Kolbecast

AMDG. We all have times where we are either feeling stuck in what we’re doing, or are feeling ready for a new challenge. Today, Jessica Pipes, an executive coach with Novus Global joins the podcast to offer some advice on how to approach these times.   Jessica talks to us about how to challenge some of the stories that we tell ourselves that get in the way of success and how working with a coach c...

AMDG. In episode 332 , we spoke with three of Kolbe’s academic advisors who were addressing common problems that come up and conversations that may be happening with homeschooling parents in October.   Today we continue that conversation, focusing on high school. Academic advisors Cecelia Byers and Elyse Williams return to the Kolbecast to answer some of the most common questions and problems to h...

AMDG. For all homeschooling families roughly following a standard school year of August through May, October becomes an important time to examine how the year is going so far and to make any adjustments.   In this episode, Kolbe advisors Rylan Buchanan, Pam Castor, and Krysten Pizzurro join Bonnie and Steven to discuss some of the most regular questions and problems that come up and to remind our...

AMDG. Today we’re traveling north of the border to Canada’s only Newman Guide college! Our guest is Dr. Patrick Craine, president of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay, Ontario. Dr. Craine tells us about his and the college’s background and what makes Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College unique. We think that you’ll enjoy this trip to another Newman Guide School combined with a visit to our...

AMDG. Today Steven and Bonnie are joined by Kolbe’s Agostina Cavasotto and Sarah Howard to discuss the transcendentals of the true, the good and the beautiful. From art and music, literature and history, to poetry and plays, we discuss the merits of being exposed to these and how we can make them a part of our classical homeschooling experience.  Related Kolbecast episodes:  Advisor series:  313 P...

AMDG. Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress of the Order of Preachers is the promoter of the Rosary for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph and leader of the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage. He is also a regular host of the Godsplaining podcast.  In addition to hearing about Fr. Kress and his vocation, we’re able to find out more about the Dominican order and its charisms. He also tells us about the fourth annual...

AMDG. There are a lot of discussions going on regarding AI and its impact on the world and the appropriate ways that it can be used. Kolbe theology department chair Nick Senz and curriculum director Maggie Hayden join Bonnie and Steven to discuss Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas which addresses these issues. We discuss the encyclical itself and some practical takeaways as we co...

AMDG. Today we welcome Dr. John Cuddeback to the Kolbecast. This time he’s brought his wife, Sofia, with him Many people will be familiar with John and Sofia from their work on Life-Craft, whether it is retreats, writings or podcasts. Our focus today is on John’s new book, The Intentional Household. In this book, John explores eight principles for building and maintaining an intentional household....

AMDG. Today we welcome Dr. Tim Collins to the Kolbecast. Dr. Collins is the president at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio –  a Newman Guide school. We get to hear a bit about Dr. Collins’s background, what great things are happening at Walsh University, and what makes it unique among the Newman Guide colleges. Dr. Collins also shares his experience and wisdom in discernment and how we can al...

AMDG. Today we welcome homeschooling mother, historian, editor, and author Dr. Dixie Dillon Lane to the Kolbecast. Dixie has recently written a book about the history of homeschooling called Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How it Went Mainstream.  Through research, Dixie traces the origins of homeschooling through the lens of the homeschool movement in Southern California...

AMDG. Today we’re joined by three experienced homeschooling mothers and Kolbe Academy academic advisors. Rylan Buchanan, Diana Hayes, and Sarah Turley take up the topic of common pitfalls and stumbling blocks that can come up when homeschooling. From planning to balancing multiple children, avoiding burnout and surviving times of illness and disruption, our guests provide us with a great deal of p...

AMDG. Today, Kolbe Advisors Michelle Koechle, Jennifer Thomas and Sarah Turley join the Kolbecast to discuss approaches to homeschooling and what a day of homeschooling might look like.   From schedules and spaces to adjusting to moves and when the unexpected comes up, our guests give us some models for what this can look like and some wisdom on how we can adjust.  Links mentioned & relevant: ...

AMDG. Today, we bring to you the speakers from the 2026 Kolbe Commencement.   Kolbe Academy’s senior enrollment director Jon Bates serves as Master of Ceremonies, introducing Fr. Raymond Pendelton, who gives the invocation, and Kolbe Academy’s chief academic officer Megan Lengyel, who gives the welcome address. Then we hear from student speakers Laura Hill and Holden Mora, Kolbe instructor and the...

AMDG. Today, Kolbe advisors Pam Castor, Abby Ehlers, and Krysten Pizzurrro join the Kolbecast to discuss extra-curricular activities in homeschooling. Homeschooling is certainly about educating the minds of our children, but we’re always striving to bring about the well-being of the whole person. Activities outside of schooling can play an important role in this, with activities such as sports, se...

AMDG. Kolbe Academy advisors Cecilia Byers and Elyse Williams return to the Kolbecast in a conversation about preparing students for college.   From early preparations to discerning what might be the right field and the right college, Cecilia and Elyse provide great advice on how to navigate this journey and also how our Kolbe families can lean on them as advisors to help them along the way.  Link...

AMDG. Today, Kolbe Advisors Rylan Buchanan and Sarah Howard join the Kolbecast to offer some tips and advice on homeschooling. They also remind us of how Kolbe’s family advisors can help our parents effectively navigate their homeschooling journey.  As Sarah points out, homeschooling can be a bit like making a tapestry. When you’re in the thick of it you can see the knots and it can look messy, bu...

AMDG. Kolbe’s own Neva Hernandez joins Bonnie and Steven to welcome Dr. Matthew Mehan to the Kolbecast. Dr. Mehan is a best-selling author and the Associate Dean and Professor of Government at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s Washington D.C. campus.   As we come to our country’s 250th birthday, we discuss history, poetry and Dr. Mehan’s new book The American Book...

AMDG. We are joined by mother, grandmother, author, speaker, and podcaster Lisa Hendey. Many parents, or at least their children, will be familiar with Lisa’s Chime Travelers series of books, which explore children who travel through time to meet saints who help them solve problems in their own time. The books have recently been made into an animated television series. We discuss the origins of th...

AMDG. Today we are joined by Kolbe homeschooling fathers Scott Patterson and Tony Guzzaldo.  As we know, homeschooling can take all sorts of forms, and today we hear how two fathers work to make homeschooling successful in their families.   We hear how their children are thriving in Kolbe’s homeschooling program and how homeschooling has enriched their relationships with their children along the w...

AMDG. Today we are joined by Rebecca Dougherty. For many years, Rebecca put her master's degrees in theology and education to work in teaching high school theology, but these days she’s putting her gifts to work homeschooling her own children and providing insight and knowledge via her podcast.   Additionally, she and her brother Fr. Gregory Pine are set to release a series of podcasts through Asc...

AMDG. Today we are joined by Kevin and Mary O’Neill, authors of the Building Blocks of Faith series which utilizes Lego blocks and figures to explore and explain the faith.  Kevin and Mary tell us about the origins of this series and the steps that go into creating the scenes and stories in the books.   We also explore typology and how the figures and stories of the Old Testament are images of the...

AMDG.  Today we are joined by three Kolbe academic advisors and veteran homeschool moms to get some advice on how to make a good start to homeschooling in general and specifically homeschooling with Kolbe Academy.   Krysten Pizzurro, Jennifer Thomas, and Elyse Williams have years of homeschooling experience. They discuss everything from finding your homeschool space, preparing for a new year to di...

AMDG. Today we are joined by the University of St. Thomas’s Dr. Tom Harmon, who catches us up on the many good things happening at UST but also tells us about the recent grant that the university received from the National Endowment for the Humanities to promote the strengthening of civic life.   Links mentioned and relevant:  More information about UST’s NEH grant   The University of St. Thomas i...

AMDG. As the end of the school year approaches and Kolbe Academy prepares to graduate another class of students, we combine a college visit with an alumnae meet up when Kolbe graduates and Belmont Abbey students Hannah Feeney and Lily Robinson join the Kolbecast.   Hannah and Lily give us a virtual tour of this Newman Guide college in North Carolina and share their experiences of their life there....

AMDG. Many of our listeners will be familiar with today’s guest. Dr. Greg Bottaro is a Catholic psychologist, founder of the CatholicPsych Institute, host of the Being Human podcast, author, husband and father of eight children who are all presently under the age of 12.   Dr. Bottaro joins the Kolbecast to discuss integration and what that means and Catholic anthropology. We also discuss his new b...