Self Directed

Self Directed is a podcast I make with my husband, Jesper Conrad. We have recorded more than 150 episodes, almost all of them about self-directed learning, unschooling and being a parent.

The podcast consists of conversations with guests who live and think differently about learning, life and family life, exploring how to create space for children where freedom, responsibility and curiosity have room.

On this page, I have selected the episodes that are most about unschooling and selected episodes about family and travel life.

Enjoy.

Shownotes, videos, links and transcripts

In this conversation with author and speaker Jacob Nordby, we explore the paradox of freedom in modern life. Is it simply doing whatever we want—or d…Read more
The moment you carve, knit, bake or start folding paper, something remarkable happens in your brain. The anxious spiral of thoughts quiets, stress ho…Read more
Discover how learning emerges naturally with Sugata Mitra, the visionary behind the 'Hole in the Wall' experiment. Explore self-organizing systems, u…Read more
How does homeschooling fit into India’s diverse cultural and educational landscape? In this episode, Dola Dasgupta shares her perspective on the chal…Read more
Together with Peter Gray, we explored the concept of self-directed education. The discussion highlights the shortcomings of the traditional school sy…Read more
Explore Dr. Neufeld's insights on parental attachment, child development, and overcoming societal pressures in parenting. A must-listen for families.…Read more
Dive into unschooling with us, Cecilie and Jesper Conrad. Sam KingDavis asks us anything. Together we explore its impact on education, family dynamic…Read more
Unschooling profoundly impacts both children and parents. For many parents, the process of deschooling themselves is a journey of personal growth and…Read more
Together with Sandra Dodd, we explore the complexities of the digital age with an open mind. We hope this episode will help you redefine parental bou…Read more

Selected Episodes

With +150 episodes it can be difficult to figure out where to start. Some start from the beginning, you can do that, but here we have collected some of the ones we are really happy about :)

Below are some episodes where we handed the microphone to one of our listeners and answered questions:

Thank you for the reviews

Would you like to help our podcast? Leave a review where you listen.
Here you can read what others have said:

"In the realm of unschooling, this podcast is one of the most thought-provoking yet informal, Great Work!"
- Marie Louise: 5 stars on Apple Podcast

"OMG YES 🙌 🔥 I can’t tell you how much I love this talk"
- Ganaia

"Love, love, loved this episode and boy did it come at a time when I needed it! Thank you for putting a new label to the way I’m raising my family.💗"
- Jenna-Gaye Hollis

"I love these deep conversations. This may be my favourite yet!! Cecilie- your thoughts and words on unschooling are exactly what I’ve been thinking, but haven’t said out loud (yet). It has brought me some liberation and freedom. I especially loved the conversation around “teachable moments.” So good"
- Heidi Schrum

"These discussions have been so helpful to me. I really look forward to the topics that are discussed, the stories each of you ladies shares, and the genuine insights you bring from your own unschooling journeys. Thank you for creating this space and for the time you put into supporting the unschooling community."
- Kristen

"Thank you for this podcast! As a new-to-unschooling mom, the wisdom you three share here is enlightening and thought-provoking. I found this conversation about "self regulation" extremely interesting. I am definitely guilty of hoping my kids will "self regulate" to meet my expectations, and therefore feeling uncomfortable and anxious when they are making choices that I think reflect poorly on me as a mom, or I think will negatively affect their health or well-being. I am guessing that everyone experiences times in the course of deschooling/ unschooling where you realise you had been hoping a child would self-regulate in a certain way. Thanks again."
- Camilla Carlyon

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