The Homeschool Connections Podcast

What if the secret to successful homeschooling isn't doing more schoolwork, but rethinking what education should look like? Many homeschool parents start by recreating a traditional classroom at home, with rigid schedules, workbooks, and carefully planned lessons. But what happens when that approach leaves everyone frustrated? In today’s episode, host Kaitlin Zara welcomes Cheryl Daley , homeschoo...

Can what your child eats really affect focus, behavior, energy, and learning? In this episode of the Homeschool Connections Podcast, host Kaitlin Zara sits down with Theresa Kasper, a certified Integrative Health Practitioner, former special education teacher, and Catholic homeschool mom, to discuss the link between nutrition and a child's ability to learn and thrive. The good news? This isn't abo...

What can nearly 20 years of serving Catholic homeschool families teach us about homeschooling, parenthood, faith, and the education of our children? In this special episode of the Homeschool Connections Podcast, host Kaitlin Zara sits down with Homeschool Connections co-founder Maureen Wittmann as she steps back from day-to-day leadership and enters a new season of semi-retirement. Maureen looks b...

What does the future of Catholic homeschooling look like, and how can Homeschool Connections continue helping families navigate it? In this episode of the Homeschool Connections Podcast, host Kaitlin Zara sits down with Cate Godlewski, the new Associate Director of Homeschool Connections. A homeschool graduate herself, Cate brings a lifelong love of education, years of teaching experience, and a d...

How do you keep homeschooling and keep loving your family well when life is extraordinarily hard? Author, speaker, and veteran homeschool mom Mary Lenaburg joins Kaitlin Zara for an honest, hope-filled conversation about homeschooling, parenting a child with profound disabilities, caring for siblings' needs, strengthening a marriage under tremendous pressure, and finding joy even in seasons of suf...

What happens when a public school principal decides to homeschool her own children? After nearly a decade as a principal, literacy specialist, and educator, Liz Powell never imagined that homeschooling would become part of her family's story. But motherhood—and especially thinking about what her own children needed to thrive—changed the way she looked at education. In this episode of the Homeschoo...

Does history sometimes feel like a disconnected collection of names, dates, and events? What if your children could begin with people they already have a reason to care about? Their own ancestors? In this episode of the Homeschool Connections Podcast, host Kaitlin Zara welcomes longtime Catholic educator, homeschool mom, and curriculum creator Maryanne Patterson for a fascinating conversation abou...

Kaitlin Unscripted Episode 13: No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. What if you could design the perfect school for your child? Choose the curriculum, class size, teachers, and everything else? Would you still homeschool? Kaitlin's answer is yes . In this episode of Kaitlin Unscripted , Kaitlin shares why homeschooling has become much more than an alternative to traditional school...

“Are you going to homeschool through high school?” For many homeschool parents, that question carries an unspoken warning: high school is different, more complicated, and perhaps too difficult to manage at home. Rachel Kovac offers a very different perspective. In this episode of the Homeschool Connections Podcast, host Kaitlin Zara welcomes Rachel, author of Their Future Is Shining Bright , for a...

We spend a lot of time thinking about how homeschooling is shaping our children—but what if it's shaping us just as much? In this episode of Kaitlin Unscripted , Kaitlin gets candid about five things homeschooling has exposed in her own life: tying her worth to productivity, wanting immediate results, trying to control the schedule, rushing through the day, and realizing just how much grace she ne...

Does Your Preschooler Need a Curriculum? For many new homeschool parents, this question comes with a surprising amount of pressure. Should a four-year-old be learning letter sounds, practicing handwriting, and completing structured lessons? Or should the early years be filled with stories, mud, blocks, imagination, and unhurried family life? In this episode of the Homeschool Connections Podcast, h...

Kaitlin Unscripted Episode 11: No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. We often talk about all the ways homeschooling benefits our children, but what if homeschooling is changing you, too? In one of her most personal episodes yet, Kaitlin Zara shares something she's rarely said out loud: homeschooling isn't only a gift for our children, it's a gift for us as parents. From having a fro...

