics we touched in this episode, and will explore all season long:Shift /pivot/changeSpiritual workFreedom, truth, trustSpirituality intersects with SDETruth shiftsGraceBullets for safetyArrows of justiceSavor, not saviorSeek, don't solveStay tuned. More soon! Support the show

Grief. Avoidance. Funky energies. We're wrapping up Season 8 with all kinds of feelings in the mix. How do we embrace or transform these feelings as they arise? That's the pausewerk, and this week we arrive at E, for Exploration.“Noticing your behavior in that moment is about noticing that moment, which is really powerful. It grounds you in the now.” Akilah encourages us to trust the wisdom that emerges from a pause, and Domari shares a story speaking to this experience.Domari reminds us that pausewerk is deschooling work. It's the little moments where we stop to notice ourselves in our environment. But in what ways might this be a privilege? In what ways might this be radically transformative? How can pausewerk shape the way that we treat ourselves and others in community?Why we pauseWe are pausing from colonial habituation. We are pausing from autopilot. We are pausing to give ourselves undivided attention and to identify our needs.“Definitely deep emotions this week…because I see myself sitting at this intersection where my liberation work is always about being in relationship with, not free from.” - JonieAround this gem, Akilah reflects on how it might feel to gather yourself and be in relationship with that emotion, embrace it, and learn to be ok with it.Domari recalls a moment when she navigated an opportunity to pause and pivot: “I did [it], and I didn't die.” Jonie (our wonderful Listening Party regular) validated how threatening a pause can feel: “this all can feel like negotiations with our survival sometimes.” Transformation ain't easy! But we're embracing the practice with open questions.Madd Question Askin' …What system, patterns, or habits do you want to stick to or pivot away from?Why pause? When to pause?Why do we choose what we choose? Why do we feel the way we feel about it?What might feel good to begin re-imagining?How might it feel to spend more time focused on yourself and your interests as opposed to what your children are not learning?What are you trusting right now?What brings you back to notice what is impacting you?What keeps you grounded?What makes you proud about your children?In case you missed any episode here you can revisit our P.A.U.S.E acronym:Episode 244: There is Real Power in the Pause tho!Episode 245: P for Pain Points: What's hurting you? What's hurting them?Episode 246: Listening Party for “P. is for Pain Points”Episode 247: A for Absent: What feels missing in your current relationships?Episode 248: Listening Party Replay for ‘A. is for Absences'Episode 249: U for UnderstandingEpisode 250: Listening party for ‘U. for Understanding'Episode 251: S. for Sorting and SheddingEpisode 252: Listening Party for ‘S. for Sorting and SheddingEpisode 253: E. For Exploration – Seeing What's Available Right NowWe'll be away for a while but you will hear from us in-between seasons, so stay tuned with Raising Free People Network for more resources and surprises.Thank you for sharing this 70-day pausewerk focus with us, #fofcpod fam!Check our LIBERATION WALK at https://www.raisingfreepeople.com/254/Support the show

The second to last episode in season 8 is live, #fofcpod fam! This week's inquiry is about the E (for Exploration) in our P.A.U.S.E. acronym. We're also sharing some post-season offerings and spaces, so be sure to take notes on the things that perk your ears up! These spaces help us find community and connection and are tools to decolonize and revisit our relationships and practices while we navigate through this deschooling journey with our #pausewerk tools in hand and in heart.Madd Question Askin'Have you thought about pausing as a skill set, not just an action?Are any of your current beliefs stopping you from showing up how you want to show up?How often do you reach for tools of oppression such as silencing, physical punishment, and emotional manipulation?What do you trust? And why do you trust it?Spaces where inquiry and pausewerk are welcomed!Live Virtual Training “Co-creating a Thriving Family Culture”: Dr. Sundiata teamed up with Maryella Marie and Tomis Parker, two other SDE-minded facilitators, to create a fantastic offering: The live virtual training, “Co-creating a Thriving Family Culture.” This will take place on June 11-12, 2022. “A weekend intensive training designed for individuals in relationships and families with children who want to be intentional about learning new skills and processes for making decisions and resolving conflicts peacefully and collaboratively.”My Reflection Matters Village: Decolonizing educationMy Reflection Matters co-learning for Liberation Membership (OPEN FOR REGISTRATION)Community and connection through local spots like Kid Cultivators, a space that Leslie Bray and Taiwan started and still help steward. You can hear more from Leslie on:Episode 18: Self-Care + Sacred SpaceEpisode 110: Leslie Talks Conscious Community CollectivesWe also have upcoming community workshops (late summer/early fall) on Reframing the idea of value. These workshops will focus on deschooling ideas about money and worthJoin us for the FINAL EPISODE OF THE SEASON!! It's a live recording on May 30th. Here's the link (this link will add it to your calendar)LIBERATION WALKShare your thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email Akilah and speak about what resources you found useful based on where you are right now at she@raisingfreepeople.comGive us some feedback about this episode, reflect inside FOFC Village, or directly in our Make It Happen Family on PatreonSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show

Peace #fofcpod fam! This week, Domari is in the buildin' for our Listening Party Live Chat,and she and Akilah share some experiences and examples of zoning in on the letter S. in P.A.U.S.E. We also continue speaking about the differences between practice and process. As we question what Sorting and Shedding look like, our hosts share some examples where pause work might be effective. What can we notice or re-imagine in our relationships, language, and self-care?DISCUSSION POINTSDomari talks about her relationship with pleasure (the card that continues to speak to her from our  Practice Deck) and how pausing opened up comfort and awareness to think about the practices she has been sorting and shedding with her children and herself. Domari names aspects of decoloniality at home and points out the importance of honoring boundaries and consent.“I'll be working on identifying the ways that my kids and I are disrupting on a daily basis, and being intentional about noticing these moments and P.A.U.S.E.ing in order to listen and lean in. I'll also be spending more time intentionally designing pleasurable experiences for myself as a mom (with the kids), as a woman (with others), and as an individual (with myself).” - DomariOur two hosts talk about the importance of honesty and trust work by acknowledging our needs and honoring others as well. Just because I don't understand something, doesn't mean it isn't right or important. It's about building a partnership where everyone can feel safe enough to speak up and say “I don't want to do this” or “I want to change the way we are doing this” without feeling someone is disappointing or hurting others. If we can pause we can connect with certain situations, not necessarily figure them out.As they speak about the differences between practice and process, they name the importance of paying attention to what triggers us and practice a different response. Be more kind to yourself, forgive yourself, and understand that “we have the right to change our mind” as we are navigating through joy and pain.Then our hosts continue chatting about the distractions or systems that don't allow us to follow our intuition. They reflect on how practice invites more of the intuition, more of the specific needs, delights, and quirks.Live out the #pausewerk with My Reflection Matters co-learning for Liberation Membership. This is open through May 20, 2022, and is accepting 30 new members. The first 10 BIPOC members that get accepted get free access to our Fare of the Free Child course, “From Schoolish to Self-Directed.”Don't forget to join us next week, we will be talking about the E. in P.A.U.S.E. a continuation of today's convo.LIBERATION WALKShare your thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email Akilah and speak about what does imagining feels like at she@raisingfreepeople.comSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelGive us some feedback about this episode, reflect inside FOFC Village, or directly in our Make It Happen Family on PatreonSupport the show

This week in Episode 251, we droppin' gems around the S. in P.A.U.S.E. S. is for Sorting and Shedding. Domari (put her links here as usual) starts us off with a nursery rhyme remix to remind us about the side effects of neglecting to slow it on down sometimes!This week, Akilah offers us seven distinctions between process and practice. She reminds us about a convo with Tiersa McQueen Think about what feels present, the models of living and learning that you practice, and what you might need to pivot away from or at least, revisit.Be sure to join us next week for our Listening Party where we will be sharing some musings and goodness in our Live Chat.Discovery as part of designingAkilah points out the importance of questioning and deschooling our beliefs. Besides people's consent, boundaries, and shared meanings as ways to invite understanding and trust, resistance feels like a key element in the mix, allowing us see (through our discomfort) what we might need to shift.“That pushback, that resistance—my children's as well as my own—has been like a magnifying glass for all of us to examine (sometimes in painstaking motherf*kin' detail) what might need shedding, what might need sorting and what might need shoring up.” - Ep 251PROCESS and PRACTICE Practice is:Ongoing ritualWisdom-centeredAgile and variedDone for acceptance and integrationInner ecology-focused (it can include useful healthy external influence but it doesn't rely on it)Centering and now-y (even when unpleasant)Does not always come as a result of a processProcess is:Repetitive actionSeeking-centered (I don't have what I need and I need to go find it somewhere else)Rigid and particularDone for discovery of how to do a thing “right”Validation focused (often includes potentially toxic external influence)Extractive and should-y (even when easy)Can help inform a healthy practiceCheck Tiersa McQueen's insights around Practice Vs Process in Episode 211: A Feel Trip Recap about Process vs Practice.LIBERATION WALKWhile you are here, share some thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email Akilah and speak about what might need sorting or shedding for you at she@raisingfreepeople.comGive us some feedback about this episode, reflect inside FOFC Village, or directly in our Make It Happen Family on PatreonSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show

Peace, #fofcpod fam! This week we're still focused on the letter U for understanding as part of our P.A.U.S.E.werk. Domari (of Positive and Purposeful Parenting) and Akilah hosted the listening party, and Jonie, Reese, Ana Maria, and Erica joined live to share and hear feedback and touchpoints. Together, they reflected and inquired about our relationship with understanding, how autonomy and trust are intertwined, the many layers around discomfort, compassion, trust, and then some.Let's agree to disagreeOur two hosts reflect on what they've been noticing around their relationships and pause work, on the importance of taking the space to go through certain feelings, crying, for example, as a liberation practice. As our hosts speak and share their stories, pausing and understanding emerge as key components in the trust work that builds up community and healthy partnership.Check some of the offerings the listeners gave us during this Listening Party Live Chat“In my family, disagreement equals disrespect.” - Erica“For me, I've been working on shedding the belief that needing to be understood equals being loved. I think I've tried so hard to get the members of my family to understand me when I think what I was really looking for was compassion, and not actually needing to be understood.” - Ana Maria“I'm feeling into understanding so much more as a verb, it's not a set destination, it's movement, it shifts, morphs and transforms.” - JonieCareese shares some thoughts about Ieishah's reflection on gentle parenting as a privilege. If you missed the previous episode you can replay it here Episode. 249: U for Understanding and get more details.Then Akilah pulls a card from the Raising Free People practice deck:AUTONOMY:Take up space, let them take up space too, practice allowing yourself and them to take up space, work it until it invites boundaries that work.Remember that the Raising Free People Card Deck is available now, click here to order it.Next week we will be talking about the S in P.A.U.S.E. for sorting or shedding, we will reflect on what's good for your family and what might need releasing or re-imagining?LIBERATION WALKWe love feedback, so don't be shy and share some thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email Akilah and speak up about today's revelations she@raisingfreepeople.comSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelGive us some feedback about this episode, reflect inside FOFC Village, or directly in our Make It Happen Family on PatreonSupport the show

