The Workwomb Podcast Ep. 38 đź““ Raised Outside the System: How Unschooling Made Me Allergic to Mediocrity
This episode, I'm answering the questions I get asked quite often, especially now as a mama:
"Did you like growing up homeschooling?" (Well, unschooling, actually. Google it!)
“How did you go to college/make money/not become a reclusive weirdo?”
I share about = how that single, radical choice (shoutout to my brave parents đź‘‹) shaped literally eeeverything about how I live, work, parent and lead now.
No bells. No grades. No tests. I did make my mom buy me a locker tho, so my school was "real". Bc OBVI a locker = true education.
Growing up unschooling gave me the keys to my education and taught me how to be the boss of my own life before I had my first "real job". It showed me what it meant to follow my curiosity, trust my instincts, and build my life around desire instead of obligation. It taught me how to self-boss™ long before I ever ran a biz.
It made me a rule-questioner. A self-trusting, joy-prioritizing, curiosity-fueled little freaky freak, and eventually, an entrepreneur with a strong inner compass. I know it's not for everyone (nor does everyone have the access/priveledge to do so), but I get asked.
We dive into:
- What unschooling actually is, and what it isn’t
- Why the traditional school system was never meant to support creativity, agency, or aliveness
- The complicated paradox of educational privilege (especially now that I’m the one making decisions for my kiddo)
- How being unschooled shaped my nervous system, my biz, and my obsession with doing things my own damn way (Virgo much?)
- The Workwomb flavor of self-leadership — gentle, intuitive, built around capacity, not performance
- The unschooler-to-entrepreneur pipeline (aka why so many of us become biz owners)
- Rebossing + reparenting yourself after years of trying to fit in boxes you were never meant for
If you’ve ever felt like the world wasn’t built for your brain…
If you’ve ever been the one asking “why do we do it this way?” while everyone else shrugs…
If you’re in the thick of remembering who you were before the world told you who to be…
This episode is for you! Come curl up with me. This one’s truthy. This one’s a love letter to the part of you that’s always known there was another way.
Mentions + Links from the Ep:
- Ep. 34 đź’Ą Creative Unrest & Our Zone of Aliveness: How to Find (and Follow) What Makes You Come Alive
- Ep 1 ✌️ The Two Skills That Led Me from Musical Theatre Actress to 6-Figure Business Strategist
- The Monday Magic Method
- Workwomb Retreat – ATX Edition
- Workwomb Mastermind - The Elevated Circle
- Unschool Adventures
- Not Back To School Camp (aka my teenhood Hogwarts)
- Unschooling lineage: John Taylor Gatto + Grace Llewellyn — thank you for your work in the world!!
Join me in ATX for a 2-day winter biz retreat!
At the start of March, when the world is still shaking off its winter and biz feels deliciously in flow, a circle of women will gather in Austin, TX: Artists. Healers. Creatives. Women who make beauty for a living.
Women who carry wisdom in their bones. Women who are tired of running their businesses alone at their laptops and are ready for something deeper — a reboot, a reimagining, a room full of women who get it.
This retreat is your spring portal. A reset. A revival. A remembering. And you’re invited.
Spots are limited — save yours HERE. I can’t wait to gather with you.
AND IF YOU LOVED THIS EPISODE:
Everyone who leaves a review is entered to win a free MONTH inside The Elevated Circle (ICYMI: Its the best place on the internet for creative biz babes), valued at $1,111. Yep. A whole month of weekly activating group coaching & training sessions, DM access to my nonstop support, and an expert guest speaker training. All live and free ninety nine for YOU if you win!
Chat with Abbi!
- DM me on Instagram âžť @workwomb (DM's are my love language!)
- Drop me a line âžť abbi@workwomb.com
Uplevel Your Biz Magic!