Episodes
-
Whadddup, Listener homie!
Shifting my seminary studies from interfaith/interspiritual ministerial ordination to Integrative Thanatology at the Art of Dying Institute (this is so aligned with what the past four years have taught me!)more somatic movement tings (been studying the Feldenkreis method and doing more Dancehall-centric freestyle movements lately)Savor Complex Work (wrote about it on my new-ish newsletter here)Being at home with my family and present for all the ways love live here
I hope you're listening to this final episode thinkin' Daang, Akilah really helped me get more aligned with the type of person I wanna be.
Who are you now that you have experienced some of these conversations here on the podcast? My answer to that question is that I am more zoned in on the embodiment of the unschooling skills, which currently look like:This podcast has been such a belonging-maker in my life--thank you for being part of this! In our finale episode, I offer the fifth care package of how-to guides to navigate this work: Been Unschooling and now Ready to Deepen My Shit.
You'll hear me talk about moving into grounded confident autonomy, and provide some perspective and reassurances to help you trust and honor your wisdom. It's big spiritual work, and for some of us, it's happening at the same time we're witnessing what children need from us and how we are responding to that.
I also give you the ways to stay connected with this type of work, including the resources on Schoolishness.com, my Patreon page, the Fare of the Free Child Podcast YouTube channel, as well as the wisdom from all the episodes that live on raisingfreepeople.com. Every single episode this season was dedicated to YOU feeling equipped to start or continue your journey towards raising and being free people.
With plenty love,
AkilahSupport the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
Have you ever wondered how grief and loss might pave a pathway toward spiritual growth? In this penultimate episode of Fare of the Free Child podcast, I share with you the fourth path in my care package to this community. Sharing Season 9 reflections, Chemay Morales-James, Vanessa Molano, Jasai Madden, Stori, and I bring to life our experiences in this liberation walk. Engaging in a candid exploration of spirituality, manifestation, magic, and money, we unravel the ways it has shaped our lives. We also dive into our origin stories and the leveling up it has brought us to.
Taking a step further, we tackle the often overlooked issue of pervasive whiteness ingrained in ourselves, our communities, and our learning or workspaces. Drawing from the wisdom condensed in the Developing a Disruptor's Ear workbook, we unearth the impacts of whiteness on various aspects of education and society. Pervasive Whiteness, as we articulate, "Is when a white person either unconsciously or deliberately asserts unsolicited opinions and ideas using their voice, bodies or a particular approach or mindset - like NVC- in ways that are dismissive of the voices, bodies, and experiences of those outside their 'in-group' or culture."
"Pervasive Whiteness is an embodiment of harmful structures deeply rooted in modernity and coloniality, transcending beyond white bodies." It's a significant thread that weaves through our conversation as we share notes from pages 15 to 27 of the workbook.
In the final segment of our discussion, we challenge the traditional norms and tactics underpinned by pervasive whiteness. We delve into the intricate ways whiteness weaponizes communication and highlight the schoolishness that unknowingly seep into our daily lives.
As we wrap up, with our FINAL episode next week, I extend an invitation for you to continue this enlightening journey by accessing the five pathways I have gifted you on this departure. I remain deeply grateful for your unwavering support!
Links:
RFP Unschool
Developing a Disruptor's Ear
Eclectic Learning Network
RFP Book
Bayo Akomolafe
Rooted Global Village
Ep 120Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
Missing episodes?
-
Join Akilah as she journeys through the third path to Raising Free People: For Me not Them. Learn the languaging that helps you, the adult, the independent person, move through discovering confident autonomy and other themes that come through as you traverse the pathway of personal leadership.
This week we continue our exploration into liberation and self-direction from Seasons 6, 7, and 8. Among those who got their flowers are Yolonda Coles Jones, Leslie W. Bray, and Vanessa Molano, who have provided essential tools for this journey. Karen M Ricks, Tony Galloway, and Amelia Allen Sherwood. Karen explored the correlation between food, play, and mindfulness, followed by Tony's reflections on finance, politics, masculinity, mental health, and unschooling, and Amelia gave us a unique perspective on Montessori education for Black folks. We also showed love to other guests like Iris Chen, Karema Akilah, Ieishah Clelland-Lang, and Season 8's co-host, Domari Dickinson, who joined us in offering the P.A.U.S.E. framework and its transformative role in self-reflection and personal development.