This week we're focused on the letter U for understanding in our P.A.U.S.E.werk. Listen as we talk about the language of conscious parenting, the difference between dialogue and discussion, and then some.Domari and Akilah take us through some of their noticings about how understanding and control impact their relationships, and not just as mothers. Also, be ready for an insightful convo about an Instagram post where Ieishah Clelland (our Season 7 Co-Producer) questioned gentle parenting as a privilege. Akilah cites Dr. Sundiata's distinction between dialogue and discussion as we question our relationship with understanding, and with discomfort. So much goodness in here! Pull out your pause pad and join us.Madd Question Askin' Understanding Essay for people committed to Raising Free PeopleThere is a link between Understanding and control, and in our efforts to become more partner-centered parents and caregivers,we've got to look into that link.Control is not inherently a negative thing,but when control is our goal and we don't even realize it,we can demand things from childrenin the name of understanding,when really what we're after is a sense of control.Control is comforting.Control feels like certainty,yet comfort and certainty aren't always what's needed in a relationship.Is it a child's job to be controllable?Is it a child's job to give us a sense of certainty?How do we impact children when we don't understand something they do?And how much of our need to understand is tied to our desire to feellike we're in control and we're sure about what's going on?When are my efforts to control a child appropriate?and when are they more about my lack of understanding?Here's a resource for working through the questions and feelings you will face as you let yourself ask better questions:Restorative Justice and Conscious Parenting workshop. Happening Sunday, May 1st. Be ready for interactive exercises and group discussions, where we'll learn the roots of restorative justice work, the basics of the restorative process, and how this supports your conscious parenting process, harm caused by supremacy culture, and other oppressive systems.Discomfort is a significant part of understandingShout out to Ieishah who put this on the table and made us inquire about our relationship to discomfort. Ieishah reflects on conscious parenting and gentle parenting. Is our capacity for gentle parenting or to treat humans like humans impacted by our access to resources? Is gentle parenting a privilege?“Wake me when we're done using terms like gentle/conscious/respectful parenting as descriptors for "doing our best to treat vulnerable humans like humans." - Ieishah ClellandCheck out the full Show Notes and the Liberation Walk for this episode at https://www.raisingfreepeople.com/249/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome #fofcpod fam! This episode is the continuation of our Listening Party Replay around the letter A (for Absences) in PAUSE. We'll be inquiring more about what's missing, understanding, compassion, and boundaries as we navigate through the ups and downs that may arise from this PAUSEwerk. Domari of Positive and Purposeful Parenting is in da house along with Ana Maria, Lou, Antoinette, and Joni who joined us in the Live Chat. Let's get into it!Domari named some of the things she has been noticing around her relationship with her children. The words that resonated the most for her were compassion and trust. She reflects on what compassion looks like for her and also questions the misconception around what productivity means, and how sometimes she had struggled by feeling bad and unproductive for resting, being “lazy”.Boundaries do not require understandingOur hosts chat about boundaries and the layers around them. Akilah mentions the struggles we might face with different parts of ourselves: the compassionate self (intuitive) vs the schoolish self, and mentioned the patois that needs to be created to hold our intentions, the other person's intentions, and the thing we're looking to create.Akilah also shares the importance of trustwork, seeing relationships not as transactional/productive but as connections, as in what we notice together and what our healing work looks like.This week's pull from the Raising Free People practice deck revealed the Layer card (same card from the last pull):Layer: If I can access grace in this moment, I may choose to offer it in honor of all the many layers that comprise this person I love. And if I do, might that be enough for me, for now?Next week we'll be having a deep conversation about U for understanding, but for now, Madd Question Askin' time:How can I check in with children about what they feel they need from me?What's being communicated in this moment?Which layer am I focusing on right now?Which layer feels present?LIBERATION WALKGive us some feedback about this episode, reflect inside FOFC Village, or directly in our Make It Happen Family on PatreonShare some thoughts and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email Akilah and think about what feels missing? at she@raisingfreepeople.comSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Here we go #fofcpod friends! Let's continue with this 70-day PAUSE journey, along with the amazing Domari Dickinson of Positive and Purposeful Parenting.P is for Pain PointsA is for absencesU is for understandingS for sorting or sheddingE for explorationEpisode 247 is part one of the Listening Party around the letter A (for Absences) in PAUSE, so we're offering you affirmations and snippets from conversations all in service of our current PAUSEwerk. What's missing? What feels lost or otherwise missing from your relevant relationships?Akilah and Domari place their attention on some of the things that once, or even now, feel absent in their relationships or practices. The invitation is for you to slow down, discern, and align.Since healthy boundaries tend to be one of the more common missing elements, we touch on those in this episode, and will expand that exploration when we touch U for Understanding in two weeks. In the meantime, what's your relationship to boundaries?Are you a confident boundary setter?Cautious but willing boundary setter?Do you suck at setting boundaries?SING ALONGHush Little Parent Homie, sung by Val Sinclair:Hush little parent homie you ain't gotta say a word,but some of your beliefs are pretty absurd,they came from your Mama and she got them from hers,but it's time to stop and think ‘cause they ain't gotta be yours.Hush little parent homie don't perpetuateschoolish colonizer-minded traits,We took them in, in attempts to survive,but they don't apply now; we tryna thrive.So, hush little parent homie don't perpetuateschoolish colonizer-minded traits.https://www.instagram.com/valandourplants/http://valandourplants.com/AFFIRMATIONSBoundaries are vital to my life's design,in fact, my boundaries are invitations for us to align,it's ok not to love it, I ain't askin' for no shrine,just affirming what I need and honoring what's mine.I am worthy, I am loved,I am safe, I am free,and when I choose to pause,that's liberation work for me.I reject the option of performing a lifeand choose to authentically design mine.I am in partnership with this childI am not in partnership with people's opinions about my child.I show up, I listen, I lean, I let.Download this episode so that you can record your version of the words that you connect with. And join us on Monday, April 18th at 1 PM Eastern for part two of this discussion about what's missing.LIBERATION WALKShout out Akeem Music, who we hit up for custom beats for this seasonShare some thoughts and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of raisingfreepeople.com, or email Akilah (at she@raisingfreepeople.com) about what feels lost or otherwise missing from your relevant relationshipsGive us some feedback about this episode, reflect inside FOFC Village, or directly in our Make It Happen Family on Patreon.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This week on #fofcpod we're serving insightful thoughts, feedback, and resources based on our current PAUSEwerk flow.The letter of the week is P, for Pain Points: What's the matter? What took you here? What things feel like pain, discomfort, uncertainty? What is coming up for you and for the people that you're closest to right now?This episode is our first Listening Party, the space where we focus on your feedback about an aspect of pausing, as well as our own insights and struggles.Akilah and Domari continue unraveling the layers of perfection vs pleasure: they speak about Black Excellence and the pressure of feeling that all that you do is never enough.Can pause be a privilege?“The more success I feel, the harder it is for me to accept that I can pause.” - Akilah“I don't like that. I'm not like that”. - DomariIn this episode, you'll notice that we're just getting the hang of the tech for this new format—but you'll still get a feel for what these listening parties are about!Every other Monday, we'll be at it again, so join Domari and Akilah as live audience members (no video necessary)!The next Listening Party is Monday, April 18th at 1 PM Eastern.We LOVE feedbackWe listened to Zeba Savage from Savage Learning Environment who brought up the importance of pausing, and the pressure of being perfect. Then, our homie, Vanessa Molano, shared their thoughts from one of the cards that Domari pulled from the Raising Free People practice decks (the Layers card), and pointed out their experiences with boundaries and grace. Raising Free People Card Deck is available now, click here to order it.These comments are gems in the work we do, so thank you for contributing to this ecology that moves us away from tools of oppression and towards our personal healing journeys.More ResourcesDr. Sundiata teamed up with Maryella Marie and Tomis Parker, two other SDE-minded facilitators, to create an amazing offering: The live virtual training, “Co-creating a Thriving Family Culture.” This will take place on the weekend of April 23 to the 24. They're offering tools that will help you on being intentional about learning new skills and processes to make decisions and resolve conflicts in peaceful and collaborative ways.Liberation WALKHere are a couple of gems to take your time and think about:“If I pause, who is going to fill the space left by all of the people who told us how to be in the world?”“Can I afford to pause?”Give us some feedback about this episode, reflect inside FOFC Village, or directly in our Make It Happen Family on Patreon.Speak up and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email Akilah to share some thoughts about what pausework is bringing up for you and your family.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

