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The Unschool Space
Unschooling isn't just about education, it's a life choice! For most parents, embracing unschooling requires some serious unravelling of old paradigms around parenting, learning and childhood, and that can be both challenging and exhilarating.
Join me, Esther Jones, a mindful parenting coach and unschooling mother-of-three, as I take a look at the many opportunities for reflection that naturally arise in an unschooling home. Each episode, I chat with other parents about their family’s experiences.
From self-care, neurodiversity and mindfulness, to how to live consensually and trust our children, this podcast is here to help parents navigate the everyday challenges so they're free to create a healthy, nourishing and enriching space for themselves and their family.
Thanks for listening!
Join my mailing for regular offerings and updates at: www.esther-jones.com
or get in touch with me at:
contact@esther-jones.com.
Instagram: @_esther.jones
Facebook:@theunschoolspace
Episodes
104 episodes
#104 Trusting in the teen years, with Munira Adenwalla in London
In this episode I am chatting with Munira Adenwalla, who is an occupational therapist and lives in London with her 14-year-old son. Munira realised when her son was young that school would not be a good fit for him. We talk about how our school...
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#103 Embracing a different kind of learning, with Zahra Lightway and Patricia Sprenger
This episode, I am with Zahra Lightway and Patricia Sprenger of Light Way Learning. Both came to alternative education through feeling disilusioned with the education system, Zahra as a teacher whose son had found the system difficult, and Patr...
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#102 From soccer mom to unschooling coach—changing the stories in our heads, with Sue Patterson in Austin, Texas
In this episode, I am talking with Sue Patterson, who lives in Austin Texas. Sue is an unschooling coach, author, and the founder and voice behind Unschooling Mom2Mom. Sue has three adult children, who are now in their thirties, and who were al...
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#101 Unschooling and one child's recovery from burnout, with Jenny Mainwaring in Oxford, UK
In this episode I’m chatting with Jenny Mainwaring who lives near Oxford in the UK. Jenny took her oldest son out of school while still in primary school and suffering from burnout. Jenny describes the slow process of helping him feel safe agai...
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#100 In celebration of 100 conversations and The Unschooling Summit 2026, with Melissa Crockett-Joyoue
To mark the podcast's 100 conversations, this episode is a little different. I am in conversation with Melissa Crockett-Joyoue who runs the Weave online community and is also an unschooling mother. She and I co-founded The Unschooling Sum...
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#99 Trusting the ebb and flow - unschooling with four neurodivergent children, with Cassie Emmott in East Sussex, UK
My guest this episode is Cassie Emmott from East Sussex in the UK. Cassie lives with her husband and four children, who are all neurodivergent, and two of her children have additional needs. We talk about how unschooling looks in Ca...
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#98 There is no one right way to live, with Stephanie McDowell in Texas
In this episode, I am talking with Stephanie McDowell. Stephanie lives in the US with her husband and five-year old daughter and is a former high-school teacher. Burnt out from her teaching career, she and her husband chose to homeschool their ...
#97 Looking back—reflections on grown unschooled children, with Linda Velwest in New Jersey
In this episode I am chatting with Linda Velwest, who lives in New Jersey and has three adult son, now aged 26, 28 and 31, who were all unschooled for many years. It’s always lovely to talk with parents of adult unschoolers, and Linda reflects ...
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#96 Following a deeper knowing and letting go of systems that don’t serve us, with Ash Winton in Queensland, Australia
Today I am chatting with Ash Winton. Ash has lived in Queensland, Australia for the last 12 years, but is originally from Alaska, and is of the indigenous Tlingit people. She and her husband, who run a tra...
#95 Thriving at 14, after school burnout, with Maddy in Somerset
I’m delighted to be chatting today with Maddy, who is a doctor and lives in Somerset with her husband and son who is 13 and daughter who is 14. Maddy’s daughter left school two years ago after beginning secondary school and not coping at all. M...
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#94 Journeys from burnout to recovery, with Holly from South Wales
I’m really happy to be talking today with Holly from South Wales, who I first spoke to two years ago. We talk in depth about Holly’s experiences of accompanying her children through burnout and emotional distress. We talk about how unschooling ...
