Best Heidi Oliver Podcasts (2024)

1
EP#15: Victoria Burnham: Being Led by the Spirit to Follow Christ 44:56

9d ago44:56

44:56

In this episode of the Connecting Goodness podcast, Heidi talks with her Boston bestie, Victoria Burnham! Victoria shares her truly unique story that has taken her to Armenia, England, India, and across the Unites States. Victoria shares how God has guided her to move to these myriads of places and how the more she has done what God asks, the more …

1
EP#14: Boanerges Alcántara y Awilda Karina Pineda Acosta: Conociendo a Cristo en la República Dominicana, Barahona 42:23

20d ago42:23

42:23

Boanerges Alcántara (Yúnior) y Awilda Karina Pineda Acosta (Karina) son una familia muy especial de la provincia de Barahona en la República Dominicana. En este episodio comparten sus historias conociendo a Jesucristo. Hablan de su experiencia perdiendo un bebe y como su creencia en Jesucristo y su enseñanza de las familias eternas les ha fortaleci…

1
#65 Helping our children follow their joy, with Melissa Miles McCarter in Missouri, US 44:49

25d ago44:49

44:49

Today, my guest is Melissa Miles McCarter, who lives in Missouri with her husband and her 8-year-old daughter Willakate. Melissa worked as a college professor and chose not to put her daughter in school, realising that it wasn’t a system she would thrive in. She talks about what her own deschooling looked like and how she partners with her daughter…

1
EP#13 Jake Edwards, Jon Van Tassell, and Katie Robison: Serving with Christ in the Dominican Republic 49:38

1M ago49:38

49:38

Join Jake Edwards, Jon Van Tassell, Katie Robison, and Heidi as they remember their experiences serving as missionaries in the Dominican Republic (DR) for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They talk about adjusting to life in the DR-including showering with cockroaches, learning Dominican slang, and constant blackouts! Jake talks abo…

1
#64 Living, learning and healing, with Linsey, in the East Midlands, UK 49:22

1M ago49:22

49:22

My guest today is Linsey, who lives in the UK with her partner and three children who are 10, 6 and 1 and a half. Her family’s journey to unschooling started when they decided to take their eldest son out of school after two years extremely difficult years. Linsey soon realised that a schooled approach wouldn’t work at home either, so began to lean…

1
EP#12 Rachel Chesney: Jesus Christ Is Our Advocate 49:03

2M ago49:03

49:03

In this episode, Rachel Chesney shares the incredibly personal story of her father leaving her family after 32 years of marriage and how she was able to see him as God does once she understood that Jesus Christ is our Advocate. Rachel talks about how her family embraced the idea that “the story is not over yet” and how God gives us grace and space …

1
EP#11 Amber Olsen & Andrea Hardy: Having Christ-Centered Friendships 35:50

2M ago35:50

35:50

Amber Olsen and Andrea Hardy talk with Heidi about growing up in San Diego, California together and how having friends that believed in Christ made all the difference during their childhood and teenage years. They remember watching the San Diego temple be built, attending seminary at 6:00 am every day, and how they supported each other growing up. …

1
#63 Finding our balance, embracing rest, and lots of self-compassion, with Claire Windmill in Devon, UK 52:20

2M ago52:20

52:20

Today I’m chatting with Claire Windmill who lives in Devon in the UK with her husband and two children, who are seven and nine. Claire was a social worker and early years teacher and is now a parenting mentor and coach. She shares how her family came to unschooling after taking some time out to travel and they realised how much happier and less str…

1
EP#10 Narcisa Ramirez Sanchez: Como Tener Fe en Jesucristo Durante los Desafíos 15:09

3M ago15:09

15:09

Narcisa “Manuela” Ramirez Sanchez comparte un testimonio sincero y sencillo de Jesucristo y cómo tener fe en Él durante los desafíos. Narcisa vive en la provincia de San Juan en la República Dominicana. Trabaja como maestra, tiene tres hijos, y es miembro de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días. Narcisa habla de cómo Dios le h…

1
#62 Trusting our children, and learning to value rest and play, with Robyn Tamlin-Lea in New Zealand 46:45