It's storytime #fofcpod fam and we‘re so excited to continue with this 70-day PAUSE journey along with the amazing Domari Dickinson of Positive and Purposeful Parenting.Ep 245 is live! We're listening and taking a look at the skills that are happening in between the defined things. In this episode in particular, we are observing the ways we react to our pain points, so breathe in, breathe out, pull out your pause pad, take some notes, and let's play together! Remember that we're in the process of noticing what sometimes can't be easily named nor understood, so try to feel into the experiences that you have with these questions, without expectations, without judgment, only your attention.**Use this link to join our live audience (no video, just chat, unless you ask to join us on air in the chat) on Monday, April 4th at 2PM Eastern.** These every-other-weekly listening parties are where Domari and Akilah invite you to play and struggle through specific aspects of pausewerk with them, real time. Listen to Episode 244:There is Real Power in the Pause tho! to hear details on the flow of this season's 70-day pausewerk focus.Today is P day and we'll work through all the pain points: What's the matter? What took you here? What things feel like pain, discomfort, uncertainty? What is coming up for you and for the people that you're closest to right now?”Domari pulled a card from the Raising Free People practice deck.Layers: If I could access grace in this moment, I may choose to offer it in honor of all the many layers that comprise this person I love. And if I do, might that be enough for me, for now?The Raising Free People Card Deck is available now, click here to order it.“What would change in my life if I chose to pursue pleasure instead of perfection? - DomariDomari shares her experience with her children on how they respond when a conflict appears. Akilah talks about the struggles and worries that may show up for parents around how and whether learning is happening, and how pausing can offer the space we often need to learn how to recognize and trust learning.“I've now started to look at my children's resistance as one of their gifts. One of the things that society—which I am part of—didn't pry out of their hands.” - AkilahAkilah speaks about Marley and Sage's approaches to resolving conflicts, and how much she is learning from their approaches. Both hosts also speak about the nuances of the term “readiness,” and the role of resistance as a powerful gift in our efforts to raise free people.Throughout Akilah and Domari's convo there are 10 points of Madd Question Askin' energy for you to get into:What brings you pleasure?What does pleasure look and feel like to you?How would you define pleasure for you right now? Is it fluid? Does it need to be static?What is pleasure connected to in terms of how I feel I am viewed or perceived?How does that impact my idea of pleasure?What is pleasure connected to in terms of how I feel I am viewed or perceived or who's looking at me or who I perform for?What's hurting me? What's hurting them?”How do I accept now that they are ready?What does it mean for me to take the space to think about what readiness feels like? And how do I begin now to prepare myself?Check out our full show notes at https://www.raisingfreepeople.com/245/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Season 8 is here and we are kickin' it with the homie, Domari Dickinson of Positive and Purposeful Parenting. She is our co-producer for the season, and we're in alignment about the need to spend all season on the importance of slowing down, and pausing.We've got invitations, resources, and some songs too! We are so grateful to you all #fofcpod fam and Make it Happen family for your love and connection throughout this journey. Our team got some rest, and we're back with this focus, so we hope y'all ready to get and do this PAUSEcast werk!If you want to get familiar (or re-familiar) with Domari's dopeness, listen to Episode 185: Parenting Paradigm Shifts in Black Families.Here's what to expect this season...We are working on being more mindful about the ways we show up for ourselves. So this season, we invite your consent to show up as you are, slow down, and feel into the ups and downs of this 70-day pause journey.Starting next week, each letter in PAUSE will get our full attention with two episodes each: - the first episode will bring you into the work with a story, a song, or a skit; the second episode will be live, and we'll invite you to play and struggle through that aspect of pause.Acronym:P is for Pain Points: What's the matter? What took you here? What's hurting them? What's coming up for you and your relationship with yourself or your family?A is for absences: What's missing? What feels lost or otherwise missing from your relevant relationships?U is for understanding: dialogue as a practice; conscious parenting; how have you been operating as a parent or educator? Under what premises?S for sorting or shedding: What's good for your family and what might need releasing or re-imagining?E for exploration: what are some resources you can tap into, based on where you are right now?Then we'll keep that going until we feel all the way through P-A-U-S-E. Through this game, Akilah and Domari will engage you beyond the moment to feel the PAUSE as an experience. So make some tea, pull out your dedicated pause pad, and join us for a 70-day journey of affirmations and reflections in the ecology of Raising Free People. Do you want to play with us?Season's 8 flow - Raising Free People Card DeckAkilah pulled a card from the Raising Free People practice decks:AUTONOMY: Take up space, let them take up space too, practice allowing yourself and them to take up space. Work it until it invites boundaries that work.The set of Raising Free People Card Deck is available now, click here to order it.Season Witnesses: We are working together to offer bridgework for folks in the philanthropic world.What is a witness? Our witnesses want to be part of the Unschooling Liberation movement by investing dollars and time with Akilah. Some witnesses give general-use funds, while others want to take care of something specific for us. For them, dollars are not an issue. They want to support the work and be part of the movement and its impact. Akilah speaks about the 100-day project for witnesses that will begin in summer. Shout out to Hill Larson who is our witness this season. We'll be speaking more about that in our Make it Happen family in the coming weeks.Check out the full Show Notes page at http://www.raisingfreepeople.com/244/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Ending season 7 with gratitude, reminders, and major writing mojoClosing out season seven with major gratitude for you, #fofcpod fam! Your feedback and encouragement have been part of an active listening practice that opens up our mindset to different possibilities as we grow this village of/for people raising and being free people. This episode brings us some resources, reminders, and clues of what's to come in season eight. See you in a few months!Here are the Season 7 series in case you missed any episodes:Fare of the Free (Man) Child series: Co-produced with Tony Galloway's series on manhood and masculinity.Episode 224: Deschooling Adulthood with Tony GallowayEpisode 232: Learning (and Unlearning) MasculinityEpisode 233: Deschooling Manhood and MasculinityEpisode 234: Kris joins Tony for the recap of #fofmanchild (Feel Trip)Māori Mother Wisdom series: Co-produced with Ieishah Clelland-Lang liberation-centered parenting and living.Episode 237: On Māori Mother Wisdom (The Language Episode)Episode 238: On Māori Mother Wisdom (The ‘Old Knowings' Episode)Episode 239: Vibin' off Māori Mother Wisdom (The ‘Feedback' Episode)Episode 240: Series Closing: Māori Mother WisdomSome announcements and remindersThanks to our Make It Happen Family. There are already 252 of you and we deeply appreciate it!Raising Free People book was translated into Spanish version, shout out to Ruben, Citlali, Isabel, Abby, Kris, and Miguel!Shout out #fofcpod core team: Juan Pablo, Daniela, Kris, Fatima, Vanessa, Romain, Marley, David and Vicki; Co-producers: Tony Galloway and Ieishah Clelland-LangShawna Murray-Browne, a liberation-centered integrative psychotherapist will be part of SDE weekend. Akilah will be there with many other folks sharing great experiences and content around Self-Directed Education. Be sure to check in from 7th – 9th of January 2022Audio by Raising Free People NetworkIn addition to Fare of the Free Child Podcast, Audio by Raising Free People Network produces other podcasts from which we hear some updates throughout this final episode of the season.Check out the full show notes at raisingfreepeople.com/243/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

We're continuing our language vibe this week on #fofcpod episode! First, you'll hear from Juan Pablo Pérez, audio manager of Fare of the Free Child, as he shares his thoughts on Episode 241: Freeing Your Approach to Language Studies (with Marley Richards). He talks about his experience as a Spanish native speaker who, like Marley, taps into language as a way of developing an identity that includes more than the culture he was born into. Juan's interests in music, for example, sit outside his cultural background, and those experiences help Juan Pablo to feel a strong sense of self that isn't limited by location or familiarity.For the rest of the episode, Akilah gives us some gems about the importance of language and the many ways we can engage it as parts of our unschooling and deschooling practices. And of course, #maddquestionaskin is all up and through the episode.Is there a difference between a definition of a word and an understanding of a word?How have words evolved from having a definition to having a meaning?Akilah refers to language as something that goes beyond the accent and vocabulary, and something we can see as being part of a whole culture and context, and not some isolated thing that we pluck from a culture.Who is this language tied to?What are some of the non-verbal cues of this culture? How can I learn more about body language, symbols, and other elements of communication and culture?Akilah shared some of the conversation she had with Zakiyya Ismail (at the Summerhill Festival of Childhood) about the evolution of these particular words in their unschooling journeys:LearningPowerTrustCommunityResistanceAkilah pulled a card from the Raising Free People practice decks and invited us this activity:Think about these words (that comprise this deck),Choose two or three of them and sit with the evolution of your understanding of that word.Akilah explains through her experience with Spanish the insights and learning process of making associations. She also talks about words that are very specific to her practices and the understanding of them. She then reflects on the her experiences that came with recognizing herself as both oppressed to oppressor, and how that shows up in her motherwork.LIBERATION WALKListen and jam along with Miss Lou - Long time Gal on Bajanbloom Bloom's Youtube channelAkilah would love to receive some feedback about this episode. Think about the Card Deck words. Go on and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email her at she@raisingfreepeople.comJoin our Podcast Village so you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitationsSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome #fofcpod fam! Today's vibe is insightful conversation about language acquisition, culture, and how to learn stuff, with seventeen year-old unschooler, Marley Richards. Japanese and Korean languages are integrated parts of Marley's daily practices, so she shares with us some of the ways these languages have influenced and impacted her identity as a Black girl. Marley also speaks about some of the tools she uses for language study.What are some ways you can support your/a child in expanding their experience with a language they want to learn? #maddquestionaskinLong story-short…Many children are learning Japanese and Korean as a result of their appreciation for Anime and K-pop culture. Marley was among them; she started learning Japanese at around age 7 or 8, when she got passionate about Anime. Soon enough she started feeling the limitations of the translation that she was getting from English subtitles, and felt she was getting a diluted version of what the people who made the thing had intended. By learning Japanese, she felt a wider understanding of the world as language was connected to other elements of life, and of her interests, and of broader world culture. For Marley, studying a language went beyond grammar and accent, and transformed into a way of being and living.Marley's key elements for language study:Being highly motivated and intentionalFull exposure to the foreign language - Immersive experienceMaking associations from what you already knowJapanese tip: Anime series help in general with the nouns, verbs, and sentence construction BUT in terms of vocabulary and accent you should check for a different sourceAkilah shares her own learning process and experience with Spanish (check below for some resources). Then, she and Marley chat about the expectations people might have based on language stereotypes and assumptions people may make about others.If you integrate different elements from another culture, does that make you less Black, Korean, Latinx…? #maddquestionaskinLIBERATION WALKCheck out these Spanish sources that Akilah has been nurturing from: Erica Ray and Mike BenAlso, go and see Mike's video: How to Find a Good Language Tutor/Language Exchange Partner - Things to Look Out Forhttps://howtospanishpodcast.com/ This is another dope Spanish language learning resource (podcast)Akilah would love to receive some feedback about this episode. Do you have any language tips? Go on and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email her at she@raisingfreepeople.comJoin our Podcast Village so you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitationsSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This week on #fofcpod we are closing the Māori Mother Wisdom series about liberation-centered parenting and living. We've had the pleasure of connecting with Māori stories from Mea Rapata, Angella Smith, Moana Reihana, and Tina Talaić. These are select excerpts from our feel trip (live group meetups about our episodes), where Akilah and our series co-producer, Ieishah Clelland-Lang, vibed with Mea, Angella, and some of our Village family. We reflect on the importance of the trustworthiness of feelings, and the levels of connection that live inside active listening, and non-verbal language, as well as other kinds of human technology like collaboration, echolocation, identity and community-building.Who we innately are - The Energy of Feelingshow aspects of Māori spaces have been compromised by colonialismthe significance of going back into a knowledge space that recognizes connection to land, ancestors and relationshipsan intrinsic feeling and connection to their original epistemologies.“We don't have to compress what we are in order to be together”. Akilah S RichardsAngella also points out the sacredness of their indigenous language Te Reo Māori (Māori language) and how important it is to speak up and take action to keep the integrity and the sacredness. We also chat about identity and the mindful work of looking at your indigeneity, and looking beyond the labels so it can open up spaces to regenerate, heal, and identify with authenticity.In case you haven't heard the previous conversations we've had on this topic, be sure to listen to Māori Mother Wisdom series from the start:Episode 237: On Māori Mother Wisdom (The Language Episode)Episode 238: On Māori Mother Wisdom (The ‘Old Knowings' Episode)Episode 239: Vibin' off Māori Mother Wisdom (The ‘Feedback' Episode)Don't miss next week's episode! We will start another series of conversations with Marley, an unschooler and SDE advocate who will chat about language. See y'all soon!LIBERATION WALKJoin our Podcast Village so you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitationsCheck on Lou Hollis of Grief, Growth and Goals Podcast for some great contentAkilah would love to receive some feedback about this episode. Go on and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email her at she@raisingfreepeople.comJoin patreon.com/akilah and support the showSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

