Podcast appearances and mentions of Akilah S Richards

Akilah S. Richards is a grief literacy educator, Certified Integrative Thanatologist, and Savor coach who supports people through the often-overlooked losses of life—not just death, but shifts in identity, role, and relationship. Her work helps people slow down, honor what's ending, and listen for what still wants to live. For over a decade, Akilah was a leading voice in the global unschooling movement, helping families reclaim autonomy, question hierarchy, and build consent-based relationships. That legacy of liberation now lives through her grief and joy work, where she invites us to trade performance for presence and urgency for rhythm. She is the creator of What I Let Die, a public service podcast on grief literacy, and co-creator of Bringing Flowers, a collaborative offering with Thea Monyeé that explores the sacred interplay between grief and joy. Through coaching, courses, and creative community spaces, Akilah helps us practice being with what hurts without rushing to fix it. Whether facilitating grief circles or crafting language for the unnameable, Akilah's work reminds us that grief is a teacher—not a threat—and that we are allowed to grieve out loud, in rhythm, and in community. Monthly Grief Circle: https://kripalu.org/presenters-programs/grief-affinity-circle Grief + Joy Work: https://bringingflowers.org/ Waitlist for ILID Grief Course: https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/grief Savor Coaching: https://schoolishness.com/coaching/ My blog: https://radicalselfie.org/   Reverence for Impulse Is an unscripted and unplanned podcast with me, Weena Pauly-Tarr and my brother Tim Pauly, both working in the worlds of somatics: exploring bodies and all they hold/do/feel. We start each guest encounter with a few minutes of meeting each other without words, through the language of our bodies, before we press record and bring it to a conversation. This is not a hard hitting agenda or getting to the bottom of things. It's about finding each other in the not-knowing. We're here for the spaciousness, the awkwardness, the silliness, the silence — from the dark insides of our bodies to the bright insights of our minds, we're excited to welcome people who's impulses we'd like to get to know. Intro Music by Annie Hart Weena's Website: weenapauly.com  Weena's IG: @weenapaulytarr Tim's Website: intheserviceoflife.com Tim's IG: @in.the.service.of.life

What if deschooling wasn't just about learning? What if it was also about grief, ritual, and honoring the life that unfolds when we stop trying to control it?In this powerful conversation, we sit down with Akilah S. Richards - author of Raising Free People and longtime voice of liberation in learning and living. Akilah shares how her journey has moved beyond deschooling, into the work of tending grief, slowing down, and trusting what life is calling us toward.We explore: - Why grief and liberation are inseparable- How to compost the past instead of dragging it- Ritual as resistance to urgency- What it means to stop designing life and start following itThis episode is an invitation - to presence, to possibility, and to the courage of not knowing.Tune in now, and check out Akilah's new podcast What I Let Die @ www.radicalselfie.org.You can also find and support Akilah's work at:www.raisingfreepeople.com

Aligned with the practice of respectful parenting, unschooling challenges conventional educational paradigms, and offers a liberating alternative that both nurtures children's autonomy and fosters meaningful intergenerational connections. In this episode Dr. Coor speaks with Akilah S. Richards, author of "Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work," about transformative approaches to education and parenting, and - the power of unschooling as a path to freedom and healing for families.Using respectful parenting tools can make space for you and your child to have a more collaborative and peaceful relationship. And yet it's extremely hard to use the tools you have when you're triggered in the present by past experiences, stressed by the daily challenges of life, or overwhelmed during a difficult parenting situation. In this episode, Dr. Nanika Coor explains how making mindfulness a regular part of your parenting can help you see your child - and yourself - with less judgment and more sensitivity. Project Parenthood is hosted by Dr. Nanika Coor. A transcript is available at Simplecast.Have a parenting question? Email Dr. Coor at parenthood@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at 646-926-3243.Find Project Parenthood on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the Quick and Dirty Tips newsletter for more tips and advice.Project Parenthood is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.facebook.com/QDTProjectParenthoodhttps://twitter.com/qdtparenthoodhttps://brooklynparenttherapy.com/

Akilah S. Richards guides us through her transformative journey, highlighting the significance of unschooling seen from a Black perspective.We navigate the challenges faced in the unschooling journey, especially within the context of Black families. Akilah underscores the importance of nurturing creativity, autonomy, and play in education and how these elements are critical in fostering a liberated and holistic learning environment.In 2016, Akilah published the first episode of Fare of the Free Child, a podcast for anyone considering parenting and leadership from a liberation lens. The podcast focuses on Black people, Native|Indigenous people, and People of Color (BIPOC) families who practice unschooling and other forms of self-directed, decolonization-minded living and learning. Akilah also gave a TEDx talk on Raising Free People, sharing the now widely-celebrated philosophy, “We can't keep using tools of oppression and expect to raise free people.”  In 2020, she released her book 'Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work.'Join us as we delve into this enlightening discussion with Akilah S. Richards, exploring the impactful and healing world of unschooling from a Black perspective.

Hello Beautiful Soul Sisters!  I am back with some new episodes for you, included 2 bonus episodes before the New Moon on the 13th    This episode was recorded on November 5th 2023 Watch this dialogue on Earthing Nova Youtube   In this solo episode I share stories:  ~ Of my solo adventure across the country  ~ Why I took a pause from podcasting this summer ~ How hard it was for me to take a pause & how good it felt when I did! ~ Shout out to Akilah S Richards and her Pause Series ~ Attending my 20 year high school reunion ~ Choosing to prioritize time away from screens & being in the flesh with Jessie, Ashleigh, Kimberly and others ~ Traveling solo with two young children ~ Spending time outside and in the places of my childhood   I hope you all enjoy! I am excited to podcasting with you again!  Check back for more information & a link to sign up for Mother Circle Connect with me Amana Listen to a former client share about her experience of Sistership Support  Check out my Sistership Offerings for Women: www.BirthingNova.Love Book your Free Connection Call with me  Listen to/ watch me guesting on other Podcasts: Free Birth Society, Where the Wild Women Grow, Wild Sacred Journey, Healing Birth, The Renegade Mama, Born Wild Schedule your Intuitive Mediumship Reading Watch this conversation & More on YouTube  I am committed to keeping this podcast Uninterrupted & Ad free, Please Support  my podcast by donating through  Venmo @AmanaBeLove Until next time, remember  Be brave, be wild, be love, be you & be the change that you seek for yourself & for the generations to come   

