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PODCAST

The BIG Home Ed Conversations

Kelly Rigg & Ashley Vanerio

The BIG Home Ed Conversations is one of the top active "home education" podcasts for parents who want to move past the myths and dive deep into what we actually want to talk about as alternative educators. Join Kelly (home ed mum of 2 and home education coach & mentor) and Ashley (ex-primary teacher & home ed mum of 3) as they debunk myths, tackle real challenges, and share honest, empowering, mindset-shifting conversations for families choosing alternative education. Whether you’re new to

kids & family education for kids

All Episodes

57:27

Home Ed Consistency: Rhythm vs Routine (and Letting...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/10/08

Consistency is one of those words that can make home educating parents feel a bit twitchy. Some weeks your home ed routine flows beautifully, and some weeks the maths book hasn't been opened and someone's still in their pyjamas at 2pm. In this Season 6 episode on the tricky bits of home ed, Kelly and Ashley unpick what consistency really means in home education. Do you need a strict homeschool schedule, or is a gentler rhythm (showing up, keeping the curiosity going and coming back to

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51:35

Back to Home Ed After Summer: Transitions, New...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/10/01

Welcome to season six of The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, where we're digging into the tricky bits of home education. Not the sunshine-and-nature-walks highlight reel, but the real, unglamorous moments that every home educating family knows too well.After a summer apart, Kelly and Ashley catch up on what's been going on and why September always seems to bring that big "go" energy, the pressure to have new systems, new attitudes and a whole new approach. Ashley shares what it's like

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45:18

Season Finale: Screen Safety, Fake News & AI: Helping...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/07/19

In this final episode of the season, we’re doing something a bit different. (Please note, no explicit details are mentioned, but use caution if you listen with children as we do discuss things they may be exposed to as they start to use the internet more widely.) We originally planned an episode focused on internet safety and online security… and then real life happened. We were away at our annual home ed camp, the world took over, and we decided to lean into the learning that was already

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60:38

State of Mind: Mental Health and Education. Guest...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/07/05

In this bonus episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations, Kelly Rigg is joined by Dr. Chris Bagley — educational psychologist, musician, author, and co-founder of States of Mind (with B. Herbert).Together, they unpack why so many young people are “not ok at school” — and what happens when an education system prioritises compliance, metrics, and control over human development, agency, and real connection. Chris shares why States of Mind is “allergic” to tokenistic ideas like “pupil voice”

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44:09

Home Educating UK Topic Challenge: Raising Brave Kids...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/06/28

In this week’s episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly Rigg and Ashley Vanerio dive into a big question many home educating UK families wrestle with: how do we teach our children about activism, justice, and using their voice — without overwhelming them? We talk honestly about: Why “quiet protest” (like choosingelective home education) is still activism How kids can learn courage, integrity, and a strong moral compass through everyday life Exploring activism through

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45:01

Summer Home Education: Letting Go of the Pressure...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/06/14

In this chatty catch-up episode, Kelly Rigg and Ashley Vanerio reflect on what home education can look like as summer approaches — when clubs pause, routines shift, and the calendar suddenly feels wide open.Together, they explore the different ways families plan (or don’t plan) through summer, how guilt can creep in around “what we’ve achieved this year,” and why many home educating parents eventually find a calmer rhythm — especially when they start trusting that learning doesn’t stop

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40:23

Topic Challenge: Thoughts and Feelings, Fostering...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/05/31

Welcome back to The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast with Kelly Rigg and Ashley Vanerio. This week’s topic: Feelings and journaling (real life edition) We recorded in the middle of a heatwave, so we’re talking dysregulation, grumpy kids, and how hard it can be to “do the right thing” when everyone’s overstimulated. What we actually found helpful: A feelings wheel (free printable) to help kids find more precise words than just “angry/sad”

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48:16

Town Planning & Street Furniture (Home Education UK...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/05/24

In this episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley continue their weekly home education UK “topic challenge” — choosing a theme and exploring it with their children through real-life learning, conversation, and curiosity-led activities. This week’s topic: Town planning and street furniture — and it turns into a brilliant mix of project-based learning, local community awareness, and practical thinking about how towns work (and who decides what gets built). Whether

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48:25

Special Guest: Jenn Hodge Interview: The Children’s...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/05/17

In this episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly shares a powerful interview with Jenn Hodge, founder of Doing Education Differently.Jenn is a leading voice in neurodiversity and education reform, and has been at the forefront of challenging the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill — which has now become the Act. Together, Kelly and Jenn talk through what’s happening, why it matters, and what families should be paying attention to as the Act begins to come into effect. This

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48:59

Topic Challenge: Lesser Known Sports (Weird &...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/05/10