3M ago46:45

46:45

My guest today is Robyn Tamlin-Lea. Robyn is South African but now lives in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand, with her husband and two children who are seven and three and a half. Robyn took her daughter out of school when she saw that already at a very early age, there was a strong narrative around academic expectations and her daughter not doing …

1
EP#9 Emma and Morgan Mitchell: Ministering Like Jesus Christ 47:08

3M ago47:08

47:08

If you want to learn about how to minister like Jesus, listen to this episode! Emma and Morgan Mitchell are an Apartment Life Team at Shift Apartments in San Diego. They have worked in ministry together for 7 years. Emma and Morgan share memorable experiences from their work in ministry with youth and young adults. Morgan talks about ministering in…

1
#61 Honouring our children and learning to let go, with Danii Oliver in Texas 46:45

3M ago46:45

46:45

This episode, I’m chatting with Danii Oliver, who lives in Texas with her husband and two children who are almost 6 and 11. Danii shares her story of leaving New York City behind in search of something new for and her and family, and to live a more gentle and connected life, which they now do on their permaculture farm in Texas. We talk about the d…

1
EP#8 Citra: Navigating Divorce and Family Relationships with God 45:18

3M ago45:18

45:18

In this episode, Citra shares her journey of growing up in Indonesia in a family with different belief systems. She shares how her mother provided a faithful example of navigating family relationships and remaining true to her faith in Christ. Citra also speaks about her experience with divorce. She shares the difficulties and hardships of that exp…

1
EP#7 Dirk Oliver: The Power to Change Through Jesus Christ 39:42

3M ago39:42

39:42

Heidi sits down to chat with her dad, Dirk Oliver! They dive into his story of choosing to follow Jesus Christ and how that decision changed his life and the lives of many others. Dirk talks about how to become dependent on Christ and how Christ helps us see that we are all part of God’s family. Heidi asks Dirk about his experiences as a bishop and…

1
#60 Unschooling and playful living, with Heidi Steel in West Sussex, UK 44:50

4M ago44:50

44:50

In this episode. I’m delighted to chat with Heidi Steel who was first on the podcast in 2021. Heidi is a former teacher and has four children who are 16, 15, 12 and 9 and who have never been to school. Heidi shares what unschooling looks like for her family and we talk about the enormous value of play in children’s learning and development. And, am…

1
EP#6 Sheryn Shahwan-Solórzano: Muslims and Latter-day Saints, A Conversation Between Friends 1:01:21

4M ago1:01:21

1:01:21

In this episode, Heidi and Sheryn Shahwan-Solórzano have a conversation about their faith traditions. Sheryn is Muslim and Heidi is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sheryn shares what she believes about God as a Muslim and how one of God’s names in Islam, is “The Most Merciful.” Heidi and Sheryn talk about shared beliefs…

1
EP#5 Char Oliver, Chris McKendrick, and Karen Freeman: Raising Children of God with Special Needs 53:53

4M ago53:53

53:53

During this episode Heidi talks with three mothers of children with special needs-her mom, Char Oliver, Chris McKendrick, and Karen Freeman. They share about how God prepared them to raise children with special needs. Char shares about praying for help when her daughter, Whitney, was born. Karen discusses the challenge of handing our problems over …

1
#59 Four of the most-asked questions I get about unschooling, with Esther Jones 28:38

4M ago28:38

28:38

Once in a while it felt like it could be helpful to take a moment to answer some of the most common questions that I get. Of course, every family is completely different, so if any of these questions or worries are relevant to you, you might want to take my thoughts as a hopefully useful starting point for your own reflections. Let me know if this …

1
EP#4 Shaina Partlow: Being Guided by God 1:01:07

4M ago1:01:07

1:01:07

Certified health coach and group fitness instructor, Shaina Partlow, shares about how she has seen God move her to many places to be used in specific ways. Shaina talks about her journey to becoming a health coach, including all the work she put in along the way! Shaina also discusses her “why” for being a health coach and how God has given us our …

1
EP#3 Skydiving with God 11:23

4M ago11:23

11:23

Today's episode is a little different than the others! Heidi shares a message about how she was prompted to get certified in skydiving and how learning about who God is helps us to trust and act on ANY prompting that we get from Him.By Heidi Oliver