This episode is a treasure trove of wisdom for all, dig in!
Episode links:
Yolanda Coles Jones
Leslie W Bray
Vanessa Molano
Raising Free People book
Karen M Ricks
Amelia Sherwood and Sankofa Learning Centre
Iris Chen and Untigering
Karema Akilah and The Genius School
Anthony Galloway
Fare of the Free Man Child series: Ep 232, 233, 234
Ieishah Clelland-Lang
Maori Mother Wisdom series: Ep 237,238,239,240
P.A.U.S.E series and Domari Dickinson
Tebogo Modisane and Ha se LeholaSupport the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
Moving away from school-centric culture and the performances we got going on is a very real thing that one listener voiced and we're sharing it here in this episode.
We're diving deep into this topic, addressing the importance of honoring our children's confident autonomy and moving away from the ingrained schoolishness we perform at home. We're exploring this through one listener's transformative story, lessons from my personal parenting journey, and the integrated perspectives that Savorism has allowed.
Embrace this journey with us as we navigate the shift from school at home to more liberated and nurturing approaches. We recap Season 4 and 5 in this episode and highlight the overarching themes. This episode is a fusion of personal narratives, listener insights, and practical pieces of advice tailored for anyone managing the beautiful task of raising free people.
Let's rethink education, nurture relationships, and foster liberation, while savoring the spaciousness it allows.
Some links:
Our family of podcasts all in one place: RFPN
Pleasure Series: Ep 112, 113, 114, 115, 116
Racial Equity in SDE: Ep 125
Chevanni Davids: Ep 146
Black, Queer Feminism: Ep 109Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
A 6-minute offering for the beginner’s path.
Start a journey of discovery, trusting that learning comes from various sources - many of which can't be measured on a conventional scale. May this bonus 6-minute offering on Fare of the Free Child serve you well! Be sure to listen to Episode 265 for more on the starter/beginner path too!
We're throwing some critical questions in the mix with some MQA, inviting you to question the rules and agreements we've held ourselves and our children to.
As we navigate the path of unschooling, we'll explore the profound impact of trusting the autonomy of children, and of avoiding performance and external validation in favor of self-inquiry and self-knowledge. This is your ticket to embark on a journey of trust and discovery.
Join us again in the next episode for more tools to walk the talk in this work of raising free people.Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
If you've been searching and asking about some of the most innovative minds in the realm of unschooling, youth rights, and liberation, names like Zakkiyya Chase, Moji Yai, Lane Santa Cruz, and Dr. Sundiata should ring a bell.
Some of our most listened-to early dialogues included ones with Ieishah Clelland-Lang and Lou Wilkerson. We detangled topics like Black maternal mortality rates, intuition, trust, and deschooling. Their insights set the stage for seasons two and three of Fare of the Free Child podcast, and Akilah is giving them their flowers today!
As we revisit these transformative dialogues, we dive into the heart of raising free people, where we're amplifying our stories and deepening our connections to love and liberation.
You'll also get perspectives and madd question-askin' around how to start unschooling. Questions that double as mantras is the offering here, and we truly hope you find these useful!
THE LINKS.Moji Yai of Wise African Woman Retreats. Host of THE Birth Education Retreat where participants immerse in village healing culture.
