PODCAST · education
Brave Writer
by Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley
The Brave Writer podcast is a big juicy conversation about how to bring learning to life for your kids! Julie Bogart and guests talk about how parents and children are partners in the learning adventure, especially when approaching the daunting task of writing. Brave Writer appeals to homeschoolers, educators, and parents who want more out of "school" than merely passing tests. Visit us at http://bravewriter.com and follow along at the blog for show notes: http://blog.bravewriter.com
Episodes
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361. Growing Wild With Ainsley Arment
What if the best thing we can give our kids isn’t a perfectly planned education, but a childhood that leaves room for wonder? We’re joined by Wild + Free founder Ainsley Arment to talk about her new picture book, Grow Wild, My Child, and the philosophy behind a childhood rooted in nature,...
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360. Your Weekly Schedule Designed for You!
What if the thing standing between us and a satisfying homeschool rhythm isn’t the curriculum, but our resistance to sitting down and making a plan? We’re looking at how attention, boredom, confusion, and even our phones shape the way we approach learning. Then we get practical, building a…
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359. The Rights of a Homeschooling Mom
What rights do we forget we have when homeschooling becomes an all-consuming family project? Staying home to educate our kids can be meaningful, joyful work, but it is still work. We deserve a voice in family finances, time to maintain employable skills, space for lesson preparation, personal...
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358. Don’t Forget to Watch Movies!
What if movie day isn’t a break from learning, but one of the ways we build a rich education? Movies give our kids stories, language, history, cultural references, and characters they can return to again and again. We talk about why rewatching counts, how film can make Shakespeare and Jane Austen...
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357. Picture Books and the Public Library
What if one of the best tools in your homeschool is already free? We’re celebrating the library as a place where curiosity gets to roam and the default answer can be “yes.” We explore how browsing the stacks creates discoveries no search bar can replicate, why learning the Dewey Decimal System…
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356. Parenting Strategies or Teaching Tactics
What if the missing ingredient in your homeschool isn’t a better curriculum, but a bigger toolkit for teaching? When kids resist a lesson, it’s easy to reach for familiar parenting strategies: consequences, bargaining, reminders, and demands for cooperation. But learning asks something different…
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355. Feed Them Well with Jennifer Anderson
What if feeding our kids didn’t have to feel like a test we could pass or fail? Registered dietitian and Kids Eat in Color founder Jennifer Anderson joins us to talk about raising capable, curious eaters without getting trapped by nutrition trends, food guilt, or rigid rules. We explore picky...
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354. Working Parents and Homeschooling
Can you really homeschool well while also holding down a job? Yes, but the answer may require us to rethink when, where, and how learning happens. With Brave Writer president Dawn Smith joining us, we explore flexible schedules, morning meetings, night schooling, body doubling, buddy reading,...
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353. Only Connect: The Power of Partnership in Homeschooling
What changes when we stop treating homeschooling as something we do to our children and begin learning alongside them? Connection is at the heart of meaningful education: connection to ourselves, to the subjects we study, and to one another. We explore how curiosity leads to purpose, why...
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352. Handwriting: Why, When, and How to Teach It
What if one of the simplest tools for improving reading, memory, attention, and creative thinking is already sitting in your pencil cup? We’re revisiting handwriting and the surprising neuroscience behind why it still matters in a digital age. We explore how forming letters supports early…
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351. Hot Pink and the Art Museum
What changes when we stop rushing children toward the lesson we planned and start noticing the learning already unfolding? A visit with Julie’s six-year-old granddaughter becomes a fresh look at poetry, reading, art museums, and the remarkable power of one-on-one attention. We explore how…
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350. Pro Tips for Fabulous Field Trips
What if some of the richest learning in your homeschool happened after you walked out the front door? We’re exploring how to plan family outings that turn science, history, art, literature, music, sports, and local culture into hands-on experiences. We share what to pack in a reliable go-bag, how...