1
EP#1 Nicole Lyles: Try Christ 1:02:04

4M ago1:02:04

1:02:04

In this inaugural episode of the Connecting Goodness podcast, Nicole Lyles shares her journey with the chronic illness of her daughter, Bri. Nicole tells about the life-altering moment when Bri received her diagnosis and what she has learned about trusting God and His plans for our lives. She highlights the importance of having faithful people in y…

1
EP#2 Zil Eiler: Born for a Purpose 1:00:00

4M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

In this episode with Zil Eiler, Zil talks with us about walking in the dark and following a spiritual prompting that led her to marry her husband, Steve. Zil discusses trusting in God and His image of us rather than the self-image we paint for ourselves. She shares how each of us are born for a purpose. Zil also tells us about being led to a career…

1
Connecting Goodness Podcast Trailer 1:12

4M ago1:12

1:12

Welcome to the “Connecting Goodness” podcast! We are going to be connecting with people from all different backgrounds and hearing about how Jesus Christ has impacted their life story. We hope listeners will learn more about Jesus Christ and how He can impact every part of our lives.By Heidi Oliver

1
#58 Unravelling our own stories to raise empowered children, with Adrienne Miller in Vancouver 53:17

5M ago53:17

53:17

My guest today is Adrienne Miller who lives in Vancouver with her husband and three children who are 10, 7 and 4. Adrienne was a teacher, and realised when her oldest child turned school age that it wasn’t a choice they wanted for him. After growing up in a strict, religious home, Adrienne also shares her journey of unravelling her deep conditionin…

1
#57 Embracing the ease of natural learning, with Julie Walter in Ontario, Canada 52:43

5M ago52:43

52:43

In this episode, I’m chatting with Julie Walter from Ontario, Canada. Julie has three children who are 9, 11 and 13 and have never been to school. As a former teacher, Julie talks about how impacted she was by the differences between the resistant nature of learning in a classroom and the kind of natural learning she was seeing unfolding happily at…

1
#56 Older unschoolers and the value of practising being yourself, with Missy Willis in North Carolina 52:39

6M ago52:39

52:39

My guest today is Missy Willis from Charlotte, North Carolina. Missy is a former teacher who lives with her husband and two children, who are now 21 and 16. They chose to unschool when their eldest child reached school age as it felt like a better fit for their family. Missy’s experience in the classroom as a teacher had also made her question a mo…

1
#55 Deschooling and moving beyond our limiting beliefs, with Lucy Aitkenread in New Zealand 51:10

6M ago51:10

51:10

In this episode, I'm chatting with Lucy Aitkenread. Lucy is originally from the UK, but 10 years ago, set off travelling with her partner Tim, and their two young daughters. They settled in New Zealand, which is where they live now. Their daughters are now 10 and 13 and haven’t been to school. So, today we talk about the culture of school and what …

1
#54 Nature, freedom and slowing down, with Ruth Macallan in Zambia 53:45

7M ago53:45

53:45

Today, my guest is Ruth Macallan. Originally from Edinburgh, Ruth now lives for most of the year in Zambia with her husband and her two children, who are 2 and 5. We talk about what Ruth’s child-led days look like, what it means to allow a child the freedom to go at their own pace, and how living in rural Zambia has helped Ruth to learn how to slow…

1
#53 Living, learning and thriving as a family, with Claire Gillespie in Hertfordshire, UK 52:15

7M ago52:15

52:15

My guest today is Claire Gillespie from Hertfordshire in the UK. Claire lives with her husband and two sons, who are 15 and 13, and they’ve been unschooling for four years, after their oldest son asked to leave school. Amongst other things, we talk about the fascinating learning journeys children embark on when they’re in charge, how different we a…

1
#52 Intentional deschooling and lining up with our values, with Daniel Moeller in Pennsylvania 55:32

8M ago55:32

55:32

Today I’m chatting with Daniel Moeller from Pennsylvania. Daniel is a former teacher and has a 10-year old son, called Kai who has been unschooling for four years. Daniel came across unschooling whilst struggling himself to reconcile many parts of the school system, and in particular the power over dynamic that he was expected to conform to as a te…

1
#51 A place of possibility - living, learning and healing beyond school, with Donna in East Sussex 48:38