https://www.instagram.com/wawretreat/
Tucson Ward 1 Council Member
https://www.instagram.com/lanewar
Dr. Sundiata of The Theory of Indivisibility
https://www.instagram.com/drsundiata/
Genesis Ripley of Mythology of a Dragon Newsletter
https://www.genesisripley.com/
Yolanda Coles Jones
https://bio.site/YolondaColesJones
Lou Hollis
https://linktr.ee/LouHollisTalent
https://www.instagram.com/lhtmproductions/
Miss Lou - Louise Bennett-Coverley
louisebennettheritage.comThe Unschooling Entrepreneur’s Guide to Life and Learning
The link between unschooling and entrepreneurship | Raising Free (rfpunschool.com)Veronica Ashley-Reid
https://purposedyoga.com/
https://www.instagram.com/autonomousgrowth/
https://fofc.buzzsprout.com/344681/1193546-ep-41-demilitarizing-myself
Maleka Diggs
https://www.eclecticlearningnetwork.com/
Tia Cunnigham
Ep. 32: Kicking Cancer's Ass While Unschooling (buzzsprout.com)
Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
In this episode, we'll explore the concept of savorism, a term Akilah coined to savor the spaciousness, slowness, and richness that comes from integrated unschooling.
Sit with us for storytime about how Akilah's family made the shift from conventional school to homeschooling to unschooling. It was an experience that caused her and her partner to pause, reflect, and listen more to their children's needs. Hear how they fought against the 'stuckness' of conventional schooling and forged their own paths.
This episode also gets into the important difference between pace and rhythm as we set out to design our days with our natural flow in mind.
Also, we send our heartfelt thanks to Megan, our fellow liberationist over at The Unschool Files, for her energizing words and strong commitment to the raising free people movement!
Links:
Shoutout to Meghan! You can learn more about her podcast, zine and Roam here:
https://www.flowcode.com/page/theunschoolfiles
Our dope beats are from these beatmakers:
https://www.instagram.com/akeemmuzikbeatz/https://linktr.ee/Richeflex
https://www.instagram.com/sehratonin/
Other links:https://youtu.be/PoMTrwRkZmk
http://mybrownbaby.com/2012/03/harmony-the-sustainable-alternative-to-worklife-balance/
https://savorcomplex.substack.com/
https://schoolishness.com/coaching/
https://schoolishness.com/savorade-coaching/
Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
Ever wondered how unschooling and liberation work intersect? Join us for a nostalgic trip down memory lane as we delve into the first season of Fare of the Free Child podcast. We discuss my personal journey to unschooling and how moving away from a school-centric life connected to liberation work.
In this episode, we give a special shout out to Juan Perez, our beloved audio editor! We also celebrate the various topics, conversations, and stories from season one that have left a lasting impact on us as listeners.
Discover how resistance can serve as a roadmap to understanding the identity of unschooling and its potential for personal growth. I share my experience with revisiting the personal manifesto path - a transformative course I published in 2014.
We discuss the importance of taking full responsibility for our experiences, opening up new portals of exploration in the world of unschooling, liberation, and social justice. Find a cozy spot, tune in, and let's do some Sankofa work.
LINKS:
For any audio editing, you can reach out to Juan Pablo: [email protected]krak teet: https://www.krakteet.org/
The Life School Atlanta: https://www.thelifeschool.co/
Humanity Communications Collective: https://humanitycom.com/about-our-ceo/
Smell Good Spa: https://smellgoodspa.com/
Heart of Business: https://www.heartofbusiness.com
Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
What happens when we eulogize an elder who has guided us on our journey of unschooling, decolonizing education, and raising free people? Join me in this heartfelt final season as we celebrate the transformative energy of unschooling and the legacy of Self-Directed Education.
Together, we'll explore the three containers of explainers, affirmations, and insights that will guide us through this final season, reflecting on the wisdom and experiences we've gained from Fare of the Free Child.
As we embark on this extraordinary season of gratitude, growth, and endings, I'll provide you with clear direction for ways to move through this body of work, ensuring that the closure of this podcast is a continuation for you and your journey to be and raise free people.
Throughout this season, I'll use three containers: explainers, affirmations, and insights to cover the core themes that we have wrestled with, realized, reclaimed, or released since our very first episode in July of 2016.
All season long, you will hear my recommendations for ways to walk alongside this work of raising free people, based on your particular location in this journey, whether you're brand new and just getting into it, or you're in it and it's shifting you all kinds of fast and furious, or you rocking with it, grounded and grooving, I gotchu!
So, gather around the elder one last time as we celebrate our collective liberation and the legacy of self-directed education. Let's revel in the power of unschooling, personal leadership, and spiritual growth as we embrace the transformative energy that has brought us to this point.
