The Ladies Fixing the World

• S2E11 - Breaking the Chains: Freedom and Trust in Parent-Child Relationships

  What happens when we move from controlling our children to partnering with them? Parents often fear that giving children freedom means losing influence over their values and choices. But what if the freedom we think we're "giving" is something our children already possess? What if our attempts to control them actually push them away rather than drawing them closer?Relationships built on trust and connection, not control, create the space children need to develop true independence while still feeling secure enough to turn to parents for guidance.Sandra Dodd shares a transformative moment from her early parenting: "Be your child's partner, not his adversary." This simple statement completely shifted her approach to parenting—from trying to lead and teach her young son to working alongside him in collaborative partnership. Sue Elvis explores how our relationships with our children depend not on rules but on authentic connection, while Cecilie gently challenges us to question whether we even have the right to decide what values our children adopt as they grow.The conversation moves beyond abstract philosophy into practical territory: how do we handle teenage risk-taking? How do we support children in making important decisions? When should we step in, and when should we stand back? When we practice seeing our children clearly and responding to their genuine needs, we develop greater empathy, patience, and wisdom in all our relationships.🔗 Links & Resources mentioned:🔗 Sandra, Sue and Cecilie's websiteshttps://sandradodd.com https://storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com https://cecilieconrad.com🗓️ Recorded May 1, 2025. 📍  Budapest, Hungary ____In season two of The Ladies Fixing the World, host Cecilie Conrad is joined by renowned unschooling advocates Sandra Dodd and Sue Elvis to explore unschooling as a lifestyle.

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• S2E10 | Is It Working? Wrestling with Doubt in Unschooling

  Cecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd, and Sue Elvis discuss doubt and fear in unschooling—where they come from, how they spread, and how to move through them without defaulting to school-based thinking. They explore the pressure of responsibility, the impact of lingering fears, and why letting go of outcomes helps build trust in both learning and relationships.They talk about how fear can be reinforced through casual conversation, especially when parents share worst-case scenarios or compare their children to school-based standards. The discussion includes the idea that much of what parents worry about is based on assumptions that haven’t been questioned, and how simply asking “Is it true?” can shift how we see our role.There’s also a focus on how unschooling parents can become more confident, not by forcing results, but by staying present, observing real growth over time, and letting go of the need to control outcomes. The conversation points to a broader definition of success—one that includes emotional well-being, agency, and the ability to build a life that fits, rather than one that follows external benchmarks.🔗 Links & Resources mentioned:🔗 Sandra, Sue and Cecilie's websiteshttps://sandradodd.com https://storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com https://cecilieconrad.com🗓️ Recorded April 29, 2025. 📍  Budapest, Hungary ____In season two of The Ladies Fixing the World, host Cecilie Conrad is joined by renowned unschooling advocates Sandra Dodd and Sue Elvis to explore unschooling as a lifestyle.

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• S2E9 | Unschooling: How Do We Know They’re Learning?

  What if we abandoned the question "How do we know they're learning?" and trusted that they are? In this conversation, Cecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd, and Sue Elvis look closely at the fears that drive many unschooling parents to seek proof of learning—and why those fears may come from old conditioning rather than real concerns.They explore how learning in an unschooling context doesn’t always look like progress, mastery, or academic benchmarks. Instead, it often appears as play, conversation, curiosity, or even stillness. The episode also addresses the "big mix-up in the mind of the parent" who must navigate between their children's authentic learning experiences and the official education system's expectations, the pressure parents feel to produce results, the danger of clinging to school-based frameworks, and the importance of stepping back and observing life as the curriculum.Sandra, Sue and Cecilies invite parents to shift their perspective away from questioning if their children are learning enough, toward cultivating environments rich in trust, conversation, and genuine curiosity.🗓️ Recorded March 20, 2025. 📍 Barcelona, Spain 🔗 Links & Resourceshttps://sandradodd.com https://storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com https://cecilieconrad.com ____In season two of The Ladies Fixing the World, host Cecilie Conrad is joined by renowned unschooling advocates Sandra Dodd and Sue Elvis to explore unschooling as a lifestyle.

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• S2E8 | The Math Myth: How Do Unschooled Kids Learn Math?

  In this episode, we explore one of the most persistent questions in unschooling: What about math? Cecilie, Sandra, and Sue examine the widespread belief that children can’t learn math without formal instruction — and explain why that belief doesn’t hold up.Cecilie reflects on the early years of home education in her family, the pressure to “cover” math, and the quiet fear of doing too little. Sandra shares examples of how her children developed mathematical thinking through games, practical needs, and everyday problem-solving — without ever relying on school-based methods. Sue talks about letting go of structured lessons and learning to trust her children’s approach to math.Together, they look at how math fits into unschooling — and what becomes possible when we stop trying to teach it and start noticing how it shows up in real life.🗓️ Recorded February 27, 2025. 📍  Finhan, France 🔗 Links & Resources https://sandradodd.com https://storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com https://cecilieconrad.com ____In season two of The Ladies Fixing the World, host Cecilie Conrad is joined by renowned unschooling advocates Sandra Dodd and Sue Elvis to explore unschooling as a lifestyle.

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• S2E7 | Unschooling is Carried by Conversations

  Dinner tables, car rides, bedtime chats, café corners—this episode dives into the real places where unschooling lives and grows. Cecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd, and Sue Elvis examine how conversations—often unscheduled, informal, and unplanned—become the central structure of a learning life.They discuss the Danish tradition of the daily family dinner, the rigid rituals of American mealtime culture, and the café catch-ups that shaped Sue’s large family. The conversation travels through memories, cultural habits, and practical insights into how families can hold space for curiosity, connection, and growth—without curriculum, tests, or set agendas.From Barbie movies to Shakespeare, from family language to late-night moral debates, this episode makes a clear point: talking is the work. The learning isn’t beside the conversation—it’s inside it.🗓️ Recorded February 20, 2025. 📍  Finhan, France 🔗 Links & Resources https://sandradodd.com/latenightlearning https://sandradodd.com https://storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com https://cecilieconrad.com ____In season two of The Ladies Fixing the World, host Cecilie Conrad is joined by renowned unschooling advocates Sandra Dodd and Sue Elvis to explore unschooling as a lifestyle.

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