Best Blake Boles Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode #53: Blake Boles - Unschool Adventures 57:52

10d ago57:52

57:52

Blake Boles is one of the leading voices in the world of unschooling and a passionate advocate for alternative approaches to education of all kinds. He is the founder and director of Unschool Adventures, a travel program for self-directed learners, and is the author of Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?, The Art of Self-Directed Learnin…

1
Episode #52: Christine Deck - Deck Family Farm, Willamette Valley, Oregon 45:00

17d ago45:00

45:00

This week on the Microcollege podcast we explore the deeply important and little discussed question of who the farmers of the future will be and how they will be educated. Our guest is Christine Deck, co-owner of the Deck Family Farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Together with her husband John and their 5 kids, Christine runs a diversified organic…

1
Episode #51: Philip Francis - Seguinland Institute, The Good Life Gap Year, Maine 1:10:31

24d ago1:10:31

1:10:31

Philip Francis is the Director and Co-Founder of the Seguinland Institute, an innovative gap year program provider located in beautiful Georgetown, Maine. Philip is a native son of the region, where his parents settled to become homesteaders under the influence of Scott and Helen Nearing, authors of the early 20th century back-to-the-land classic L…

1
Episode #50: Lene Rachel Andersen - The Nordic Secret for Cultivating Beauty, Freedom, Democracy, and Prosperity 1:12:49

4M ago1:12:49

1:12:49

For the 50th Episode of the Microcollege Podcast, we checked back in with one of our favorite guests from the first few months of the show. Lene Rachel Andersen is one of the stimulating and ambitious thinkers we have met during this remarkable journey. A native of Denmark, Lene is an economist, futurist, Bildung activist, and author of many books …

1
Episode #49: Jill Nephew - Inquiry, Education, Artificial Vs. Natural Intelligence 1:12:57

5M ago1:12:57

1:12:57

Jill Nephew, technologist and founder of Inqwire, joins the podcast for a thorough discussion on different forms of intelligence, questions of meta-crisis in the modern world, and solutions. Inqwire: https://www.inqwire.io/ Some books mentioned in this episode: The Art of Memory by Frances Yates The Book of Why by Judea Pearl Western Estoericism: A…

1
Episode #48: Liz Rog, Amy Arnold - Community Singing 56:31

6M ago56:31

56:31

Liz Rog believes in singing together as an ancient technology for belonging, a simple and powerful tool for restoring our connection in community. She sings with all ages, teaching simple songs that can be woven into the seasons of the year and the changes and challenges of our lives in play, at bedsides, at rallies and in rituals. Liz delights in …

1
Episode #47: Philippe Mesly, Julia Henderson - Great Lakes Institute, Canada 1:05:23

6M ago1:05:23

1:05:23

Philippe Mesly is a writer and translator whose work examines intersections of political economy, religion, and environmental issues. He is also a trained horticulturalist and craftsperson. Julia Henderson is a writer whose work examines the intersections of religion and philosophy, with particular emphasis on Christian mysticism. She currently liv…

1
Episode #46: Chris Barlow - High Mountain Institute, Leadville, Colorado 54:27

6M ago54:27

54:27

Chris Barlow joins the podcast to talk about the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colorado and wax poetic on the importance of gap year experiences and alternative educational opportunities for young people in our time. Chris hails from Tennessee and has held myriad roles at HMI dating back to 2005 when he worked as a Spanish apprentice and En…

1
Episode #45: Keri McWilliams - Gap Year Association 59:37

7M ago59:37

59:37

Keri McWilliams joins the podcast for Gap Year Exploration Month, October 2023, to talk about the breadth and variety of Gap Year experiences a young person can find! Keri McWilliams joined the Gap Year Association as the organization’s Executive Director in January 2022. Born and raised in Montana, Keri currently resides in Missoula, MT where she …

1
Episode #44: Dev Carey - High Desert Center, Paonia, Colorado 1:02:37

7M ago1:02:37

1:02:37

The High Desert Center runs gap year programs for adventurous spirits from their home base in Paonia, Colorado, and extending out into Mexico, India, and other environs around the world. High Desert students learn to grow and prepare their own food, explore mindfulness practices practical folk arts, crafts and skills, all while living communally an…

1
Episode #43: Ben Samuels, Max Feigelson - Deep Springs College Student Reflections, League of Nunnian Schools 55:36

7M ago55:36

55:36

Ben Samuels & Max Feigelson are current Deep Springs College students who have joined the podcast this week to discuss their experiences at the infamous Deep Springs College cattle ranch campus for cowboy philosophers and future world leaders. Both Ben & Sam attended Bard High School in New York City. In the podcast, they remark on the drastic diff…

1
Episode #42: Jennifer Jensen, Gordon Jones - Mt. Liberty College, Murray, Utah, Liberty Through Virtue 58:05

7M ago58:05

58:05

Gordon S. Jones, NAS, Provost, Trustee, and Professor. M.Phil, Political Science, George Washington University; MA, Education, Stanford University; BA, U.S. History, Columbia University; adjunct faculty at Utah Valley University and Salt Lake Community College; co-founder of United Families of America (now United Families International). Served as …

1
Episode #41: Dawn Breeze - PlaceCorps and the Kingston Fellowship, Kingston, NY 48:51

8M ago48:51

48:51

Dawn Breeze is a creativity advocate, change agent, and internationally awarded artist, living and working in Germantown, NY. She consults on creativity and leadership with global organizations and progressive institutions, as well as with individual entrepreneurs and leaders. Breeze is committed to building community through creativity.Her social …

1
Episode #40: Dr. Jenny Finn - Sourced Design at Springhouse Community School, Floyd, Virginia 53:49

8M ago53:49

53:49

Jenny Finn has designed structures that foster vitality in people, communities, and organizations for nearly 30 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Sustainability Education and is a co-founder of Springhouse Community School in Pilot, Virginia. Jenny's research, mentoring, and teaching invites people to strengthen the relationship they have with themselves…

1
Episode #39: Dr. Evan Edwards - Food, Philosophy, and Myth 1:09:04

8M ago1:09:04

1:09:04

Evan Edwards pioneered the Thoreau College Residency from August-December 2020, when he served as the “Captain of Nourishment” – drawing on deep experience as a professional chef to plan, cook, and serve meals for Thoreau College Semester Program students and staff, while also processing produce from Thoreau College gardens and helping students pla…

1
Episode #38: Ethan Kobayashi-Hsieh - Theater Arts & Wisdom Cultivation 1:14:23

8M ago1:14:23

1:14:23

Ethan Kobayashi-Hsieh is a practice researcher, theatre practitioner and transformational facilitator working in the intersection between actor training and 4E cognitive science. He is the co-founder of The Integrative Approach and Methodology of Active Transformation (TIAMAT), as well as the Artistic Director of 5tomidnight, an arts organization s…

1
Episode #37: Ahmed Yehia, Muhammad Bassyouny - Bedouin Immersion at Nour Holistic Education, St. Catherine, Egypt 1:12:37

9M ago1:12:37

1:12:37

Muhammad Bassyouny and Ahmed Yehia are two of the founders (along with Alaa Ahmed) of Nour Holistic Education, which immerses students in the tradition, nature, and the ancient lifeways and wisdom of the Bedouin people living in the sacred region around St Catherine's monastery, on the slopes of Mt Sinai in Egypt. Drawing upon influences as diverse…

1
Episode #36: Ana Keilson, Justin Reynolds - Gull Island Institute, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts 1:04:53

9M ago1:04:53

1:04:53

Ana and Justin from Gull Island Institute talk the importance of place-making in the landscape of higher education, including at their new initiative Gull Island Institute located in the Vineyard Sound, off the coast of Massachusetts. Raised in Maine, Ana Isabel Keilson has taught previously at the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies at Harvard …

1
Episode #35: Brandon Ipiña, Maurielle McGarvey - Thoreau College Alumni Reflections 1:02:36

9M ago1:02:36

1:02:36

Brandon and Maurielle reflect on their experiences at Thoreau College versus other more traditional institutions of higher education. Brandon also compares his experiences at Deep Springs College. Maurielle McGarvey is a theater artist and filmmaker from Houston, Texas. She is passionate about facilitating site specific creative opportunities for l…

