episode 237: world travel with kids, worldschooling ... · she and her husband, ryan, are raising...

Copyright © 2019 Wellness Mama · All Rights Reserved

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Episode237:WorldTravelWithKids,

WorldSchooling&EntrepreneurshipWithWonderlingFamily


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Child:WelcometomyMommy’spodcast.

ThispodcastisbroughttoyoubyThriveMarket.I’vebeenusingThriveMarketforyears,eversincetheyfirstopenedandIknowmanyofyouhavebeentoo,butIwantedtomakesureyouknowaboutacouplethingsthatmakethemevenmoreawesome.First,theyhaveareallyeasytouseappthatmakesorderingeasy.Iusethisallthetime.Second,theyhaveabunchofsecretfreegiftswithpurchaseformembersonly!Ioftencheckbackafewtimesaweekbecausethey’vehadsomeofmyfavoritethingsasafreegiftwithpurchase.MystrategyistoaddthingstomycartintheappasIthinkofthemoraswerunoutorasImakeashoppinglist,thenonceIhitthethresholdforfreeshippingandthefreegift,Iorderwhenit’sagiftthatIwoulduse.Andfinally,makesuretocheckouttheThriveMarketbrandwhenyou’reontheapporwebsitebecausetheyhavespentalotofeffortandtimedevelopingtheirownlineofreallyhighqualityproductsatreallygreatprices.Thisisnowmygo-toforpantrystapleslikegrainfreeflours,bakingsoda,nuts,etcandforproteinslikesardines,tunaandcannedgoodsandevenfordiapers.Findoutmoreaboutalloftheseandgetanextradiscountonyourfirstorderatthrivemarket.com/katie

ThispodcastisbroughttoyoubyReady,Set,Food!,anewcompanyrevolutionizingfoodallergypreventioninchildren.Weallknowthatthisproblemisontherise,andmostofusknowsomeonewhohasachildwithfoodallergies,orhavehadthisexperienceourselves.Therearemanytheoriesforthisandcertainlymanyaspectsthatneedtobeaddressedlikeguthealthandimmunesupport.Ready,Set,Food!istakingthecuttingedgeresearchandscienceandusingitinapracticalwaytohelpbabiesandchildrenavoidfoodallergiesinthefirstplace.Here’show.Themostuptodatestudiesareshowingthatcarefullycalculatedearlyexposureintherightamountscanstopmanycasesoffoodallergies.Ready,Set,Food!makesthiseasywithasimplesystemthatcanbeaddedtobreastmilk,formulaorbaby’sfirstfoodstogiveincrementalandcalculatedexposuretothetopallergenslikepeanuts,eggandmilk.Whenusedasdirected,thiscanreducethechanceofchildhoodallergiesbyupto80%anditisrecommendedandoverseenbymanyofthenation’stoppediatricians.Learnmoreaboutthisevidencebasedapproachandhowtointegrateitifyouhaveababyatreadysetfood.com/wellnessmama

Katie:Helloandwelcometo"TheWellnessMamaPodcast."I'mKatiefromwellnessmama.com.Andtoday,we'regonnatalkaboutasubjectthatmanyofyouaskaboutandI'veneverreallytackledbefore.I'mherewithmyfriend,StephanieLangford.She'sadearfriend.She'salsoawife,mom,entrepreneur,andworldtraveler.Sheandherhusband,Ryan,areraisingandworldschooling5kids,aged3to14.We'lltalkaboutwhatthatmeansinthisepisode.Together,theyrunUltimateBundlesatultimatebundles.com,wheretheyworkwithonlinecontentcreatorsandbloggerstocurateincredibledigitallibrariesforreallyamazingprices.In2013,getthis,theybackpackedwiththeirfamily,withtheirkids,aroundtheworldforayearto32countries,which,inmymind,makesthemamazingtravelexperts.Sincethattime,they'veestablishedahomebaseinOttawa,Canada,whilecontinuingtotravelinternationallythreetosixmonthseachyear.Youcanfindthemsharingtheirfamily'sunconventionalandfrequentlynomadiclifestyleatwonderling.comorfollowthemonInstagram,@wonderlingfamily.Stephanie,thanksforbeinghere.

Stephanie:Thankyou.I'msogladtobehere.Thisisfun.


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Katie:Itisfun.It'sfuntogettotalktoafriendandit'sfuntogettotalkaboutasubjectthatyouareverymuchanexpertin,andIthinkalotofparentshavesomanyquestionsinbothontheentrepreneurshipsideandthetravelside.AndsoIwannastarttherealittlebit.Canyoujustgiveusanoverviewofhowyoubecameanentrepreneur?

Stephanie:Sure.Well,inasense,Iwaskindofanaccidentalentrepreneurbecausemyhusband,I'mtryingtogobackhowfar,Imean,probablyabout13yearsago,hestartedtalkingtomeabout,"I'mgonnastartmyownbusinessoneday.Ireallywannabecomeanentrepreneur."Andatthetime,Iwassortoflike,"Okay,like,that'skindofaniceidea,butlet'sjustpushthatoffalittlebit."Iwasverystabilityloving.Iwasrisk-averse.Ididn'treallywannatryanythinglikethat.Andsohewaitedacoupleofyears,andthenhestartedtalkingaboutitagain.Likeitwasjustthisthinghekeptgoingbackto.Butkindofafunnythinghappenedinthemiddleofthat.So,myhusband,hehadcancer.Andafterhewasinremission,Istartedtofeellike,youknow,we'vejustcomethroughthisreallylong,hardjourney,andIneededabitofanoutletformyselfandI'dalsobeenlearningalotabouthealthandwellnessanddifferentwaystotakecareofhimandtohelphisbodyrecoveraftertheordealthathe'dbeenthrough.

SoIdecided,"I'mgonnastartablog,"justkindofthisfunthingIdo.Igetupinthemorningbeforethekids.Atthattime,wehadatoddlerandababy.I'llgetupinthemorningsandI'lldoitduringnaptime.It'lljustsortofbethisfunlittlethingthatIdo.Andsurprisingly,tome,thatgrewintosomething.ItgrewfasterthanIthoughtitwould,andIrealized,"Oh,Icanactuallymakeanincome."AndwhenIdidbeginmakinganincome,Imean,nobodywasmoreshockedthanmethatIhadkindofaccidentallybecomeanentrepreneur.Now,Ihadthisonlinebusiness,andIcontinuedtogrowit,anditdevelopedintoafull-timeincome.And,ultimately,Isoldthatbusiness,andwewentontodevelopotherbusinesses,includingtheonethatwenowruntogether.Butthat'ssortofhowIgotintoit.

Soit'sfunnybecausehereallyhadthatentrepreneurialsparkandvision,andIjustsortofstumbledintoit.Butmysuccessinstartingmyblogandinbringinginanincomegavemetheconfidencetosay,"Oh,okay,youwannadothis?I'monboard.Let'sdoittogether."Andsothatwashowwereallybegantomoveforward.ThenwecreatedamusicschoolandthenwecreatedUltimateBundles.Andso,now,that'sreallyaveryintegralpartofourfamily'slifestyle,andIactuallyloveit.Iloveit.

Katie:That'ssoawesome.AndI'mcuriousbecauseIfeellikeit'sabigjump.IknowI'veheardyourstorypersonally,butIwannahearyoutellthewholethinghere.Ifeellikeit'sabigjumptogofromlikeawesome,youcreatedthisamazingbusinessthat'shelpingallthesepeople,to"We'regonnatravel,"andnotjust,"We'regonnatravel,"but,"We'regonnatravelforayearwithallofourkids."Ithinkmanyfamiliesdreamoftravelingmore,andmostpeoplehavesomekindoftravelontheirbucketlist,buttheideaofbackpackingforayearwithkidssoundsreallyimpossibletoalotofparents.So,howdidthatideacomeabout,andhowdidyoumakeitwork?

