Archive for the ‘Podcasts’ Category

Spark Children’s Creativity through Writing

Brave Writer

What if the real magic of learning isn’t found in a curriculum, but in the relationship between a child, a parent, and an idea?

In this episode of the Outspoken podcast, Julie Bogart, CEO and Founder of Brave Writer, talks about why protecting a child’s authentic writing voice matters more than teaching to evaluation. Julie:

  • provides suggestions for how parents can act as coaches who nurture insight rather than enforce correctness.
  • discusses AI and its impact on kids’ ability to think and struggle productively.
  • and explores how homeschooling has evolved and why relational learning outperforms traditional schooling. 

Tune in to hear how Julie is reshaping the future of writing and home education!

Here’s a clip from the episode:

Resources

Connect with Julie

Help! My Kid Hates Writing

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[Podcast #321] No Paper Trail? No Problem!

Brave Writer Podcast

If your homeschool doesn’t produce stacks of worksheets, does that mean learning isn’t happening?

In this Brave Writer podcast episode, 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 traditional record-keeping can miss the point. We also share practical, low-pressure ways to document growth without turning your home into a classroom clone.

If you’ve ever worried that your homeschool doesn’t “look like enough,” this conversation offers reassurance, clarity, and permission to trust what you see unfolding every day. Join us and rethink what counts as real evidence of learning.

Show Notes

One of the hardest adjustments for homeschooling parents, especially those coming from traditional school environments, is letting go of visible proof. We’re conditioned to believe that learning must produce paper: worksheets, essays, tests, portfolios stuffed with graded work. When those things disappear, anxiety creeps in. Are we doing enough? Is this real learning?

The truth is that much of the most meaningful learning doesn’t announce itself with tidy artifacts. It shows up later, unexpectedly, in conversation, curiosity, and connection.

Why Paper Feels Reassuring

School trained us to equate effort with output. Thirty desks, thirty papers, one teacher checking compliance. That system depends on physical evidence. At home, learning happens differently. Children sprawl on couches, talk through ideas, act things out, read deeply, and connect dots silently. That can feel unsettling if you’re waiting for proof.

But learning isn’t linear, and it isn’t always visible in the moment. Skills like punctuation, sentence fluency, or narrative structure don’t emerge because a child followed steps in the right order. They emerge through repetition, exposure, and internalization. One day, a period simply appears at the end of a sentence because it feels right.

Catching Learning in the Wild

Instead of assigning work in order to generate records, we can become observers. When a child explains something they’ve learned, narrates a story, makes an unexpected comparison, or uses new vocabulary, that’s learning surfacing. Write it down. Record it. Take a picture. Save a note on your phone.

These moments are often more revealing than any worksheet. They show synthesis, understanding, and ownership.

Expanding What Counts as a Record

Documentation doesn’t have to live in a binder. Photos of projects, ticket stubs from museums, lists of books read, sketches, voice memos, timelines, family notebooks, and weekly reflections all tell the story of a rich education. Free writing, done occasionally, gives children a chance to consolidate what stuck without draining joy from the process.

Many families find it helpful to track what they did  in the course of a day or week, rather than focusing on what they planned to do. Looking back over weeks and months often reveals far more progress than memory alone can hold.

Shifting the Focus

When we focus only on what’s missing, we miss growth. A page of writing with three spelling errors still contains dozens of correct words, strong verbs, and clear ideas. Training ourselves to see what’s working builds confidence, both in our children and in ourselves.

Homeschooling isn’t about recreating school at home. It’s about creating a learning life that fits your family. When you trust that process, the evidence is there, even if it doesn’t fit neatly into a folder.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA

Brave Writer Podcast

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[Podcast] 2026: The Complete List

Brave Writer Podcast 2026 Complete List

Did you miss a 2026 episode of the Brave Writer Podcast? Did you want to listen to an episode again?

We got you!

Here are all the episodes of the podcast aired in 2026 in one convenient place so that you can listen (or re-listen) to them whenever you want.

Show Notes are included!

And bookmark this page! Episodes will be added as they become available.

2026 Podcasts

Tune in to the Brave Writer podcast on Apple Podcasts (or your app of choice)
and also here on the Brave Writer blog.

Brave Writer Podcast

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[Podcast #320] An Important Message from Julie about Brave Writer

Brave Writer Podcast

What happens when you realize the mission can grow even as your energy changes?

This week on the podcast, 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 mentoring new leadership.

Along the way, we revisit a long-held Florence dream (Santa Croce + A Room with a View), talk about training replacements, and offer a “January gift” idea: online writing classes kids experience as a treat.

Come listen—then join us at bravewriter.com/online-classes.

Show Notes

There’s a moment many parents and creators eventually face when the work still matters deeply, but the way it’s been carried no longer fits. Today’s episode centers on one of those moments for Brave Writer. Brave Writer is in the midst of a leadership transition, one that allows the work to continue with strength and clarity while honoring a new season for the founder and for the company as a whole.

Brave Writer is not closing. It isn’t being sold or dismantled. Instead, day-to-day operations are moving into the capable hands of longtime team members, Dawn Smith (as President) and Kirsten Merryman (as VP of Operations). They are well trained in the pedagogy, culture, and mission of Brave Writer from the inside and they are fierce protectors of the legacy of our work. This shift protects what families have trusted for years while opening space for new energy and vision at the operational level.

