Live & Learn with Daniel Floyd

In this episode, Daniel and Schelleen discuss what makes men different from women. First, they unpack three pairings that are helpful in thinking more clearly about this topic (male-female, man-woman, masculine-feminine). Daniel highlights how the themes of "internal" and "external" consistently show up in each of these layers, and shares what it meant for him to become a man in hi...

This episode is really late, but it’s still happening! Daniel and Schelleen sit down to discuss their biggest takeaways from last year’s reading. Daniel discusses some of the most important aspects of education he learned about, and Schelleen shares some of the most interesting things she’s learned about healthy relationships. Take a look at the lists below for books to add to your own reading lis...

It’s been awhile since the last episode. Daniel and Schelleen sit down to discuss what’s been happening in the last few months… namely, their new baby! Schelleen and Daniel discuss the whole journey of bringing baby Christopher into the world, from deciding whether to induce or not, debating whether to get an epidural, and figuring out how to keep a tiny human alive. We hope you enjoy! intro/outro...

Daniel and Schelleen discuss how parents should handle difficult or uncomfortable topics with their children. Whether they’re dealing with the death of a family pet, or the topic of sexual predators, it can be challenging for parents to address these issues with their kids.  Some parents take a sheltering approach– seeking to protect them from the ugliness of the real world; while others take an e...

On this episode, Daniel speaks with English teacher and dad of 3 Jake Coffin. Jake was homeschooled all the way from kindergarten through high school, and he shares his thoughts about that part of his life– what he thinks went well and what didn’t go well, and whether he would do it again if he could go back.  Jake’s story leads into a conversation about what it means for parents to take responsib...

On this episode, Schelleen and Daniel give a life update of the last year. (Spoiler: Schelleen is pregnant!!) After mourning the loss of baby William, getting pregnant turned out to be more of a challenge than they thought. Schelleen recounts the months of disappointing news and the decision not to pursue medical intervention. She also shares how God became much more involved in this season of inf...

This episode is a recording of a talk Daniel gave at the Train Up educators conference in Fresno, CA. This conference was a gathering of Christian educators from various backgrounds (homeschool, private school, public school). In this talk, Daniel outlines the Christian view of education and articulates how it differs from non-Christian education. Working out of Ephesians 6:4, Daniel explains the...

On this episode, Daniel brings on Jake Sevits to discuss the unexpected benefits of practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu. Jake is the owner and founder of the Old School Jiu Jitsu gym. He has been training in BJJ for over 7 years. BJJ is a martial art in which two opponents compete in a wrestling-like manner to submit each other with a choke or joint lock. BJJ is a highly complex sport that takes years...

We have new guests on the podcast! Nate and Larissa Fajkus are close friends to Schelleen and Daniel, and they all sit down to be discuss physical health from a Christian perspective.  Many of us think of healthy diet and exercise as important for taking care of ourselves, and a lot of us treat a healthy lifestyle as being somewhat optional. We may think of people that take health and fitness supe...

Daniel and Schelleen continue their series of discussions on healthy habits, based on the book Habits of the Household by Justin Earley. Today, they're getting into one of the most critical habits that we all have to wrestle with- screens. Now, it's important to keep in mind that screens aren't entirely bad; they clearly have tremendous potential for good in our lives. The key is to th...

On this first episode of 2024, Daniel and Schelleen reflect on the last year's learning. They share some of their best and worst reads from 2023. Daniel shares how true learning goes deeper than gaining information; it's about changing as a person. Schelleen and Daniel reflect on some of the hacks that have helped them develop a lifestyle of reading. Daniel's 2023 Reading List Complete...

On this episode Daniel sits down with Deann to discuss her journey of learning how to effectively meet the educational, developmental, and spiritual needs of her children. Deann and David Kelly are the parents of 4 children in Missouri. As Christians, the Kellys take the education of their children very seriously. When their kids were young, the Kellys strongly believed in homeschooling and comple...