In this episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley explore this week’s “topic from the hat” challenge: lesser known sports. They start by going down the rabbit hole of strange and wonderful sports from around the world (and even a few from right here in the UK), and it quickly opens up bigger conversations about creativity, culture, community, and what sport is actually for. We chat about: The weird and wonderful sports humans have invented (and why some of them

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47:57

Topic Challenge: Food Around the World

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/05/03

Welcome back to another episode of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast. Kelly and Ashley are continuing Season 5’s “topic from a hat” home education challenge — where they pick a theme, explore it with their kids for the week (without telling each other what they’re doing), then come back to compare notes, resources, and real-life learning.This week’s topic: Food Around the World — and it takes them way beyond “trying new recipes”, into geography, history, climate, farming, food miles,

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51:11

Topic Challenge: Capital Allocation & Investment with...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/04/26

Welcome back to the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast. In this episode, Kelly and Ashley share how they tackled a surprisingly big topic with their kids: capital allocation and investing — including spending vs saving, risk, impulse buying, and how money habits form early (for better or worse).In this episode, we chat about: Why this topic matters (and why most of us weren’t taught it!) Helping kids understand spend / save / invest / give Kelly’s “family token currency” experiment (spend

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33:24

Season 5 - Welcome Back! New Season, New Topic, New...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2026/04/19

Welcome back to Season 5 of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast. In this short “we’re back!” episode, Kelly Rigg (home ed mum of two, qualified mindset + ADHD coach) and Ashley Vanerio (home ed mum of three, former primary teacher) share what’s been happening behind the scenes, why we took a break, and what’s coming up next. This season we’re doing something a bit different: each week we’ll pick a random topic out of a hat, go away and explore it with our kids (without telling each other

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53:20

Season 4 Finale – Our Home Ed Year in Review

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2025/12/19

It’s the final episode of Season 4 of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, and we’re keeping up our (now official!) yearly tradition: a relaxed, honest Year in Reflection. Kelly and Ashley look back on what’s worked in their home education lives this year—what’s felt joyful, what’s been challenging, and what they want to carry forward into next year. Expect a cosy, chatty recap filled with real-life wins, lessons learned, and practical ideas you can borrow for your own home ed. In this

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50:09

Challenging Adultism, Respecting Children &...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2025/11/30

In this episode of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley get real about adultism—the often-unquestioned power imbalance between adults and children. Inspired by fellow home educating mum and respected expert on Adultism, Eloise Rickman and her book 'It's Not Fair', they reflect on how even the most conscious parents can slip into controlling patterns, and what it means to truly respect kids as full people.They discuss: What adultism is, and how it shows up in everyday

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47:15

Refugee Education, Prejudice & Shared Humanity:...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2025/11/24

In this episode of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley sit down with Catherine Gladwell, founder and CEO of Refugee Education UK, to explore what education really looks like when your whole life has been uprooted. Catherine shares powerful stories from her work with refugee children and teenagers in the UK – many of whom have been out of school for years, arrived alone as unaccompanied minors, or are trying to learn in a new language while carrying trauma, grief

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55:35

SEND, Ableism & Neurodivergence in Education:...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2025/11/16

In this powerful episode of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley sit down with author, educator and neurodivergent advocate Helen Daniel to unpack ableism in the education system through the lens of SEND and neurodivergence.Drawing on Helen’s experience as a teacher, academic and author of Neurosensory Divergence: Autistic Languages, they explore how a system built on standardisation often fails autistic and otherwise neurodivergent children – and what more equitable,

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72:22

Changing Perspectives: Prejudice within the Home...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2025/11/09

In this episode of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley dive deep into the often-unspoken topic of prejudice within the home educating community.From unschooling vs. curriculum-based approaches, to faith, politics, socioeconomic status, and cultural backgrounds, they unpack the subtle (and not-so-subtle) biases that can create divides among home educators. With real-life stories, honest reflections, and a healthy dose of empathy, they explore: Why different home ed

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69:53

Changing Perspectives: Diversity, Hybrid...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2025/11/02

In this powerful episode of the Big Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley sit down with Atlanta-based educator, tech specialist, and author Chris Linder—founder of Homeschool Remix—to dig deep into what real diversity and inclusion can look like in home education.Chris brings a wealth of lived experience, working with all families, but especially Black, Brown, Indigenous, and marginalized families to create flexible, hybrid homeschooling solutions that fit real life—not just the

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25:43

Changing Perspectives in Home Education — Diversity,...

The BIG Home Ed Conversations ·

2025/10/26

Welcome back to Season 4 of the Big Home Ed Conversations Podcast! In this new “Changing Perspectives” series, Kelly and Ashley dive into the big, sometimes uncomfortable, but always essential conversations about diversity, inclusion, and breaking out of our bubbles as home educating families. This season is all about stretching our thinking—beyond our own lived experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds—to raise kids who are compassionate, curious, and ready to thrive in a diverse world. We’re

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