LINKS:
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
Ahhh….what an accomplishment! Our penultimate season reaches it’s finale… and ya’ll what a season it has been!!
Manifestation, magic, bridges, money as a tool, and the community that is MRM Village! We talk about how networking is actually all about creating community and linking up with folks who are willing to support each other’s missions.
Chemay talks about her intuition-led path to MRM’s updated business model that centers relationships, not dollars!We learn how Chemay and Vanessa concepted their current STAR model in the Village.We ear-witness Chemay’s passion for bringing SDE into every part of life and reimagining the work we do in the world.We name the real FLOW chart of entrepreneurship: The pivot! Nothing is certain, everything will FLOW as it must and morph into iterations of the idea until it forms into what works best for the people involvedThis conversation brings so much to the fore and it’s so important to bring these topics to the table and unpack things like: Intuitive work, embodiment, trusting the unknown, making space for what is to come, anti-hustling, and seeing that work is life and life is work.
As we close, we honor the energy of entrepreneurship, and we commit to the continual deschooling of it as one way of supporting the next generation in shifting the hustle-hard-at-all-cost lens they learned from us. Now, we choose to build a bridge for them to walk out of those old models into ways and modes of being that are more aligned with abundance culture, devoid of shame or guilt around money, and filled with mindful intentional and trust for the process.
Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
What is abundance culture? And what does pausing have to do with sustained abundance? These are some of the questions Vanessa Molano (our resident party animal + book nerd) asks us to explore in this conversation.
What are some of the alternative ways we can do what we’re trying to do, without the harm?How do you manage money in a way where you measure success by the way your relationships feel?How do we practice reparations?How do we practice valuing healing as the center of financial management?How do we do financial management in a collective way? with foundations for inter-class solidarity.How do we practice “small is all”?
"I designed a spreadsheet to help you manage your bone$ and circulate that shit."
- Vanessa
Madd Question Askin' from this convo:Highlights from this convo:
7:20 - 7:24 “what’s the point of being alive if you don’t have yourself?” VM
25:59 - 26:02 “For unschooling entrepreneurs, financial creativity is really at the heart of self-direction” ASR30: 48 - 30:51 “authenticity is the most important thing we have” VM
31:08 - 31:17 “if you turn on the abundance lens, you’ll see that there’s a lot more support for the world that we want” - VM
Links from this convo:
Vanessa OnlineAkilah’s Content TrunkEmergent Strategy by adrienne marie brownSupport the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
In this episode, and through the season, we are inviting you to listen, to notice, and to feel through what these conversations evoke for you; within you.
Madd Question Askin'What new language is forming for you?
What are you resisting?
What are you allowing?
What are you reframing and reimagining?Are you already using spiritual tech in your life? What does that look like?
Are you finding ways to introduce play/playfulness into your days?
What infuses more joy into just being?
What tools are you employing to navigate this life?
Are you taking on new skills to pull you through or pivot away from things?Are you aware of or recognizing ways that help you be more mindful?
Are you getting stuck because you think you ‘know’ a way out or are you stuck because you’re actually thinking that but not doing it?Are you trying to balance all the things in your life or are you going deeper and finding sustainability in harmony?
Are you in flow in your life?What are you doing to face your freedom calling?
LINKS
Journaling Workshop List:
Expansive Journaling Updates
Grab your RFP Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/store/
Alaiyo site
https://www.alaiyo.net/alaiyotv
Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
What is your connection to your origin story? Do you feel tied to your origin in ways that feel good and grounding? Or do you feel tethered to something that doesn’t quite feel like you?
What do you think about when you read or hear the words Origin Story, anyway?
Do you think about the start of your actual life?Or a particular relationship?A specific place?A type of food?An event?On this episode, you’ll hear some of me (Akilah) and Naaz’s (aka Fatima’s) origin story—how we met, and where we were in our respective lives when we joined forces. It’s more of an origins-to-now story, with plenty examples about following the threads that led us to peace and release! Plus, Dr. Crystal Menzies of EmancipatED and I have a real-ass convo about releasing aspects of our origin stories as creators, as givers, as liberation workers, so that we can live in ways that align with our current needs, energies, and intentions.
Related links:
Dr. Menzies on Parenting Decolonized Podcast
Sign up here for Expansive Journaling Workshop updates
Rock Merch + Art to affirm your Raising Free People practice:
Buy Raising Free People Book
Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
This is the first episode of Season 9 and we’re delighted to dive into the work of shifting our spiritual and intuitive work to include our raising free people practice. This feels important because while some of us might already see the connection between our commitment to raising free people and the cultivation of our spiritual and intuitive practices, not all of us do. For some of us, the weight, pressure, and pace of our daily responsibilities make that particularly difficult to name, let alone practice. For some of us, the fatigue and frustrations that come with lack of community, for example, can have spiritual work feeling like a luxury we just don’t have time to get into. Our intention is that this season will offer you pockets of education and examples for how to begin exploring what spirituality and its first cousin, intuition, in your specific life and relationship work. And then, through that exploration, it is our hope that you can begin to clear away the not-it shit that’s taking up way too much space in your thoughts and actions, so that you can plant or nurture new seeds, seeds that align with your right and your connection to liberation work. This work is not just for, or because of our children. It is for us first, and then for all the relationship circles we are in, that require our nurturing.
Voices we’ll center this season:
Chemay Morales James of My Reflection MattersNaazneen Mookadam (aka Fatima) of Raising Free People Network (RFPN)Vanessa Molano of Empathematics and RFPNDr. Crystal Menzies of EmancipatEDAkilah S. Richards of RFPNWith special guest conversations about Spiritual Technology by Jasai and Stori, the mother|daughter team behind Alaiyo Waistbeads
MADD QUESTION ASKIN’ MOMENTS (MQA’S)
Are we afraid to talk about manifestation in relation to raising free people?Is there something solid to this practice of believing something into existence?Is Self-Directed Education basically intuitive lead education since it is, in part about listening to our inner voice, and respecting that voice in children?Did Chemay Morales James create My Reflection Matters as a result of following her own intuition?When y’all feel connected to us, know that it’s because there is also a thing in you that is looking to connectWhen is it best to wait for answers before making a move, versus moving so that the answers can show up?EP 257 JOURNAL PROMPT
As you listen to this episode, let's think about the prompt that would help you think through your current imperfect conditions.
What would you describe as your version of “$2 status?”
What are some of the realities that you feel are stalling your i
Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
As we continue our preparation for Season 9, you are invited to listen as Naaz (also known as Fatima) Mookadam tell us what showed up for her as she listened to Akilah S. Richards’s conversation with Dr. Crystal Menzies. You’ll hear much of that conversation in Season 9, so for now, hear Fatima’s insights and Akilah’s invitation to you. If you missed our first teaser, listen to it here. We are so excited to be centering the voices of five women who are deep in their own deschooling journey!
Chemay Morales JamesDr. Crystal MenziesNaazneem (Fatima) MookadamAkilah S. RichardsVanessa MolanoAnd here are the some of the topics we’ll be exploring 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
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
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.
Chemay Morales JamesDr. Crystal MenziesNaazneen (Fatima) MookadamAkilah S. RichardsVanessa Molano
Listen as Naazneen (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:And 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
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
Grief. Avoidance. Funky energies. We’re wrapping up Season 8 with all kinds of feelings in the mix. How do we embrace or transform these feelings as they arise? That’s the pausewerk, and this week we arrive at E, for Exploration.
“Noticing your behavior in that moment is about noticing that moment, which is really powerful. It grounds you in the now.” Akilah encourages us to trust the wisdom that emerges from a pause, and Domari shares a story speaking to this experience.
Domari reminds us that pausewerk is deschooling work. It’s the little moments where we stop to notice ourselves in our environment. But in what ways might this be a privilege? In what ways might this be radically transformative? How can pausewerk shape the way that we treat ourselves and others in community?
Why we pause
We are pausing from colonial habituation. We are pausing from autopilot. We are pausing to give ourselves undivided attention and to identify our needs.