On this episode, Daniel and Schelleen discuss chapter 3 of Justin Earley's Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms . The topic is discipline. How can Christian parents discipline their children in such a way that reflects Christ's nature to their children? Daniel highlights the idea that the goal of discipline should not be to simply inflict conseque...

Daniel sits down with Schelleen to process his thoughts on recreation. We all want to develop healthy habits, but is it appropriate to occasionally neglect healthy habits- at least temporarily? Are there areas of our lives where it's never okay to loosen up from our regular discipline? Also, are there objectively better and worse ways to recreate (particularly for Christians), or do our patter...

In this episode, Daniel sits down with Schelleen to discuss a book they've started reading together. The book is Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whittle Earley. They're only a few chapters in but this book is already changing their lives. Daniel and Schelleen have been thinking a lot about habits lately, for different reasons. Danie...

Daniel discusses homeschooling with his friends Jason and Alejandra Guenther. They homeschool their 4 young children (preK to 4th grade) in California. The Guenthers share why they chose to homeschool and how they collaborate with other families to make it work. Daniel asks how their Christian faith influences their views on parenting and education. Jason shares several stats on the academic and s...

We have some returning guests on this episode- Jake and Kailene Coffin! These two are educators in Arizona, and Daniel wanted to continue a previous conversation with them about different models of Christian education and Christian curriculum. In their discussion, they reflect on their experiences in different school models and debate what the purpose of a Christian education should be. They also...

This episode is a recording of a talk that Daniel gave at a regional church conference on September 15th. This discussion was the last of three talks on education from a Christian perspective. Daniel addresses the question of whether the Church, broadly speaking, should uphold the public school model or abandon it altogether in the interest of building alternative models of education. In this talk...

Schelleen and Daniel sit down to discuss a theme they've noticed in their lives recently- decay. They unpack the recent slew of unexpected home improvement fiascos they've had to navigate. Schelleen shares a journal entry where she reflects on the reality that everything is decaying- even us. They discuss Romans 8, The Fall's result of separating "God's space" from "our...

On this episode Daniel is joined by friend and colleague Shawn Meintz to discuss public education from a Christian teacher's perspective. Shawn is a dad of 3 and social studies teacher who works in the same high school as Daniel. He and Daniel discuss whether Christian parents should enroll their kids in public school. Shawn discusses the value of Christian students having influence among thei...

What is learning? What defines "a learner"? How do teachers know if their students are actually learning? Daniel and Schelleen sit down to discuss these very questions. Pulling from the book The 7 Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory, Daniel talks about how understanding the true definition of a "learner" and the "learning process" has taken his teaching to the next leve...

Jake and Kailene Coffin are guests on the pod! They sit down with Daniel and Schelleen to discuss education from the parents' perspective. Between them, Jake and Kailene have multiple years of experience in teaching and education administration. They have also recently decided to begin home schooling their own children. In this episode, Jake and Kailene share their views on what it means to be...

On this episode, Schelleen and Daniel continue the story of their son William, who passed away on his birthday June 29, 2022. They specifically talk about the week after his death- unpacking the emotional fallout of this devastating loss, contrasting Daniel's response to trauma with Schelleen's, and highlighting the ways that this tragedy provided opportunities for Daniel and Schelleen to...

It's been almost a year since we've last uploaded, and we are back with an update. Unfortunately, our son William passed away suddenly on his birthday last summer. This episode is a conversation between Daniel and Schelleen telling the story of his birthday. This is not an easy story to tell, but we believe that this podcast is another way for us to remember our son and share the love that...

The podcast has a NEW name! I believe that "Live and Learn" best captures the purpose of the show. I want this podcast to be platform where we can have meaningful conversations that push us to be better humans. In this episode, I discuss chapter 3 of Jordan Peterson's book 12 Rules for Life with my wife Schelleen. We dig into a difficult question. "Are there situations in which you...