[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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Homeschooling for the first time?

Brave Writer

Take a deep breath. You don’t have to figure it all out at once—and you don’t have to do it alone!

Brave Writer has you covered in three simple steps:

Step 1: Watch the replay of Dawn’s Mid-Year Kick-Off Workshop (click the link then scroll down) for:

  • practical tips,
  • reassurance,
  • and real-life ideas you can use right away.

Step 2: If you’re feeling ready, go forth and homeschool! Trust that learning doesn’t have to look perfect to be meaningful. For more support, download our Six Week On-Ramp to Homeschooling!

Step 3 (optional): Buy yourself some breathing room by enrolling in an online writing class. Our short, flexible, coach-supported classes give you extra time to plan—while your kids stay engaged. Browse our full lineup and choose something that sparks their interest (or yours!).

We’d love the chance to support your family as you begin this brand-new homeschooling adventure!

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How to Raise AI-Proof Kids

Brave Writer AI-Proof Kids

Whether AI excites you or makes you uneasy, one thing remains true:

When kids believe their words have value, they’re far less likely to outsource them to a machine.

To build that belief at home:

  1. Lower the barrier to getting words on the page. When writing feels doable, kids stay connected to their own thinking.
  2. Validate your young writer. Let them see the effect their words have on a real human—you.
  3. Offer topics that matter to them. The right invitation sparks urgency, ownership, and voice.

Want to see these practices in action?

Watch Dawn’s webinar “How to Raise AI-proof Kids.”

Brave Writer AI-Proof Kids

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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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Brave Writer’s New Season!

Brave Writer

This past September, I took time away from home to be with my aunt and her family in Italy. I ate pasta with them, I read lots of books, I took long walks on the beach, I went to an opera, and I wrote and I wrote and I wrote.

A realization dawned: I felt ready to change my role in Brave Writer. I didn’t want to sell the company or close it. I wanted Brave Writer to continue. 

As I walked around Florence, alone, it hit me: I have a brilliant team. What if I asked them to take over casting the vision and running Brave Writer? Would they want to be promoted to roles with more responsibility and power? It felt like a thunder clap of clarity.

Dawn Smith
Dawn Smith

I invited Dawn Smith (our Director of Publishing) to take over as President of Brave Writer.

She has impressed me as someone who embodies the spirit of our Brave Writer mission while also demonstrating her capacity for strategic leadership. She enthusiastically agreed to the new position and showed me an entire notebook of ideas for Brave Writer she’s been collecting all year. Confirmation!

Kirsten Merryman
Kirsten Merryman

I then turned to the talented Kirsten Merryman (our Director of Online Classes) to serve as Dawn’s Vice President of Operations. Kirsten has faithfully managed our online class staff and has developed Brave Writer courses to be on the cutting edge in the homeschool space. She, too, accepted my offer.

They make quite the dynamic duo! Imagine my relief and optimism!  

I can’t wait to see how Dawn and Kirsten lead us into the next chapter of Brave Writer!

About me…

Certainly, I’m still here as CEO, Mentor, and Founder. However, I’m moving out of managing the day-to-day operations of the company.

In fact, I realized while I was alone reading and writing that I want to WRITE again—as art (imagine that!). This change will allow me to do that.

I will still be involved in Brave Writer through webinars, trainings, social media, Substack, speaking engagements, and the podcast (these are pleasures to me).

  • My Instagram account will change names from @juliebogartwriter to @juliebogartwriter (replacing “brave” with “bogart”) so that I can post about my work as a writer, as well as homeschooling.
  • The new official hub of Brave Writer on Instagram is @bravewriterofficial (I encourage you to follow).

Thank you for believing in our mission, sharing it with friends, and teaching your children to be thoughtful, expressive learners who make the world a better place.

Please support Dawn with the same energy you’ve given to me. I appreciate it!

Here’s to the next wonderful phase of Brave Writer!

Julie

If you are interested in a longer version of the story, tune into this podcast episode!

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