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There have been homeschool mornings when I seriously considered flagging down the yellow school bus. Not for the kids—for me. I’ve wanted to send myself away for a reset. One of those mornings changed everything.
It started with cold coffee, pancake-fueled sibling squabbles, and me snapping during read-aloud: one of those homeschool days.
What followed was a TED Talk that put language to what I couldn’t name. That TED Talk shifted something deep inside me.
If you’ve had a morning like that, I want to tell you what helped me reset—and why that reset changed everything about how I homeschool and how I care for myself.
Grab your You Be You Checklist to help you reconnect with your true self and begin cultivating the homeschool mom life that reflects you.
The TED Talk That Gave Me Language for One of Those Homeschool Days
I woke up to a cold cup of coffee beside my bed, and the soundtrack of the morning was my kids bickering in the kitchen over flipping pancakes. I felt irritated, but I didn’t exactly know why. Maybe it was PMS. Maybe it was an argument I had with my husband. Or maybe it was just exhaustion. Whatever it was, my irritation was running the show.
I tried to move the morning along, got us to read-aloud time, and the kids started fighting over who could sit next to me. That was it. I snapped. I yelled. And I told them to just stop and sit down.
And in that moment, I realized: nothing I’m about to say is going to help anything. So I left the room. I went to my bedroom to calm down and I needed to decompress. I reached for my husband via text, but he was in emerg. So I messaged a friend. Her reply? “You need to watch this Brené Brown TEDx talk. It’s going viral.”
I told the kids to go play in the backyard. I opened YouTube. And yes—that TED Talk was the beginning of everything changing.
What That TED Talk Stirred in Me
Brené’s message gave me language for things I didn’t even know I was struggling with:
- I didn’t know what I needed.
- I didn’t know who I was.
- And I didn’t know I was allowed to honor those things.
I had been running on empty, managing everyone else’s emotions, juggling lesson plans, mealtimes, and sibling arguments, all while ignoring my needs.
That TED Talk was a turning point. A mirror. A permission slip.
7 Ways Brené Brown Rescued Me from One of Those Homeschool Days
Let me share how her teachings helped me reframe my homeschool life:
I am a person in my homeschool too.
I had to get curious about my thoughts and my emotional patterns. Brené reminded me that parenting isn’t just about my kids’ emotional development—it’s about mine too.
“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”
It’s not about what can I accomplish, but what do I want to accomplish.
That was a mindset shift I needed. Even if the world around me valued productivity, I needed to value purpose. What really matters to me?
“To me, authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day… the choice to show up and be real.”
Connection is why we’re here.
I remembered our family trips to rural Africa, where people stopped to really listen. Homeschooling, for me, had to be rooted in connection—even on the hard days. It matters a whole lot more than making sure a kid reads before 7 or I finish the homeschool year with 180 instructional days.
“Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.”
A leader is someone who finds potential.
It’s easy to squash the unlovely behaviors. But my real job? Helping my kids grow into their real selves. My focus needed to be in that if I wanted them to thrive.
“I define a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.”
Authenticity is a daily choice.
I started risking being seen—really seen. Even if it meant some people didn’t like the real me. The real ones stayed. And the ones that didn’t? They weren’t really into me anyway.
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day… the choice to let our true selves be seen.”
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive.
Just like a jazz musician improvises outside the lines of sheet music, I realized I didn’t have to follow someone else’s homeschool formula. We homeschool not to replicate school at home—but because it lets us create something uniquely ours. We homeschool because it makes us, and our kids, come alive.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
It’s about thinking the right thoughts.
Reframing my thoughts about myself, my kids, and my homeschool has been the foundation of our family’s happiness. But it’s more than that. It’s been the key to quieting the shame stories I didn’t even know I was carrying—stories that said I wasn’t enough, that I had to get it all right, that every hard day meant I was failing. Reframing helped me let go of the ineffective narratives: the ones that told me a ‘good’ homeschool mom looks a certain way or that my kids should behave a certain way to prove our path is working.