I really enjoyed exploring unschooling, deschooling, freedom, and liberation with Akilah Richards, host of the Fare the Free Child podcast and author of the book Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work.I reached out to Akilah after seeing her TED talk, which led me to her book, and then her podcast, and I knew I wanted to invite her to join me in conversation. A recurring theme in this podcast, and in Tilt, is doing our own inner work as parents, and I love how Akilah talks about relating our own reparenting to freedom, decolonization, and liberation.Akilah shares her personal story of going from traditional schooling to unschooling to deschooling, and how she and her husband came to consider the idea of raising free people, what that means, and how they've navigated the realities of making unconventional choices that can sometimes make other people uncomfortable. She also shares how they think about the success and what a fulfilled life looks like for her family, as well as how her work aimed at decolonizing parenting has resonated with people worldwide.About my guest:Akilah S. Richards is passionate about mindful partnerships and decolonizing parenting. She uses audio and written mediums to amplify the ways that unschooling in particular, is serving as healing grounds and liberation work for Black, non-Black Indigenous, and People of Color communities earthwide. Her celebrated unschooling podcast, Fare of the Free Child, and the numerous workshops and gatherings she has been part of, have garnered the attention of Forbes Magazine, The New York Times, Good Morning America, and most importantly, BIPOC families interested or living in more healthy, consent-based, intergenerational relationships. Her recent experiences within the intersection of privilege, parenting,and power are detailed in her latest book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work.You'll learn:What it means to be raising a “free child” and why it can be a threatening or uncomfortable concept for many peopleWhat “mad question asking” is and how parents can use it to get unstuckHow unschooling is tied to decolonizationWhat “deschooling” is versus “homeschooling” and “unschooling”What “confident autonomy” is and why Akilah considers that a hallmark of “success” in her childrenHow Akilah and her partner dealt with the barriers (social, cultural, and more) when they chose the unschooling path for their familyWhat a “savor complex” is and how it can transform the family experienceResources mentioned:Akilah Richard's websiteRaising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work by Akilah RichardsFare of the Free People PodcastAkilah's website SchoolishnessAkilah's coaching offeringsSavor ComplexAkilah Richard TEDx Asbury Park TalkShawna Murray BrowneSupport the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram

Our Day Ones will remember that Akilah S. Richards is STS's very first guest!    She is back and fully charged for a thick and rich conversation, WE ARE SOVEREIGN.   We are born sovereign beings, and systematically taught to surrender our agency and power the moment we are born. Akilah dedicates herself to the liberation of all bodies through the reclaiming and remembering of that sovereign power, and brings her brilliance to STS for this moment, and this conversation.   Akilah S. Richards founded Raising Free People Network as a media and collaboration hub for her inquiries, efforts, findings, and community organizing at the intersection of privilege, parenting, and power. Follow her on social media @fareofthefreechild on IG!   You can support Akilah's work at the links provided, and after you listen, be sure to check out our links to support this podcast (email list, join our Patreon, join our text community!) and our latest offering, HOLD US SACRED RETREATS, and sign up to join us in person in transformative Sharm El Sheikh. To watch these episodes visit our YouTube home, like, follow, subscribe, and turn on your notifications so you don't miss an episode!

There hasn't been a time when learning wasn't important to Black people, whether for enrichment or survival. Unfortunately, white supremacy has corrupted information and spread it through an anti-Black school system. Solutions exist, though, and one solution on the rise is unschooling young black people. Today's guest is a leading voice in the unschooling movement. Akilah S. Richards is a mother, author, educator, and founder of Raising Free People, a network committed to community organizing at the intersection of privilege, parenting, and power. For more information on her consciousness-building work and on raising liberated people, visit RaisingFreePeople.com. BHY is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people! PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com​. Most people do 5 or 10 bucks a month, but everything makes a difference. Thanks for supporting the work. The Black History Year production team includes Tareq Alani, Brooke Brown, Tasha Taylor, and Lilly Workneh. Our producers are Cydney Smith, Len Webb for PushBlack, and Ronald Younger, who also edits the show. Black History Year's executive producers are Mikel Elcessor for Limina House and Julian Walker for PushBlack. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

I loved my conversation with Akilah S. Richards and walked away with a much deeper understanding of the value of unschooling in America. Conventional schooling is deeply rooted in colonization, industrial progress, and control over our personal autonomy. Akilah is passionate about mindful partnerships and parenting. Since 2016 she has hosted Fare of the Free Child, a lifestyle and parenting podcast about the connection between liberation, learning, and parenting, particularly among Black, Non-Black Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Parents, educators, unschoolers, and entrepreneurs tune in weekly to connect about unschooling, deschooling, conscious parenting, and self-directedness. Discussions center around emotional wellness, learning and children, parenting, self-care, and self-love. The voice and work of this Jamaican-born, digital nomad have been featured on NPR, Forbes, NBC TV, Good Morning America's blog, and in several literary and in-person spaces throughout the U.S., Jamaica, and South Africa. The TEDx Speaker, digital content writer, and facilitator's highly-anticipated book Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work (PM Press), will be released in the Fall of 2020. “We can't keep using tools of oppression and raise free people.” -Akilah Richards Unschooling is a life design choice but it's also deeply linked to liberation and the idea of raising free people. Akilah's children, Marley and Sage, had a consistent level of pushback when attending conventional school and at one point, Akilah and her partner Chris started to listen to what their children were saying. While the girls were accelerating academically, they were shrinking emotionally. They had stopped asking questions, which is a very “schoolish” thing. Akilah and Chris wanted their children to have agency and autonomy and the journey has revealed a tremendous tie into the work of liberation. Unschooling started as an experiment based on what Akilah and Chris knew was not working. This began a process of “mad question asking.” The way of the world is schooling - is our job as parents to acclimate our children to that? The idea of unschooling is to help your child create a trustful relationship to learning. The American Dream seems deeply entrenched in this idea of conventional education as the only way. Unschooling started as an experiment based on what Akilah and Chris knew was not working. When they left conventional education they discovered that there were many rewards - many freedoms with travel and finances that they had not previously recognized or been able to take advantage of. A lot of what we see as educational issues are really issues of human relationships. Unschooling creates an environment to question and unlearn. Questions are the path. Mad question asking brings us inward into the feminine - how do you want to feel? In our school system, children are rewarded when they comply. Parents worry about socialization, but socialization happens everywhere but school. All people are indoctrinated into the “system,” but when you walk around in a Black body there is another level of suppression of your personhood which is why creating safe environments for BIPOC children to learn and develop confident autonomy is so important. Unschooling isn't just for rich people. The pandemic is offering us opportunities and parents are noticing a positive shift in their children. Covid is an opportunity to create a new normal in many ways including our relationship to education. Liberation comes with responsibility and accountability. It is time to decolonize our ideas of learning “The resistance is the roadmap, not a route to something else.”

in this conversation with Akilah Richards, we just feel our way through 5 different phrases. episodes of this podcast are never scripted, but this one is particularly vulnerable and off the cuff. i am so grateful for the time and space shared, and hope this conversation will help folks get a sense of what Akilah means when she talks about Raising Free People via unschooling and what our responsibilities are to the people around us. Connect with me- Theunschoolfiles.com @theunschoolfiles on Instagram drop a me a coffee or buy someone a zine on Venmo @iamsilenth -Subscribe to the UNSCHOOL FILES ZINE! https://www.patreon.com/theunschoolfiles Akilah's podcast Fare of the free Child Podcast ​​https://soundcloud.com/radicalselfie/sets/fare-of-the-free-child Akilah's Website https://raisingfreepeople.com Please become a patron of Akilah's! https://www.patreon.com/akilah Akilah's writing for Everyday Feminism https://everydayfeminism.com/author/akilahr/

Shawn is joined by Pearson from Coffee With Comrades to have a discussion inspired by two books: Escape from Childhood by John C Holt, and Raising Free People by Akilah S. Richards....