8M ago48:38

48:38

My guest today is Donna, from East Sussex in the UK. Donna has two daughters, who are 13 and 11. Her eldest daughter had always struggled with school, and it wasn’t until Covid that Donna realised just how deep the school stress was embedded in the whole family. Eventually feeling that there was no alternative but to try something different, she to…

1
#50 Unravelling our stories, with Dr Emma Svanberg 52:57

9M ago52:57

52:57

Today, I’m chatting with Dr Emma Svanberg. Emma is a clinical psychologist, author of Parenting For Humans and mother of two children. As well as exploring unschooling with her family, Emma helps other parents on their own parenting journeys. We talk about how the deeply held narratives we all have about ourselves often don’t serve us as parents, a…

1
#49 Putting the relationship first, with Hayley in Derbyshire, UK 47:09

10M ago47:09

47:09

My guest today is Hayley from Derbyshire in the UK. Hayley has four children, who are now 25, 22, 18 and 10, and her journey to unschooling started 14 years ago when her eldest child was 11. We talk about how unschooling is so much more than education. It’s about the importance of relationships, and of living in a way that feels coherent to us, and…

1
#48 Unschooling our children and our own lives, with Holly from South Wales 42:11

10M ago42:11

42:11

In this episode, I’m chatting with Holly from South Wales. Holly has three children, aged 9, 7, 5 and began unschooling three years ago, when her eldest started to struggle at school. Holly worked as a teacher, and shares her experience of transitioning from a schooled way of thinking about learning to unschooling. We chat about how this way of lif…

1
#47 Consent-based parenting around the globe, with Fran Liberatore 52:32

11M ago52:32

52:32

My guest today is Fran Liberatore. Fran is Italian but lives with her family between Bangkok, Maine and Sicily. Her children are now aged 10 and 12 and If you’d like to hear more from Fran you can also hear her in episode 12 of the podcast a couple of years ago. Today we talk about how Fran and her family have found community in the different cultu…

1
#46 Unschooling and shifting our parenting paradigms, with Chelsea in LA 57:47

1y ago57:47

57:47

Today, I’m chatting with Chelsea, who lives in LA with her husband and two sons, who are 10 and 6. Chelsea had never planned to unschool, and in fact her older son was very happy at a project-based school in his earlier years. She tells us about why they made this choice and what it has meant for her family. We talk in particular about how the pare…

1
#45 Healing from school and holding our children's journeys lightly, with Rhonda Ziman in East Sussex 46:14

1y ago46:14

46:14

My guest today is Rhonda Ziman. Rhonda lives in East Sussex with her husband, 14-year-old stepdaughter and 11-year-old daughter. I’ve known Rhonda and her daughter Martha since last year, when her daughter finally left school after struggling to attend for a long time. Today, Rhonda talks about that time and how difficult it was. And she talks abou…

1
#44 From high school teaching to unschooling, with Angela Harders in Maryland 39:46

1y ago39:46

39:46

Today I'm chatting with Angela Harders who lives in Maryland with her two children, who are now 9 and 4. Angela was a public high school teacher for 12 years. And although she took her daughter out of school four years ago when her daughter was five, she continued to work as a public school teacher for three more years, until it felt too at odds wi…

1
#43 Creating a self-directed learning community, with Lorna Norton in North Yorkshire 47:13

1y ago47:13

47:13

In this episode, I'm chatting with Lorna Norton. Lorna has a 5-year-old son and, together with her husband, founded a learning community called Kith Homestead in North Yorkshire. Lorna came to alternative education through her studies of psychology and education and then her many years of working with children. We talk about her own deschooling pro…

1
#42 Why self-directed learning is a natural fit for our children, with Naomi Fisher 59:51

1y ago59:51

59:51

My guest this episode is Naomi Fisher, who I am delighted to have back for a second conversation (see #5 for our previous chat). Naomi is a clinical psychologist, mother of two children who are at a self-directed learning centre, and author of the book Changing our Minds, which is about the importance of choice, autonomy and self-direction in educa…

1
The One Without Ashley (Sean's Wife) 23:35

1y ago23:35

23:35

Sean and Ashley return for a sixth series of the popular podcast where comedians discuss posts from Mumsnet and AITA forums. In episode seven, Ashley is unable to record and Sean's wife comes on as a guest for a short bonus episode where she immediately makes a Borat joke and we talk about Steve Aoki, things you do for your crush, Vegas, and groomz…