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349. Preparing for the First Week of Homeschool
What if the best first day of homeschool begins long before the first lesson? As summer stretches toward a new school year, we’re talking about the kind of preparation that actually supports family life: flexible routines, child-centered planning, cozy spaces, printed materials, backup plans, and...
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348. Kids Don't Learn the Way You Think They Do
What if rigor isn’t about children sitting still, pushing through tedium, and finishing every worksheet without complaint? In this episode, we reimagine rigor as a meaningful challenge: the kind children willingly embrace when the goal matters to them. From math games and secret codes to bird...
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347. ADHD and Homeschooling Part 2
Have you ever wondered whether your scattered systems, duplicate scissors, or frozen to-do list are actually character flaws, or clues to how your brain works? In this second conversation about ADHD in the homeschooling parent, we look at the inattentive traits that can hide behind daydreaming,...
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346. ADHD and Homeschooling Part 1
What if the neurodivergence in your homeschool is not only in your child, but in you? In this honest and eye-opening conversation, we explore what happens when the home educator begins to recognize ADHD traits in themselves. From task initiation and time blindness to hyperfocus, novelty, shame,...
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345. DIY Writing Retreats for Kids
What if a writing retreat didn’t require a plane ticket to Ireland? This week, we explore what makes writing feel spacious, playful, and alive. From Julie’s memoir retreat on the Irish Sea to Melissa’s fiction experiments with point of view, we talk about how atmosphere, community, sensory…
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344. Courageous Divorce: An Interview with Alisha Roth
What happens when faith, prayer, endurance, and every “right” effort still do not make a marriage safe? In this brave and deeply honest conversation, we talk with Alisha Roth, author of Courageous Divorce, about young marriage, religious expectations, abuse, motherhood, homeschooling, community...
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343. Partnership Writing with Dawn Smith
Why teach writing when AI can generate paragraphs in seconds? In this episode, Melissa Wiley talks with Brave Writer president Dawn Smith about why writing still matters, maybe more than ever. Together, they explore writing as a tool for thinking, voice, discovery, and connection. We look at how...
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342. Brave Learning and Academics
What if academic standards didn’t have to threaten your homeschool rhythm? In this episode, we explore how to translate grade-level expectations into the rich, lived learning already happening in your home. From Poetry Teatime to bird watching, baking, narration, read-alouds, and everyday...
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341. What If My Child Won't Finish the Lesson?
When is schoolwork really finished? If your child refuses the last five math problems, drags through copywork, or resists the assignment you carefully planned, the issue may not be laziness or defiance. It may have meaning. In this episode, we rethink what completion really means in homeschool.…
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340. Family Favorites: Resources and Routines Beloved by Melissa’s Kids
What if your best homeschool resources are the small routines, songs, snacks, and tools your kids remember years later? In this episode, we gather a treasure chest of family-tested ideas: read-alouds, Signing Time, Bob Books, captions, morning songs, poetry memorization, skip counting, quiet…
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339. Facing Our Limits as Parent Educators
What does it mean to prepare our children for a future we can’t predict? In this episode, we reflect on homeschooling, parenting, adult children, and the tender reality of endings. We talk about why “success” may be the wrong measure for family life, how love becomes the truest through-line, and...
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338. Narration: It’s Out of This World!
What if your child’s long, winding stories are not a distraction from learning, but the very foundation of it? In this episode, we explore the art of narration: the natural ability children have to tell what they notice, remember, imagine, and understand. Inspired by Charlotte Mason and the...
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337. Life Skills
What do our kids actually need to know before they leave home? In this episode, we explore the everyday life skills that often get overlooked, from tying shoes and folding laundry to handling money, filling out forms, speaking with customer service, hosting guests, managing time, and learning how...
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336. Do You Suffer From an Adventure Deficit?
What if the crankiness in your homeschool isn’t a behavior problem at all, but an adventure deficit? In this episode, we explore how too much routine can flatten a family’s energy and how a little surprise, novelty, and wonder can bring learning back to life. We share simple ways to add adventure...