Shawn of Srsly Wrong joins me for a discussion inspired by two books: Escape from Childhood by John C. Holt, and Raising Free People by Akilah S. Richards.  In our expansive dialogue, we talk about climate anxiety, raising kids, studenthood, the abolition of family, and the process of teaching yourself how to treat children with respect. Support Srsly Wrong on Patreon, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and visit their website. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and Mastadon, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

¿Quién soy y por qué comparto información? En este episodio les cuento un poco más sobre mí, además de compartirles sugerencias de libros que me encuentro leyendo actualmente en septiembre 2021. Se habló en el episodio: Raising free people de Akilah S. Richards How to talk so teens will listen & listen so teens will talk por Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish The myth of the spoiled child por Alfie Kohn Raising human beings de Ross W. Greene What do you say? How to talk with kids to build motivation, stress tolerance, and a happy home por William Stixrud & Ned Johnson The self-driven child por William Stixrud & Ned Johnson The explosive child por Ross W. Greene Pueden encontrar más información sobre homeschooling, unschooling, crianza y educación en mi sitio web y redes sociales: Sitio web de ConTusGuaguas Instagram O me pueden escribir con preguntas y comentarios a natalia@contusguaguas.com

Akilah S. Richards joins me again to talk about her most recent book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work. We talk about her definitions of unschooling and deschooling and dive deep into the far-reaching impacts of choosing an unschooling lifestyle. We also dive into some of the profound realizations she's had about […]

We close out the first season with a very special interview with Akilah S. Richards. Akilah is founder of Raising Free People Network and host of Fare of the Free Child podcast. Her work utilizes audio and written mediums to amplify the ways that unschooling in particular, is serving as healing grounds and liberation work for Black, Indigenous/Native, and People of Color communities. She is also the author of the book Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work which examines the ways that her relationships to blackness, decolonization, and healing work all combine to form relationships and enable community-healing strategies rooted in an unschooling practice. In this episode, Akilah shares how her experience as a mother has helped her reframe her own experiences and how she creates more healthy, consent-based, intergenerational relationships. Danellia and Akilah also talk about how they rethink discipline and learning.  Connect with Akilah online at raisingfreepeople.com or on Instagram @fareofthefreechild To purchase her latest book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work, click here. 

During this episode of Tipsy Unicorns, Abby is joined by Akilah S. Richards, host of the Fare of the Free Child podcast, author of Raising Free People, and founding member of the Alliance for Self-Directed Education. Listen in as Abby and Akilah talk about toxic and oppressive behavior, trust-based practices, unschooling and self-directed education, and the importance of adopting a love-centered approach to raising children that focuses on consent, respect, and autonomy. She encourages us all to examine our identities at the intersection of Privilege, Power, and Parenting with "madd questions askin'". You can find Akilah online at https://raisingfreepeople.com/ and support her work by becoming a Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/akilah --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beautiful-humans/support

Enjoy this inspiring interview with Akilah S. Richards, who is passionate about mindful partnerships and conscious parenting. She started Raising Free People Network, a digital multimedia platform for education, deep listening, and emergent collaborations within the intersections of privilege, parenting, and power. Her unschooling podcast is called Fare of the Free Child, and her latest book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work is available through PM Press, many local bookstores, and on Amazon. The video: https://youtu.be/Mh-ZXov9eNA (https://youtu.be/Mh-ZXov9eNA) Akilah's links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fareofthefreechild/ (https://www.instagram.com/fareofthefreechild/) Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fare-of-the-free-child/id1138611256 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fare-of-the-free-child/id1138611256) Courses: https://www.rfpunschool.com/ (https://www.rfpunschool.com)

What are school wounds? How do they develop, and who do they affect? This is a topic we explore on episode 55 of the Alpine Valley School podcast, along with Akilah S. Richards, a podcaster, author, and self-directed parent.    Want more?  Learn more about the Fare of the Free Child podcast (and subscribe!)  Watch Akilah S Richard’s TED Talk Listen to an episode of our podcast all about competition and school wounding.  Read a blog post from parents who share their experiences after leaving the public school system.  Send us your questions, suggestions, and feedback at podcast@alpinevalleyschool.com 

It seems like we parents always want to know how everyone else is handling chores, yet chores are also (surprisingly) personal! We all have different standards, different capacity, and different families. We share how we think about chores in general, our why behind doing (and NOT doing) chores with our kids, what chores look like for us now with tweens and teens, and what chores looked like when our kids were younger.   As always, you’ll get our LTWs at the end, and we’ve added a new listener question segment! Join us on Patreon to hear us answer this week’s question.   Takeaways -Chores take both parenting time and attention. If we don’t have that to give, it’s ok to skip doing chores with kids for a season. -Our standards as adults are different than kids’ standards. They’re still growing and it’s developmentally normal (and good!) for them to have priorities that are different from ours. -We all live together, so we should all be contributing together. -Chores help our kids understand responsibility and learn life skills. -Helping gives kids a sense of purpose and contribution, which feels really good and boosts self-esteem. -Chores are good practice for how to work and communicate as a team.  -Sometimes we DON'T do chores because it is a lot of work to manage helping kids do chores. -Sometimes we DON'T do chores because it’s a lot of pressure on kids; it can be overwhelming. -Sometimes we DON'T do chores because it's creating relational strain, resentment, or severing connection.   Aha Moment Quote "It’s ok to design your homeschool day around YOUR energy." -Angela   Listener Question Join us on Patreon to hear our conversation answering the question: “What do you do when your kid has a passion you're not very excited about like video games or screens? What if they don't seem to have a passion at all?”   $5 Squad on Patreon We know that a lot of subscriptions and memberships can be out of reach financially for homeschool families, and it’s often us parents that give up the things we want in order to afford what our families need.   But we really want our Squad to be affordable for you because every homeschool parent should be able to get connected to the support they need. You get ALL our rewards and join our community for just $5/month. And we now offer a DISCOUNTED annual rate with TWO MONTHS FREE. $50/year is a small investment to make in YOURSELF—and you DESERVE it. Loving This Week (LTW) Maren: The Amber Ruffin Show Angela: Raising Free People by Akilah S. Richards and Untigering by Iris Chen   Patrons get a monthly "LTW Extra" episode when you join our $5 Squad. An hour-long chat about the shows, products, podcasts, books, and more that we're loving!    More About Homeschool Unrefined We are an inclusive and nonsectarian podcast. We believe Black Lives Matter, and we are LGBTQ+ affirming (for more, read our piece on Romper). We are listener supported and are donating 10% of all Patreon income and product sales to The Conscious Kid, a Black and Brown-led organization that has been instrumental in our own evolution and in leading the way in both ideological and tangible change with their work in “parenting and education through a critical race lens." Read our full ABAR Statement here and on Instagram.   Connect with us!  Visit our website | Sign up for our newsletter. | Support us on Patreon. | Join our closed Facebook group: Unrefined Homeschoolers | Merch Shop Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube Angela on Instagram: @unrefinedangela | Maren on Instagram: @unrefinedmaren Email us any questions or feedback at homeschoolunrefined@gmail.com Visit our Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/homeschoolunrefined We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

I had the awesome opportunity to talk with the owner of Global Faith Academy Ms. Hannael Jana. She started her very own private homeschool over four years ago. However, she's been homeschooling for 12 years and yes her students are being taught in an African-centered environment. Being an educator she understands the importance of literacy and most definitely making sure our Black children are reading books that represent the Black experience here in America and across the globe. After listening to this episode and you are interested in your child being in African-centered homeschool space or you just need consultation on how to start your own homeschool, please contact Sister Hannael through her IG page which is Global Faith Academy, Facebook Global Faith Academy or email her @ Globalfaithacademy@gmail.com Hannael's book recommendation Raising Free People: Unschooling as liberation and healing work by Akilah S. Richards you can purchase the book from Black_world_scholars.