“Definitely deep emotions this week…because I see myself sitting at this intersection where my liberation work is always about being in relationship with, not free from.” - Jonie
Around this gem, Akilah reflects on how it might feel to gather yourself and be in relationship with that emotion, embrace it, and learn to be ok with it.
Domari recalls a moment when she navigated an opportunity to pause and pivot: “I did [it], and I didn’t die.” Jonie (our wonderful Listening Party regular) validated how threatening a pause can feel: “this all can feel like negotiations with our survival sometimes.” Transformation ain’t easy! But we’re embracing the practice with open questions.
Madd Question Askin’ …
What system, patterns, or habits do you want to stick to or pivot away from?Why pause? When to pause?Why do we choose what we choose? Why do we feel the way we feel about it?What might feel good to begin re-imagining?How might it feel to spend more time focused on yourself and your interests as opposed to what your children are not learning?What are you trusting right now?What brings you back to notice what is impacting you?What keeps you grounded?What makes you proud about your children?In case you missed any episode here you can revisit our P.A.U.S.E acronym:
Episode 244: There is Real Power in the Pause tho!
Episode 245: P for Pain Points: What’s hurting you? What’s hurting them?
Episode 246: Listening Party for “P. is for Pain Points”
Episode 247: A for Absent: What feels missing in your current relationships?
Episode 248: Listening Party Replay for ‘A. is for Absences’
Episode 249: U for Understa
Support the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
The second to last episode in season 8 is live, #fofcpod fam! This week’s inquiry is about the E (for Exploration) in our P.A.U.S.E. acronym. We’re also sharing some post-season offerings and spaces, so be sure to take notes on the things that perk your ears up! These spaces help us find community and connection and are tools to decolonize and revisit our relationships and practices while we navigate through this deschooling journey with our #pausewerk tools in hand and in heart.
Madd Question Askin’
Have you thought about pausing as a skill set, not just an action?Are any of your current beliefs stopping you from showing up how you want to show up?How often do you reach for tools of oppression such as silencing, physical punishment, and emotional manipulation?What do you trust? And why do you trust it?Spaces where inquiry and pausewerk are welcomed!
Live Virtual Training “Co-creating a Thriving Family Culture”: Dr. Sundiata teamed up with Maryella Marie and Tomis Parker, two other SDE-minded facilitators, to create a fantastic offering: The live virtual training, “Co-creating a Thriving Family Culture.” This will take place on June 11-12, 2022. “A weekend intensive training designed for individuals in relationships and families with children who want to be intentional about learning new skills and processes for making decisions and resolving conflicts peacefully and collaboratively.”My Reflection Matters Village: Decolonizing educationMy Reflection Matters co-learning for Liberation Membership (OPEN FOR REGISTRATION)Community and connection through local spots like Kid Cultivators, a space that Leslie Bray and Taiwan started and still help steward. You can hear more from Leslie on:Episode 18: Self-Care + Sacred SpaceEpisode 110: Leslie Talks Conscious Community CollectivesWe also have upcoming community workshops (late summer/early fall) on Reframing the idea of value. These workshops will focus on deschooling ideas about money and worthJoin us for the FINAL EPISODE OF THE SEASON!! It’s a live recording on May 30th. Here’s the link (this link will add it to your calendar)
LIBERATION WALK
Share your thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email Akilah and speak about what resources you found useful based on where you are riSupport the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
Peace #fofcpod fam! This week, Domari is in the buildin’ for our Listening Party Live Chat,and she and Akilah share some experiences and examples of zoning in on the letter S. in P.A.U.S.E. We also continue speaking about the differences between practice and process. As we question what Sorting and Shedding look like, our hosts share some examples where pause work might be effective. What can we notice or re-imagine in our relationships, language, and self-care?
DISCUSSION POINTS
Domari talks about her relationship with pleasure (the card that continues to speak to her from our Practice Deck) and how pausing opened up comfort and awareness to think about the practices she has been sorting and shedding with her children and herself. Domari names aspects of decoloniality at home and points out the importance of honoring boundaries and consent.