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335. How to Build Mathematical Imagination Through Everyday Life, Play, and Curiosity
What if math felt less like drudgery and more like discovery? In this episode, we explore “mathematical imagination” and the many ways math is already alive in everyday family life. We talk about counting, measuring, predicting, sports, video games, art, nature, and how curiosity can turn numbers...
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334. Rescuing Reluctant Writers: Brave Writer Online Classes
What if an online writing class didn’t mean Zoom fatigue, rigid schedules, or one more thing to manage? In this episode, Melissa Wiley talks with Kirsten Merryman about what makes Brave Writer’s online classes so different: asynchronous discussions, text-based coaching, warm instructor feedback,...
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333. Resisting FOMU, the Fear of Messing Up
What if the biggest obstacle in your homeschool isn’t what you’re missing—but the fear that you’re doing it wrong? This week, we explore “fear of messing up” and how perfectionism quietly shapes our expectations, decisions, and confidence as parent educators. We unpack where that pressure comes...
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332. Long-term and Working Memory
Why does a child understand something one day and forget it the next? In this episode, we explore what neuroscience reveals about how learning actually works. Drawing from Uncommon Sense Teaching and Make It Stick, we unpack the difference between working memory and long-term memory—and why...
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331. A Slew of Practical Hacks for Your Homeschool
Ever have one of those homeschool days when your brain feels completely empty? We’ve been there too. In this episode, we share a long list of practical, creative hacks that can revive your homeschool when energy is low. From painter’s tape timelines and DIY history games to geocaching adventures,...
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330. Board Games: Let Them Do the Teaching!
What if the best critical thinking curriculum is already in your closet? This week, we explore why board games and card games do more than pass the time. From Monopoly and Settlers of Catan to Quiddler, Pandemic, and even Operation, we unpack how games build patience, strategy, communication...
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329. Accidental vs. On-Purpose Learning
Are you wondering if you’ve done “enough” this year? What if the real question isn’t about subjects completed—but about the atmosphere you’re creating? Melissa developed a simple framework to help her notice what was filling her children’s days. She called it the “Rule of Six”: Living Books –…
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328. A Critical Thinking Bill of Rights
What do you—and your kids—have the right to think, question, and say? This week, we unpack a “Critical Thinking Bill of Rights” and apply it to homeschooling life. We explore the pull of group identity, the courage to disagree with leadership, the power of private thoughts, and the freedom to...
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327. Becoming a Critical Thinker
What does it really mean to think critically in a world that never stops shouting at us? In this episode, we slow things down and explore how to stay grounded when information, emotion, and opinion collide. We talk about noticing our own reactions, asking better questions, and learning how to...
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326. Big and Little Families
Homeschooling looks different depending on how many kids you’re teaching—and that’s exactly the point. In this episode, we explore the real-life rhythms of homeschooling in both big families and small ones, offering practical strategies for group learning, one-on-one time, and everything in...
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325. The Myth of Magicmaking
What if enchanting learning didn’t require themed parties, elaborate prep, or constant performance? In this episode, we unpack the myth of magic-making and show why real enchantment is rooted in connection, not production. We share simple, practical ways to revive lessons that feel stuck, from…
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324. The Practice of Active Wondering
What happens when we slow down long enough to really wonder? In this episode, we explore the difference between rabbit trails and rabbit holes—and why both matter in learning and in life. From telephone poles and faded signs to classic children’s literature and everyday neighborhood mysteries, we...
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323. Silent Reading Parties
What if the most powerful way to strengthen focus, creativity, and connection in your home is…quiet? In this episode, we explore the growing trend of silent reading parties and why shared, sustained reading helps both kids and adults reclaim attention in a scrolling world. We talk about body...