Mass schooling is a relatively recent phenomenon, an experiment in education that gained steam following the industrial revolution, becoming increasingly widespread in the nineteenth century, in part, due to advocates like Horace Mann. Mann was a social reformer skeptical of parents’ abilities to properly educate their children to become future employees and democratic citizens. He believed that these common schools, as they were called, could remedy the lack of proper discipline found in some homes. Notably, Mann homeschooled his own children outside the dictates of these common schools he advanced for other people’s children. Further, he and his fellow reformers worried about the flood of diverse immigrant families that were challenging contemporary cultural and social hegemony. Mann went so far as to argue that these marginalized groups were “wholly of another kind in morals and intellect.”  Mass schooling champions asserted that compulsory education was necessary for preventing the corruption of young children in the hands of those they deemed ill-suited to properly foster their moral and intellectual development—namely, their families and respective communities. Traditional schools were to be the means of instilling a particular sense of shared American identity that would allow American democracy to function well. This is not to color all mass schooling advocates as cultural chauvinists but to highlight that what we consider traditional schooling today is, in many ways, informed by the notion that parents and children lack the skills required to learn outside the schooling system. Traditional schooling embraces a view that learning best occurs when a uniform curriculum is imposed upon young minds, children being segregated according to age within rigid classroom structures. It is commonly held that becoming a successful and contributing member of a democratic society requires going through the mass schooling system. Conventional schooling’s primary goal is knowledge acquisition—with everything else being secondary. Students tend to be treated as passive subjects, receptacles for the knowledge considered necessary by their teachers, school system administrators, and other centralized educational authorities.  What might a more student-centered learning environment look like? What if instead of imposing a universal curriculum onto children, they were instead provided with the resources needed to help them achieve their own self-selected goals? What if becoming a socially- and emotionally-intelligent human being was the primary goal of an educational approach, rather than being supplemental to knowledge acquisition?  Jeffrey Howard speaks with Tiersa McQueen, an unschooling parent of four children. Following her own experiences as a teacher and her children’s encounters with mass schooling, her family has embraced unschooling and gentle parenting. According to McQueen, these two philosophies go hand-in-hand, holding central the idea that children deserve full respect, greater autonomy, and tailored support as they learn how to thrive as young people—and eventually, as adults.  Despite her advocacy for self-directed learning, she acknowledges that she isn’t completely opposed to schooling. It’s still an option for her kids should they choose it. However, as a Black parent, she is well-aware of the school-to-prison pipeline and the reality that Black children are punished far more frequently and severely than other children in schooling environments. She expresses that she can’t wait for traditional schools to change in order for them to become safe and nurturing places for her children. McQueen considers the criticisms lobbed at unschoolers and self-directed education advocates, suggesting that many of them are stereotypes pertaining to a type of homeschooler that doesn’t really exist anymore. Unschooling and gentle parenting are difficult for some people to imagine, and have their own share of difficulties, but she observes that her relationships with her own children have never been better. She also notes that the depth of her children’s learning has increased dramatically as they’ve been able to direct time and attention toward their own goals and interests.  Some things to further consider. A century ago, the philosopher and social activist John Dewey proposed a notion of education as “learning by doing,” emphasizing the need for practicality in meaningful learning. What might happen if more young minds were afforded this approach, supported by family and community members as they experimented with overcoming the challenges they face in their particular social environments? In what ways might an unschooling approach to learning better prepare people to navigate the demands and problems unique to their local contexts? And how might unschooling better prepare children to participate in democratic living? Show Notes “When You Get Into Unschooling, It’s Almost Like a Religion” by Molly Worthen (2020) Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work by Akilah S. Richards (2020)  Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent by Iris Chen (2020) Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray (2013) John Holt “First Impressions of an Unschooling School” by Jeffrey Howard (2018) Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom by Kerry McDonald (2019) Horace Mann’s Troubling Legacy: The Education of Democratic Citizens by Bob Pepperman Taylor (2010) “My Pedagogic Creed” by John Dewey (1897) Democracy and Education by John Dewey (1916)

In this episode, Danellia speaks with her comadre Leslie Priscilla from @latinxparenting. Leslie Priscilla Arreola-Hillenbrand is a first generation non-Black Xicana with Rarámuri lineage. She is a mother to three biracial children and a certified Parent Coach with over 13 years of experience. Leslie shares her medicine by offering coaching, workshops, support and advocacy for Latinx/Chicanx families locally, nationally and internationally via Latinx Parenting. Leslie's vision is of a movement rooted in children's rights, social and racial justice, the individual and collective practice of nonviolence and reparenting, intergenerational and ancestral healing, cultural sustenance, and the active decolonization of oppressive practices in our families towards liberation. Danellia and Leslie talk about how crisis schooling (coined by Akilah S. Richards of Fare of the Free Child) is forcing many parents to reevaluate their parenting and their education choices for their children. They discuss how they, themselves have been extremely triggered by their own children during the pandemic more than ever before and how to work through those triggers. Learn more about Leslie's work with Latinx Parenting at www.latinxparenting.org Enjoying this podcast and want to support it's production? Buy me a coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/danellia To find the friend's mentioned in this podcast click below: Karissa M Raya Marlha Sanchez Crystal Domi Selisa Loeza

If the phrase “school wounds” stirs something inside of you, or the words “crisis schooling” describe your current reality as a parent or caregiver, or you’ve just always intuited that there’s something not quite right about modern compulsory schooling, this episode is for you. TOPICS: The reimagining of schooling as we’ve known it Akilah's story of schooling and unschooling Unschooling is not just school at home- it’s a whole new paradigm of learning, power, and belonging School wounds The radical presence it takes to raise up kids in this way How leaving school can free up a family’s life in myriad unanticipated ways Schoolishness and the American Dream, in which so much of the actual human gets lost The slow normalization of dehumanizing systems and institutions Being constantly in curiosity about how our children (and ourselves!) actually learn Reframing consent in the parent/child relationship The liberation of being allowed bodily autonomy (especially for black folk) Akilah’s response to the common assertions that only stay at home parents/rich people/white people can school at home Actionizing love & recognizing that it’s all portal work RESOURCES (if listening on an app that doesn’t support embedded links, find these at https://mythicmedicine.love/podcast):: RaisingFreePeople.com Fare of the Free Child Podcast Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work by Akilah S. Richards Akilah's Patreon Akilah on Instagram Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses!) Psychology Today article John Tayloe Gatto’s many astute writings on modern schooling My website MythicMedicine.love  Take our fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? Quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