Stephanie:Soitbegantocomeaboutwhenwehadbothbeenrunningoursortof...wehadsortoftheseparallelbusinessesgoing.Ihadmyprofessionalblog,andthenhehadhismusicschool,andwe'dbeendoingthemforacoupleofyears.Andfinally,forthefirsttimeinourmarriage,wewerefeelinglike,"Okay,like,wedon'thaveanydebt.We'vegotalittlebitofsavings.We'rekindofgettingonsteadierfinancialground.Now,


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what?"Andhestartedplayingaroundwiththisideaof,"Whatifwewentandlivedinanothercountryforayear?Like,let'sjustpicksomewhererandom.Like,let'sgoliveinArgentinaforayear."Andatfirst,Iwaslike,"Idon'tknow.I'mkindahappyhere.Ilikeourfriends.Ilikeourhomeschoolingcommunity.Idon'treallyfeelaneedtogodothat."Butthemorehegottalking,hestartedplayingaroundwiththingslike,"Well,whatifwewenttofourdifferentcountriesoverthecourseoftheyear?"Andthenitwaslike,Idon'tknow,aswitchturnedoninmybrain,andIstartedthinkingaboutthepossibility.

SoIgotreallyexcited,andwebeganbrainstormingallofthethingsthatwecoulddo.Andwhatfeltreallyimportantaboutthetriptouswasthat,notonlywasitgonnabeareallyamazingeducationalexperienceforourkidsandabondingexperienceforusasafamily,butitalsofeltlikeitwouldhelpuslearntorunourbusinessesbetterbecausewewouldhavetonotmicromanagesomuch,wewouldhavetofindwaystoworksmarter,nothardertokindofgetaroundtimeswhenwewerein,youknow,weirdtimezones,orwehadtotakeabreakbecauseofatravelday.Andsoitfeltlikeitwasgoingtoreallyforceustojustdoabetterjobwitheverything.Soallofthesethingssortofcombined,andIfeltlike,"Oh,yeah,maybewecouldreallydothis."AndIdon'teventhinkIknewquitehowcrazywewerebeing.Like,itsoundedreallycrazywhenwestartedtalkingaboutitandwestartedplanning.Buthonestly,itwasn'tuntillikeamonthbefore,andwewerelikereallyreadytodoit,wehadpreppedeverything,thehousewasallpackedup,andwewere,youknow,rentingitouttosomebodyelse,andwe'dboughtallourgear,andthenIwaslike,"Oh,wow."Like,wedon'tknowwhatwe'redoing.

Wehaven'tactuallyevertraveledtoadevelopingcountrywithourkids.Wehaven'ttraveledanywhereotherthantotheUnitedStateswithourkids.Sothisisareally,reallybigdifferenceforus,andIthinkthatwasactuallypartofthebeautyofitiswedidn'tknowexactlywhatweweredoing,butweleaptintoitanywaysbecausewehad,atthispoint,developedthisvisionandthisexcitementforit.Sowekindofjustwentforit,and,youknow,itrequiredalotofwork.Wehadtodecide,"Whatarewegonnadowithallofourthingsbackhome?Howarewegoingtocutbackourexpensessothatwecanactuallynotcarryallofourregularexpenses?"Becausethat'soneofthetrickyparts,youknow,whenyougoonvacation,you'recarryingyourhomeexpenses,butthenalsothevacationexpenses.Well,wedidn'twannadothat.Thatwasn'tsustainableforayear.Soweneededtocutbackeverythingathomesothatwecouldonlyhaveouron-the-roadexpensesaswewereworking.Youknow,that'showwewouldcontinuetofundourtravel.

Sotherewasalotofthingsthatwehadtofigureout,anditdidhelpthatwewerealreadyhomeschoolers,andwehadbeenhomeschoolersrightfromthebeginning.Sowedidn'thavethelimitationof,"Well,whatdowedowithschool?"Forus,itwas,"Well,schooljustcomesontheroadwithus,justlikewhatwedoathome."Sosomepieceswereeasy,somepiecesweretrickier,but,yeah,that'skindofhowitcameabout.

Katie:Ilovethatyoubroughtuptheexpensesandminimizingtheonesathomewhileyouweretraveling,becauseIthinkthat'salso,maybealotofpeoplehaveaskewedideaofhowmuchitactuallycostsifyoudoitacertainwaytotraveltheworld.Ithinkitseemslike,tomanypeople,thatcanbeatremendous,tremendousamountofmoneyandsomethingyousaveyourwholelifefor.ButIknowfromtalkingtoyou,youguyswereabletomakeitworkonabudget,andyoucertainlydidn'tspendhundredsandhundredsofthousandsofdollarstravelingtheworldforayear.So,canyouspeakalittlemoretohowyouwereabletomakeitbudgetfriendly,especiallywhenyouweretravelinginagroupofsixatthetime,right?


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Stephanie:Yeah,that'sright.Sowehadsix,andoutofthosesix,fiverequiredplanetickets,becausewehadoneinfantwithusaswell.Soitwasdefinitelyahugeexpense,butthebigpicturewayofhowwediditisthatbygettingridofallofourexpensesbackhome.Soforus,thatmeantlettinggoofthehousethatwe'dbeenlivingin,andwejustkeptthethingsthatwerereally,reallyimportanttousandweputthoseinstorage.Wesoldourvehicles.Youknow,wecanceledeverythingthatwecouldbackhome.IthinktheonlythingsthatwestillhadwerelikeourbankaccountandmaybeaNetflixaccount,Idon'tknow.Butwebasicallyhadnothingbackhome.Andsothatwasreallykey,andthentheotherkeywaslivingontheroadandnotvacationingontheroad,andthere'sareallybigdifference.Youknow,weweren'tstayinginhotelsallthetime.Weneverstayedinaresort.Wewerenotlivingthelife.Wewerelivinglocallyasmuchaspossible.

Soforus,thatmeansrentinganapartmentorrentingahousesomewhere.Andsometimes,youknow,that'smaybeonlyforaweek,andsometimes,thatwasforasmuchasfour,five,sixweeksatatime.Andwhatthatallowedustodowastojustgoandshopatthemarkets,likethelocals.Andwewouldwalkaround,andwewouldtakepublictransportation,andwewoulddoourownlaundry,andwewerenotdoingexcursionseveryday.Imean,often,theexperienceforuswasjust,"Oh,thisiswhatit'sliketoliveinKenya,ortoliveinArgentina,ortolivein,youknow,southernFrance."Itwasjusttheexperienceoflivingintheplaceandnotthatweweredoingthese,youknow,wildandcrazyactivitieseveryday.Wedidsomeofthat,ofcourse,andsothat'swhereyougetintomoreoftheexpenses.Whenyou,youknow,doatour,orwhenyouwanttogotoaparticularfamoussite,thatcanbringinmoreexpense.Andthenalsothecountriesthatyouchoosesortofdeterminesyourcostlevel.

Sowetriedtohaveareallyhealthymixofmoreinexpensivecountries,andthenafewthatwerekindofmoremidlevel,andthenjustacouplethatweremoreexpensiveandthoseoneswespentaveryshortamountoftimein.Andweweresuperfrugalwhilewewereinthosecountries.Soyoukindoffindwaystobalanceitout,and,youknow,Iwouldsay,mostmonths,ourexpensesontheroadwereactuallyprettysimilartoourexpenseslivingbackinCanada.Imean,Canadaisnotacheapcountrywhenyouhavesixkids,andwewereabletomakeitworkoutprettysimilarly.Sothebigexpenseforuswasreallyjustourflights,andwehadtosaveupforthose.Wedidalreadyhavealittlebitofsavings,wecontinuedtosavethroughouttheyear,andthenwealsocontinuedtoputsomeextramoneyaside,becauselikeIsaid,wewerebasicallyjustlivingaprettynormalmonth-to-monthexpensesortofbudget.