#MaddquestionaskinWhat does it mean to own your sense of sovereignty?Welcome to another #fofcpod episode. As you know we're in the thick of the wonderful Māori Mother Wisdom series, and are vibrating with gratitude for your engagement with us, in all of this goodness. We kick off this episode with feedback from author, speaker, activist and educator Sonya Renee Taylor who has been listening to this series and loving it! We also share some feedback we've gotten from Jonie, Yolande, Got2BOshun, and Kateri (thank y'all!). Then Akilah and Ieishah Clelland-Lang revisit some gems from these previous conversations, and speak about migration, reparenting, echolocation (yes, chile!), unschooling, and then some.Don't miss our Feel Trip to close out the Māori Mother Wisdom series, where Akilah and Ieishah will kick it with the Village family, and a few of our series guests are slated to join the chat. It's happening Friday, December 3rd. Join our Podcast Village so you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations.Akilah pulled a card from one of the Raising Free People practice decks:Reparenting: “No way around it, so gather some resources around your pain and change and growth and self-trust so that you can move out of situation and into self.”PAIN, SELF-TRUST, MOVE OUT…Akilah reflects on what moving away means, centering migration as a keyword in this conversation. They speak about looking back and respecting the past versions of themselves, appreciating the wisdom each has brought to them. What does it mean to move away from the elements of parenting that we were raised with? What positives and difficulties are implicit in quitting the parts that don't resonate with us? What is the cost we pay to seek our authentic selves? What are we currently moving away from?“Reparenting ourselves is not about what happened back then, but about what we have the right and the wisdom to do now.”Location system - Migrating into our authentic selfIeishah and Akilah talk about how the ability to "locate" ourselves in certain situations can be a form of good resistance, to how the knowledge of why we must observe, listen and question different mindsets and ideas, it's a never-ending process that evolves and changes all the time.“Trust, resistance, education, that's how I can put my understanding into practice”. Akilah S. RichardsReclaiming culture: Take and give backIeishah and Akilah speak to the relevance of culture and nature as key points in unschooling, and Ieishah brings more insights from her related experience at the unschooling camp in Aotearoa. They chat about the "intelligence energies" that come through the collective, as well as the importance of knowing when to be a witness, and how to "trust first."Check our Liberation Walk and a picture with the card that Akilah pulled at raisingfreepeople.com/239Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome #fofcpod fam! We're getting into our second exploration on the Māori series co-produced with the incredible Ieishah Clelland-Lang. This 4-part series centers Māori unschooling mothers' knowledge and narratives, to invite us to deepen our understandings of the layers within motherhood, childhood, community, and culture. Join us and listen to Ieishah's conversations with Angella Smith and Tina Talaić, plus a a bit more from Akilah.If you're feeling these episodes, don't miss our Feel Trip about this Māori series! On Friday, December 3rd at 4pm EST, Ieishah and Akilah will join the other members of Fare of the Free Child Village to talk, to ask, and to listen, with this series in mind and in heart. It's free and it's part of the My Reflection Matters Community vibe, so put that in your calendar, bruh! Here's the direct link again (it'll prompt you to join My Reflection Matters for free).As a reminder, last week, Moana Reihana and Mea Rapata shared some unschooling mothers' wisdom and invitations; go and listen, in case you haven't: Episode 237: On Māori Mother Wisdom (The Language Episode).Notes from this week...Children will show you the way.Angella grew up in a dichotomous environment, on one side she was sharing Te Reo Māori (Māori language) as a living language at home in her Marae with her family, and on the other, her student life going to a convent school where Christianity was King. She speaks about her transition into unschooling and why she decided to go through that path when she gave birth to her children. Angella also talks about the importance of listening as a point of connection, to surrender and listen to our intuition. She explains that our intuition remembers, and that children already have their inner knowings and that these are important, innate qualities.White privilege - what we were conditioned to be.Angella and Ieishah speak about racism, colonialism, and white privilege. Angella explains that white privilege was something she couldn't understand as a child, her people were conditioned to be compliant and very subservient. Then, as she grew up, she gathered some understanding and was able to make a rediscovery and question for herself what Māori is, what's hers and what's not, what has been taken away, and what can be transformed to thrive and survive. This level of madd question-askin is part of what continues to support what the people in her circle have been building as a community. As they build, they create their own definitions of success, and for Angella, part of that succession lives in the way new generations get to grow up to be free people.Unschooling Camp Reflections.Tina and Ieishah chat about their experiences in the Māori camp. Tina is a Māori unschooler, a mother who shares joy through kapa haka & songs (they call it waiata), she also works in a local library (Te Reo Māori room time), and helps families that are struggling with methamphetamine addiction. Tina shares her unschooling journey and how much she loves taking time to be with her children.LIBERATION WALKAkilah would love to know what you think about this episode. Go on and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email her at she@raisingfreepeople.comSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Basically this:We talk about reclaiming language, sovereignty, relationship with motherhood, community, culture, intergenerational relationships, childhood, ancestors, and unschooling among other key topics. In this episode you will hear about intentional living and parenting why's and what's in Te Reo Māori (Māori language) and also in English.The whole story...#fofcpod has teamed up with brilliant writer, nomad, and unschooling mama, Ieishah Clelland-Lang to co-produce this 4-part series centering fours Māori unschooling mothers' wisdom and invitation. They are all based in Aeotearoa (Māori name for what we know as New Zealand), in the South Pacific. You'll hear about these women's relationships with reclaiming (when necessary) and sustaining strong connections to their community and culture. Through these narratives we can all expand our perceptions of mothering and honor the different layers of motherwork.This week, in Part 1, you'll hear from Moana Reihana and Mea Rapata, in addition to hearing from Ieishah and Akilah. Over the next two episodes, you'll also hear from Angella Smith and Tina Talaić, as well as the energies that all 6 of us bring into the space through meaningful inquiry and real commitment to keep much of our culture alive and thriving beyond us.Three generations to regain a language - Unschooling and traditionMoana shares her experience and the reason why she learned her native language by herself as an adult. None of her family members were able to speak the language at that time, so they also started to regain this ancestral knowledge years later. This helped Moana to reclaim traditional knowledge that she wanted to share with her children and future generations. They also speak about the importance of language as a liberation tool and as a choice that offers connection and more ways to listen. How do we deal with newer generations and balance our ideas with tradition?Learning how to be a guestIeishah and Akilah talk about the importance of “witnessing” as a way of making space through observation, and being willing to stop and listen to others so that we can be the least intrusive when we are guests in someone else's space. Moana and Mea allow us to listen to their stories from vulnerable and authentic spaces by sharing their connection with nature, their ancestors, and themselves. They speak to a sense of belonging and invite us to think about what we are being instead of focusing on what we are doing. Ieishah and Akilah also speak to how unschooling can help us with our observation skills so that we can develop trust in our partnership with our children.More about Ieishah...Ieishah is a writer, nomad and unschooling mama of two brown girls. She is a New Yorker of Caribbean descent. If you want to hear more from Ieishah you can listen to previous conversations on Episode 63: Deep Work + Dora Life (2018), and Episode 190: Nomad(ing) in Place with Ieishah ‘Nem (2019).Another place to catch Ieishah on IG: Mater MeaCheck out our Liberation Walk at raisingfreepeople.com/237Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This week on #fofcpod, we're inquiring about the idea of an unbothered child. Is “unbothered” a status reserved for worthy adults? Or can children claim it too? We're moving through some thoughts around liberation work and education perceptions that center the decolonization of intergenerational practices, so this also means Madd Question Askin' time!Listen in as Akilah acknowledges how our family members and friends might feel about unschooling during the holidays, and some of them may not understand what unschooling and other types of Self-Directed Education look like. Because of this, they sometimes openly question some of the ideas and practices around them. How might we learn from their reactions and begin to recognize our mindful responses as actual skill sets?Here's a 2017 episode where Akilah points out a few specific ideas, and recommendations of what we can do: Episode 56: Managing Unschoolers' Holiday Anxiety.Excerpt source."Dis Long Time Gal Mi Neva See You""This is a song that tells of two people who have not seen each other for a long time. The singer invites the other party to allow him to hold her (gal/gyal) hand in a greeting as they wheel and turn and dance and jig.https://youtu.be/_Fy39wPedmYThe first video is of the legendary Jamaican icon, Mrs Louise Bennett Coverly, singing the song. She was very instrumental in breaking cultural barriers that saw the local language (patois) being frowned upon by the "most affluent" in the Jamaican society who would have preferred to have everyone speaking the adopted "Queens language" or proper English. Miss Lou (as she is fondly called, got people to accept the fact that our language is our language no matter whatever other language we may adopt. She also played a very instrumental role in the Jamaican folk songs rising to prominence."Madd Question Askin' out loud!!Do children get to be unbothered? If so, what does that look like for a child?Is unbothered a skill reserved for grownups like trust or respect?Are children not trustworthy?Minding your business is community care and self-careWhat unbothered might look like as a skill set?LIBERATION WALKJoin our Podcast Village so you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations!Share some thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side to let Akilah know what do you think of this episode or email her at she@raisingfreepeople.comSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome to another #fofcpod episode! We hope that you enjoyed Fare of the Free (Man) Child series as much as we did. Thanks to Tony for co-producing these insightful conversations around masculinity, identity, adulthood, diversity, childhood, gender, and other topics that resonated with us. We had the chance to question, name things, deschool and discuss—it was so good, and so necessary!In case you haven't heard, here are some previous episodes with Anthony:Ep 12: How He's Using His GiftsEpisode 31: Solutions to Whitewashed Self-Directed EducationEpisode 61: Deschooling Release Party: Time for SelfEpisode 215: Fare of the Free Man Child (A Tony Galloway Ting)Episode 224: Deschooling Adulthood with Tony GallowayEpisode 232: Learning (and Unlearning) MasculinityEpisode 233: Deschooling Manhood and MasculinityEpisode 234: Kris joins Tony for the recap of #fofmanchild (Feel Trip)Nowadays, we are feeling surrounded by the energy of migration away from schoolishness and into more sovereign, more human-centered relationships. As we move forward in Season 7 you'll be hearing more from our earthwide community, others well on their migration journeys, who have useful tools and toys for our journey. We're here to share and offer resources for more self-directed ways as we're raising and being free people.We're gonna go back in time and listen to a snippet from a previous Feel Trip that we had with Domari Dickinson in a convo with Tony Galloway. You can find the full conversation for free at patreon.com/akilah.You'll also hear from Tebogo Modisane to listen as she spoke with us about a current project she and part of Limpopo's community are working on in Mabose, South Africa. She describes it as a natural building adventure and her vision of sharing knowledge on plant-based nutrition, vitamins, and herb information to consumers. Tebogo recently acquired a small property where she plans to establish an organic and indigenous herb plantation, tree producing, storing, and agro-processing homestead called Ha Se Lehola. In this space, they will be offering education around plant identification, growing, and preparation of plant remedies. The products that have been in production include avocado seed powder, herbal teas, spices, shampoos, and body butters.If you want to know more be sure to contact Tebogo: use her e-mail tebogomodisane@icloud.com or WhatsApp/Text/Tele: +27834153739See the rest of the show notes at raisingfreepeople.com/235Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