This week on #fofcpod we have an insightful conversation about relationships and diversity with educator, organizer and speaker Crystal Byrd Farmer, she focuses on cohousing, Black, and polyamorous communities. Crystal is a Black, queer, autistic woman whose opinions and ambitions find her in a variety of communities where she is the only one with a particular intersection of identities. This “token” status is one Crystal does not shy away from, but instead uses it to speak up and invite change in the communities she chooses.Crystal shares some of her experiences, and tells us about her book, The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization. We'll also hear about Gastonia Freedom School, the Agile Learning Center (a type of Self-directed Education center, that Crystal founded to offer support in her North Carolina community.“This is the book that is going to save you from theory and guilt trips disguised as training or solutions to issues of equity and diversity. Crystal has brilliantly highlighted her personal experiences as means of examining and learning how biases affect some Black women in particular, and many intentional communities across age and gender, among other differences. She then brings in the history and pattern of anti-Black racism in particular, and offers resources and conversation prompts to work through what she brings up in these pages. I found this book refreshing in its departure from scholarly research over real-life experiences, feelings that words often fail, and so much more in terms of nuance and layers. I loved this and I'm grateful to Crystal for adding her perspectives to the conversation about relationships and diversity without apology, and with no problem being dynamic and human in her approach. Read this book!”- Akilah S. Richards’s review.“The book touches key points like reality of bias, privilege and microaggressions, what marginalized people experience and what they might need to feel safe and comfortable in order to succeed. Crystal acts as the bridge between majority white organizations that are dedicated to social justice and "diverse" people in the community.”Gastonia Freedom School is a self-directed learning center focused on children with disabilities, the support is one-to-one depending on their interests, they work on the development of social skills respecting their agency and independence. Crystal talks about how they’re managing this SDE space since COVID started, the challenges and also the perks of it.Akilah also took some time to share her appreciation to the Fare Of The Free Child Community and invites to continue on this deschooling journey of healing and liberation work.LIBERATION WALKHere’s Crystal talking about Agile Learning Centers and how they help create equitable outcomes for students of all races and socioeconomic statusesHave heard about our very own Fare of the Free Child village? Come discuss topics from the podcast with us!Hosting or joining a Raising Free People Book Club? Tell us by emailing Fatima@raisingfreepeople.com with the details about your gathering. Akilah would love to come through!Raising Free People Network’s Presence Counselors Leslie Bray and Anthony Galloway, Jr. are here to support unschooling and deschooling processes for families and organizationsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Homeschooling Your Differently Wired Child "Adapt and let go of the stuff that doesn't bring you joy and bring your kids a love of learning. Switch it to make it fun and make learning the goal, not the product the goal" Divergent thinker? Twice Exceptional? Gifted? Dyslexic? Differently wired kids? Are you homeschooling your differently wired child? Feeling overwhelmed, beaten down and just not sure what to do? This episode is filled with guidance and inspiration from a mom that has been raising and homeschooling her own four uniquely wired children. Collen Kessler~Raising Lifelong Learners Colleen Kessler is an explorer, tinkerer, writer, educator, creator, and a passionate advocate for the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional children.  The author of more than a dozen books for parents, teachers, and children, Colleen is an award-winning educator, educational coach and consultant, with a B.S. in elementary education and a M.Ed. in gifted studies. She is the founder of the popular podcast and website, Raising Lifelong Learners and has launched a vibrant new community for quirky families called The Learner's Lab, full of creative lessons, problem solving activities, critical and divergent thinking games, and the social-emotional support differently-wired children and teens need most. Her newest book, Raising Resilient Sons: A Boy Mom's Guide to Building a Strong, Confident, and Emotionally Intelligent Family will be released this December by Ulysses Press. What you will find in this episode From the classroom to home- Why homeschooling her differently wired kids was not originally in Colleen's plan The difference between teaching in a classroom and homeschooling How their family's homeschool has evolved over the years The pervasive myth of being gifted What is the difference between a high achiever and a gifted person? What to spend your homeschool budget on The unique tools that Colleen uses to support the flourisher writer in her daughter Helping your differently wired child thrive Cherishing the intrinsic desire to learn, resiliency and emotional intelligence Colleen offers so many golden nuggets of wisdom in this episode; from building resiliency, raising our kids to be who they are and not who we want them to be, to what a typical day looks like in their household. Let me know if you have any lingering questions that you would like answered after this interview. Resources The Learner's Lab | A Raising Lifelong Learner's Community https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/the-learners-lab/ Colleen's new book- Raising Resilient Sons: A Boy Mom's Guide to Building a Strong, Confident, and Emotionally Intelligent Family Masterclass Amazon Echo Disclosure: When I recommend a product that I believe have will add value, it may contain an affiliate link, and when you click the link and decide to make a purchase through that link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support. Other ways to help support the podcast? Become a patron~ https://www.patreon.com/honeyimhomeschoolingthekids Other Episodes you may enjoy: Listen to a Rad Educator trying to make a difference within the system~ http://imhomeschooling.com/kate-weber-rad-educator/ Akilah S. Richards of Fare of The Free Child Podcast talks about their journey into unschooling their gifted daughters, social justice and self liberation work. http://imhomeschooling.com/educational-freedom-akilah-richards/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to stay with yourself? “There’s no wiki-how to this. There is no formula.” – Maleka Diggs, Founder of Eclectic Learning Network and Co-Founder and Core Member of Philly Children’s Movement In this episode we discuss deschooling, a few ways to navigate when triggers show up (Maleka’s focus falls on what we do with those triggers, and the why behind them), along with some of the common myths behind this type of work. We also talk about what Maleka is hearing from parents transitioning to home-based education, whether forced or not, and how this type of learning is nothing new. When we are in a space to face ourselves. Sometimes that work creates friction outside of yourself.” – Maleka Diggs This episode’s guest Maleka Diggs is a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) centered, Unschooling/SDE (Self-Directed Education), Youth advocate, Racial Equity and Inclusion Trainer, Presenter, Workshop Development and Facilitator. Links mentioned in this episode: Eclectic Learning Network: https://www.eclecticlearningnetwork.com Deschooling: Issa Thing Meetup 1:1 Chat Sessions Racial Equity Training for Schools Developing A Disruptor's Ear Workbook Supporting Parents Webinar Series I.O.T.A. (It's Okay To Ask) Philly Children’s Movement http://phillychildrensmarch.org Support ELN's work through Eclectic Learning Network’s Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Eclecticlearningnetwork Book quoted in Outro: Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work by Akilah S. Richards (Order through www.PMPress.org) Mural artist: @DawnJaiye on Twitter + Instagram (photo taken by Amy C.S. 10/23/20 #plazawalls) Bonus links: https://www.self-directed.org/tp/ours-first/ by Dr. Kelly Henderson https://www.heartwoodalc.org/resources/ https://www.self-directed.org/tp (Online magazine with resources) Fare of the Free Child Podcast: https://raisingfreepeople.com/podcast/ https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co (An online community: “Where parenting, education, & liberation intersect”) A complete transcript can be found at: bit.ly/deschoolingtranscript Recorded October 14, 2020. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unifiedthreads/message

What messages does our kids' education send? What are the lived results—does it keep their spark of curiosity alive? Like many of us, especially this year, you may be totally frustrated with your kid’s education system. In this episode, I talk to Akilah Richards about her story of disenchantment and the perhaps-not-so-radical step of moving to self-directed learning. If you enjoyed this episode, and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of you listening on your device, post it to your Instagram stories, and tag me @mindfulmamamentor. Have you left a review yet? All you have to do is go to  Apple Podcasts or  Stitcher (or wherever you listen), and thanks for your support of the show! Takeaways: Examining the beliefs we take for granted liberates us from harmful patterns. Conventional education can be about being told what to do and enforcing that. There is no arrival point. Unlearning is the process. Akilah S. Richards hosts Fare of the Free Child, a lifestyle and parenting podcast about the connection between liberation, learning, and parenting, particularly among BIPOC communities. Her voice and work have been featured on NPR, NBC TV, Good Morning America’s blog, and in Essence and Real Simple. She is a TEDx Speaker, and author of Raising Free People. Get Hunter's book, Raising Good Humans now! Click here to order and get book bonuses! ABOUT HUNTER CLARKE-FIELDS: Hunter Clarke-Fields is a mindful mama mentor. She coaches smart, thoughtful parents on how to create calm and cooperation in their daily lives. Hunter has over 20 years of experience in mindfulness practices. She has taught thousands worldwide. Be a part of the tribe—we’re over 25 thousand strong! Download the audio training, Mindfulness For Moms (The Superpower You Need) for free! It's at mindfulmomguide.com. Find more podcasts, blog posts, free resources, and how to work with Hunter at MindfulMamaMentor.com.   Be sure to check out these deals from this week’s sponsors: Get 50% off your first month plus FREE shipping on ANY crate line with code HUNTER at kiwico.com. Get 25% off your entire order for a limited time with promo code HUNTER at braddockusa.com/. 25% off your entire order when you go to sakara.com and enter code HUNTEREARLYACCESS at checkout.

Ever felt overwhelmed, burnt out, and wondered if you are staying busy and distracted in an attempt to avoid or possibly outrun your burnout?And is it really burn out...or is it possibly capitalism fatigue?Listen in as my dear friend Robyn Mourning and I have another powerful and engaging conversation, our take 2 from episode 10, this time talking about burnout, capitalism fatigue, and the importance of joy, naps, rest, and bravery. Articles and resources shared:Mental Health is Often a Privilege for BIPOCShaping the Shift with Thea Monyee Akilah S. Richards To support the podcast, head on over to www.ko-fi.com/shiraniTo join us for the FREE community gathering and masterclass I'm facilitating, How to Disrupt the Status Quo and Change the World, hop on over to www.fierceauthenticity.com/disrupt-Robyn defines outrunning burnout (04:31)-Boundaries as part of burnout recovery (10:13)-The antidotes to self-abandonment (14:13)-Lack of self-care isn't necessarily your fault (26:17)-Capitalism fatigue defined (28:26)-Burnout resiliency (34:47)-"Liberation work is relational and it's systemic and structural. We have to create new systems that are liberatory and we can't do that using oppressive tools." (44:23)-Colonizers aren't gone (56:41)-Bravery's role in all of this (01:02:35)For a complete transcript of this episode visit: https://www.fierceauthenticity.com/blog/44351-outrunning-burnout-with-special-guest

Since 2016, Akilah S. Richards has hosted Fare of the Free Child, a lifestyle and parenting podcast about the connection between liberation, learning, and parenting, particularly among BIPOC communities. Parents, educators, unschoolers and entrepreneurs tune in weekly to connect about unschooling, deschooling, conscious parenting, and self-directedness. Discussions center emotional wellness, learning and children, parenting, self-care, and self-love. The voice and work of this Jamaican-born, digital nomad have been featured on NPR, Forbes, NBC TV, Good Morning America’s blog, and in several literary and in-person spaces throughout the U.S., Jamaica, and South Africa. She is a TEDx Speaker, an accomplished digital content writer, and sought-after facilitator whose highly-anticipated book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work (PM Press), will be released in the Fall of 2020. During this conversation Akilah shares her wisdom on:. What it means to raise free people + be free adults. The indigenous, decolonized, legacy of unschooling. Unschooling as a spiritual practice. How unschooling helps children feel confident + capable their ENTIRE lives. The differences between unschooling, home schooling and letting your children run WILD! And soooo much more! Find Akilah online: https://www.raisingfreepeople.com/ If you loved this episode, send me a DM on Instagram at @lerinalta with your favorite parts of the conversation because I’d love to hear from you! Contribute to Black Girl Mystic Podcast Portal:​ Patreon — Become a monthly patron + join the Black Girl Mystic Inner Circle starting at just $1/month! patreon.com/blackgirlmystic. PayPal — Make a one-time donation paypal.me/blackgirlmystic, Venmo: lerin-alta Connect on the socials:​ Join The Modern Mystic Movement for Revolutionary Leaders — facebook.com/groups/modernmysticmovement IG — instagram.com/lerinalta #blackgirlmystic Please subscribe, rate + leave a 5-star review

We mention our upcoming Book Chats for the rest of the year and engage in a rant related to an Instagram post about how are parenting aligns with our politics. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYP4nOJ_U0/?igshid=1ig96ndl96tkp Resources Mentioned during this episode: Books for our Upcoming Chats Diversify Your Homeschool Reading List UNconventionally Brown blog post Yes You Can: A Beginners Guide to Homeschooling Your Black Child by Alisia Joy - will be reviewing in September No Dream Deferred: Why Black and Latino Families Are Choosing Homeschool by Zakkiyya Chase - will be reviewing in October The Makings of The Little Indigo House: 33 Lessons I've Learned as a Homeschooling Mama by Kiara Diggs - will be reviewing in November Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work by Akilah S. Richards - available for pre-order, plan to review in 2021 Games mentioned Wildcraft, Sequence, Catan, Catan jr, The Cupcake Game, HeadBanz, Uno, Phase 10, Monopoly Subscription Box mentioned https://www.thinkoutsideboxes.com/ Direct email for podcast questions: qishablog@gmail.com About Shaniese and Takisha: Shaniese (She/Hers) - manages UNconventionally Brown blog, and the NJ Homeschoolers of Color group Takisha (She/Hers) - manages Families for Equity Follow Us on Social Media Instagram: Homeschoolingbipoc / Facebook: UNconventionally Brown Instagram: Fam4Equity / Facebook: Families for Equity

I loved my conversation with Akilah S. Richards and walked away with a much deeper understanding of the value of unschooling in America. Conventional schooling is deeply rooted in colonization, industrial progress, and control over our personal autonomy. Akilah is passionate about mindful partnerships and parenting. Since 2016 she has hosted Fare of the Free Child, a lifestyle and parenting podcast about the connection between liberation, learning, and parenting, particularly among Black, Non-Black Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Parents, educators, unschoolers, and entrepreneurs tune in weekly to connect about unschooling, deschooling, conscious parenting, and self-directedness. Discussions center around emotional wellness, learning and children, parenting, self-care, and self-love. The voice and work of this Jamaican-born, digital nomad have been featured on NPR, Forbes, NBC TV, Good Morning America's blog, and in several literary and in-person spaces throughout the U.S., Jamaica, and South Africa. The TEDx Speaker, digital content writer, and facilitator's highly-anticipated book Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work (PM Press), will be released in the Fall of 2020. “We can't keep using tools of oppression and raise free people.” -Akilah Richards Unschooling is a life design choice but it's also deeply linked to liberation and the idea of raising free people. Akilah's children, Marley and Sage, had a consistent level of pushback when attending conventional school and at one point, Akilah and her partner Chris started to listen to what their children were saying. While the girls were accelerating academically, they were shrinking emotionally. They had stopped asking questions, which is a very “schoolish” thing. Akilah and Chris wanted their children to have agency and autonomy and the journey has revealed a tremendous tie into the work of liberation. Unschooling started as an experiment based on what Akilah and Chris knew was not working. This began a process of “mad question asking.” The way of the world is schooling - is our job as parents to acclimate our children to that? The idea of unschooling is to help your child create a trustful relationship to learning. The American Dream seems deeply entrenched in this idea of conventional education as the only way. Unschooling started as an experiment based on what Akilah and Chris knew was not working. When they left conventional education they discovered that there were many rewards - many freedoms with travel and finances that they had not previously recognized or been able to take advantage of. A lot of what we see as educational issues are really issues of human relationships. Unschooling creates an environment to question and unlearn. Questions are the path. Mad question asking brings us inward into the feminine - how do you want to feel? In our school system, children are rewarded when they comply. Parents worry about socialization, but socialization happens everywhere but school. All people are indoctrinated into the “system,” but when you walk around in a Black body there is another level of suppression of your personhood which is why creating safe environments for BIPOC children to learn and develop confident autonomy is so important. Unschooling isn't just for rich people. The pandemic is offering us opportunities and parents are noticing a positive shift in their children. Covid is an opportunity to create a new normal in many ways including our relationship to education. Liberation comes with responsibility and accountability. It is time to decolonize our ideas of learning “The resistance is the roadmap, not a route to something else.”