Why This Change Makes Sense

In homeschooling, we’re familiar with seasons. Early years require constant involvement. Later years invite us to step back, moving from hands-on instruction to mentoring and encouragement. The goal is always growth, not control. The same pattern appears in meaningful work. When a company like Brave Writer has been carefully built by the founder, there comes a time when the creator of the company is ready to ask who is equipped to carry the movement forward.

This transition in leadership didn’t arise from dissatisfaction or decline. It came through honest reflection paired with the realization that Julie’s original vision for Brave Writer has been fulfilled and even surpassed. Brave Writer remains intact. What’s changing is how that mission is stewarded day to day.

Training Replacements Is Part of the Mission

One of the most overlooked forms of leadership is training others to do your job well. Brave Writer has always operated on this principle. Teachers, editors, writers, course designers, and administrative leaders have been trained over years, not dropped into roles overnight. That kind of preparation makes a transition like this possible without disruption.

Families already understand this concept. We teach writing as a process so children don’t depend on constant correction. Drafting, revising, and reflecting are skills meant to be internalized. When people are trained deeply, the work becomes bigger than any one person.

Process Thinking and Healthy Culture

A strong culture makes change feel like evolution rather than loss. Brave Writer’s culture has always emphasized process over perfection. In writing, revision isn’t a failure. It’s how clarity emerges. That same mindset allows an organization to adjust without panic or defensiveness.

Because the values have been practiced consistently, new leadership doesn’t mean a new identity. It means the same pedagogy, the same respect for children, and the same trust in process, now carried by a broader team.

What This Means for You

For listeners and families, this transition means continuity. Classes, resources, and support remain rooted in the approach you know and love. It also means longevity. Brave Writer is positioned to grow without losing its soul.

It also offers a model worth considering in our own lives. Parenting, teaching, and creative work all ask us to notice when a season is shifting. Stepping into a mentoring role, making room for others, and caring for ourselves are not acts of retreat. They are acts of wisdom.

This moment at Brave Writer isn’t an ending. It’s a revision. And like all good revisions, it keeps what matters most while making space for what comes next.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA

Brave Writer Podcast

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[Podcast #319] How to Grow Writing Skills as an Adult

Brave Writer Podcast

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 Brave Writer podcast 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 memories as prompts,
  • and reading as the best antidote to writer’s block.

We also share favorite craft books, quirky revision tricks, and how community can transform your confidence.

Join us as we map out five concrete steps to start (or restart) your writing practice this year.

Show Notes

The turn of the year has a way of stirring up creative longings. Somewhere between decluttering closets and planning next semester’s homeschool, many of us quietly add another resolution to the list: write more. Not just recordkeeping or lesson planning, but genuine, soul-stirring writing of our own.

We’ve met so many parents who want that. They’re helping kids draft essays and stories, while their own ideas sit in the back of a closet like an unfinished quilt. The good news? You don’t need a cabin in the woods or a six-week retreat to grow as a writer. You need a few simple practices, done consistently, with kindness.

Reading as Fuel, Not a Distraction

The first place we turn, always, is reading. When we immerse ourselves in a genre—a memoir, a mystery, a lively essay collection—we’re not just being entertained. We’re tuning our ears to the rhythms of that kind of writing. It’s normal to sound a bit like the authors we’re reading, especially at the beginning. Their cadences become training wheels as we wobble into our own voice.

Rather than fearing “copying,” we can think of reading the way we approach recipes. We start with someone else’s version, learn what works, and gradually add our own seasonings. Over time, the dish tastes unmistakably like us.

A Tiny, Sacred Window

The second piece is time—but not as much as you might think. We love the idea of a 10-minute daily window. Choose a moment that’s reasonably protected—right after your morning tea, during a child’s quiet time, or in the car before you walk into a practice.

For those ten minutes, the only rule is: write or do nothing. You can stare at the wall or write, “I don’t know what to write, I’m stuck,” fifty times. You just can’t scroll or fold laundry. Strangely, the mind doesn’t tolerate “nothing” for long; eventually, words begin to spill.

Prompts from Ordinary Life

When the page feels extra blank, prompts help. A poem can offer a doorway: copy a phrase that tugs at you and write from it. A memory can, too—school lunches, cars you rode in as a child, the first house you lived in as a couple. Make a quick list, pick one, and jot everything you remember, focusing on concrete details: the smell of the cafeteria fish fillet, the sting of cold metal on your hands, the way someone’s cigarette dangled over a mixing bowl.

This is what some writers call “carnal writing”—language that lands in the body. You don’t need a plot. You just need presence.

Let Your Ears Be the Editor

When you’re ready to revisit what you’ve written, read it aloud. Not to judge yourself, but to listen. Where do you get bored? Where do you stumble? Those spots are invitations to trim, rearrange, or choose a punchier word.

We like to keep a “magpie notebook” of favorite phrases and word pairings we spot in other people’s writing. When our own sentences feel tired, flipping through that little hoard of language often nudges us toward fresher choices.

Write Together

Finally, remember that writing doesn’t have to be solitary. Pair up with a friend, join an online circle, or host a simple freewriting group with tea and a timer. Share what you’re comfortable sharing. Celebrate each small attempt.

Our kids deserve to see us as learners too—as people who pick up a pen, fumble, laugh, and keep going. In tending our own writing lives, we’re not only nurturing ourselves; we’re modeling the very bravery we hope to see in them.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA

Brave Writer Podcast

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