Andso,really,theflightswerethebiggestthing,andyoudon'tevenhavetodoasmanyflightsaswedid.Imean,wewerealittlebitcrazy.Wewentto32countriesinayear.That'salotofflights.Andwedidasmuchofitbylandaswecould.Wetraveledbylongdistancebus.Wetraveledbytrain.Wedidwhateverwecouldtocutthecostdown,andthenwewouldflywhenweneededto.Wealsotriedtokeepaverylinearkindoflogicalpathofflightasmuchaspossible,sothatwewerejustdoinglittlehopsandnotthebighops.Because,youknow,itisthebiggerhopsacrosstheoceanand,youknow,fromonecontinenttoanother,that'swherealotofthemoneycomesin.So,youknow,withoutgoingintomoredetail,thosearesomeofthewaysthatwesavedmoney.And,youknow,itdoesn'thavetobeaone-yeartripforpeople.Thatwaswhatwechosetodo,butevenjustchoosingtogotooneortwocountries,Ithinkitcouldbesomuchmorewithinreachthanalotofpeoplethinkthatitis.


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Katie:Yeah,andsuchanamazingexperiencewithkids,especially,toseeanothercountryandanothercultureandtoseejustthedifferencesinlifestyle.Whatwereacouple,justthehighlights,ofacoupleofyourfavoriteplacesandmaybeacouplethatsurprisedyoubyhowmuchyoulikedthem?

Stephanie:Yeah.It'salwayssohard.Itdependsonthedaythatyouaskme,becauseitkindofchangeswhatsticksouttome.Wehavesomereally,reallygreatmemoriesofourtimelivinginEurope,notonlyonthattrip,becausewe'vealsocontinuedtotravelthere,butwe'vespentsometimelivingmoreextensivelyinsouthernFranceandinwesternFrancejustrentingahousethere,andthat'saplacethatweloveandwefeellikethere'sjustaverydifferentpacetolifethere,andwereallyenjoyit.Welovetheirappreciationofgoodlocalhealthyfood.And,yeah,wejustenjoyitsomuch.

WealsofellinlovewithTurkeylikereallyhard.Wespentamonththere.AndIknowthatTurkeyisnotaplacethat'sonalotofpeople'sradars,but,man,thatisaphenomenalfamily-friendlycountry.Andwefoundthatpeopleweresoopentoourchildren.Theyweresokindandgenerouswiththem.AndIfeelliketheyweremoreopentousjustbecauseweweretravelingwithourchildren,becausetheyreallyvaluechildrenintheirculture.Buttheirfoodisphenomenal.Imean,thehistoryandtheruinstherewerejustamazingandthesceneryandthebeach.Imean,Icouldkindagoon.Turkeyisincredible.

WehadareallygreattimeinCambodia.WewenttoseethetemplecomplexofAngkorWat,andthatwasaphenomenaltime.Weonlyspentaboutaweekthere,butitwasoneofthoseweeksthatjuststandsoutinmymemory,becausewejusthadsomuchfunexploringthetemplesandlearningthehistory.And,youknow,you'rereallyallowedtogetinthereandclimbaroundit.And,youknow,wewereclimbinguptothetopofthisreallytallkindofpyramid-liketemples,andtheyaretheonesthatarebeingovertakenbytheforest.Andit'sjustsofascinating.Imean,it'slikeahugeplaygroundforkids.Sothosearesomeofthereallyamazingthings.

WeweresurprisedbyhowmuchweenjoyedbeinginRwanda.Werentedahouseonachurchpropertyforthreeweeks.WestayedinKigali,whichisthecapital.Andtherewassomethingabout...wedidn'treallydoalotinRwandaasfarasbeingtourists.Like,wereallykindajustlivedthereforthreeweeks.ButtherewassomethingaboutjustlivingtheAfricanlifestyleand,youknow,goingtothemarketandjusthangingoutwithlocals.Wehadareally,reallygoodtimethere.Sothatwasareallypleasantsurpriseforus.Icouldgoon.Ilovesomanyplaces.

Katie:I'msure,andthere'sendlessmoreonestoalwaysfind,whichisthebeautyoftravel.Soyoumentionedworldschoolinginpassing,andasakindofanadd-ontohomeschoolingoranevolutionforyouguys.Thatmaynotbeafamiliartermtoalotofpeople.So,canyouwalkusthroughwhatworldschoolingisandthenhowyoumadeitwork?BecauseIknow,forourhomeschool,wehavebooks,andalotofitisdigital.Andwhenwetravelforlongperiodsoftime,we'veconvertedthattoiPadsorlaptops.Buthowdidyoulogisticallymakethatworktokeepupwithschoolwhileyouwereontheroad?

Stephanie:Yeah.Imean,Ithinkthemaindifferencebetweenhomeschoolingandworldschoolingisjustthat,whenweworldschool,wetryasmuchaspossibletoincorporatethedifferentelementsoftheplaceswhere


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wegointotheeducationalexperience.And,ofcourse,peopledothatathomewhenthey'rehomeschooling,too.Imean,yougotoamuseum.Yougotoalocalfestival.Youknow,youtrymakingdifferentfoods.Imean,therearewaysthatwedothatalready.Butinworldschooling,you'reinthesedifferentplaces,andsothere'sanincrediblearrayofthingsthatareavailabletoyou.Andsoit'sreallyjustabouttakingadvantageofthoseandimmersingyourselfintothecultureasmuchaspossiblewhilecontinuingtodokindofthebasicthingsthateverybodydoeswhenthey'rehomeschooling.

Sothatmeanswedobringmathcurriculum,wedolanguageartscurriculum.Youknow,ourkidshavejournals,andtheystillhavetowriteessays.Andwetryto...theycontinuetoreadalotofbooks,alotofclassicsespecially,butthenwealsoseekoutbooksthatmightbehistoricalfictionthattakesplaceinthecountrywherewe'rein,anditmightgivethemsortofaricherunderstandingoftheculturethatwe'reexperiencing.Sowe'llsortoftieinthingslikethat,aswellaslocallanguagelessons,ifwecanfindanykindof,youknow,alocalartlessonoriftheycandevelopaskillwhilewe'reontheroad.Somyoldestdaughterhasdoneherscubadivingcertification,andournextoldest,whois11,hewouldliketodohiscertificationreallysoonaswell.Andthenourtwooldestkids,alongwithmyhusband,havedonetheirparagliding,andthey'vedonethatwhiletraveling.Andsothere'salotofskillstheycandevelop.

So,Imean,really,wehavethesamemindsetasanyotherhomeschooler.We'rekindofjustdoingitindifferentplaces.Andlikeyousaid,wedoasmuchdigitalaswecan.Sowebringlaptops,webringiPads.Ourkidsuseamathcurriculumthat'sonline.Theonlypaperbookcurriculumthattheyhaveistheirlanguagearts,andwechoseonethatincorporated,youknow,readingcomprehension,spelling,grammar,artappreciation.Itincorporatedawholebunchofthingstogetherinonecurriculum.Sothatfeltlikeitworkedreallywellforus.AndtheneachofourkidshaveKindlesassoonastheyhitreadingageandthey'recapableofreadinganearlynovel,that'swhenwebuyourkidsaKindle.Sotheyallhavetheirown.We'reconstantlyloadingthemupwithbooksaswego.Andthen,otherthanthat,wejustusesomedifferentiPadapps,especiallyfortheyoungerones,andthentheolderonesdothingslikethey'restudyingSpanishwithanonlineprogramrightnow,andthey'vestudiedFrenchinthesameway.So,that'skindofanoverviewofwhatwedo.

Katie:Iloveit,andIalsofeellikeit'simportanttomentionthatyouguysdidthiswithbackpacks.Like,everythingthatyoubroughtwithyou,youguyscouldcarryyourselvesinbackpacks,andyouwereverymobile.Like,youdidn'thavethesebig,hugerollingbags.Isawyouguysononeofthesetrips,andit'strulyamazing.Like,evenyourlittleonescarrytheirownlittle,tinybackpack.Canyoutalkaboutthat?

Stephanie:Yeah.So,inourfamily,wekindofhaveaone-bag-per-personrule,andthatmeanseachpersoncarriestheirownbag.Somomanddadeachhaveabiggerbackpack,andthenwealsohaveadaypackaswell.We'reresponsibleforcarryingwhateverwebring,soweallhavetomakesurethatwearenotcarryingtoomuch,thatwe'renotaddinganextraweight.And,youknow,oneoftherulesthatwehaveforourkidsisthey'llfrequentlyask,"Well,canIbringthis?CanIbuythat?"Andtheruleis,"Well,youcanifyoucancarryithappilyandyou'regonnabeokaywithhaving,youknow,itinyourbagandonyourbackonaregularbasis."Sowetriedtofindbackpacksthatweresuitableforthesizeofourkids.Wedidn't...youknow,they'vegotgrowingbodies.Wedon'twanttooverloadthemwithsomethingthat'sgoingtohurtthemorisgoingtobetoomuchweightforthemtocarry.