#Dearmama it's time to tune in to your creativity with intention. It's time to liberate yourself from the false and often unattainable ideas of how your creativity is SUPPOSED to look. It's time for you to #decolonize by divesting from #grindculture, ableist productivity ideology, formulas, and comparison. It's time for you to rediscover the joy in your art. It's time for #blackmamacreativeweek and a #newepisode of Dem Black Mamas! Tune in to Episode 31: Ritual in Creativity as we go deep with the amazing Akilah S. Richards (@fareofthefreechild) to learn about unlocking creativity through ritual. Akilah S. Richards is an absolute force of nature. She is the host of Fare of the Free Child, a lifestyle and parenting podcast about the connection between liberation, learning, and parenting, particularly among BIPOC communities. The voice and work of this Jamaican-born, digital nomad, have been featured on NPR, NBC TV, Good Morning America's blog, and in several literary and in-person spaces throughout the U.S., Jamaica, and South Africa. She is a TEDx Speaker, an accomplished digital content writer, and sought-after facilitator whose highly-anticipated book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work (PM Press), will be released in the Fall of 2020. We are made more whole by her wisdom and honored to have her as a special guest during Black Mama Creative Week. For full show notes, check our website. Invest In Us!⠀⁣ Invest in a platform curated by 3 Black women actively cultivating spaces rooted in healing, creativity, and liberation for Black mamas. Help us continue to be #BlackMamaBuilt⠀⁣ Don't just listen, subscribe Share with at least one person Follow us on any social media platform @demblackmamaspodcast Engage through social media comments, DM us or email with questions demblackmamas@gmail.com Join our email list Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/demblackmamas Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/demblackmamaspodcast One Time Donation: https://www.paypal.me/demblackmamas SUPPORT OUR SISTER PODS: Shaping The Shift  IG | Facebook  Intercultured Podcast IG INFORMATION & INSPIRATION Looking for some Black Mama Love, support and connection?  Join the Facebook group Black Moms Connection Are you a Women of Color interested in starting a podcast?  For information and inspiration join the Women of Color Podcasters Facebook Group  

Jamaican American Akilah Richards hosts Fare of the Free Child, a lifestyle and parenting podcast about the connection between liberation, learning, and parenting, particularly among BIPOC (Black Indigenous, People of Color) communities.In this episode, Akilah shares her journey from the traditional Caribbean perspective on school to Unschooling & Self-Directed Education. We also discuss school wounds and my openness to explore self-directed education as an option for my son. Connect with Akilah - Website | Instagram | TwitterResources mentioned in the episode:Fare of the Free Child: School Wounds episode The Alliance for Self-Directed Education: https://www.self-directed.org/College Admissions for Alternative Schooled (Article from unschooler in Austin, TX) Akilah's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgbD1qrJ0c4From Schoolish to Self-directed (audio course): https://radicalselfie.teachable.com/p/schooltoselfPre-orders for Raising Free People book: https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1145Shop Carry On FriendsOn Social @carryonfriends - Twitter | Instagram | FacebookEnjoyed the show? Please remember to leave a rating and review in Apple Podcasts. A Breadfruit Media Production: Twitter |InstagramSupport the show (http://glow.fm/carryonfriends)

This week Shaping The Shift welcomes gamechanger Akilah S. Richards for a deliciously candid conversation about what it means to BE BRAVE, particularly as Black women. This episode is filled with gems so make sure you have a copy of your SHIFT SHEET, if not, we highly recommend you pause and visit our website cause you are not gonna want to miss these bars!  Here are just a few receipts! Akilah S. Richard | Unschooling Organizer | Founder, Raising Free People Network. Raising Free People Network helps families, organizations, and corporations to examine and learn from big issues in education, leadership, and personal development. By tapping into techniques and philosophies of the Self-Directed Education movement, Akilah uses independent broadcast media, namely podcasts, along with live trainings and events to support and sustain cultures of belonging, equity, and confident autonomy. She is an international speaker, and a founding board member of The Alliance for Self-Directed Education. Her latest book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing work, will be out this Fall. Akilah and her partner, Kris, are currently raising two self-directed teens, Marley and Sage-Niambi. Where else can you find Akilah? @fareofthefreechild on IG @radicalselfie on FB and YouTube How can you support her brave and incredible work? https://www.patreon.com/akilah Venmo: @Akilah-Richards Cashapp: $raisingfreepeople You will probably need a good nap after this episode, but first! Be sure to visit our website and sign up for the STS email list to receive your monthly Ride & Thrive Study Guide, and if you choose to support our work by becoming a patron through our Patreon you can enjoy 29% off sitewide on the drippiest crystal jewelry in Cali through our Shift Sister, Gilded Grotto! Thank you for listening and we invite you to share, review, and enjoy Shaping The Shift across all major platforms as we bring you weekly episodes designed to SHIFT you towards the life you desire!

Hello! Welcome to my newest series Why I Started a Podcast. I get to speak to some great digital leaders, find out how they started their businesses and why. This week I'm joined by author, digital nomad, author, unschooling activist and author, Akilah S. Richards. Host of the podcast Fare of the Free Child , she tells us why she started the podcast, how important unschooling is to her and her family and the experiences they've shared because of it and the adventures they've been on as digital nomads. To get in touch with Akilah S. Richards and listen to her podcast visit www.raisingfreepeople.com find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @RadicalSelfie I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! I want you to come on the podcast and tell me why you started your podcast. If you want to come on talk to me get in touch! I LOVE helping you use technology to share your expertise online. Subscribe! Like, Share and Let me know if you have any questions. Send me your question or apply to be a guest on the podcast: http://bit.ly/calljawspeaks Are you following me on the Gram: http://bit.ly/jawspeaksgram Let's connect Join my network: Bit.ly/jawspeakslink If I ruled the world everyone would have access to digital media support, tools & access to information. If everyone helped a little. We could all help a lot! Become a Digital Impact Member- http://bit.ly/digitalimpact2020 Are you ready to make an impact? Let's go! Until next time - Wishing you wellness in life & business Peace! Sponsored by Future Proof Your Brand and Your Business- Marketing for 2020 and beyond: Download my 5-Day Easy Podcast Class Crash Course - Go to bit.ly/podcastin5 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jawspeaksdigital/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jawspeaksdigital/support

Click download above to listen to the podcast. Welcome to Unschooling with Akilah S. Richards, which is episode 23 of the CleverlyChanging Podcast. Today’s guest is the brilliant self-directed education guru Akilah S. Richards. Our podcast is all about learning how to educate your kids. If you’re a new listener Please remember to subscribe and ... The post Unschooling with Akilah S. Richards appeared first on Cleverly Changing.