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322. Parenting a Spicy One with Mary Van Geffen
What if your child’s hardest behaviors aren’t a problem to fix, but an invitation to grow? In this episode, we sit down with Mary Van Geffen, author of Parenting a Spicy One, to explore what it really means to raise a strong-willed, sensitive, or explosive child. We talk about nervous systems,...
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321. No Paper Trail? No Problem!
If your homeschool doesn’t produce stacks of worksheets, does that mean learning isn’t happening? We explore why meaningful education often leaves very little paper behind. From embodied grammar lessons to spontaneous moments of insight, we talk about how children actually learn and why…
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320. An Important Message from Julie about Brave Writer
What happens when you realize the mission can grow even as your energy changes? This week, we share a heartfelt update about Brave Writer’s next chapter—why protecting the “sacred trust” matters, how strong culture makes change possible, and what it looks like to move from doing it all to…
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319. How to Grow Writing Skills as an Adult
Have you ever wished you could grow as a writer—not just help your kids write, but find your own voice on the page? In this episode, we explore practical, gentle ways to build an adult writing life from scratch. We talk about tiny daily practices, “write or do nothing” sessions, using poems and...
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318. For the Kids: Meet the Lighthouse Family
What happens when we slow down and really listen to the language of a story? In this special episode for kids and parents, we cozy up with Cynthia Rylant’s Lighthouse Family series and unpack a delicious opening passage from The Storm. We notice how sound, mood, adjectives, and even compound…
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317. Hygge Homeschool for the Holidays
As the leaves turn and the days shorten, there's a distinct shift in the air – it's the cozy season, a time for warmth, reflection, and connection. This season, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations about embracing the Danish concept of hygge (pronounced “hoo-ga”) in our…
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316. When Your Middlers Lack Interest
What do we do when our tweens and teens don’t seem “into” anything? In this episode, we explore how to revive interest, curiosity, and motivation in the middle school years—without forcing artificial enthusiasm. We talk about why middlers may seem disengaged, how risk and adventure replace the...
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315. The 8 Stages of Homeschooling
How do we move from “I think I want to homeschool” to “We’ve created an education that fits us”? In this episode, we walk through the eight natural stages homeschool parents experience, from jumping in without a clue, to swapping curriculum in search of the “perfect” program, to finally trusting...
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314. Two Honest Thoughts About Tech in Homeschool
Is tech quietly running your homeschool? In this episode, we explore what happens when we trade the shared adventure of learning at home for one-child-one-screen schooling. We look at why so many of us feel pressured to meet standards, how online platforms promise to “save” us, and what our kids...
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313. Perspective in Learning
What if the key to helping your kids love learning is simply seeing the world through their eyes? In this episode, we explore perspective as the secret sauce of education and connection. We begin with Steven’s unforgettable appreciation letter to UPS (and the jaw-dropping chocolate response!)…
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312. Writing Stations
Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley return with a heartwarming episode all about writing stations---simple, inviting setups that help kids discover the joy of putting pen to paper. Inspired by Melissa's son Steven, who has turned letter-writing into an art form, the hosts explore how authentic writing...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Brave Writer podcast is a big juicy conversation about how to bring learning to life for your kids! Julie Bogart and guests talk about how parents and children are partners in the learning adventure, especially when approaching the daunting task of writing. Brave Writer appeals to homeschoolers, educators, and parents who want more out of "school" than merely passing tests. Visit us at http://bravewriter.com and follow along at the blog for show notes: http://blog.bravewriter.com
HOSTED BY
Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Brave Writer have?
Brave Writer currently has 367 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Brave Writer about?
The Brave Writer podcast is a big juicy conversation about how to bring learning to life for your kids! Julie Bogart and guests talk about how parents and children are partners in the learning adventure, especially when approaching the daunting task of writing. Brave Writer appeals to...
How often does Brave Writer release new episodes?
Brave Writer publishes regularly with 367 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Brave Writer?
You can listen to Brave Writer on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Brave Writer?
Brave Writer is created and hosted by Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley.
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