Does your homeschool ever feel rushed, overloaded, or focused more on getting through the curriculum than enjoying your children? Slow schooling offers another way. In this episode of the Homeschool Connections Podcast, host Kaitlin Zara welcomes educator, homeschool mom, and author Leslie Martino for an encouraging conversation about restoring balance, connection, and wonder to homeschool life. L...

Kaitlin Unscripted Episode 10: No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. Should your family join a homeschool co-op? Or would a hybrid school be a better fit? In this episode of Kaitlin Unscripted, Kaitlin Zara explores one of the biggest questions homeschool families face as they build a learning environment that works for their unique season of life. While co-ops and hybrid schools ma...

What happens when your child says, “I’m just not good at math” or “I can’t do this”? Those simple statements can reveal something important about the way children view their abilities and how they respond when learning gets difficult. In this episode of the Homeschool Connections Podcast , host Kaitlin Zara welcomes developmental and educational psychologist Dr. Kristi Moore for a fascinating and...

Kaitlin Unscripted Episode 9: No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. Should you join a homeschool co-op? It's one of the first questions many homeschooling parents hear, but the answer isn't the same for every family. In t his episode, Kaitlin Zara walks through the purpose of homeschool co-ops, the different forms they can take, and the thoughtful questions every family should consi...

Kaitlin Unscripted Episode 8: No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. Is homeschooling through high school really enough to prepare your teen for college, adulthood, and the "real world"? In Part Two of this 2-part series, Kaitlin Zara continues answering the question she hears more than any other: "Will you homeschool for high school?" Building on last week's episode, Kaitlin shares...

Kaitlin Unscripted  Episode 5: No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. One of the questions Kaitlin Zara hears more than any other is: "Will you homeschool through high school?" In Part One of this two-part series, Kaitlin tackles the myths and misconceptions surrounding homeschooling teenagers and explains why her answer is an enthusiastic yes! From academic excellence and dual enrol...

Kaitlin Unscripted Episode ##: No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. Charlotte Mason. Classical education. Unschooling. Montessori. Traditional. Eclectic. If you’re new to homeschooling, it can feel like you need to choose the “right” educational philosophy before you even begin. But do you? In this episode of Kaitlin Unscripted,...

No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. Have you ever created the perfect homeschool schedule—only to watch it fall apart by 9:30 a.m.? In this episode of Kaitlin Unscripted, Kaitlin Zara shares practical advice for structuring your homeschool day without trying to recreate a traditional classroom at home. Instead of rigid schedules that leave you feeling behind, Kaitlin encourages fa...

No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. What do you do when your high schooler shuts down at the sight of a difficult assignment? Whether it's an essay, a math lesson, or a project that feels overwhelming, many homeschool parents have watched capable students freeze when the work gets hard. In this episode of Kaitlin Unscripted, host Kaitlin Zara shares practical strategies for helpin...

No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. One of the most common—and most emotional—questions homeschool moms ask is: What if my husband isn't on board with homeschooling? In this episode of Kaitlin Unscripted, host Kaitlin Zara offers practical encouragement for navigating this difficult conversation with grace, patience, and understanding. Drawing on her experience as a homeschool mom...

No scripts, no interviews—just homeschool real talk. One of the most common fears homeschool parents face is the worry that their children are somehow "falling behind." Behind whom? Behind what? In this encouraging episode of Kaitlin Unscripted, host Kaitlin Zara tackles one of the biggest myths in homeschooling and offers a fresh perspective on what real educational success looks like. Drawing on...

No scripts, no interviews. Just homeschool real talk. In the debut episode of Kaitlin Unscripted, host Kaitlin Zara tackles one of the most common questions she hears from homeschool parents: Do I need a teaching degree to homeschool my children? As a former public school teacher and now homeschool mom, Kaitlin offers a reassuring answer: Absolutely not. In this short but encouraging episode, Kait...

What role should fathers play in a homeschooling family? In this episode, Kaitlin sits down with Homeschool Connections co-founder Walter Crawford to discuss homeschooling from a dad’s perspective. Drawing on more than fifteen years of homeschooling experience, Walter shares why a father's involvement matters, how dads can support their homeschooling wives, and the lasting impact that intentional...