1
Episode #34: Pavel Cenkl - Dartington Trust and Schumacher College in Devon, UK 50:20

11M ago50:20

50:20

Pavel Cenkl is the Director of Learning and Land, and Head of Schumacher College in Totnes, United Kingdom and previously served as the Dean of Sterling College Vermont. Pavel has worked for more than two decades in higher education in America and has always been drawn to colleges and universities whose curriculum fully integrates learning with pra…

1
Episode #33: Dawn Murphy on Folk Education in North America 57:53

12M ago57:53

57:53

Dawn is a fellow with Fielding Graduate University's Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership and Education and is currently in the final stages of her Ph.D. journey. Dawn's area of focus combines her work as the facilitator of the Folk School Alliance and her study of transformational learning for social justice.The Folk School Alliance bega…

1
Episode #32: Linda Conroy - Education for Herbalists 59:07

1y ago59:07

59:07

Linda Conroy is a bioregional herbalist, herbal and traditional food educator and a community organizer. She dedicates her life to connecting with the green world as well as sharing the wisdom of the earth. Her primary mentors are the plants who never cease to instill a sense of awe in her daily life. Linda has a certificate in permaculture design,…

1
Episode #31: Zak Stein - Education In a Time Between Worlds 57:08

1y ago57:08

57:08

Zak Stein studied philosophy and religion at Hampshire College, and then educational neuroscience, human development, and the philosophy of education at Harvard University. While a student at Harvard, he co-founded what would become Lectica, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to the research-based, justice-oriented reform of large-scale standardized test…

1
Episode #30: Miles Iton - Lo-Fi Language Learning Microcollege 48:14

1y ago48:14

48:14

Miles Iton tells the story of the founding of the Lo-Fi Language Learning microcollege and the influences that shaped him and the program's pedagogy. The mission of the Lo-Fi Language Learning microcollege is "to modernize men's educational experiences and career prospects in the Humanities by designing a liberal arts experience around a pedagogy b…

1
Episode #29: Rick Thomas - Sterling College, Wendell Berry Farming Program 58:26

1y ago58:26

58:26

Rickey Glen Thomas "RT" preaches the gospel of draft animal power and agrarian education, describing a pedagogy borne from the musings of Wendell Berry. Rick Thomas is a horseman, farmer, author and educator who heads the Sterling College Wendell Berry Farming Program, located in Henry County, Kentucky. Sterling College: https://www.sterlingcollege…

1
Episode #28: Kotaro Aoki - Expanded Liberal Arts At Kotowari School, Aizu, Japan 1:04:23

1y ago1:04:23

1:04:23

Kotaro Aoki describes his journey to merge the western liberal arts tradition with eastern contemplative and philosophical practices at his school Kotowari in Aizu Prefecture, Japan. 般社団法人 'KOTOWARI' "that which remains unchanging underneath the surface of change" Kotaro Aoki is the founder and director of KOTOWARI, an educational organization base…

1
Episode #27: Mike Haasl - SKIP: Skills to Inherit Property 55:56

1y ago55:56

55:56

Mike Haasl of Rhinelander, WI joins Jacob for a discussion on the importance of responsible land stewardship, and the development of skills and capacities that might help a person acquire land without breaking the bank. Mike Haasl is a homesteader, engineer, and author living in northern Wisconsin. He studied and partied at the University of Wiscon…

1
Episode #26: Reinoud Meijer, Noam Hitsch - The International Youth Initiative Program 55:39

1y ago55:39

55:39

Reinoud Meijer and Noam Hitsch join us from Sweden to talk about the International Youth Initiative Program, with special attention to the meaning and practice of the word "initiative". Reinoud Meijer (Born 1975 in Amersfoort, the Netherlands) has been involved with youth and education for many years. He organized, facilitated, initiated and founde…

1
Episode #25: Eddy Nix, Rose Bruce on Reading Shakespeare for 148 Hours Straight 54:36

1+ y ago54:36

54:36

Eddy and Rose riff on the true identity of William Shakespeare. Eddy Nix is a Viroqua resident and proprietor of Driftless Books and Music, possibly Wisconsin's largest used bookstore, located in a 100-year old tobacco warehouse. He is a Shakespeare aficionado who has also worked as a teacher and theater director, and is currently the lead publishe…