Maleka Diggs and Akilah S. Richards talk about the issues with inequitable SDE spaces in terms of race/culture.They invite you to sign up for the live, virtual training on this topic: https://radicalselfie.teachable.com/p/equityinsdeTaking this training will support your exploration and understanding of:The characteristics of pervasive whiteness and schoolish tactics in intended self-directed environments, including SDE centers, homeschooling and/or unschooling co-ops, and at home How those characteristics inform the content, the structure, the relationships, and often, the lack of success in SDE environments, and ways to work through the issues therein Why BIPOC families can feel particularly isolated inside SDE spaces (and how to proactively address that) What equity can look like in SDE spaces, and how to start creating those realities How to proactively address issues of inequitable beliefs and practices with parents who want to be part of an SDE community, but don’t seem to have done the work to be part of the solution, not the problem **Delivered through two 90-minute trainings (both will be recorded and accessible within 24 hours):Tuesday, 3 September, 2:30pm ETTuesday, 10 September, 2:30pm ETSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/akilah)

Happy Monday!!! Conversations with Friends episode episode 25, is a conversation with a new friend and super powered soul Akilah S. Richards. I have followed Akilah for the last few years as an ally of the unschooling movement and was so grateful and excited when she agreed to sit and have a chat with me to share with you all! Akilah is a Certified Family LIfe Educator, self-defined digital nomad, podcaster, author, blogger and does it all with her unschooling family by her side. She is also a super deep and conscious soul, here to help support the freeing of bodies and minds from the constructs of colonization. I first came across Akilah's work through her podcast, Fare of the Free Child https://akilahsrichards.com/podcast/ and have since been introduced to the many great works Akilah has committed to contributing to the unschooling community and the society at large. This mother of 2 unschooling youth, is walking her talk and I am truly honored to be able to share her energy with the show!!! Please tune into Akilah through her website https://akilahsrichards.com/ and follow this mama's podcast on IG @fareofthefreechild and on FB @radicalselfie. Akilah is a founding board member of The Alliance of Self-Directed Education https://www.self-directed.org/ and talks a bit about this organization in today's show. If you are interested in self-directed learning, make sure you tune into this organizations work and support the movement! Thank you Akilah for sharing your time, love and energy with the show today! I am cheering your work on mama and am thankful to have you in my sphere of influence! You beam a light of possibility and making whatever IT is you want happen! Gratitude for your commitment and power mama. Peace family XO --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/conversationswithfriends/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/conversationswithfriends/support

This summer, I had the privilege of meeting a visionary.  Ebony Janice is self-described Womanist, Scholar, Activist, Teacher, Author, Student, Artist, Preacher, Transformational Speaker, Content Creator, Healer.  More than self-described, I can attest that those labels don't begin to capture the energy, conviction, and what I would describe as a fierce joyradiating from this woman. Also mentioned in this interview is another visionary Akilah S. Richards of Fare of the Free Child podcast and Raising Free People.  At ~ 29:00 EbonyJanice and I go right to the heart of the matter — though the whole conversation was amazing and full of so much learning.

Akilah S. Richards came to unschooling by, in her own words, "banging her head against the wall." Her journey began when their first daughter was labeled as 'gifted' at her public school. The entire family was soon initiated into a bizarre and bewildering educational experience. First, the school moved her daughter forward a grade. And soon they resorted to creating a special program for her. But, the whole family soon noticed a pattern. Regardless of what solution they tried, it was always an attempt to mold their daughter. It was never an attempt to facilitate her natural learning. There was no thought given to her own unique interests, or even what was best for her. They assumed that a gifted child should simply do more, faster of what the other kids were doing. The entire family, especially their daughter felt the program was too limiting. And Akilah's daughter questioned it. She wondered why she was allowed to talk about certain things at certain times but not other times. Her brain was making connections and she wanted to explore things. But her 'special' program didn't allow for much freedom.Taking the Leap to Educational FreedomThis experience of frustration led the family to pull their daughters out of the system. They went to Akilah's home country of Jamaica, and her plan was to school her daughters with textbooks. It was a similar experience to our family's. We also went to Jamaica. And we also planned on bringing school to the home. And, like us, Akilah and family soon realized that the idea of bringing school to the home was not going to work. She tells a funny story of bringing textbooks to the beach to do a schooling session. But, in that beautiful Caribbean environment her kids rejected the textbook approach. They wanted to explore and learn about their surroundings instead. She was doing the same thing as the school. So, she decided to wait and allow everyone to acclimate to the new surroundings. But after experiencing a bit of educational freedom, they never went back. And eventually they settled on unschooling. But she didn't even know such a thing existed. They thought they were inventing a new way of education. And when she found others already doing it and discussing it online, she was surprised and delighted. This was the beginning of her family's path to educational freedom. And her own family's journey has led Akilah to see this freedom as essential. The traditional education system is restrictive and prescriptive. Akilah believes everyone, including children, thrive in a free environment. And she's made it her mission to spread this message of freedom. Akilah's goal is to inspire and support other families, especially people of color. Akilah believes that unschooling is a right everyone should have. Akilah and I share some great laughs on this episode. We connected about our mutual connection to the great island of Jamaica. And she has a strong message of freedom to share. Give it a listen. And as always, I'd love to hear what you think. You can email me at robyn@imhomeschooling.com.Learn More About Akilah Her Website Podcast Fare Of The Free Child

In this #Perspectives episode Scott is joined by Akilah S. Richards. Listen to hear Akilah contrast race relations in America vs. her native country of Jamaica, share her views on honoring individual freedom, and highlight the benefits of self-directed education for her two daughters who have, for example, learned several languages on their own. The conversation gets really interesting when Akilah challenges a couple of statements by Scott. Will dialogue prevail in these moments or will they digress to debate? Listen now to find out! Akilah describes herself as a writer, mama, partner, digital nomad, and Unschooling activist. She does a bulk of this work through her podcast “Fare of The Free Child” which, “centers People of Color in liberatory living and learning practices with a particular interest in Unschooling and the Self-Directed Education movement”. Welcome To The Dialogue! Show Notes Fare of the Free Child Podcast: http://www.akilahsrichards.com/podcast/ Alliance For Self-Directed Education: self-directed.org Race - The Power Of An Illusion: https://goo.gl/S2KkCi  

Akilah S. Richards is an unschooling mom to two lovely daughters. She’s also an author, a podcast showrunner and host, and on the organizing team of the Alliance for Self-Directed Education. She answers my ten questions about her unschooling experience with candor and enthusiasm, and I hope you too enjoy our conversation! Quote of the […]