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So,yeah,wejustdidalotofresearchandtriedtofindbagsthatwefeltwerekindofsuitable.Andthentheyeachcarryacapsulewardrobe,justlikewedoasadultswhenwetravel.Wehaveaverysmallwardrobe.Wetrytomakeeverythingmatchtogether.Typically,wehaveonepairofshoes,usuallysomethinglikeaclosed-toedKEENsandal,somethingthat'srugged,butthatcangetwetandyoucansticksocksunderifyouwanna,youknow,alittlebitdorky,butitworks.So,usually,theyhavethat,orifwe're,youknow,travelinginaslightlycolderclimate,thenwemightalsohaveapairofrunnersorelsewemighthaveflip-flopsifwe'regonnabeatthebeachalot.Butit'sreallyprettyminimal.Sothey'vegottheirclothes,they'vegotapairofshoes,they'vegotaniPadoralaptopandaKindle,andtypically,theymightbringlikeastuffedanimalorlikeatinybagofLego.And,really,that'saboutit,andtheyjustlearntobecreativeandfindthingstodowhilethey'reontheroad,withouttoys.

Katie:Ilovethat,andwecanalllearnsomuchfromthatjustinhowlittleweactuallyneedinournormaldailylivesandhowmuchextrastuffallofushave.Ithinknobody'sexemptfromthatinthemodernworld,atleast.Iverymuchlovethatsayingthattravelistheonlythingyoucanbuythatmakesyouricher.AndI'mcurious,Iknowthat,certainly,likenotmostofuswillnevertravelforayearstraight,soIthinkyouhaveaveryuniqueperspective.AndI'mcurious,whatweresomeofthebiggestlessonsthatreallystuckwithyoufromyourtravels?Didyouhaveaspectsofyourlifethatchangedaftertravelingforsolongandseeingsomuchoftheworldandsomanyothercultures?

Stephanie:Yeah,absolutely.It'shardnottowanttoevaluateeverythinginyourlifewhenyoutravelforthatperiodoftime,becausewhenwe,whereverwelive,ifit'ssomewhereinNorthAmerica,orAustralia,ortheUK,Imean,whenyouliveinthatplace,you'resaturatedwiththatcultureandthatparticularwayofseeingtheworld.And,ofcourse,there'sdifferenceswithinthat,differentpeoplehavedifferentviews.But,generally,weallliveprettysimilarly.Andthenyougoovertoanothercountry,andyoustaythereforamoreextendedperiodoftime.Andespeciallyif,youknow,likeus,you'reexperiencingmultipledifferentculturesoverthecourseofayear,oneafteranother.Andpeopledothingsreallydifferently,andyounoticeit,andyoubegintoquestionjustyourownbiasesandyourownassumptionsandyourownworldview.Andtherearehardpartsofthat.Itcanbehardtoquestionwhatyou'vealwaysbelievedorwhatyou'vealwaysthought,andreallyenrichingpartsofit,becausewegrewsomuchaspeoplebylearningtoaskbetterquestions,bybecomingbetterobserversoftheworldaroundus,andthewaythatdifferentpeoplefunctioned,and,youknow,thehappinessthatalotofpeoplehadwithsomuchlessthanus,andjustsomanythings.Sothatdefinitelychangedusalot.

Iwouldsaytheotherthingsthat,youknow,weremoretheintangibles,butwedefinitelynoticedwithinourfamily,iswealldevelopedsortofmoreendurance,Iguess,morewillingnesstopushthrough,tobewillingtodoreallyhardthings.Wedevelopedkindofmoregrit,Iwouldsay,moretenacity.Andbecauseweoftenwereinhardsituations,especiallyasbudgettravelers.Imean,ifyou'realuxurytravelerandyou'vegotsomebody,youknow,you'retakingareallyniceflight,andyou'rehavingsomebodycomeandpickyouupattheairportandbringyoutoyourbeautifulhotel,Imean,that'sonething,butthatisnotwhatweweredoing.Wewereverymuchbudget,independenttravelers,makingourway,takingthoseflightsatterribletimesofnight,tryingtofigureouthowtogetfrompointAtoBtoCbyourselves,andsometimesthatstuffisreallytricky.

Yourunintounexpectedbumps,andyouhavetobeflexible,andyouhavetotrytokeepasmileonyourface.Andespeciallywhenyou'redoingitwithfour,ornowwehavefivelittlekids,youhavetobeabletosetan


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exampleforyourkidsoftryingtohaveagoodattitudeinthemidstofthosehardandchallengingmoments,andsaying,"Okay,howarewegonnatacklethisasafamily?Whatcanwebethankfulforrightnow?Howcanwemakethebestofthishardsituation?"Sowehadtodoalotofthat,andIfeellikethatwasoneofthebigthingsthatreallychangedallofusaspeople.AndIseeitnowinourkids.Iseekindofmoreofthisflexibilityandthiscreativity,Iguess,inhowtheyapproachthingsandthewaytheyproblem-solveandintheirwillingnesstogowiththeflowwhensomethingchangesoritwasn'tlikewhattheythought.AndIthinkthatissuchavaluablelifelesson.

Katie:Iagree.Andourfamilyhasadoptedfromyouguysyourfamilymotto,whichIwantyoutotalkaboutaswekindoftransitionintotheparentingsideofthings,theideathatyouweremadetodohardthings,whichIlovesomuch.Andinfact,long-timepodcastlistenershaveactuallyheardmementionyouandmentionthatmottoafewtimesalready,becausewelearneditfromyouguys.Andit'ssotrue,it'ssomethingwesaytoourkidsquiteoften.AndIknowthatyouandIsharealotofparentingphilosophies,especiallyaboutraisingindependentandresilientkindoffree-rangekids.AndsoI'dloveforyoutotalkaboutthatforalittlewhile,shareafewofyourphilosophiesonthisandhowyoumakeitworkforyourfamily,eveninothercountries.

Stephanie:Sure,yeah.Ilovethatyouguyshaveadoptedthatmotto,Katie.Ithinkthat'ssogreat,becauseit'sbeenreallyimpactfultoourfamily,andit'ssogoodwhenwenotonlytrytodothatasadults,butthenwestartbringingourkidsinonthisideathatweweremadetodohardthings.Wearestrongpeople,andwecanpushthroughandwecandothingsthatwedidn'tthinkwewerecapableof.Whenwebringourkidsinonit,it'sliketheyprovidethisextrachallenge,youknow.Theykindofreflectthatbacktous,andwe'llevenfindthey'llsaythatbacktouswhenwe'rehavingamomentwherewe'rekindofdoubtingourselvesormaybewedon'twannapushthroughsomethinghard.They'relike,"Hey,comeon,mom,youweremadetodohardthings."Andit'sreallygreatwhenyoustartgettingthatbackfromyourkids,so.

Butasfarasfree-rangeparentinggoes,yeah,wedefinitelyhaveaverysimilarviewtoyouguys,andIwastryingtothink,youknow,beforethispodcastaboutwhatledustothatorwhatinfluencedus.Andit'snotevenbecausewe've,youknow,studieditalot.Imean,I'vereadacouplebooks.Iwasinfluencedbythebook"Free-RangeKids"byLenoreSkenazy,isagreatread,especiallyforpeoplewhoarekindofconcernedaboutthesafetyofthat.Butfree-rangewithyourkidsisreallyjustaboutgivingthemenoughfreedomtoallowthemtodeveloptheirownsenseofindependence,todevelopreallygoodriskanalysis,todeveloptheircriticalthinkingskillsandtheirowncommonsense.Andit'sreallyhardforkidstodevelopthatstuffifweareperpetuallywatchingthemandshoutingoutwordsofwarningandadvice.Theydon'talwayslearnbyustellingthemthosethings.Theyoftenjustlearnbydoingit,andit'sexperiencingthenaturallimitationsorbyhavingtofindcreativesolutionsinatrickysituation.