1
Episode #24: Chris Knapp - The Maine Local Living School 1:02:09

1+ y ago1:02:09

1:02:09

Chris Knapp is a father, homesteader, environmental educator and founder of Maine Local Living School. He is passionate about sharing pathways into relationship with the human and more-than-human communities through hand craft, homesteading arts and deep listening. Chris is endlessly fascinated by the exploration of why the world is as it is and th…

1
Episode #23: Laura Marcus - The Glacier Bay Year at Tidelines Institute, Gustavus, Alaska 1:01:38

1+ y ago1:01:38

1:01:38

Laura Marcus weaves together a beautiful web of her educational and professional experiences, from her public school upbringing in Indianapolis, employment at Deep Springs College, to the founding of her own educational initiatives as an adult. Laura is committed to a vision of education that integrates the active life with the life of the mind. As…

1
Episode #22: Vilhelm Skoglund - Effective Altruism and the Future Academy 1:04:14

1+ y ago1:04:14

1:04:14

Vilhelm Skoglund is the secretary-general of Effective Altruism Sweden. In October 2022, Vilhelm and Effective Altruism Sweden launched Future Academy, a five month long free program aimed to equip university students and young professionals from around the world with the thinking, skills, and resources they will need to pursue ambitious and impact…

1
Episode #21: Dr. Ilana Redstone - Thinking Beyond Bigots and Snowflakes, The Mill Institute at UATX 59:16

1+ y ago59:16

59:16

Ilana Redstone outlines her work and approach towards tackling polarization on college campuses and beyond. Ilana Redstone is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Founding Faculty Fellow at UATX, and the Faculty Director of The Mill Center at UATX. She is the co-author of “Unassailable Ideas: How …

1
Episode #20: Marcus Ford - Flagstaff College 47:22

1+ y ago47:22

47:22

Marcus Ford breaks down what makes a microcollege different from a small-liberal arts college, and talks about Flagstaff College, a microcollege initiative in Flagstaff, Arizona. Marcus Ford, Ph.D. is the co-founder of Flagstaff College and a retired professor from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. He is the author of several books…

1
Episode #19: Dave Puig, Justys Grenier - Outward Bound and Expeditionary Learning 1:00:02

1+ y ago1:00:02

1:00:02

Dave, Justys, and Jacob trade tales of transformational wilderness experiences, and discuss the origins and importance of expeditionary learning as a field. Dave Puig has been a wilderness instructor for fourteen years, leading expeditions in the desert, the Arctic, the wondrous Northwoods, and into the minds of authors, social critics, and high sc…

1
Episode #18: Eric Anglada, Brenna Cussen Anglada - The Catholic Worker Movement, Nuns and Nones 51:56

1+ y ago51:56

51:56

Eric and Brenna Anglada describe the origins of the Catholic Worker Movement and the more recent organization Nuns and Nones. Brenna Cussen Anglada is a founding member of the St. Isidore CW Farm in southwest Wisconsin, home of the Ho Chunk, Meskwaki, Sauk, and many other nations. She serves as the Religious Communities Liaison for the N&N Land Jus…

1
Episode #17: Lene Rachel Andersen - The Nordic Secret and Global Bildung 1:02:53

1+ y ago1:02:53

1:02:53

Lene Rachel Andersen expresses the importance of Bildung philosophy, describing its origins in 18th-century Denmark and impact on Scandinavian societies through to the present day. Lene Rachel Andersen is a Danish author, economist, futurist, and philosopher, President of Nordic Bildung, and co-founder of Global Bildung Network. https://www.nordics…

1
Episode #16: Frank Eccher, Emily Drukman - Outer Coast College, Sitka, Alaska 56:48

1+ y ago56:48

56:48

Jacob is joined by Frank and Emily of Outer Coast College to talk their story in Sitka, microcolleges, place-based education, and more. Frank Eccher is the College Launch Lead at Outer Coast in Sitka, AK, where he is charting a course to accreditation for the launch of Outer Coast College in fall 2024. Originally from a small town in Colorado, he h…

1
Episode #15: John Vervaeke on the Meaning Crisis and Cultivating an Ecology of Practices 58:01

1+ y ago58:01

58:01

John Vervaeke and Jacob discuss the importance of thinking, dialogue, and meaning, and explore ways to overcome the barriers we face today in understanding these facets of our humanity in the context of education for young adults and beyond. John Vervaeke, PhD, is an award-winning lecturer at the University of Toronto in the departments of psycholo…