#93 The courage to step into the unknown, with Claire Gillespie in Hertfordshire, UK
I’m delighted to welcome back Claire Gillespie, who was a guest on the podcast almost two years ago. Claire lives in the UK with her husband and two sons, who are 15 and 17, and who left the school system around six years ago. Claire now works ...
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#92 Unschooling our autistic children–finding joy in the unknowing, with Mariam Carter in Southern California
Today I’m with Mariam Carter who lives in Southern California with her husband and two sons, who are 12 and 9. Their oldest son is autistic and the family’s jouney to unschooling journey began during the pandemic. Mariam...
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#91 From London to Silicon Valley, with Makeba Garraway, US
My guest today is Makeba Garraway. Originally from the UK, Makeba moved to Silicon Valley with her husband and two children who are now 12 and 9, seven years ago. They came to unschooling after realising that mainstream school did not feel like...
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#90 From falling apart to building something new, with Nicola Leyland, UK
My guest in this episode is Nicola Leyland. Nicola has two children who are now 19 and 17. Her journey to unschooling began when her son was just eight years old and had an accident that resulted in a brain injury. Nicola talks about her experi...
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#89 Living in alignment: from school to unschool to worldschool, with Ivana Petersen in Denmark
My guest this episode is Ivana Petersen, who is from Croatia and her husband is from Denmark. They have three children who are 13, 10 and 7. They took their eldest two children out of school six years ago, feeling burnt out by the stress and la...
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#88 Finding trust in our own paths, with Esther Grimes in Australia
Today I am chatting with Esther Grimes, who lives in Australia with her husband, and three sons, who are 1, 4 and 8. Although Esther and her husband were already looking at less conventional ways to live as a family, they hadn’t questioned scho...
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#87 From organic fruit farming to worldschooling, with Irene Genelin in Minnesota, US
My guest today is Irene Genelin from Minnesota. Irene and her husband used to have an organic fruit farm, but sold that a few years ago to travel almost full time with their daughter, who is now 10. We talk about how they came to that decision,...
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#86 Putting our children's mental health and happiness first, with Lizz Mears in Dorset, UK
In this episode I am chatting with Lizz Mears from Dorset in the UK. Lizz has two children, who are 21 and 13. After many difficult school years that took their toll on her older child’s mental health and on her own, Lizz chose to take he...
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#85 Slowing it all right down, with Ruth Macallan in Zambia
My guest today is Ruth Macallan, who I also chatted with in episode 54. Ruth is originally from the UK but she and her family live for most of the year in Zambia where her husband runs an NGO. Today, amongst other things, we talk about boredom ...
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#84 Intentional living and learning in the Canadian Boreal Forest, with Erin Cummings in Ontario
My guest this episode is Erin Cummings. Erin grew up in Ottawa and now lives with her husband who is of the indigenous Métis community and their three young sons, in the boreal forest in Treaty 3 Territory of Northwest Ontario. Here they live o...
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#83 Redefining success and learning to trust our children, with Dana Huraimi in Dubai
Today, I am with Dana Huraimi. Dana is Palestinian and grew up in Kuwait and Jordan. She now lives in Dubai with her husband and two sons who are almost 10 and 13. Today we talk about Dana’s deschooling journey, how she is letting go of her con...
#82 Slowing down and watching life and learning unfold. With Fiona Sim in Scotland
This episode I am with Fiona Sim who is from Scotland. Fiona lives with her husband who is from Lithuania, and their two daughters who are 3 and 6. This is their first official year of home education since their older daughter would ...
#81 Unravelling our old narratives, with Leila in Melbourne, Australia
Today I’m with Leila from Melbourne, Australia. Leila has three children who are now 9, 7 and 4, and their journey to unschooling began when they decided not to continue with school for her eldest child after the Covid lockdown. Leila describes...
#80 Making unschooling work for the whole family, with Cyrielle in Ontario, Canada
This episode, I’m chatting with Cyrielle who is originally from France but now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and their eight year old daughter (this conversation takes place while they are on a long road trip through the US). Cyriel...
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