What happens when you stop measuring “success” by convenience—and start building your family life around your deepest values?

In this episode of The Homeschool How To Podcast, Cheryl sits down with homeschool dad Todd Marchand, founder of Be Whole Do Good, to talk about what it really looks like to raise kids with resilience, emotional tools, and a strong sense of identity—without turning your home into a lecture hall.

Todd shares how their family found a hybrid homeschool rhythm, why “a good education” often just means “what we’ve always known,” and how he made the leap from software sales to entrepreneurship so his work could align with his family’s mission.

You’ll also hear about the new text-message-based program Todd is launching—designed to help parents teach skills like emotional regulation, gratitude, growth mindset, and resilience in tiny daily moments (without adding more to your plate).

In this episode, we cover:

• Why “good schooling” isn’t always the same as a meaningful education
• Hybrid homeschooling: how it works and why it fits some families best
• Values over convenience (and why that changes everything)
• Teaching emotional skills before the meltdown happens
• Simple gratitude practices that actually rewire perspective
• From corporate ladder to calling: building a life with autonomy
• What Todd wants his kids to know by age 18 (hint: it’s not just academics)

Resources & Links

• Be Whole Do Good: bewholedogood.com (spelled: be whole do good)
• Night Zookeeper (free trial + 50% off yearly subscription)
• Cheryl’s eBook- The Homeschool How To: Complete Starter Guide- a compilation of everything she's learned from interviewing 150+ homeschool families
• Cheryl’s FREE 30-Day Homeschool Quick Start Guide: thehomeschoolhowto.com

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Cheryl sits down with Katie Vieira — a former 4th grade teacher turned homeschool mom — to talk about what surprised her most when she stepped outside the traditional school system. They unpack how early academic pressure has changed, why many kids feel burnout younger than ever, and how standardized testing and school accountability can shape what happens in the classroom (and the stress teachers carry).

They also dive into the real-life side of homeschooling: finding community, handling seasons where screens sneak in more than you planned, keeping reading and learning positive when kids resist “lessons,” and the ongoing challenge of balancing motherhood with creative work and personal goals. Katie shares about her children’s book “Into the Field: Tennessee Summer,” inspired by shifting away from screen-heavy days and toward outdoor adventures, confidence-building, and learning through experience — plus what’s next in her planned series.

In this episode, we cover:

• Katie’s path from certified teacher to homeschool mom
• Why kindergarten/early elementary standards feel so intense now
• Standardized testing pressure (and how it can impact teachers)
• Lockdown drills, school anxiety, and what parents weigh in their choices
• Screen time seasons, outdoor resets, and the “thousand hours outside” idea
• Homeschool balance: work, creativity, and family rhythms
• Colorado homeschool options and one-day-a-week enrichment programs
• How to keep learning positive when kids push back

Links & resources mentioned:
Katie Vieira + Into the Field: Tennessee Summer

Katie's Instagram

🎹 Have your kiddos learn piano from this amazing resource, check out: Simply Piano. We love it! 🎶

Cheryl's ebook: The Homeschool How To: Complete Starter Guide

🎁 Free resource: Grab my free 30-day homeschool quick start guide at thehomeschoolhowto.com

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

What does homeschooling look like after the kids are grown — and what advice actually holds up over 25 years? This week, I bring back a favorite episode of mine to help remind me what's really important while taking this homeschooling journey.

In this episode of The Homeschool How To Podcast, I talk with Rosemary, a New Jersey mom of four who homeschooled all the way through high school and is now on the other side: kids launched, college decisions made, careers started, and the long view finally clear.

Rosemary shares the approach that shaped her homeschool—part structure, part freedom—with a few non-negotiables (like math facts and early reading), plus a powerful reminder: you’re replaceable at work… but irreplaceable in your child’s life.

You’ll also hear:

• Why agency is one of the biggest gifts homeschooling can give
• How she balanced academics + interests + sports as kids got older
• When and why she started testing (and what she learned)
• How her kids handled the culture shock of college environments
• A practical framework every family can use: Dojo • Cafeteria • Library
• A “well-kept secret” resource: Learning Unlimited (Saturday classes taught by graduate students)

If you’re new to homeschooling—or you’re deep in the weeds—this conversation will help you zoom out and build a homeschool that’s less about checklists and more about raising capable, grounded kids who know how to learn.

🎹 Have your kiddos learn piano from this amazing resource, check out: Simply Piano. We love it! 🎶

Cheryl's ebook: The Homeschool How To: Complete Starter Guide

🎁 Free resource: Grab my free 30-day homeschool quick start guide at thehomeschoolhowto.com

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast