Kolbecast

AMDG. While the universality of the Church is beautiful, its immediacy is just as profound. Today Tom and Noëlle Crowe of the American Catholic History podcast join us to share how we don’t need to cross an ocean to find people who did amazing things for Christ. They describe the breadth and depth of amazing Catholic individuals in this country, highlight contributions of Catholics to American his...

AMDG.  Everett Buyarski and Chrissy Almanzar are familiar voices to anyone who’s called Kolbe or listened to the podcast.  Today they share a more personal side of themselves, though: their stories of conversion and being led toward grace and the Catholic Church.  With candidness and wisdom, Everett, Chrissy, Steven, and Bonnie discuss how their experiences of faith have led them to progress from...

AMDG. Science facilitates wholeness and the abundant life God wants for us, but it also prompts a lot of questions—everything from how to teach complex concepts in homeschooling to how to approach ongoing national discussions on the beginning and end of life.  We delve into these dynamics today with Dr. Andrew Mullally, a second-generation physician, first-generation homeschool alumnus, current ho...

AMDG.  Jordan Almanzar is familiar to podcast listeners as a voice of experience related to podcast hosting, teaching, and public relations, but today we get to hear a different side of him: Jordan as scholar.  He discusses some of his recent and not-so-recent writings with Bonnie and Steven, including reflections inspired by marginalia in his Latin books and the contrast between classical brutali...

AMDG.  Kolbe offers an array of options for types of learning: fully homeschool, fully online, and two in-the-middle offerings called self-paced and self-paced plus.  We focus on those middle options today with Chrissy Almanzar and Everett Buyarski.  What is a self-paced online course?  What’s the “plus” in self-paced plus?  How do both options help take a load off parents, increase engagement for...

AMDG.  Kolbe’s Executive Director Mary Rowles visits with Bonnie and Steven today about Kolbe's origins, evolution, and outlook.  As she describes how Kolbe has grown from a family business and apostolate and its response to rise in demand during the pandemic, Mary’s openness to service is clear—as is her innate leadership, with a tone that brings out the best in people and an emphasis on putting...

AMDG.  Homeschool conventions offer the opportunity for curriculum providers to take their shows on the road, but this week we’ve brought the show to you.  Listen to this year’s convention finale for insights, updates, and wisdom from Megan Lengyel, Everett Buyarski, Nicole O’Connor, Chrissy Almanzar, Tony Guzzaldo, and Maggie Hayden.  The discussion includes the various enrollment options Kolbe o...

AMDG.  The great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself begins from a place of loving yourself well.  Today Everett Buyarski, Elizabeth Hoxie, and Therese Prudlo introduce the Ignatian education tenet of “cura personalis” or “care of the whole person”—a pragmatic yet profound discipline that forms students into the men and women they are designed to be.  The group discusses how repetition,...

AMDG.  If we made a list of FAQs about the Kolbe curriculum, the top question would likely be why Kolbe begins high school with Greek history, literature, and philosophy.  Today’s episode explores that question through a roundtable discussion with some of our resident experts: Kolbe history chair Therese Prudlo, philosophy professor Dr. Don Prudlo, former college philosophy professor and current K...

AMDG.  The universal call to holiness is a call to excellence in every person’s given state of life, but it can be daunting to take this abstract commission and live it out in a practical and fun way.  Catholic mindset coaches Matt and Erin Ingold visit with us today about exactly that.  The Ingolds speak from a background in a variety of sacred and secular wisdom—from St. Thomas Aquinas to cognit...

AMDG.  The pursuit of human flourishing in this life and the next takes a clear understanding of what it means to be human.  Today, Dr. George Harne , Executive Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, joins Bonnie and Steven to discuss the distinctive ins and outs of classical education.  Describing a classical curriculum as “more...

AMDG.  Our world tour continues with a conversation featuring several intrepid Kolbe students—Martina, Bea, and Katie—who recently toured Greece and Italy along with classmates, parents, and teachers.  They share some of the logistics that went into coordinating a distance school’s international voyage, their favorite geographic and culinary highlights of the trip, and their reflections on the sim...

AMDG.  The flexibility of homeschooling offers families the opportunity for enrichment and adventure outside the house.  Traveling during the traditional school year is one way to capitalize on this flexibility.  Kolbe moms Nicole Shaffer—author of the blog Army Wife, Homeschool Travel Life —and Vanessa Delgado discuss learning on the road with Bonnie and Steven today, from rolling with the unexpe...

AMDG.  For some homeschooling families, St. Paul’s adage about running the race is mostly allegorical, but for the athletically minded among us, it has a literal side too.  Today's episode features Faye Starvaggi and Anna Havens, moms of a Kolbe-graduate NCAA swimmer and a Kolbe-student competitive gymnast respectively, as well as Kolbe’s academic services director and go-to guy Everett Buyarski. ...

AMDG.  Small business owner, Kolbe homeschooling mother, and etiquette expert Rebecca Czarniecki--known professionally as Mrs. B--joins Bonnie and Steven today to discuss the significance and dividends of manners, social graces, and interpersonal connection.  Mrs. B explains with mirth and elegance how meaningful interactions and nonverbal communication honor human dignity, provide internal develo...

AMDG.  “Catholic” means universal and one of the lesser-known aspects of Kolbe's Catholic identity is its international presence and families.  Today Bonnie and Steven visit with moms from two of those international families, Ria in the Philippines and Amy in Nigeria.  They talk both big picture and day-to-day in homeschooling from another hemisphere:  the combination of studying Catholic classica...

AMDG. Just about anyone who has ordered books from the Kolbe bookstore has encountered the kind and resourceful Nancy Nelson. In this episode, she graces us with stories of Kolbe history, tips for savvy book ordering, and a dose of inspiration based in common sense and experience. Stick around for the entire episode for a special offer! Check out Kolbecast episode 100 with Mrs. Dianne Muth, Nancy’...

AMDG. The culmination of a Kolbe formation is a joyous occasion not only for students, but for their parents, instructors, and administrators who have played parts in the symphony of the scholastic experience. Recently Kolbe families, faculty, and administration from all over gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, for a graduation ceremony and celebration of the class of 2022. The ceremony featured speeche...

AMDG. Around our milestone episodes, we like to catch our breath, check in with each other, and share some behind the scenes lingo and lore.  Today Bonnie, Jordan, and Steven do just that. They talk about the ins and outs of podcast production: the nerves leading up to recordings, the ways we strive to make guests welcome, the surprising things that caught them off guard, the emotionally moving mo...

AMDG. Wisdom, humor, perseverance, encouragement…these are just a few of Kolbe co-founder Dianne Muth’s many attributes. On our centennial episode, we’re thrilled to be joined by Mrs. Muth as she shares the story of Kolbe’s founding, the big and small ways God provided and fostered Kolbe’s growth, and the formation of adults prepared to interact with and sanctify today’s world as a hallmark of Kol...

AMDG.  When children excel ahead of their grade level, it brings both opportunities and difficulties.  In this episode, current Kolbe parents Veronica Foreman and Joseph Caro join Bonnie, Steven, and Kolbe Academic Services Director Everett Buyarski to talk about the days and years of educating a child who might be referred to as “gifted” if enrolled in a brick-and-mortar school.  The group discus...

AMDG.  Last week, we heard from the deans .  This week, we visit with the metaphorical bosses upstairs: Chief Academic Officer Megan Lengyel and directors Nicole O’Connor and Tony Guzzaldo.  With both reflection on the past and excitement for the future, the group discusses their love for Kolbe’s mission, the roles of various academic officers, how teachers are selected and what formation they par...

AMDG. With growth come both opportunity and challenge. As Kolbe Academy has grown, so too have the needs of the community. Part of the way Kolbe is addressing these needs is through the appointment of deans for the elementary, middle, and high school divisions. In this episode, we visit with familiar voices Ashley Massey, Elizabeth Hoxie, and Kelly Powers to find out what they as deans do for Kolb...

AMDG.  Have you ever contemplated the idea that you’re not raising children, you’re raising adults?  Katherine O’Brien, a certified college planning specialist and homeschooling mother of six (most now in adulthood), joins Bonnie and Steven today to discuss how to be intentional with opportunities for high schoolers to learn the logistics of life.  Topics in the conversation include practicalities...

AMDG. Imagine yourself in a queue of people awaiting some event. Your eyes land on someone sporting an image of St. Padre Pio with the words “Hakuna Matata” juxtaposed near the saint’s likeness. Or maybe you arrive at your next meeting only to notice a colleague sporting some socks that initially might pass for snazzy but upon closer inspection reveal flowers and images of St. Therese of Lisieux....