Self Reliant Living & Parenting

The Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 92 - Jennifer Osuch of Self Reliant School

Jennifer Osuch discovered the art of self reliance through parenting.

As the mother of two children with asthma, she wanted to do whatever she could to reduce toxins and support their health. Through her research she learned techniques and lost skills that really made a difference. She began to make healthy meals from scratch using old-fashioned techniques like canning and food dehydrating that also saved her time and money.

Jennifer and her husband Bill teach people how to do these things and more on their website, Self Reliant School. There you can find:

• a whole series books Jennifer has written on the topic of preparedness
• live and recorded episodes of her "Self Reliant Living Show"
• online courses on everything from gardening and cooking to preserving and making your own natural remedies

From Parenting to Self-Reliance

I stumbled on Jennifer's blog a couple of years ago (probably through Pinterest) and have been sharing her posts ever since. So I was thrilled when she asked me to be a guest on her "Self Reliant Living" show. Through that discussion, we learned that we had a LOT in common.

For example, I too came to this path of self-reliance and sustainable living through my kids. In fact, so did Marianne! You can hear our stories (in which the breast feeding support group, La Leche League, played a great part) on our second podcast.

Like Marianne, Jennifer chose to homeschool her kids. She shares her experiences as a homeschooling mom in our discussion.

But, perhaps the most foundational view that Jennifer and I share, is the idea that humans today must place on emphasis on thinking for themselves.

Embracing Autonomy & Discernment

I've come to realize that modern humans have given away too much of their own autonomy. We depend on corporations for almost everything we need to survive and that includes information about the world around us.

As a child, I believed my parents when they told me this is just the way the world works. As a young adult I began to question it, but like a fish who has no concept of water, I couldn't imagine anything else.

Through my journey as a parent, I began to discover alternatives to relying on corporations for the food and medicines my family required. But it was my young adult son who finally pulled the veil aside one day, causing me to realize that our corporate-owned media was presenting a view of the world that served their own interests, not mine.

As you can see, parenting is a journey of massive self-discovery that is waking folks up everyday.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. I have a feeling many of you will find you resonate with Jennifer's story. If you do (and even if you don't) please leave a comment or drop me a note at [e-mail] . How has parenting affected your journey toward sustainable living? We'd love to know!

Below are links to information Jennifer mentioned during our discussion:

Meals in Jars

An Open Letter to Moms Thinking About Homeschooling

Also Jennifer has provided this free Self Reliant School video series that you can sign up for here.

You can connect with Jennifer on these social media platforms:

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/SelfReliantSchool/ Pinterest:https://www.pinterest.com/sreliantschool/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/selfreliantschool/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/SReliantSchool