We're closing out Tony Galloway's series on manhood and masculinity this week, and the convo, as usual, is fyah! Kris Richards joins Tony to wrap up this season's Fare of the Free (Man) Child series with reflections from past episodes and current events. The two talk about identity, adulthood, diversity, childhood, gender, manhood, power dynamics, masculinity, and some of the different labels around those topics. Because definitions are always going to be biased to our experiences, they discuss some of the ways their environment has molded them as they grew up, and reflect upon what they were taught compared to what they currently understand and feel about those definitions.People's commitment to labels - Category is… ManhoodTony and Kris also chat about the interactions that take place when we speak about power dynamics in manhood. They share their experiences and the way people label others in partnership, how people put so much trust in the traditional definitions of manhood and womanhood, and the issues therein.Then they talk about masculinity and its categories. They mention that this definition keeps changing based on varying ideas about manhood, including who men "should" want attention from, and the need to perform certain “male” characteristics to feel accepted or validated by the otherness.Marketing and shadow figuresPatriarchy and sexism leave serious damages in society, Tony talks about shadow figures that profit from polarizing and normalizing hegemonic discourses that benefit only a few.Tony's last four episodes:Episode 215: Fare of the Free Man Child (A Tony Galloway Ting).Episode 224: Deschooling Adulthood with Tony GallowayEpisode 232: Learning (and Unlearning) MasculinityEpisode 233: Deschooling Manhood and MasculinityLIBERATION WALKThe full conversation that includes 10 more minutes will be on patreon.com/akilah join us to have some moreGet to know more of Tony and check his artworkShare some thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side to let Tony know what do you think of this episodeJoin our Podcast Village and don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations!Subscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome to another #fofcpod episode! As you know, October is Fare of the Free Man Child month, so get comfy and join our special host Tony Galloway Jr. in conversation with ten of his college fellas: Elijah Martin, Terry Lyles, Travis Amsterdam, Markyle Rondon, Kyle Moore, Sheps King, Fred Spite, Henri Battiste, Deshon Jones, and Curtis Webb.Each shares their thoughts on gender roles, accountability, and the complexity in naming masculinity due to the many layers around its meaning. Tony and friends navigate and question some of the previous notions and narratives they had around manhood and identity, like what it means to be strong, to be the provider and other stereotypically masculine qualities. They also speak about their experiences growing up and the patterns they began to unlearn throughout that journey. They explore some of the ways their understanding of the relationships and interactions between the masculine and the feminine have changed over time. They pose questions like, what does deschooling manhood and masculinity look like?This group also chat about the balance between intuition and rationality, which characteristics or qualities are part of that dichotomy, and how rich it is to find different shades within it. Deep and interesting convos up in here, so you don't want to miss them!In case you haven't heard previous episodes go ahead and check them all:Episode 215: Fare of the Free Man Child (A Tony Galloway Ting).Episode 224: Deschooling Adulthood with Tony GallowayEpisode 232: Learning (and Unlearning) MasculinityLIBERATION WALKFollow Tony on Instagram!Share some thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side to let Tony know what do you think of this episodeJoin our Podcast Village and don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations!Subscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome #fofcpod fam! We are so excited to share a new episode with our special host Anthony “Tony” Galloway Jr. This is Tony's third venture on the Fare of the Free Man Child series. If you missed the first two episodes go check them out:Episode 215: Fare of the Free Man Child (A Tony Galloway Ting).Episode 224: Deschooling Adulthood with Tony GallowayIn this episode Tony and two of his college roommates, Anthony D. Janifer and Stanley D. Cochran Jr., explore their perspectives around masculinity and manhood. They question, among other topics, the way they perform their masculinity and the patterns and distinctions around it, they also speak about personal relationships, power relationships, dating, shadow work, gender, stereotypes, and sexuality. Defining manhood can be a tricky task, even more so when you live exposed to dominant stereotypes of what masculine or feminine bodies and attitudes are supposed to be. Tony and his friends chat about their experiences and the way each of their environments and families modeled or influenced them to think masculinity in certain ways.What we are supposed to be | We don't want to be “weak”Vulnerability is seen as a weakness and something more characteristic of the feminine, this makes us question toxic masculinity. Is the version that we got around masculinity so narrow that it starts devaluing femininity? Men that embody certain mannerisms or sensitive attitudes tend to be mocked and categorized in a negative way as “less of a man.” Tony and friends discuss how these stereotypes make us more aware of the aspects within ourselves that we might shift just to fit in outdated “standards” that we must overcome. They also speak about feminine and masculine seen as energy and the balance in knowing when to show up, because Identity cannot be limited, it's a wide spectrum of definitions and nuances, defined by culture and context.LIBERATION WALKGet to know more of Tony and check his artwork here.Share some thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side to let Tony know what do you think of this episodeSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelJoin our Podcast Village and don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations! Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This episode is so that we can bring some new moon energies as we understand them, to some of Akilah's mother's work, to the ways that she is continuing to understand resistance from the perspective of her daughters resisting things, sometimes resisting her, but other times resisting things that she feels like they should not resist, things that they should accept, things that feel important or healthy for them to accept.If you've been rocking with us here, you know we've talked about versions of this many times over in past episodes in terms of resistance as a roadmap. Also in terms of recognizing ourselves as oppressors (potentially and sometimes realized) in our relationships with children, particularly if we live with them.This episode closes with #maddquestionaskin about resistance. Here are some of the questions that popped up for Akilah. Listen to the full episode for the full list.Is resistance the problem? Or is it the map?How might my excavation, exploration, invitations around this have helped me not to force my children to accept something I feel that they should accept? Or believe? Or know?How have I resisted and how has my resistance saved me?What has my resistance cost me?What is my personal experience with resistance in children?What am I willing to do with this experience of resistance?(This particular question can be good for, at the moment, when you're in the middle of a space of resistance with a young person)Do I recognize questioning as my right? As my responsibility?Do I recognize questioning as a beautiful and necessary part of how my children evolve into themselves?LIBERATION WALKSpeak up and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side to share some insight with usJoin our Podcast Village and don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitationsSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Subject Sprint: a learning method for designing a mindful approach towards learning and structure in a sustainable way. - MarleyWhat does productivity look like and feel like when we get to choose topics that interest us? #maddquestionaskinThis week on #fofcpod, Marley Richards, 17-year-old unschooler and SDE advocate, brings a follow-up from Episode 193: Developing a Self-directed Mindset. She speaks about her learning struggles in 2020, and the ways she used Subject Sprints  to re-center her passions.Marley asks and invites questions about the progression of education, the differences between quantity and quality, the real meaning of productivity, managing feelings of perfectionism, self-care as a point of clarity, and more. This path has broadened her access to different opinions, and ways to communicate, showing up as a constant progression, a transformative and helpful structure that has boosted her sense of fulfillment and her confidence.Thinking of a mentor session with Marley?She's open to a few of those.Learn more here.In addition to our new patreon supporters, we also beam our deep gratitude to all of the folks who helped us fund and actualize the translation of Raising Free People Book en Español. ¡Gracias!LIBERATION WALKJoin our Podcast Village and don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitationsCome through and press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side to share some thoughts with usSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

We're back from our much-needed break and ready to rock with you for Season 7 to continue this journey together of healing, exploration, liberation and change. Thank you for being part of our #fofcpod fam! This season we'll keep our three-part flow, with a few deviations from that structure wherever it feels right.Here's what to expect during Season 7:This season our contribution to the many ways we invest in our liberation from tools of oppression will include continued collaborating with some of the busiest folks in this moving for liberatory learning and living:Maleka Diggs, Ep 200: Being Busy, Black, and Unschooled in 2020Kelly Limes Taylor, Ep 169: The Chance to Go FurtherLeslie Bray, Ep 207: Updates on Plant It Up + Introducing P.O.U.R.Tiersa McQueen, Ep 191: Why & How We UnschoolLou Hollis, Ep 208: Lou of Grief, Growth, & Goals PodcastDomari Dickinson, Ep 185: Parenting Paradigm Shifts in Black FamiliesAnd...Next week Marley will do a follow-up episode from Ep 193: Developing a Self-directed Mindset, so tune in next week. The week after that we'll release a New Moon episode to bring the ways we care for ourselves inside this intergenerational liberation workMore great work from this season's core team: Juan, Fatima, Dani, Romain, Kris, Marley, and VickiRaising Free People book's Spanish version is pretty much done! Watching, learning, and stretching with Ruben, Citlali, Isabel, Abby, Kris, and Miguel has been such a joyful experience. Thank you to every one of you who donated dollars, wished us well, or shared the fundraiser, we appreciate you!Instead of sponsors we'll be doing season spotlights, and the first one is Tebogo Modisane. You'll hear from her in next week's episode. In the meantime, listen to Tebogo on Ep 119: Educating the World to Our Children (Soweto)Raising Free People is being recorded as an audiobook and Akilah has been collabing with the energies of sound and voice to make it happen. All the production process will be done by mid-OctoberOctober is basically Fare of the Free Man Child month! Anthony “Tony” Galloway Jr. and some of his friends talk about manhood and masculinity in their 20's and 30's. If you haven't heard from Tony here's his latest episode, Ep 224: Deschooling Adulthood with Tony GallowayYou'll hear from Ieishah Clelland-Lange from Ep 63: Deep Work + Dora Life, back in the day in 2018, and Ep 190: Nomad(ing) in Place with Ieishah 'Nem. She gathered some gems for us while she's in Aotearoa, also known as New ZealandJoin our Podcast Village and don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitationsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Just dropping by with an in-between seasons episode filled with invitations and big announcements! #fofcpod Sign up to the email list for Raising Free People Workshop 2021, this year we'll be focusing on Discomfort and Discovery, so join us for a virtual workshop divided in two segments, one on Family: Adult-child dynamics, parenting, the other (the Grown folks segment) will discuss Adult relationship dynamics, particularly in marriage/romantic involvement.Be sure to visit Black Worldschoolers Bookstore, a wonderful project from our fellow liberation-minded mama, Natalie Pipkin. Listen to some of the previous conversations with Natalie on #fofcpod: Episode 171: Black Child You Are Seen and Episode 196: But Yo, the TRUST Comes After the ChoiceA powerful duo will join us in our upcoming Summer Feel Trip, Domari Dickinson and Anthony “Tony” Galloway, Jr. Yay, Don't miss it!Here you can find some of the convos that we have had with them before: Episode 185: Parenting Paradigm Shifts in Black Families, Episode 204: (REPLAY) Solutions to Whitewashed SDE, Episode 215: Fare of the Free Man Child (A Tony Galloway Ting) and Episode 224: Deschooling Adulthood with Tony Galloway.Chemay Morales invites us to My Reflection Matters August Open House, all membership events from the My Reflection Matters Village Network will be free. Listen to Episode 35: My Reflection Matters and Episode 125: 4 Conditions in Support of Raising Free People where we got the chance to share with Chemay in previous episodesLIBERATION WALKJoin our Podcast Village and don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations Press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side and share some thoughts with usSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

We're so excited to share our Feel Trip recap and final episode of Season Six. We will be playing some snippets from a live conversation that Akilah and Kris had with some of our listeners and Make It Happen Family members. They reflect on trust, language, destination peddling (nope, that ain't a typo), and how all of those things affect our most important relationships. They also chat about the opportunities for facing and resolving our struggles with attachments. Watch the video of the entire convo on our Youtube Channel. Raising Free People Está Disponible en Español!Shout out to the 25 people who helped us reach our goal, because now Raising Free People will be available in Spanish too! As soon as we get more info we'll let you know, for sure, but in the meantime, some members of the translation team put together a superdope Spotify playlist you can vibe to! Check it: Raising Free People en Español.Thank you so much for joining us on this amazing journey so far! For Season 7, we will stay on our three-part flow, and include solo episodes like Fare of the Free Man Child and Plant It Up Podcast episodes. In the meantime, here's what to expect in the coming months:Stay tuned for inbetweenisodes (episodes in-between seasons)Remember that in addition to Fare of the Free Child, more podcasts are produced in our Raising Free People Network mix:  She Said We Shed with Aja; How She Got Free Podcast with Katrina, which will launch right when we are taking a little rest; Grief, Growth and Goals with Lou Hollis; Plant It Up with Val; and P.O.U.R. (Purposely Opening Up to Relationships) podcast with Leslie Bray. Subscribe to get all this goodness!LIBERATION WALKDon't miss Raising Free People Workshop 2021!In August Chemay Morales from My Reflection Matters will be offering open house eventsJoin our Podcast Village and don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitationsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

It's the second-to-last episode of  Season Six, and today we're going back in time to our Season One intro while we reminisce for a bit. Later this week, on July 10th we'll play a clip from Episode 0 to celebrate our 5th anniversary! Today though, you'll hear what some of our listeners had to say about last week's episode Episode 225: Deschooling Our Marriage (Pt 1) and about Episode 224: Deschooling Adulthood with Tony Galloway. And one listener, Dani McClain has a great book you should check out titled We Live for the We.4 things happening in-between seasons Tweenisodes (episodes in-between seasons)Card deck playdates Newsletter “The Monthly Sevens”Raising Free People Workshop 2021!! Tune in this Saturday for our finale episode, 227, to hear clips from our feel trip with Kris and Akilah. and members of our Make it Happen Family. Make sure you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations by joining our podcast village.LIBERATION WALKWe are so excited to share with you that we reached our goal! Thanks to all of the people that contributed to translate Raising Free People book to Spanish, we did it! / ¡Estamos súper emocionados y queremos compartir con ustedes que logramos nuestra meta!. Gracias a quienes nos ayudaron en la traducción del libro Raising Free People al idioma Español, ¡lo logramos!Press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side and speak upSubscribe to Akilah's Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This week on #fofcpod: We are now all up in Part 1 of this 3-part season finale flow! Listen to this insightful conversation between Akilah, her partner Kris, and their oldest daughter, Marley. They process their feelings out loud about how trust, language, and "destinations" help us move from performance and fake-assness over to practicing authenticity and partnership in our relationships. Stay tuned for our Feel Trip with Kris and Akilah on July 6, 8:30 pm EST. Make sure you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations by joining our podcast village. Here are some of the gem-drops you'll hear:Trust happens over time.Akilah and Kris share their experiences with relationship-building and how many of the normalized processes and practices in marriage leave us with dynamics that have prefabricated structures around marriage role models that don't fit actual people in real life. They also point out the ways that we replicate these roles and expectations without taking into account the quality of the relationship. Deschooling helps us question these structures and the way we live and face reality and relationships over time.We can deschool our language.You'll hear the trio's take on the importance of naming and speaking up about feelings and insecurities when we want to be held accountable and also be supportive. Communication and language are key components for a partnership, so consider the benefits of madd question askin' like:How is language useful? How do we nurture our feelings while trusting the process?LIBERATION WALKThanks to all of the people that have contributed to translate Raising Free People book to Spanish, we're just $230 away from our goal. Please donate! / Gracias a quienes han colaborado para traducir el libro Raising Free People al idioma Español, ¡estamos a 230 dólares de llegar a nuestra meta. ¡Por favor dona!Press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side and let us know what you think!See clips from this episode on Akilah's Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

First, a special Thank You to all of the people that have contributed to translate Raising Free People book to Spanish, we're almost there! / Gracias a quienes han colaborado para traducir el libro Raising Free People al idioma Español, ¡ya casi llegamos a la meta!--Welcome to Anthony “Tony” Galloway, Jr's second Fare of the Free Man Child episode. Missed the first episode? We gotchu... Episode 215: Fare of the Free Man Child (A Tony Galloway Ting). Tony is co-founder, director, and facilitator of The Heartwood School, a local (Atlanta) Agile Learning Center, and one of our Presence Counselors at Raising Free People Network.On this episode, Tony covers the topic of childhood and adulthood from the perspectives of how childhood and adulthood coexisthow adults tend to relate to childrenhow parent-child relationships change over timethe importance of nurturing emotional intelligencehonoring and cherishing childhoodHe goes on to offer insights and reflections on how childhood and adult-child dynamics play out in a Self-Directed Education framework, and he speaks to some of the aspects of adulthood that sit within the confines and expectations of certain structures of power that center production and achievement over all else. LIBERATION WALKPress that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and tell us what you think about Fare of the Free Man ChildLearn more about The Heartwood SchoolFollow Tony on InstagramGet podcast clips and replays of video events on our Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This week's #fofcpod episode is a solo jawn, mainly because Akilah wanted to share the local community spotlight segment that will be part of Season 7. So, expect for the 3-part episode flow to be accented by single episodes like this one and Fare of the Free Man Child with another ATL local, Anthony “Tony” Galloway, Jr. who you'll hear next week. Today's guest is brilliant entre/edupreneur, Karema Akilah Greene from The Genius School. So much goodness in here!Karema shares how she got interested in Self-Directed Education, and how, as a detail oriented person, she struggled with some habits from her schoolish mindset, and eventually arrived at some of the tools that helped her to support learning with her children and other ways of connection.She also speaks with us on how her deschooling process evolved into the offering of a supportive community that focuses on education as something that we build up together, allowing for space where children can be themselves, and get to know their strengths and weaknesses in order to nurture their independence and confidence, giving the tools for them to excel with a trust-based foundation.LIBERATION WALKDon't miss any of the Genius School events and check on The LOL Portfolio App details hereJoin our co-learning for liberation village inside the My Reflection Matters CommunityThanks to all of the people that had contributed to translate Raising Free People book to Spanish, we're halfway there! / Gracias a quienes han colaborado para traducir el libro Raising Free People al idioma Español, ¡ya recolectamos la mitad!Share and question by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site!Subscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome again Fare of the Free Child community! In episode 222 you'll hear excerpts from our feel trip with Iris Chen, author of Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent along with our fellow unschooler, Tiersa McQueen. Iris and Akilah talk about multigenerational learning and unlearning, the differences between respect and relationship with the elders, collective change, cultural distance, relationship skills and how we can feel honored and honor other people too, learning to coexist and grow together. Tiersa joined the discussion, and poured her usual awesomesauce all in the mix. If the excerpts just ain't enough, you can watch the entire conversation here.In case you haven't listened to the previous elements of this three-part flow, here's Episode 220: Iris Chen on Culture, Childhood, and Consent, and Episode 221: Untigering with Iris Chen (Pt. 2) where our listeners shared their feedback. Join our podcast village to make sure you don't miss any feel trip invitations.We are just a few episodes away from the end of this season, including two more episodes and a feel trip with Kris and Akilah to close out the season and celebrate the five year anniversary of Episode 0. So exciting!Need to knows:In an effort to bring all of you more deschooling resources and liberation tools Raising Free People Support Suite which includes the Card Decks has a Workbook material coming up in collaboration with Leslie Bray from P.O.U.R Podcast (Purposely Openly Up to Relationships) Thanks to all of the people that had contributed to translate Raising Free People book to Spanish, we're halfway there! / Gracias a quienes han colaborado para traducir el libro Raising Free People al idioma Español, ¡ya recolectamos la mitad!LIBERATION WALKShout out to Val Sinclair from Plant it up podcast, who'll join us once more at the end of the season!Feel free to share and question by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site!While you're there, subscribe to Akilah's Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Sending love to all of the families and descendants of theTk’emlúps te Secwépemc community, who are dealing with the tragedy of discovering the bodies of 215 children who lived at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. We share the official statement from Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Kukpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir. May their families find a way to be at peace.---On this week’s #fofcpod you'll hear feedback from our community members. Regina, Sarah, and Ana Maria share their thoughts about previous episode 220: Iris Chen on Culture, Childhood, and Consent with Iris Chen from Untigering but also Ana Maria took the time to share her impressions on episode 219: All In My Feelings About Family Meetings. As we realize now, feedback won't always be about the most recent episode, people find episodes that talk specifically to them all the time (folks are still listening to season 1!). Today, members of our listening community share some realizations based on conversations and experiences with their children. They share reflections on empowerment, boundaries, rewriting our narrative, and then some. You'll also hear from a local ATL unschooler wondering about tools of oppression in the context of parents who use them on their adult children.Dr. Sundiata also shares some insights about The Theory of Indivisibility, Tools of Oppression in contrast with the Tools of Indivisibility. Head over to Sundiata's website to learn more.And we are super-stoked and grateful that Akilah’s book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing work, will be translated into Spanish, and that the ALC Network has launched a fundraiser to match the $5000 needed to get us published in print and digitally! Will you donate and share? Here’s the link with details.Our next Feel Trip is coming up with Iris, Akilah, and Tiersa on June 7, at 5:30 PM EST. Here’s the link to register. You'll hear a recap of that next week. Make sure you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations by joining our podcast village.LIBERATION WALKGot an insight or a question? Press that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and tell Akilah.Subscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

In this week’s #fofcpod episode, you’ll hear the first part of a conversation that sprunt up after a family meeting Akilah, Kris, Marley, and Sage had earlier this year. Akilah is calling this episode an “all in my” situation because she sees herself as being all up in her feelings (and fully accepting the presence of those feelings) while she’s unlearning the power-over dynamic. For sure, this conversation comes from a vulnerable and intimate space, and it felt important to Akilah and Kris to share the raw feelings without trying to offer “solutions” to resolving them. Kris and Akilah point out the importance of healthy communication, change, boundaries, process, and practice. They also discuss the levels of involvement and the struggle that we might face when we want to be held accountable and supportive. What does support look like as you grow together?They talk about the layers that come with a process and the practices around recognition and listening. It’s important to be able to think beyond our reaction and ask questions in order to move away from the schoolish mindset of punishing the reaction instead of exploring the cause. Asking for help to get a different perspective can guide us through a better solving process.Stay tuned because we have nine more episodes in Season 6, including one of Fare of the Free Man Child with Anthony “Tony” Galloway, Jr. Also, get ready to listen to Iris Chen from Untigering who will be joining us on the next edition of our three-part flow.LIBERATION WALKPress that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and share some thoughtsRemember that SDE Weekend (Self-Directed Education Weekend) is coming soon! From 21st till 23rd of May 2021 “The SDE weekend is an “all you can (L)earn,” 3-day, international, online event in which you choose the sessions that match your intentions and participate as much as you want.” Subscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

On Episode 218 we’re sharing snippets from our Feel Trip recap with Amelia Allen Sherwood (Montessori and Anti-bias | Anti-racism Educator at Elm City Montessori School and founder of Sankofa Learning Center) and fellow unschooling organizer,  Tiersa McQueen. Amelia shares her perspective on the Montessori method and describes it as a tool in which we can decolonize processes and honor our children. We discuss the need to continue to question everything related to schooling, and to nurture ideas that improve autonomy-building, community care, partnership and trust-building. Listen and watch the full conversation here.In case you haven’t listened to the previous components of this three-part flow, here’s Episode 216: Exploring Black Lived Montessori Experiences, and Episode 217: Black folks in Montessori (Pt 2) where our listeners shared their feedback.  Make sure you don’t miss any of our feel trip invitations by joining our podcast village.As you listen, you’ll hear Akilah notes the reality that most educational models focus only on the becoming (the eventual “success”) and forget about the human (the person experiencing life today, right now), and Amelia agrees with that, and notes that her center is called Sankofa because it was about a type of returning, in that it centers the learner, not the thing they’re supposed to do. Akilah sees that as a rehumanizing of learning, as does Amelia, and she (Amelia) talks about the ways that we can use Montessori tools to create environments that are supportive of our authentic selves, and how communal spaces can help us to understand how to trust learning and children.We talk about the importance of naming our internalized racial oppression in order to heal both as an individual and as a collective, being aware of the commitment that involves community care. By being present we honor the connection within ourselves and our body, going back to our intuition.Amelia talks about her vision of the African-centered Montessori program in New Haven, Connecticut, Sankofa Learning Center, and shares her gratitude for the community that has been showing up in different ways for this collective dream.LIBERATION WALKSDE Weekend (Self-Directed Education Weekend) is coming! From 21st till 23rd of May 2021 “The SDE weekend is an “all you can (L)earn,” 3-day, international, online event in which you choose the sessions that match your intentions and participate as much as you want.”Listen to Itiel’s first episode, Ep 8: Lessons in Biz-Life Bliss and Ep 131: The Transition from Homeschooling to Unschooling. Also check Itiel’s memoir, Enterprise: A Holistic Anthology of Experiences Through a Black Woman’s LensCheck out KINDEZI: The Kongo Art of Babysitting, by K.Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau and A.M. Lukondo-WambaVisit NIA House MontessoriSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Hey y'all! Thanks for staying tuned and welcome to another Fare of the Free Child podcast episode. In this conversation we are sharing some feedback from Episode 216: Exploring Black Lived Montessori Experiences with Montessori and Anti-bias | Anti-racism educator, Amelia Allen Sherwood. Join us to hear from our listener-fam, Regina, who has a couple of questions about the history of Montessori and whether Montessori programs serve teenagers. We also have some special invitations and liberation tools that will enrich and help us strengthen our raising free people muscles.Need-to-knows:Don't miss our next Feel Trip with Amelia Allen Sherwood. We will be questioning and sharing great content related to Montessori experiences. Sign up here to join us live on May 11 at 8pm eastern. SDE Weekend (Self-Directed Education Weekend) is coming! From 21st till 23rd of May 2021 “The SDE weekend is an “all you can (L)earn,” 3-day, international, online event in which you choose the sessions that match your intentions and participate as much as you want.” In an effort to bring all of you more deschooling resources and liberation tools Raising Free People Support Suite has a Workbook material coming up in collaboration with Leslie Bray from P.O.U.R Podcast (Purposely Openly Up to Relationships) In addition to those resources we have two Card Decks: One is focused on parenting practice and the other one is an overall Raising Free People practiceLIBERATION WALKShout out to Britt Hawthorne, Montessori educator who currently works in a collective liberation workCheck out the Kulima Montessori programPress that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and let us know what do you thinkSubscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Join patreon.com/akilah and support the show!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This week’s episode opens the first segment of our three-part flow from a mindful conversation with Iris Chen of Untigering. Iris is an unschooling mom and author of Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent, an authentic and vulnerable narrative about parenting as an Asian-American with cultural awareness, consent, love, and survival all blended in. Iris will also join us next week on a Feel Trip episode and we would love to hear some of your feedback prior to that! The week after that (on Saturday) we’ll bring you a recap of that Feel Trip. Make sure you don't miss any of our Feel Trip invitations by entering our podcast village.Iris chats with Akilah about the process that led her into writing her book, a process that started two years ago as she was blogging about her family experiences. Akilah and Iris also speak about the expectations and the pressure that we sometimes create around our children by seeing them only as extensions of us and not also as individuals."We can be agents of change instead of victims to tradition" - Iris ChenIris challenges the idea that we are trapped by our culture and rules, because we can celebrate but also question. Iris asserts that we are more than our stereotypes, and Akilah agrees with that and invites us to embrace the elements that are aligned to who we are while we reject what doesn’t vibe with us as part of our evolution. Iris also talks about the importance of language and the influence that culture has to offer as a tool that enhances connection and more ways to expand understanding.They also talk about consent and emotional intelligence skills and how important it is to re-parent our inner child to heal and understand the ways we can be influencing our children's behavior, because this can shape the practices that help us unravel our schoolish mindsets as we grow together.LIBERATION WALKPress that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and share some thoughtsLearn more about The Homeschool Association of CaliforniaHere you can read Parenting in a Climate of Anti-Asian Racism by Iris ChenSubscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This week’s #fofcpod is a sweet blend of liberation-focused invitations and an insightful conversation with Amelia Allen Sherwood, a Black Montessori educator who currently serves as the Anti-bias and Anti-racism Director at Elm City Montessori School. Amelia joins us to talk about how the Montessori method has impacted and inspired her to dream and develop communal spaces like Sankofa Learning Center. Stay tuned ‘cause Amelia will be also joining us in a couple of weeks on a Feel Trip episode. Make sure you don’t miss any of our Feel Trip invitations by joining our podcast village.What brings Amelia joy:Being outside and biking with her kidsWatching Carmeon Hamilton win Design Stars and following more Black interior designers on the gramSpending time with her partner and finding moments to love each otherVisioning out Sankofa Learning Center with her incredible Advisory CollectiveWhat has been growing Amelia:Learning from people she loves and that continue to challenge her and hold her accountableReading anything by Alexis Pauline Gumbs (right now she is reading Dub and just finished M Archived)Meet the Mother: Amelia Allen SherwoodThe Embracing Equity Leadership CohortAnything that Joy tells her to do, she listens!And of course catching up with the episodes of Fare of the Free Child!Amelia' recommendations of dope Black Montessori folks to follow on Instagram:Afrocentric MontessoriMontessori MadreJenile BrooksJamila MappLyricNicole, M.EdAhoefa| Montessori inspiredSchool at Home and Beyond™️Mothering and MontessoriWhat Dad DidCheck the Liberation Walk at https://www.raisingfreepeople.com/216/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

In collaboration with Atlanta-based Self-Directed Education profession and facilitator, Anthony “Tony” Galloway, Jr, we are so hyped to broadcast the premiere episode of Fare of the Free Man Child!Tony is one of our Presence Counselors here at Raising Free People Network and the founder, director and facilitator of The Heartwood School, a local Agile Learning Center. Throughout this series, Tony reflects on his own self-directed journey and his views on adulting and adulthood as he approaches his 30’s. Tune in to hear him riff on finances, politics, mental health, race, schooling, unschooling, manhood, and masculinity.“I was raised as an academic and baptized in the way of the scientific method. There were many creative outlets I participated in as a kid but they were just fun things to do on the side. Things like music and art were extracurriculars and hobbies to make me a well-rounded applicant but they were never a priority”. - Anthony Galloway, JrIn this episode, Tony talks about the struggles that we might face when trying to apply certain Self-Directed practices to our lives, about how exhausting it becomes to compare ourselves and our children's processes, the external pressure full of expectations, and preparations that pull us away from the present, missing the essentials. He also shares the importance of prioritizing the fulfillment of personal challenges while taking care of responsibilities.LIBERATION WALKPress that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and tell us what do you think about Fare of the Free Man ChildFollow Tony on Instagram!You can listen to Tony on previous #fofcpod episodes: How He’s Using His Gifts and Time for SelfSubscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

This week, we’ve got important need-to-knows to share with you, plus a feel trip recap from our conversation with Karen M. Ricks from the last two episodes, and Tiersa McQueen, who always brings the real-real! We shared experiences and stories around food and learning, and you’ll hear about our connections between food and memories, food and relationship building, food-centric education, food habits, food joy, and the many ways that food is related to our consent-based practices with children. In case you haven’t listened to the first part of this three-part flow, here’s Episode 212: Food, Play, & Mindfulness, and here’s Episode 213: Food, Play, & Mindfulness (Pt. 2) where our listeners shared their feedback.  Make sure you don’t miss any of our feel trips invitations by joining our podcast village. Resources and InvitationsPresence Counselor, founder, director and facilitator of an Agile Learning Center in Atlanta, Georgia Anthony Galloway, Jr. gives us a hint of his new project, Fare of the Free Man Child, in collaboration with Raising Free People Network. Anthony reflects about his own self-directed journey, and his views on adulting and adulthood as he approaches his 30’s. He’ll be speaking about finances, politics, mental health, race, schooling, unschooling, manhood, and masculinity. His first episode airs on April 21, so make sure you’re following our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, so you can hear it. SDE Weekend (Self-Directed Education Weekend) is coming! From 21st till 23rd of May 2021 “The SDE weekend is an “all you can (L)earn,” 3-day, international, online event in which you choose the sessions that match your intentions and participate as much as you want.” The Fix Yo Face Deschooling Parenting Challenge starts soon! Get details here and save your spotLIBERATION WALKPress that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and tell us what do you think about Fare of the Free Man ChildCheck out Our Kitchen Classroom on Youtube While you’re there, subscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

INVITATIONS: The Fix Yo Face Deschooling Parenting Challenge starts soon! Get details here.Want to join our Feel Trip with Karen next week? Register here.---Today we’re featuring listener community feedback from Episode 212: Food, Play, & Mindfulness with Karen M. Ricks. Join us to hear listeners share their love and experiences with food and how it all intertwines with the processes of natural learning and connecting with family and community. We’re also joined by Val from Plant It Up Podcast who tells us all about her relationship with nature and how the process of planting food can be a synergy between self-preservation and joy! We also have a special invitation for all of you to attend our next Feel Trip. Through this communal space we get to question and share some insight with you guys, our listeners! The live group meet up will be held on April 13th, register and save your spot. In case you can’t make it that day, we still got you, we’ll replay parts of it on April 17th here in the podcast. If you want to make sure you never miss our Feel Trips invitations you can join our podcast village.In addition to Fare of the Free Child, remember that we nurture Audio by Raising Free People Network with shows by Black women in podcasting, including: She Said We Shed with Aja Marie; How She Got Free with Katrina Monique; Grief, Growth and Goals with Lou Hollis; Plant It Up Podcast with Va Sinclair; and P.O.U.R. (Purposely Opening Up to Relationships) podcast with Leslie W. Bray.LIBERATION WALKPress that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and speak up!Be sure to check out Ebony Janice’s content!Shout-out to Thea Monyeé from Shaping The Shift PodcastCheck out Our Kitchen Classroom on Youtube While you’re there, subscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Season 6 of Fare of the Free Child Podcast begins today, and we are so excited!! This season we’ve slowed down our listening process so that every topic can get three full episodes of conversation and connection. The first part is an invitation to deepen our perspective on a relevant topic, the second part we’ll be listening to community feedback about that topic, and the third episode will be a recap or replay from a live, group meetup (we call those feel trips), to bring our knowledge and questions together real-time. Want to make sure you don’t miss feel trip invites? Join our podcast village. On today’s episode, Karen M. Ricks of Our Kitchen Classroom, world traveler, life learner, mother, wife, chef, entrepreneur will be joining us to talk about joy, food, travelling, languages, Montessori ways, and her special take on worldschooling. Food JoyWe talk about boundaries, consent, relationship-building, and the importance of partnership between parents and children. Karen explains the way food can work as a medium through which we have a chance to connect through multi-sensory experiences, for example, the process of including the children in preparing meals. We talk about sense memory and how it is tied to a deeper personal involvement, and how this makes food a wonderful way to notice everyday learning.Montessori Ways  (The world is our classroom)Karen speaks about her experience running a Montessori school in Japan, about how this process exposed some of the drastic pedagogical differences between cultures, and the level of resistance that can live within us when it comes to trying a less schoolish approach to learning anything, including a new language. We chat about the cultivation of language as a tool that enhances communication, a tool to connect with the otherness, to share ideas and concepts, and to expand the possibilities for the richness of learning from every experience, person, and place.Building upon the CuriosityKaren shares the joy that food has given her by seeing culinary education as a cultural exchange, and a way of connecting with families and communities. With her project, Our Kitchen Classroom, Karen shares a different way of learning through the experience of food.LIBERATION WALKPress that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side of the site and speak upLearn something new at every meal! join Karen at Our Kitchen ClassroomJoin Karen at Our Kitchen Classroom on Youtube While you’re there, subscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