Sothat'ssomethingthat,maybeit'spartofbeinghomeschoolers.I'mnotreallysure.MyhusbandandIwerebothdefinitelyraisedthatway.Imean,wehavereallystrongmemoriesinourchildhoodsofhavingatonoffreedomtogoandplaywithourfriendsinourneighborhood.We'dbegoneallday.We'dleaveafterbreakfast.Ourparentswouldsay,"Okay,youcancomebackforlunchorcomebackat,youknow,5:00fordinner."Andthenwewerejustfreetogo.Wewouldbikearoundtown.Wewouldgotostoresbyourselves.Andevenmyhusbandusedtolikeplayinthewoods,orIwouldgocross-countryskiingonthetrailsbehindourhousewithmyfriends.And,forus,havinghadthat,itjustfeltlikewhatwewereseeingarounduswhenwebecameparentswasthatpeoplefeltliketheyhadtoreally,Idon'tknow.I'mkindofdoingthismotion


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withmyhands.WhatIfeellikeisthatitmade,parentsfeltliketheyhadtomaketheirkids'worldssmaller,theyhadtolimitthemsomehow,andIfeellikethat'sreallysad.

Iunderstandalotoftheconcernsthatparentshaveaboutdifferentthingsinourculturetoday,andIthinkthatparentstodayneedtobereallysavvyandunderstandwhattherisksreallyare.Andthatrequiresusdoingresearchandlookingintothings,andnotjustbelievingthingsthatwehearontheinternetornotjustkindofdevelopingasenseofgeneralfearwithoutlookingintowhetherourfearsarereallyfounded,andbeingknowledgeableaboutwhatfearsweshouldreallybeconcernedabout.SoIthink,youknow,theinternetisaverybigconcern.Ithinkthatthereareparticularplacesthatwemightnotwanttoallowourkidstogo,butthenIthink,withinneighborhoods,withinourbackyards,especiallyoncekidsgetalittlebitolderandtheybegintohavethatcommonsense,Iwanttoallowthemasmuchfreedomaspossible,withinreason,asweconsidertherisksandweconsiderthatchild'sability.AndIthinkthatthat'sareallybigkey,islookingatyourdifferentchildren.

PeoplegetkindofhungupontheagesthatachildshouldbeabletodoX,Y,andZ,andIthinkit'salittlebitsilly,becauseifyouhavemorethanonechild,youknowthatthosechildrendonotdevelopthesame.Ourchildren,youknow,arealldifferentattheageof8,attheageof10,attheageof12.Like,theyshowdifferentlevelsofmaturityandofcommonsenseandofabilitytogetthemselvesoutofabadsituationor,youknow,whethertheywouldfreezeinthat,orwhetherthey'rereallyawareenoughtobeabletocrossroadsbythemselves,orwhetheryou'veseenthemenoughtimesthatyouknowthatthatchilddoesn'thavetheawarenessyet.Soalotofitcomeswithbeingobservantparentswhoareintunewithyourownkindsandwherethey'reatandthenmakingchoicesbasedonthat.Andwhenyouseeyourkidsshowthatresponsibilityandshowthatcareandshowthatthoughtfulnessthattheyaremakinggooddecisionsforthemselves,thenIthinkyougivethemasmuchfreedomasyoucanwithinwhatyouthinktheyarecapableof.That'sourgoal,istogivethemasmuchfreedomaspossiblebasedonwhattheyhaveshownusthey'recapableof.

Katie:Yeah,we'reexactlyonthesamepagewithyou.Infact,weoftentellourkidsthereverseofacommonsayingasaremindertothem.Sothecommonsayingis,"Withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility,"orImightbesayingthatbackwards,butwetellourkids,"Withgreatresponsibilitycomesgreatpower."Whenyoushowusyouhavegreatresponsibilityandthatwecantrustyouandthatyouhavetheskillstodothesethings,wedon'thaveareasontokeepyoufromdoingthem.Andwehopethatyouwillcontinuallydeveloptheseskillsandindependence.Becausetruly,ourgoalistoraiseadults,nottoraiseperpetualchildren.

ThispodcastisbroughttoyoubyThriveMarket.I’vebeenusingThriveMarketforyears,eversincetheyfirstopenedandIknowmanyofyouhavebeentoo,butIwantedtomakesureyouknowaboutacouplethingsthatmakethemevenmoreawesome.First,theyhaveareallyeasytouseappthatmakesorderingeasy.Iusethisallthetime.Second,theyhaveabunchofsecretfreegiftswithpurchaseformembersonly!Ioftencheckbackafewtimesaweekbecausethey’vehadsomeofmyfavoritethingsasafreegiftwithpurchase.MystrategyistoaddthingstomycartintheappasIthinkofthemoraswerunoutorasImakeashoppinglist,thenonceIhitthethresholdforfreeshippingandthefreegift,Iorderwhenit’sagiftthatIwoulduse.Andfinally,makesuretocheckouttheThriveMarketbrandwhenyou’reontheapporwebsitebecausetheyhavespentalotofeffortandtimedevelopingtheirownlineofreallyhighqualityproductsatreallygreatprices.Thisisnowmygo-toforpantrystapleslikegrainfreeflours,bakingsoda,nuts,etcandforproteinslike


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sardines,tunaandcannedgoodsandevenfordiapers.Findoutmoreaboutalloftheseandgetanextradiscountonyourfirstorderatthrivemarket.com/katie

ThispodcastisbroughttoyoubyReady,Set,Food!,anewcompanyrevolutionizingfoodallergypreventioninchildren.Weallknowthatthisproblemisontherise,andmostofusknowsomeonewhohasachildwithfoodallergies,orhavehadthisexperienceourselves.Therearemanytheoriesforthisandcertainlymanyaspectsthatneedtobeaddressedlikeguthealthandimmunesupport.Ready,Set,Food!istakingthecuttingedgeresearchandscienceandusingitinapracticalwaytohelpbabiesandchildrenavoidfoodallergiesinthefirstplace.Here’show.Themostuptodatestudiesareshowingthatcarefullycalculatedearlyexposureintherightamountscanstopmanycasesoffoodallergies.Ready,Set,Food!makesthiseasywithasimplesystemthatcanbeaddedtobreastmilk,formulaorbaby’sfirstfoodstogiveincrementalandcalculatedexposuretothetopallergenslikepeanuts,eggandmilk.Whenusedasdirected,thiscanreducethechanceofchildhoodallergiesbyupto80%anditisrecommendedandoverseenbymanyofthenation’stoppediatricians.Learnmoreaboutthisevidencebasedapproachandhowtointegrateitifyouhaveababyatreadysetfood.com/wellnessmama

Katie:IthinkonethingparentshavetobeawareoftooisIfeellike,formanyyears,untilcertainlylikethelast100,atleast,welivedinsmallercommunities.Like,wewereconnectedgloballyalittlebit,butstill,weweremostconnectedtoourlocalarea.Andwemostknewwhatwasgoingoninourlocalarea,whichwasgreat,becausethenwecouldactuallyhelpiftherewasaprobleminourlocalarea,orthatwasjusttheinputsweweregetting.Andwe'rewired,ashumans,topayattentiontoifsomething'swrongorsomeonegothurtorifsomethingburneddown,becausethosearethingsthatcouldbeadanger.

Sowe'rewiredtopayattentiontothose.Andnow,with,youknow,24-hournewsandwe'recompletelyconnectedonline,wehearaboutthosethingseverywhereintheworldandalloftheworst-casescenarios.Soit'slogical,asparents,it'scompletelylogicalthatourbrainsaregoingtothisplaceofeverythingisscaryandeverythingisdangerous,thatwe'rewiredthatway.It'sasafetymechanism.Butasparentsintoday'sworld,wehavetokindoftakeastepback,likeyousaid,andlogicallyevaluatethatandrealizethat,likeyousaid,theriskofourchildhavingsomethingbadhappeninourownyardisverysmall.Infact,whenIinterviewedanorganizationthat'shelpingendsextraffickingaroundtheworld,theysaidtheexactsamethingyoudid.Theysaid,literally,statistically,itwouldtake750,000yearsforyourchildtogetkidnappedinyourfrontyard,justbasedonthestatistics.It'sobviouslyanexaggerationtoputitinthatform,buttheriskisverysmallofyourchildbeingabductedinyourownyardoryourownneighborhood,whereastheriskonline,withonlinepredators,ismuch,muchhigher.SoIthinkyou'resoright.Ifwecangivethemfreedomintheactualphysicalworldandgivethemtheabilitytolearnandtofigurethingsoutandtofail,whichistrulyoneofthebestwaystolearn,butinthephysicalworld,andnotgivethemasmuchmaybemediafreedomwhenthey'reyounguntiltheyreallydevelopthatresponsibility,Ithinkthat'ssuchawisething.

Stephanie:Yeah,yeah,Iabsolutelyagree.Youknow,onethingIwantedtocommentontooisthatyouaskedaboutourtravels,andIthinkit'sreallyinterestingtobringthatup,becausearoundtheworld,wehaveseensomanyexamplesofcultureswheretheyreallydogivetheirkidsthatfreedomandthatabilitytodothingsindependentlysomuchmorethanNorthAmerica.Like,IreallyfeellikeIhaven'tseenanywhereelseintheworldwherekidsarekeptonquiteashortofaleashastheyarehere.LikewhenwehavebeeninEuropeandCentralAmericaandAsia,justsomuchmorefreedom.LikewhenwewereinJapan,wewereseeingkidsas


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youngasfiveorsix,andtheyweretakingthelocalcommutertraintogetherbackandforthbetweenschool.Imean,they'dusuallybeinalittlegroup,theykindofwatchoutforeachother,andInoticedthattheadultsonthetrainalsowatchedoutforthem,buttheyweretakingthesetrains.Theyknowtheywereatthestationbythemselves,takingthetrainsbackandforth,dayinanddayout.

InEurope,weseekidswalkingandbikingtoschoolallthetime.Hardlyanyparentsactuallydrivethemtherethewaythattheydohere.Thekidsaregoingaroundtowntovisittheirfriends.They'rewalkingtothestore,tothebakery.Andwejusthavedefinitelyseenmoreofasenseoffreedomforkidsandlessofrestrictionsonwhatachildshouldbeabletodo.Theyseemtorecognizethematurityandthecapabilityofachildmaybeearlierthanwedo,andIthinkthat'sagreatthing.

Katie:Absolutely,andespeciallywithallthestatisticswe'reseeing,especiallyintheU.S.,about,youknow,kidsnotmovingenoughandtheincreasingratesofobesityandhealthproblemsinchildren,andwe'rekeepingkidsindoorsandwe'redrivingthemeverywhere.Andlikeyousaid,inotherpartsoftheworld,it'sverymuchnotlikethat,andthosecountriesareoftenfaraheadofusinhealthoutcomes,andthatverywellcouldbeoneofthereasons.Andjustasanexample,IfeellikeIshouldmentiontothelisteners,likewhenourtwofamiliesgettogether,collectively,wehave11kids,andwetruly,liketheadultscansitanddrinkacupofcoffee,andit'srelativelyquiet.Thekidsjustgoplayoutdoorsforhoursandhoursandhoursandhours,andwehavetocalltheminatnight,orthey'rereadingbooks,orthey're...

Thebeautyofitistheylearntobeokaywithboredomandtheylearnhowtofind,notentertainment,buttofindmaterialintheirownmindorintheirownenvironment,sotheydon'tneedconstantstimulationfrommediaorfromparentstobehappy.IthinkIseethattrapsooften,especiallywith,andIfellintoitasamomofmyfirstchild,beforeIhadmoretokindofteachme,thatIthoughtIwassupposedtokindofentertainhimorinteractwithhimorplaywithhimalldaylong.Andtherewassuchafreedomactuallyinfindingoutthatkidsneedtodeveloptheskillstobeabletodothatontheirown.Because,certainly,asanextremeexample,we'renotgonnabetherewhenthey'readultstoprotectthemfromtheirmistakesortodrivethemtotheirjob.Butthere'sabeautythatallofuscanlearninlearningtositwithsilenceandtofigureouthowtobestillinsideofourselvesandtofindactivitieswithoutneedingexternalstimuli.SoIlovethatyouguysaresomuchonthesamepagewiththat.

AndIknowthatsomethingelseweshare,we'rebothentrepreneursandIknowthatit'simportanttobothofustoraiseourkidsatleastwiththeskillsandtheoptionstobeentrepreneurs.Wedon't,youknow,requirethatofthem,ofcourse.Butinourfamily,forinstance,ourkids,theyknowandlearnaboutourbusinesses.They'reinvolvedinthewaystheycanbe.Butalso,sincewehomeschool,weworkonfinishingupthemajorityofthebookworkcurriculumbyabout13or14.So,thatwillbeinacoupleofyearswithourfirstchild,andourideaistocreateanentrepreneurincubatorwiththemandhelpthemintheteenageyearswhilethey'restillathome,trynewbusinessideas,likelyfailatacouple,andmaybelaunchonewhilethey'restillherewithus,andwecanhelpkindofmentorthemalongthewaysothattheyhavebeenthroughthathardestpartofanentrepreneuroflikefailingafewtimesandrealizingit'snotfatal.ButsinceIknowwesharethat,canyoutalkabouthowyouguysincorporateanentrepreneurlifestylewithyourkidsaswell?


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Stephanie:Yeah.Imean,Ithinkevenjustbeingraisedbyentrepreneursandusbeingwillingtocontinuallytalkaboutourwork,talkaboutwhatwe'relearning,wetalkaboutourfailureswiththekids.Theyknowthetimeswhenwe'vehadideasthatdidn'twork.Theyknowthetimeswhenwehavelostmoney.Andthenwealsosharewiththemoursuccesses.Sowe'reveryopenwithourkidsabout,"Thisiswhat'sgoingoninourworld.Lookattherewardsofwhatwe'redoing.Andyes,sometimesyouseeushavingtoworkextrabecausethatiswhatgoesalongwithbeinganentrepreneur,andsometimesyoupourinalot.Ittakesalotofhardworkofteninthebeginning."Andsotheyhaveseenthatworkethicfromus,butthentheyalso,youknow,theygettoexperiencetherewardswhenwe'reabletotravel,whenwe'reabletohavetheseextratimesoffamilybonding.Sothat'skindofthefirstway.

Thesecondwayforusiswearereallytryingtoencourageourkids,likeyou,tobeginworkingonthingswhilethey'reathome.It'sinterestingthatyoumentionedkindoftheincubatoridea,becausejustlastnight,atdinner,myhusbandandIwentoutforadate,andweweretalkingabout,"Youknow,intheirteenyears,we'dreallyloveto,like,setasidemoneyforthem,andtheyactuallyhavetoberesponsibleforthatmoney."Theywouldbeabletoborrowmoneyfromustotryoutdifferentthings,butthey'llhavetopayitback.There'sgoingtobesomerequirementsforthem.Maybetheyhavetomeetweeklywithabusinessmentororcoach,orthingslikethat.Butwe'vekindajustbeenplayingaroundwithhowcanwekindoffurtherthis.Youknow,withouroldest,we'vealreadybroughtherintothebusinessthatwecurrentlyrun.She'slearningaboutit,she'sworkingonourteam,andthat'sbeenareallygreatexperienceforher.Butshe'sdoingherownthings,too.SosheisbeginningaYouTubechannel,andshe'slearningtoplanoutherstrategy,andshe'shadtobuyherownequipment.Wedon'tbuythatforher.Wereallyrequirehertostepupandtakeownershipofitifit'ssomethingthatshewantstodo.

Andthenournextoldest,heis11andhe'sgotthisverymuchmorescience-mindedbrain.Helovesinvention.Well,myhusbandisbeginningtoworkonaprototypeofsortofa...hecanexplainitmuchbetterthanIcan,butit'ssortoflikeacordandaplugsystemforwhenyou'retraveling,tokeepeverythingveryneatandtidyandcontained.Andthat'ssomethingthatwe'vestruggledwithastravelers.Soyousortof,it'salwaysgoodtocreatesomethingoutoftheneedthatyou'veexperiencedyourself.Sohe'sworkingonthis,butmy11-year-oldgotreally,reallyexcitedbytheidea.Sohesaid,"Well,whydon'tyouhelpmedothis?Like,whydon'twemakeanagreement,andwe'regonnabepartners,andwe'regonnadevelopthistogether."Sotheybeganmakingappointmentswithdifferentengineerssothattheycouldtalktothemaboutthedevelopmentofthisproject.Somysonhassatinoneveryoneofthosemeetings,andhebringshisideastothetable,andheasksreallygoodquestions,andhe'sgettingtoseetheinteractionthatmyhusbandhaswiththeseengineers.

Andthen,forChristmas,wedecidedtotrytoreallykeeppushinghiminthisdirectionorjustgivehimthetoolsthatheneeded.SohisbigChristmasgiftwaskindofalower-end3Dprinter,becausewethought,"Well,ifhe'sreallyintothis,thenwhatifhecouldlearntodotheprogrammingwitha3Dprinterandhecouldbegintoworkonprototypeshimself?"Andsothat'swhatheandmyhusbandhavebeenworkingonnowforthepastweekortwo.They'replayingaround,they'relearningtheprogram,they'rewatchingtutorials,andnow,they'restartingtomakethings.Andit'sjustsofuntowatchourkidsbegintokindofexploreandunderstandwhotheyareandwhatthey'repassionateaboutandwhattheirskillsandtheirgiftsare,andthentoseethemstartrunningafteritwhilethey'restillathome.Like,Idon'twantthemtojustgooffandneverhavetrieditandfailwithoutusaround.Iwantthemtobeabletotestthingsoutandhaveustobounceideasoffofandtobeabletotalkaboutthingswith.Andhopefully,wecanhelpreallysetthemupforsuccessbystartingsoyoung.


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Katie:Ilovethat,andthenyourlittleoneswillseenotjustyouguysbutyourolderonesdoingthat.So,bytheyoungest,he'llhavesomanygreatexamplestolearnfromandtofollow.AndIthinkthat'ssoimportanttootorealize,like,forourkids,likeIsaid,it'snotthatwerequirethemtobeentrepreneurs,justlikewe'renotgonnarequirethemtogotocollegeunlesstheychoosesomethingthattheyneedtogotocollegefor.Ourmainrequirementforthemandourgoalinraisingthemisjustwewantyoutodosomethingthatimprovestheworld,thatmakestheworldabetterplace,andwewannagiveyouthetoolstodothat.AndIlovesomuchtheseagesourolderonesareat,becausetheygetthatconcept,buttheirbrainsarestillsponges,likeyoumentionedwithyourson.Andwhentheygetanideaandtheycanjust,like,delveintoit,it'sabeautifulthingtosee.AndIcan'twaittoseewhatthenextfewyearsholdforbothofuswithourverycreativekidsandwhatthey'llcomeupwith.

Stephanie:Metoo.

Katie:Also,anotherthingIwannaspeakaboutalittlebit,because,asyourfriend,I'veseenthisbeautifultransitioninyouinthelastcoupleofyears,andIwannalearnyoursecrets,is,asamomandabusinessownerandatraveler,youobviouslyhavealotonyourplate,asIthinkmostmomsdo.I'vealwayssaidIthinkmomsaresomeofthemostpowerfulpeopleontheplanet,andwe'realsosomeofthebusiest.AndIthinkyouhavefiguredoutsomethings,atleastinyourownlife,thathavereallyhelpedyoutomakethateasierandlessstressful.AndI'veseenjustthisbeautifultransition,andyou'resoeffectiveandefficient,andalso,youseemjustlikecalm.So,whataresometipsthatyoucansharewithothermomsaboutjustgenerallifebalance,thingswecanalllearnfromyou?

Stephanie:That'sagoodquestion.Well,Idefinitelylearnedthelessonofhowtoburnmyselfoutearlyon,becauseI'mareallyambitiousperson,andItendtoworkmyselfprettytirelessly.Andyouhaveprobablyseenmethroughseveralofthesephases,Katie,whereIhavegonesohardforsolongthatIjustreachedlikeanabsolutepointof,youknow,adrenalburnoutandfatigueandgottothepointwhereIwasverynonfunctionalandevendealingwithsomeprettyseveredepressionandanxiety,anditwasbecomingquitedebilitating.AndIhavereallyhadtolearnfromthat.Andsotherehavebeenacoupleofcomponentsofthatlearning.Oneofthemhasjustbeenthephysicalself-careandlearningtoreallylistentomybodytounderstandwhatIneedtoprioritize.Sleephasbecomehuge,hugeforme.Ididnotknowforsomanyyearshowimportantthequalityofmysleepwas.Andso,overthelastfewyears,IbeganlisteningtopodcastsandreadingbookstounderstandmoreabouthowIcanimprovethequalityofmysleep.AndputtingallthosethingsintopracticethatI'velearnedhasmadeareally,reallybigdifference,because,now,IdofeellikethesleepthatI'mgettingis,it'sjustservingmybodysomuchbetter,andit'ssomuchmorerefreshingforme.AndthenIcannoticewhenI'mnotdoingthatandI'mlike,"Oh,that'salittlesignaltome.Ineedtogetbacktoreallyprioritizingmysleep."Sothathasbeenhuge.

Also,justmakingsurethatIhavetimetodothethingsthatmakemefeelgoodandfeelrestedandjustfeelenergetic.Andso,someofthosethings,forme,exerciseisreallyakey.Ihavetofitexerciseintomylife,evenifit'sjust10minutesinmylivingroom,oflikepullingoutmykettlebellandmyyogamatandjustgettinginwhateverIcan.Orifit's,youknow,actuallymakingtimeand,youknow,sayingtomyhusband,"Hey,canwemakeitworkformetogotothegymforthisperiodoftime?"Ifeellikethat'sreallyimportantforme.Solearningtoprioritizethatandnotfeelingguiltyaboutit,andevenjustdoingitwithmykids.Iftheycomein,


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nobigdeal,thenIjust,youknow,passthemalighterkettlebell,andwekeepgoingtogether.Andso,addingthatinandjustcaringaboutmyhealthingeneral,Imean,youtalkaboutallofthisstuffonthepodcastallthetime,sotherearesomanynuggetsthattheycouldgetelsewhere,butreallypayingattentiontowhatI'mneeding,tohowI'mstayinghydrated,tothenutrientsandthesupplementsthatI'mtakingatdifferentseasonsoflifetomakesurethatI'madjustingthemaccordingtowhatmybodyneeds.Sothatself-carepiecehasbeenreallybig.

AndthentheotherthinghasbeenrecognizingthatIsimplycannotdoitall.Andforsomanyyears,Itriedsohardtodoitall.IthoughtthatIdidnotneedhelparoundmyhouse.IthoughtthatIdidnotneedtohireextrahelpformybusiness.IthoughtthatIdidnotneedanyhelpwithhomeschoolingmykids.IreallybelievedthatIcoulddoallofthesethingsmyself.AndtimehasjustshownmethatIcan't,andthatIthriveand,infact,myfamilythriveswhenI'mwillingtoaccepthelp,toaskforhelp,tobringinthedifferentthingsthatIneed.Andso,youknow,forourwork,thathasmeantmelookingatwhatarethemostimpactfulthingsthatIdoinmyworkandfocusingmytimeonthose,butthenmakingsurethatwehavepeopleonourteamwhocandothemandthentrustingthemtodothem.Like,menotsteppingbackinandpullingthem,youknow,thosetasksbackintomygrubbylittlehands,becausetheydon'tneedtositwithme.Theycansitwiththereallysmart,capablepeoplethatareonourteamandwhocandothemandwhowanttotakethemoffofmyplate.Sothat'sbeenareallybigone.

Andevenbringinginhelptomyhousesometimes,thatissomethingIfeltalotofguiltandIthinkshameoverforalongtime.ButrecognizingthatIamcurrentlyafull-time.Indifferentseasons,Ihaverangedanywherefromworking20to40-plushoursaweekwhile,youknow,homeschooling5kids.Icurrentlyamworkingmorefulltime,andmyhusbanddoesmoreofthehomeschooling.Butstill,it'salotforustocarry,andsowedobringinacleaner,usuallyonceaweek.Andthatishuge,becausewestillhavetodothelaundry,westillhavetodothedishes,westillhavetomakethemealsandbuythegroceries.There'ssomuchforustodostill.Buttoknowthatdeepcleaningisgettingdone,Inolongerfeelguiltyaboutthat.IreallyfeellikeI'mjustemployingasmartstrategythatmakesourlivesrunbetter.Soit'sreallybeenaboutthosetwothings,takingcareofmyselfandlearningtoallowthingstobeoffofmyplatesothatI'mnotcarryingthefullloadofeverything.

Katie:Yeah,suchgreatadvice.Ithinkthatguiltpieceisthetoughestthingformoms.It'slikeoneofthosethings,wehearweshoulddoself-care,weknowweshouldtaketime.It'sthehardestthingtodo,becauseweobviouslyloveourfamiliessomuch.AndIlovethatyouhavefoundthatbalance,andIhopethateverybodylisteningisabletofindthatbalanceintheirownlifeinwhateverwayworksinyourfamilysituationandyourownlife.Acoupleofquestions,Ican'tbelievewe'realreadynearingtheendofourtime,butacoupleofquestionsIlovetoaskattheend,andIcan'twaittohearyouranswersare,isthereabookoranumberofbooksthathavereallyinfluencedyourlife?Andifso,whataretheyandwhy?

Stephanie:Okay.Ihaveone,andIkindofhatethisanswer,andI'vementionedittoyoubefore.ButthefirstoneI'mjustgonnasayis"The4-HourWorkweek"byTimFerriss.Actually,itkindofpiggybacksalittlebitonwhatwewerejusttalkingaboutwiththatbalanceandnotdoingeverything,becausemyhusbandandIreadhisbookkindofsimultaneously.Atthetime,wewerebothinahardplacewithourbusinessdoingeverythingourselves,andalsokindofwantingalittlebitmoreadventureinourlives,butnotreallyknowinghowtostepoutanddothat.So,althoughwedon'tagreewitheverythinginthebook,andtherearethingsIdon'tlove,


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whatitdiddoforuswashelpustoanalyzewhatwasworkinginourbusinessesandinourlivesandwhatwasn't,andtosortoffigureoutwhereweneededtoputourenergy,andwhatthingswecouldcompletelyeliminate,whatthingswecoulddelegate,whatthingswecouldautomate,andjusthowwecouldkindofcutbackonthetimethatwearespending.Anditalsoreallyhelpedustoassesstherisksandthebenefitsofusmakingabolddecision,likeplanningourtriparoundtheworld.Thatwasreallythethingthatsparkedit,andussaying,"Well,thesearethepossiblerisks,butthesearethebenefitstoourfamilyifwedoit.Doesitfeelworthit?""Yeah,yeah,itactuallydoesfeelworthit."Sothatreallyhelpedustodothat.

Otherthanthat,Imean,Ireadvoraciously,butIwouldsaytheotherthingthat'sinfluencedmehasbeenalotofthehomeschoolbooksthatIhavereadovertheyears,justdifferentbooksaboutdifferentperspectivesonhomeschoolingandonchilddevelopment.AndIcouldgiveyoualistthatyoucouldputintheshownotes,Katie,butIfeellike,whetheryou'reahomeschoolerornot,readingabouteducation,readingaboutchilddevelopmentisreallyhelpfulasaparent.Itjusthelpsyoutodevelopamoreconcreteandmoreconfidentperspectiveonhowyouwanttoraiseyourkidsandwhatyouvalueandwhatyou'regonnaprioritizeinyourfamilyandhowtocreatethatsortoffamilycultureorthathomeenvironmentorlearningenvironmentthatyouwanttonurture,youknow,thetypeofkidsand,ultimately,adultsthatyouwanttoraise.Sothosereallyimpactedmeaswell.

Katie:Ilovethat.And,yeah,ifyoucangetalisttogether,I'llmakesurethey'reintheshownotesatwellnessmama.fm,foryouguyslistening.AndI'mcuriousifI'vereadthemtoo,andifnot,I'dlovetoreadthem.Andthen,lastly,ifyoucouldjustpassononepieceofadvicetoothermoms,whatwoulditbeandwhy?

Stephanie:Well,youknow,we'vetalkedalotabouthomeschooling,orourworldschooling,andIthinkmaybethatcanbefrustratingfromsomemomswhentheyhearthat,becausenoteverybodyisahomeschoolerandnoteverybodyevenfeelsacompulsiontohomeschool.Theydon'tevenfeellikethat'swhattheywantfortheirfamily.Butregardlessofwhetherwekeepourkidsathomeorwehavetheminpublicorprivateeducation,Ithinkwealljustneedtomakesurethatweviewourkids'educationasourownresponsibility,becausewehavethisincrediblehonorandprivilegeofhelpingtoshapewhoourchildrenaregoingtobecome.Butwhenweletthatresponsibilitygoreallyouttotheschoolsorouttoareligiousorganizationorouttoanybodyelse,andwedon'treallyholdontoitourselves,we'relosingsomethingveryprecious.And,obviously,like,Ibelieveinhomeeducatingforalotofreasons,butIalsobelievethatyoucanputyourkidsinschoolwithoutgivinguptheroleofteacherintheirlives.Youstillgettohavethatrole.

Imean,parentsaretheoneswhohavetheabilitytocreateareallyrichlearningenvironmentinyourhome,whetherthat'sthetypeofactivitiesyoudotogetherasafamily,whetheryou'retakingmartialartstogether,whetheryou'rereadingandtalkingaboutbooksoryou'redoingprojectstogether.Yougettochoosewhoyou'regoingtoassociatewithasafamily,choosing,youknow,yourfriendsandacquaintancescarefully.Yougettodeterminetheactivitiesthatyou'regonnaspendyourtimeandmoneyandenergyon.Yougettoassesstheroleofentertainmentinyourlives.And,youknow,yougettojustnurtureyourfamilyculture.So,forus,we'retryingtochoosetonurtureacreative,adventurous,hardworking,andreallyintentionalfamilyculture.AndIjustfeellikeeveryparenthasthatabilityandthatrightandthatresponsibilityregardless,andnobodycantakethatawayfromyou.SoIthinkifwecanjustreallyholdontothefactthatweareourchild'sprimaryteacher,that'ssoimportant.


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Katie:Beautiful.Iloveit.Ithinkthat'saperfectplacetoend.AndIalsoknowfirsthandjusthowbusyyouare,sothankyousomuchforyourtimeandforsharingtoday.Thishasbeenablast,andIthinkit'sgonnabereallyimpactfulforalotofmoms,eventhoughit'sadeviationfromjustapurehealthtopic.Ithinktravelandeducationofchildrenandparentingareveryvalidtopics,andIlovethatyousharedyourperspective,sothankyou.

Stephanie:Thankyousomuchforhavingme,Katie.Itreallywasgreattotalktoyouaboutthese.Obviously,IgetprettypassionateabouttheseonceIgetgoing,andIagreethey'reimportanttopics.Sothankyousomuchforhavingmeon.

Katie:Andthankyoutoallofyouforsharingyourmostvaluableassetofyourtimewithustoday.Wedon'ttakethatlightly,andwe'resogratefulyoujoinedus.AndIhopethatyouwilljoinmeagainonthenextepisodeof"TheWellnessMamaPodcast."

Ifyou'reenjoyingtheseinterviews,wouldyoupleasetaketwominutestoleavearatingorreviewoniTunesforme?Doingthishelpsmorepeopletofindthepodcast,whichmeansevenmoremomsandfamiliescouldbenefitfromtheinformation.Ireallyappreciateyourtime,andthanksasalwaysforlistening.

episode 237: world travel with kids, worldschooling ... · she and her husband, ryan, are raising...

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