“I’ll be working on identifying the ways that my kids and I are disrupting on a daily basis, and being intentional about noticing these moments and P.A.U.S.E.ing in order to listen and lean in. I’ll also be spending more time intentionally designing pleasurable experiences for myself as a mom (with the kids), as a woman (with others), and as an individual (with myself).” - Domari
Our two hosts talk about the importance of honesty and trust work by acknowledging our needs and honoring others as well. Just because I don’t understand something, doesn’t mean it isn't right or important. It’s about building a partnership where everyone can feel safe enough to speak up and say “I don’t want to do this” or “I want to change the way we are doing this” without feeling someone is disappointing or hurting others. If we can pause we can connect with certain situations, not necessarily figure them out.
As they speak about the differences between practice and process, they name the importance of paying attention to what triggers us and practice a different response. Be more kind to yourself, forgive yourself, and understand that “we have the right to change our mind” as we are navigating through joy and pain.
Then our hosts continue chatting about the distractions or systems that don't allow us to follow our intuition. They reflect on how practice invites more of the intuition, more of the specific needs, delights, and quirks.
Live out the #pausewerk with My Reflection Matters co-learning for Liberation Membership. This is open through May 20, 2022, and is accepting 30 new members. The first 10 BIPOC members that get accepted get free access to our Fare of the Free Child course, “From Schoolish to Self-Directed.”
Don’t forget to join us next week, we will be talking about the E. in P.A.U.S.E. a continuation of today’s convo.
LIBERATION WALK
Share your thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or eSupport the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ -
This week in Episode 251, we droppin’ gems around the S. in P.A.U.S.E. S. is for Sorting and Shedding. Domari (put her links here as usual) starts us off with a nursery rhyme remix to remind us about the side effects of neglecting to slow it on down sometimes!
This week, Akilah offers us seven distinctions between process and practice. She reminds us about a convo with Tiersa McQueen Think about what feels present, the models of living and learning that you practice, and what you might need to pivot away from or at least, revisit.
Be sure to join us next week for our Listening Party where we will be sharing some musings and goodness in our Live Chat.
Discovery as part of designing
Akilah points out the importance of questioning and deschooling our beliefs. Besides people’s consent, boundaries, and shared meanings as ways to invite understanding and trust, resistance feels like a key element in the mix, allowing us see (through our discomfort) what we might need to shift.
“That pushback, that resistance—my children’s as well as my own—has been like a magnifying glass for all of us to examine (sometimes in painstaking motherf*kin’ detail) what might need shedding, what might need sorting and what might need shoring up.” - Ep 251
PROCESS and PRACTICE
Ongoing ritualWisdom-centeredAgile and variedDone for acceptance and integrationInner ecology-focused (it can include useful healthy external influence but it doesn’t rely on it)Centering and now-y (even when unpleasant)Does not always come as a result of a process
Practice is:Process is:
Repetitive actionSeeking-centered (I don’t have what I need and I need to go find it somewhere else)Rigid and particularDone for discovery of how to do a thing “right”Validation focused (often includes potentially toxic external influence)Extractive and should-y (even when easy)Can help inform a healthy practiceCheck Tiersa McQueen’s insights around Practice Vs Process in Episode 211: A Feel Trip Recap about Process vs Practice.
LIBERATION WALK
While you are here, share some thoughts by pressing that “Leave a Voice Message” button on the right side or email Akilah and speak about what might need sorting or shedding for you at [email protected] us some feedback about this episode, reflect inside FOFC Village, or directly in our Make It Happen Family on PatreonSubscribe to Akilah’s Youtube ChannelSupport the show
Dig this show? Join our make-it-happen family at patreon.com/akilah to make sure we can keep this thang going strong. Thank you!
The Raising Free People Practice Card Deck
https://schoolishness.com/market/rfp-a-practice-deck/
Peek at the details of Personal Manifesto Path (will be available exclusively through our make-it-happen family on Patreon)
https://www.rfpunschool.com/p/manifesto
Our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@fareofthefreechild
The Village:
https://my-reflection-matters.mn.co/ - Show more