1
The Best of Are We Being Unreasonable? 44:45

1y ago44:45

44:45

Sean and Ashley return for a sixth series of the popular podcast where comedians discuss posts from Mumsnet and AITA forums. We will be back next week with a brand new episode, but in the meantime, Sean Wilkie and Ashley Storrie present the Are We Being Unreasonable Greatest Hits, including appearances from Viv Gee, Tony Goodall, Raymond Mearns, Ho…

1
#41 In search of wholeness - deschooling and shedding all the layers, with Sari Gonzàlez and Becka Koritz in Mexico 49:50

1y ago49:50

49:50

Today I'm joined by Sari Gonzàlez and Becka Koritz wholive in Puerto Escondido in Mexico. Becka moved to Mexico from Sweden and Sari from the US, both leaving lives that felt stressed and disconnected. They now run Explora ALC, an agile learning centre. Both Sari and Becka have neurodivergent sons but began their deschooling journeys long before ha…

1
The Alabama Wet Wipe (Kirsty Strain & John Stuart) 50:14

1y ago50:14

50:14

Sean and Ashley return for a sixth series of the popular podcast where comedians discuss posts from Mumsnet and AITA forums. In the fifth episode of the series, we talk to actress Kirsty Strain and Writer/Actor/Producer John Stuart about ASMR, village fights, naughty neighbours, and what’s in the box?! Also, the Alabama Wet Wipe, Ashley’s dog ashes…

1
I'd Rather Have a Bowl of Goblin Pies (Stuart Mitchell) 45:32

1+ y ago45:32

45:32

Sean and Ashley return for a sixth series of the popular podcast where comedians discuss posts from Mumsnet and AITA forums. In the fourth episode of the series, we talk to fantastic comedian Stuart Mitchell about inappropriate In-Laws, Star Trek with cursing, Abbe Clancy's love for Goblin Pies, how Sean misses lockdown and none of us like going ou…

1
#40 A new journey - slowing down, reconnecting, and embracing our children's autonomy, with Caroline Frances in Ontario 52:40

1+ y ago52:40

52:40

Today I’m chatting with Caroline Frances from Ontario. Caroline lives with her husband and two sons who are 7 and 10, and they are just in the second month of their unschooling journey. They had tried different school environments, but found that, in particular for their eldest son, who is diagnosed Autistic with a PDA profile, they needed to find …

1
Bring Your Own Puppet (Amanda Hursy) 49:59

1+ y ago49:59

49:59

Sean and Ashley return for a sixth series of the popular podcast where comedians discuss posts from Mumsnet and AITA forums. In the third* episode of the series, we talk to up-and-coming comedian Amanda Hursy about cardboard cutouts, Alien Wars at the Arches, school trips, goldfish, creepy toddlers, the cat with the clown head, the ghost of James D…

1
How Do You Eat Your Body of Christ? (Diona Doherty) 59:45

1+ y ago59:45

59:45

Sean and Ashley return for a sixth series of the popular podcast where comedians discuss posts from Mumsnet and AITA forums. In the first episode of the series, we talk to returning guest Diona Doherty about weird food habits, epilepsy, autism, Gwyneth Paltrow, YouTube boys that do stuff, KSI, Kim Kardashian eats shit? Subway sandwiches, and crisps…

1
#39 Unschooling on the path to healing, with Sarah Rose in Maine 52:52

1+ y ago52:52

52:52

My guest today is Sarah Rose. Sarah lives in Maine with her husband and her 11-year old daughter. Her family’s journey to unschooling stemmed from their daughter’s illness, which resulted in her leaving school and embarking on a long healing journey at home. We talk today about providing a judgment-free space in which our children feel seen and sup…

1
#38 How children naturally educate themselves, with Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn 1:00:19

1+ y ago1:00:19

1:00:19

I’m so delighted to be talking today with Peter Gray, author and research professor at Boston College. Many of you will have read his wonderful book, Free to Learn, or his regular writing for Psychology Today about children, play and learning. Among many things, we talk today about his experience of self-directed education through his son, what sel…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Heidi Oliver Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide