Fare Of The Free Child

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

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

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

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 Ta

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 (ev

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

We are in another in-between episode on #fofcpod, this time replaying episode 31 from season 2! On this reboot Anthony Galloway Jr, one of our Presence Counselors here on Raising Free People Network who also happens to be debuting with his first podcast series right here on #fofcpod, is joining us along with Julia Cordero, co-founder of Hearthwood Agile Learning Center, in an insightful conversation on Whitewashed Self-Directed Education. Let’s get into this replay!LIBERATION WALKDeveloping a disruptor’s ear, a workbook for learning how to listen (despite schoolishness and pervasive whiteness) and what to do with what you’re hearingRaising 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’

Welcome to another in-between episode on #fofcpod! This time we are sharing with Trelani Michelle, who we’ve already heard on episode 4 on Black Queer Mothering, episode 14 with Self-Mothering While Parenting and most recently on episode 197: A Deschooling Word About Boundaries, Babies and Business talking about parenting practices, dating life and all about her project Krak Teet: A Catalog of Savannah’s Black-in-the-Day (biographies that centers the life experiences of native Gullah Geechee elders from 1920 on through to 1970). Don’t miss this replay!  LIBERATION WALKDon’t miss The Parenting Decolonized Conference. “The mission of the summit is to provide parents and caregivers with action plans, resources, and tips for conscious parenting during stressful times, reimagining education during the Coronavirus, and the radical shifts required to be more confident, conscious, intentional parents.”Raising Free People Network’s Presence Counselors Leslie Bray and Anthony Galloway are here to support unschooling an

We’re in between seasons on #fofcpod, and as we promised, January will be filled with specially-chosen replays sprinkled with some new-new announcements and invitations.This time we bring you an update from Monique Allison who we’ve already heard from on episode 6 back on Season 1. Listen to Monique giving us some insight on She Said We Shed PodcastMonique talks about what she’s been learning through her deschooling journey with her son, Pharaoh, particularly how she’s becoming a better observer, and learning more about adaptability, flexibility, and trust.Monique is a single Black mom that is raising her son who has sickle cell and other chronic illnesses. They shifted to unschooling, attended an Agile Learning Center, and are still happily unschooling nearly five years later. Listen to Episode 6, (Reclaiming and Learning) to hear their story.Akilah reminds us not to miss The Parenting Decolonized Conference. “The mission of the summit is to provide parents and caregivers with action plans, resources, and ti

Welcome to the fifth season finale of Fare of the Free Child Podcast where Akilah gives a State of the Podcast (and network!). She shares resources and invitations focused on the opportunities for rest and reparations and for the deepening of this movement. Thank you all for listening and supporting, this conversation is centered on some of the healing that we've done, the healing that we are looking to do in collaboration with others and the opportunities to invest in that healing work at variant levels.Keep on sharing, shedding and questioning. In January we will be replaying some all-time favorite episodes with some new additions, so don’t miss it!What we've been able to accomplishRaising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work is out! Akilah shares her gratitude to the listeners, for the feedback she had from everyone interested in continuing on this deschooling and liberation journeyFare Of The Free Child had major coverage in the New York Times, Forbes and countless podcasts an

This week on #fofcpod, Maleka Diggs from Eclectic Network and Akilah are chopping it all up about this year. Get ready for an insightful conversation about what they’ve been noticing around deschooling, self care, pervasive whiteness, movement, decolonizing, and then some.WHAT WE DISCUSSSelf care practicesMaleka shares aspects of her decolonizing journey, the harmony between working and playing and defining priorities around self care practices. Akilah talks about deschooling her leadership practices.They also talk about the power of stillness and silence, how necessary it is to be more aware of ourselves, our thoughts and our bodies. Akilah shares her experience of reconnecting with herself through dance and movement, the way she gets information about herself from her body and paying attention to what she is noticing.Unravelings - The joy of failureThey chat about Maleka’s projects and what they have been noticing around pervasive whiteness. Akilah speaks about the sense of responsibility that comes as a Bl

This week on #fofcpod we are talking about prioritizing wellness amidst entrepreneurship and unschooling with one of our #fofcpod repeat guests, Kim Hester (with the big, beautiful smile!). Kim is co-owner of Life Strength & Health holistic center, and she co-hosts Akilah’s favorite wellness podcast too! In episode 195: Black Unschooling Dads, Kris Richards (Akilah's partner) and Jamal Hester (Kim's partner) had the chance to chat about Black fatherhood and unschooling. In this episode Akilah talks with Kim about the importance of awareness as part of a wellness process, and how all of that is connected to natural learning, deschooling and our capacity to thrive.WHAT WE DISCUSS:When you feel good you move through life differentlyKim speaks about pivoting away from toxic environments and the changes that came with that shift. She also touches on the importance of being aware of her feelings and decisions, being consistent with the changes she applied in her routines, and how that all of that show

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 br

This week on #fofcpod, we're talking about boundaries - ways to affirm them, and ways to honor the development of boundaries as they show up, shift us, and determine so many elements of how we show up in our bodies and in our relationships. Listen in as Trelani Michelle, our modern-day Zora Neale Hurston, offers some sweet and insightful storytelling about the recognition and re-affirming of her boundaries in her work, her parenting practice, and in her dating life. Trelani also shares the origins of her celebrated project, Krak Teet: A Catalog of Savannah’s Black-in-the-Day Biographies that centers the life experiences of native Gullah Geechee elders from 1920 on through to 1970.WHAT WE DISCUSSHow shedding/deschooling ain’t just about habits, but can also include relationships.Trelani and Akilah talk about the shedding elements of deschooling. Shedding, in essence, is about stopping certain established patterns or norms that are out of alignment with what you’re learning about your authentic self -- you

Reframing Trust and ProofProof and trust have become very schoolish. The way I see it, trust is often a thing to choose, not a thing to be earned. In deschooling, the proof of trustworthiness often comes after the decision to trust a process. There’s no need for proof, the proof is part of a bond of trust we build up in our daily lives, it's about the people, the processes, and the way we forge our relationships--trust emerges from that.- Akilah #raisingfreepeopleWe've got a birthday episode on deck! FOFC family member, Natalie Pipkin, turned 35 today (Nov 26, Baby!), and we get to celebrate with her AND with her city as Natalie and family launched their mobile book store on this special day!You'll hear all about it today, and you'll also hear how Natalie offers us detailed, really specific examples of how unschooling shows up in her life. She goes on to share how she's understanding it as liberation work, and how she facilitates it in community by embodying the skills of it and bring

Today we’ll be joined by two unschooling dads, Jamal Hester and Kris Richards. They will be pointing out some insights on Black fatherhood, re-parenting and unschooling! Jamal is the co-owner of Life Strength & Health holistic center. They also have a podcast where we can find great resources on healing work. Kris Richards is a graphic designer, artist, and creative brander. He’s also Akilah’s partner and Marley and Sage’s dad.What We Discussed:Colonial NarrativeJamal and Kris talk about how their labels of “who they are” as parents, sons, partners, are under certain expectations and are mostly validated by someone else's perspectives. They also chat about the importance of re-configuring parenting styles to have a different approach to the way we are raising our children, and the kind of relationships that we want to nurture. Intergenerational relationshipsThey also discuss seeing some patterns from their behavior reflected in the ways that their own parents and other elders beliefs and parenting st

Want to learn some unschooling vocabulary? If so, listen good because this episode brings a big opportunity to decide upon, and to question your own definitions and understandings, and pivot wherever the need arises. Add your own vocab to this. What words need to be on the next-next episode?See the full definitions at raisingfreepeople.com/194UnschoolingSelf-Directed EducationRe-parentingShadow Work: If you missed it, listen to Genesis Ripley on episode 182: Genesis Ripley on Partnering with Our Pain, she shares the importance of Shadow Work and why we can’t continue to contemplate the world in a binary spectrum, ignoring the shadows, the nuances that are also part of it. We visit the unconscious, that is where Shadow Work happens.Change-up: A process of creating and iterating agreements based on underlying needs, values or desires. The agreements are worked on through various levels of practice, until they become fully integrated as a norm or new way of being. To learn more listen to Monique Allison and Thom

On this week’s episode you will be privy to an intergenerational conversation between mother and daughter, as our special guest is Marley @mrlamai, unschooler and SDE advocate.Marley and Akilah talk about some of the ways that the skills that come with self-directedness are translatable in our current context of being at home, as we figure out how to pivot away from scholishness. Marley talks about some of the experiences and differences that she had with friends that have been raised with a conventional schooling mindset in comparison to her unschooling peers.WHAT WE DISCUSSEmotional skills managementMarley shares what she perceived as a lack of emotional skills management that schoolish people tend to have, the difficulties in communicating emotions, expressing their needs and taking action on those needs. If people come from a place where they have the tools to communicate their emotions, identify boundaries and develop emotional skills management, they’ll be able to nurture healthy and trustworthy relatio

Today's liberation talk will be with the amazing Makeba Celeste (@makeba_celeste) as she speaks to how schoolishness, and her life in medicine, limited her capacity for authentic self-exploration and healthy intergenerational relationships.Makeba is a former medical doctor who turned into an unschooling mother, writer, tap dancer and artist. The former South Londoner and her partner, Soliheen, are raising free people on Ohlone land in what is now called the Bay Area in California.WHAT WE DISCUSS:Scholishness vs Confidence: How parents' expectations can sometimes negatively affect children’s confidence. Young people worry too much about trying to be “perfect” and getting their parents’ approval, later on this can show up as trust issues within one’s self, and one’s capacity to do anything other than what others have deemed you “good at” and “good for”.Belonging is human: The pressure that a child can have by being put on a pedestal. They feel that they can never fail because they will disappoint ever

Episode 191 is all about the deeper work after we accept self-directedness, and get into the layers of transitions, consent, emergent structure, children and trust.We'll be chatting with Tiersa McQueen, and SDE advocate, wife and working mom of 4 children (including twins), who is serious on how to develop new tools for liberation-centered relationships. We’ll be making mad question’ askin on power, boundaries and decolonization.  “I tweet for the Black married moms who homeschool. We outchea. Unschooler. Gentle parenting.” - Tiersa McQueenWHAT WE DISCUSSDigital community and liberation tools: Tiersa talks about how Twitter has given her the opportunity to discuss unschooling as a liberation tool towards she and her husband’s commitment to raising free people. Intergenerational trauma / intergenerational healing and unschooling: We move forward to Tiersa’s experiences with her four children. She describes her unlearning process as something that happened in a very organic way, by observing her children,