1
Announcements! 1:54

1+ y ago1:54

1:54

Thoreau College is now accepting applications for our Spring 2023 Semester Program, a full time, in-person program incorporating intellectual work, manual labor, fine arts and folk skills, wilderness expeditions, and community self-governance. This is a perfect program for young adults who are mature, tenacious, curious, collaborative, open, ideali…

1
Episode #14: Jonas Søvik - Bildung and the Danish Folk High School Experience 1:00:37

1+ y ago1:00:37

1:00:37

Jonas Søvik joins the podcast and shares his experience as a student at a Danish folk high school, and the impact he think the folk high school model and the Bildung tradition can have around the world. Jonas Søvik is a 23-year old Danish university student currently studying psychology. Prior to entering university, he spent a year at the Vrå Folk…

1
Episode #13: Willie E. Jones III on Shakespeare, The Classics, and Theatre Education 56:11

1+ y ago56:11

56:11

Willie Jones joins the podcast for an earnest discussion on the importance of the classics in the theatre, in education, and in the pursuit of truth and knowledge. Willie E. Jones III is an actor, director, producer, and playwright who is the founding Actor/Manager of the Jones Classical Theater Company in Chicago, Illinois. He is the Artistic Dire…

1
Episode #12: Bridget O'Brien, Dr. Charlie Brennan - Permaculture, Praxis, and Play 59:18

1+ y ago59:18

59:18

Jacob speaks with Bridget O'Brien and Dr. Charlie Brennan of the Garden Juju Collective, as they take us on a foray into the world and practice of Permaculture: in agriculture, education, and life. Bridget O'Brien is the director of Resilient Spirals LLC and co-founder of the Garden Juju Collective. Bridget’s studies and work focuses on the design …

1
Episode #11: David W. Orr - Ecological Literacy in Higher Education 55:23

1+ y ago55:23

55:23

This week on Microcollege, David Orr pleads the importance of a higher education that keeps the Earth in mind. David W. Orr is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus at Oberlin College, and presently Professor of Practice at Arizona State University. Orr is one of the original advocates of microcollege…

1
Episode #10: Steve Lawless on Service Learning and Adventure Education 54:39

1+ y ago54:39

54:39

Steve and Jacob strike a rich vein of conversation in the topic of service learning, from its origins to its applications in the world of higher education today. Steve Lawless has an M.A. in Education, and has taught in many settings including as a traditional writing and literature teacher on Native American reservations, farm schools, alternative…

1
Blake Boles on Adventure 1:11:36

1+ y ago1:11:36

1:11:36

Guest host Zen Zenith returns to interview Blake about his obsession with adventure. What exactly makes an adventure? How is adventure connected to self-directed learning? Is adventure just for privileged people? Why can’t Blake just settle down and lead a normal life? How do Unschool Adventures trips create a sense of adventure for both teens and …

1
Episode #9: Nathaniel Williams, Stefan Ambrose - The MC Richards Program at Free Columbia 1:04:27

1+ y ago1:04:27

1:04:27

Tune in this week for a discussion between Nathaniel Williams and Stefan Ambrose of the Free Columbia initiative in upstate New York as they describe the origins of the program and its pedagogy. Nathaniel Williams is the co-founder of Free Columbia with Laura Summer. He studied visual art and marionette theater in Basel, Switzerland, graduating wit…

1
Episode #8: Austin Smith - Leaving Stanford, Coming Home 1:04:10

1+ y ago1:04:10

1:04:10

The poet Austin Robert Smith joins Microcollege for an examination of the current state of higher education and the role of poetry in a liberal arts education and otherwise. Austin Smith is a poet and formerly a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University. He grew up on a family dairy farm in northwestern Illinois before receiving a BA from the Universit…

1
Episode #7: Julie Tomaro, Nicholas WazeeGale - Folk Schools, Skills, and Knowledge 57:19

1+ y ago57:19

57:19

Julie Tomaro and Nicholas WazeeGale are both instructors at the Driftless Folk School in rural southwestern Wisconsin. Their dialogue this week revolves around the Folk School tradition in America, some of their life experiences leading to their involvement in one, and the important role a Folk school can play in helping to build personal and cultu…

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Blake Boles Podcasts

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