We are starting our feel trip replays this week, which is why this episode is first airing on a Saturday instead of our usual mid-week thing. We used our mid-week time to meet up with Tiersa McQueen, unschooling advocate, @tiersaj on Twitter, to chat about the difference between a process and a practice, especially in parenting, and specifically in Self-Directed Education. We talked about things like:Using unschooling as a means of controlWe answered a brilliant question from Nicole who asked what does it look like to do nothing We talked about our experiences with the adult gaze I introduced some language from my current work around destination peddling in parenting, and about passage, and giving wayTiersa offered recent examples from her lessons with Phoenix, her 15 year old son. Just soooooo goood!!So, you'll hear a few segments from our March 24 2021 feel trip today, and we are having another one, this time with Karen M. Ricks of Our Kitchen Classroom, world traveler, life learner, mother, wife, chef, entrepreneur, etc!! She is co-hosting our next Feel Trip in a few weeks, and we'll talk about that next week for the premier of Season 6 where you'll hear my conversation with Karen, and get the invitation for our next live FOFC Feel Trip.LIBERATION WALKPress that "Leave a Voice Message" button on the right side of the site and speak upFull replay is available here. Watch, Like, and Share.Join Tiersa’s community on Twitter and also on InstagramSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome back! Today, As promised, you’ll get all the details on how we'll be flowing in this new season on Fare of the Free Child Podcast. Season 6 will be filled with practice tools and liberation content related to the ways we are building community. Our community is part of My Reflection Matters, come through and join us in Fare of the Free Child Village.Put these important dates on your calendar:March 24: A live session with unschooling mama and advocate, Tiersa McQueen, to talk about the difference between process and practice.March 27: You’ll hear a replay (or a recap) of our live session with Tiersa here on the podcast!.March 31: Launching of Season 6!  Three Part FlowEvery conversation will get three full episodes, Akilah is slowing it down to go deep in every topic.Part I (INVITATIONS)Here Akilah will be having a conversation about the main topic either with guests or solo.Part II (FEEDBACK)The following week we’ll be hearing community feedback, other people's opinions, questions, resources, so we can enrich the way we interact. Part III (FEEL TRIPS)Then we get together and make a live session inside #fofc village, to engage more with each other's opinions and gather soul conversation bits to share here on the podcast.  In April we’re collaborating with conscious parenting sister, Domari Dickinson, to co-host a parenting challenge, thinking primarily of people transitioning into Self-Directed Education, to offer some tools and resources. This collab is part of a larger effort to populate parenting and education spaces with the support  to navigate the deschooling journey. LIBERATION WALKIt’s easy to give us your feedback! Just press that little button on the right of our website that says “Leave a voicemail” on the right side of the site, or email she@akilahsrichards.comJoin Leslie of P.O.U.R. Podcast in the first Community P.O.U.R. SessionConnect with Tiersa on TwitterSubscribe to Akilah’s Youtube ChannelSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

On the last stop of Akilah’s tour of introductions to all the hosts on our network, you’ll meet Katrina Monique and hear about her upcoming show, How She Got Free Podcast. Katrina Monique and Akilah have an insightful conversation about what liberation can mean in the process, the many layers that self awareness and healing have, the struggle and joy when Katrina completely embraced herself, what does it mean to live with depression and more.Before that convo, Akilah gives a hint of what’s coming next month with Season 6, and tells you her plan for making sure, as her granny would say, “har eaz nyam grass!”As we reach the end of this love fest, don’t forget to subscribe to all five podcasts! In addition to Fare Of The Free Child, we produce She Said We Shed with Aja; How She Got Free with Katrina; Grief, Growth and Goals with Lou Hollis; Plant It Up with Val; and the upcoming P.O.U.R. (Purposely Opening Up to Relationships) podcast with Leslie Bray.Redefining liberationHow She Got Free Podcast is inspired by a book and retreat that Katrina and Akilah created and nurtured during 2012-2013. This podcast version is designed to show us ways we can generate healing for ourselves and invite others to acknowledge and name their own healing needs too.Katrina shares her experience with her own mental health diagnoses, examining her relationships to concepts like strength and joy, and how something that looked scary ended up liberating her. They also speak about the impact that colonial society has in mental health, and all the things Black women and Black people in general have been impacted by and still struggle with.Notables you might dig...Akilah and Katrina point out how our ancestors developed mechanisms to survive and thrive without realizing they could suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses that harmed them and caused intergenerational trauma among communities. What arose during that discussion wasa) what wounds came from fighting for your freedom, andb) how do we not turn our wounds into weapons against those we love?Also, trauma shows up in our relationships with our bodies, with our children, with our community, and Katrina talks about building structure around trauma, embracing who we are, naming things by speaking up and accepting the trauma not only as an individual process but also in community.LIBERATION WALKWatch the video version from this episode on YouTubeJoin Katrina’s community, How We Got Free on FacebookJoin Akilah's email listSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Our featured host and guest during this week’s version of our month-long love fest is Lou Hollis of Grief, Growth and Goals podcast (#3GPod), a space for sharing insights about healing work while parenting after grief and depression. Lou is a model and actress with more than 25 years of experience in the talent industry, both as talent, and as talent management and mentorship. Grief, Growth and Goals podcast (#3GPod) is a healing space where Lou chats with child talent, parents of talent, bookers, agents, agency owners, about business, but more so about managing life and staying grounded through it all.On this week’s episode, Akilah and Lou speak about power dynamics in relationships and the importance of changing the narrative to advocate for their children from a partner-centered lens. Lou talks about how empowering it is for her to hear other people's stories, particularly how they’ve learned to raise their voices, and how that has inspired her to make sure she is showing up and sharing her spiritual transformation. To meet all the hosts on our network, be sure to check out our main page: https://raisingfreepeople.com/network/LIBERATION WALKYou can also watch the video version from this episode You can listen to Lou on previous #fofcpod episodes: Episode 73: How Grief Unschooled Her and Episode 194: Language for UnschoolingSubscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Join patreon.com/akilah and support the show!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

In this in-between episode on #fofcpod Akilah chats with Val Anderson, creator and host of Plant It Up podcast, and Leslie Bray of the upcoming podcast, P.O.U.R (Purposely Openly Up to Relationships). Plant It Up podcast is part of a larger plant initiative, and focuses on Val's deep love for plants and how it relates to self-care and liberation work practices as well. Make sure you connect with Val and Our Plants and Juicecapades! Leslie’s segment includes a few clips from her old episodes, as well as details about P.O.U.R. Podcast. Leslie is the founder of Kid Cultivators Homeschool Community, a homeschooling collective that makes space for alternative ways of learning. She talks about what P.O.U.R. has to offer as a community building approach, where she will explore what it means to show up and be open to new relationships, what it takes to build those relationships, and the rituals around these practices, both individually and as a collective. Follow Leslie for updates.LIBERATION WALKKelly Limes Taylor shares with us the two upcoming courses from Ours First Series: Stories Of Our Pasts and Younger You. Be sure to register! You can listen to Val on previous #fofcpod episodes: Episode 176: ‘Cause Ginger Root Brings Her Joy and Episode 180: Partnership Practice with PlantsYou can listen to Leslie on previous #fofcpod episodes: Episode 18: Self-Care + Sacred Space and Episode 110: Leslie Talks Conscious Community CollectivesRaising Free People Network’s Presence Counselors Leslie Bray and Anthony Galloway are here to support unschooling and deschooling processes for families and organizationsHosting, or are part of, a Raising Free People Book Club? Tell us by emailing Fatima@raisingfreepeople.com with the details about that book club. Akilah would love to come through, right quick!Subscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Welcome back! We are still in-between seasons on #fofcpod and for the next month we’ll be sharing with our hosts from Raising Free People Network! This week we chat with Aja, single mom, freelancer/entrepreneur and unschooler who has lived outside of the United States - host of She Said We Shed Podcast.“Created by Aja, and produced by Raising Free People Network, She Said We Shed is a reclamation project for defining a motherhood that acknowledges and helps us heal from the unresolved trauma-induced parenting practices among Black mothers. Aja is raising her Black son while healing from the trauma of being raised by a woman who didn’t heal from whatever harmed her. Black mama trauma is the topic, and honest, love-centered, reclamation and healing are the intentions. Join Aja as she and invited guests get vulnerable and deliberate about legacy shifting with support, back-up, and truth-tellers.”Akilah and Aja speak on Black motherhood, intergenerational trauma, privilege in relationships, setting boundaries (even with our children), and healing work that includes more than praying and going to the “good doctors.”She Said We Shed Podcast - Wanting to heal not wanting to hideAja talks with Akilah about what has happened with She Said We Shed and what she’s been noticing through her own liberation journey. They highlight the importance of the resources and decolonizing tools that She Said We Shed has to offer, and the value of speaking up about these topics in order to shift and heal intergenerational trauma.Aja transports us into a living personal experience, a reclamation project, a space where women are willing to come and share their stories, having straight-up conversations that seek community around them learning how not to expose children to the same parenting behavior that wounded us. This podcast is an opportunity to build relationship tools that acknowledge the power of motherhood along with the responsibility that comes with it.Slowing downAja talks about the struggle that she faced with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and how that forced her to stop and rest so she could heal and have deep realizations. She also talks about how this situation impacted her physical and emotional well being but also helped to pull her back. By trying alternative methods, she gave the chance to other ways of healing and made her see how vital it was to set boundaries for her and her child, as she says “we need to listen to ourselves to know what we need is a process”.LIBERATION WALKKelly Limes Taylor shares with us the two upcoming courses from Ours First Series: Stories Of Our Pasts and Younger You. Be sure to register!Check out Jenile Brooks children's media company MOXIEYou can listen to Aja on #fofcpod episodes: Ep 147: Deschooling Intergenerational Trauma as Daughter & as Mother, Ep 162: Healing Black Mama Trauma, Ep.160: The Practice of Reparenting OurselvesAja was also featured in Dem Black Mamas: Ep 37: Black Mama Beyond Borders w/ Aja Marie and EXODUS SUMMITSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

We are still in-between seasons on #fofcpod, so Akilah picked another amazing replay full of liberation talk and mad question askin’ -- episode 40 from season 2!Special guest Yolonda Coles Jones, founder of Empowered Journey Company, creator of the Empowered People trademarked formula as applied within her Empowered Me/Us, Empowered Families and Empowered Teachers Programs & within her Empowered People Deliberate Love School. She is talking about her experience with her partner on raising four free people, two daughters and twin sons.Akilah will also be reading a little excerpt from chapter 2 of Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work. Yolonda's story is in chapter two as well, so grab a copy of the book for the details! We'll be back in the second week of February with more great content! Peace and love.LIBERATION WALK Raising Free People Network’s Presence Counselors Leslie Bray and Anthony Galloway are here to support unschooling and deschooling processes for families and organizationsHere is another great conversation with Yolonda, Ep. 59: Deschooling through Rhythm! Hosting, or are part of, a Raising Free People Book Club? Tell us by emailing Fatima@raisingfreepeople.com with the details about that book club. Akilah would love to come through, right quick!Subscribe to Akilah’s Youtube Channel!Join patreon.com/akilah and support the show!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)