It’s torn down miscommunication and disconnection in my family because it helped me get honest with myself. And from that honesty, I’ve found a clearer path to impact. I can show up more peacefully, more purposefully—because I’m not stuck in old loops. This isn’t just mindset work. It’s the groundwork for building a family culture rooted in presence, acceptance, and real connection.
“When we work from a place… ‘I’m enough,’ we stop screaming and we start listening. We’re kinder and gentler to the people around us and ourselves.”
What I Did With That Wake-Up Call
I started writing. I set aside a two-hour block every week. Didn’t always happen. My husband’s career meant there were emergencies, travel, interruptions.
But most weeks, I prepped dinner, got the kids settled, and escaped to Starbucks. My pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin scone were my little rituals.
I would breathe. And write.
That writing became:
- therapy,
- self-discovery,
- emotional regulation,
- creative play,
- and the foundation of all the things I teach today.
That wake-up call didn’t just lead me to journaling—it led me to build spaces where other homeschool moms could explore this same kind of transformation. If you’re craving connection with like-minded women and want to explore what it means to show up as your full self in your homeschool, I invite you to join us in the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective.
We’re diving into The Gifts of Imperfection over the next three months—and these conversations just might be your next turning point too.
If You’re Ready for That Kind of Change Too…
If you’re spending this summer working on you—your mindset, your boundaries, your identity—you’re leveling up your homeschool like nothing else you could do… you’re setting the tone. Because the truth is, if we don’t address what’s underneath, we live the same homeschool year on repeat.
Same frustrations. Same overwhelm.
So let’s do something different. Let’s call it summer school for the homeschool mom. Here’s where you can start:
- Join the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective for our 3-month book club discussion on The Gifts of Imperfection.
- Begin a gentle morning rhythm with the Rediscovering You Homeschool Mom Journaling Workbook.
- Sign up for the FLOW Workshop—dates coming soon.
And most of all, give yourself permission to grow this summer… so you don’t have to repeat the year you’re ready to evolve beyond.
Reading That Changes You
If you’re looking for a meaningful way to nurture yourself and your homeschool this season, begin with stories and ideas that shift how you see yourself, your family, and your daily life. Bring a book or two to the watering hole while the kids splash and play.
These reading lists can help you:
- Gain clarity when you feel overwhelmed or uncertain
- Find encouragement when things feel lonely or hard
- Discover new perspectives that shift how you see yourself and your homeschool
- Build practical skills for communication, boundaries, and personal growth
Ultimately, books are tools to guide your inner work—the kind of growth that ripples out to your whole family and homeschool life.
- Book Club Newsletter – Stay connected to the big ideas and discussions we’re having in the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective.
- Reading List for Relationships – Strengthen communication, deepen connection, and create more peace in your home.
- Boundary Building Reading List – Learn how to protect your energy, say yes to what matters, and gently say no to what doesn’t.
- Personal Growth Reading List – Get grounded in your identity, purpose, and self-worth—beyond your homeschool role.
- Homeschooling Basics Reading List – If you’re new or need a refresh, find clarity on what actually matters in home education.
Each list is a curated roadmap to help you move from survival mode to a more grounded, joyful homeschool mom experience—supporting your personal growth and homeschool.
If you’re ready to reset, reframe, and reimagine how you show up—in your life and with your kids—these resources are here to guide that inner work.
So, if you’ve ever had a morning like mine—with cold coffee and loud pancakes—know that I’ve been with you.
Brené Brown helped me see that I am worthy of care. That I am a person in my homeschool too. And that when I show up as my whole self, my family gets the best of me.
And with Brene Brown’s assistance in reframing my thoughts, I would live to tell another day of homeschool as the yellow bus whizzed by the next morning without my kids.
Begin your mornings with intention—grab your Rediscovering You Workbook and take just a few minutes each day to reconnect with yourself, reflect honestly, and root your homeschool life in who you truly are.
Rediscover Yourself Beyond Homeschool Mom Guidebook
NURTURING YOU: A Digital Workbook for Homeschool Moms | Instant Download
Rediscover yourself beyond homeschooling with this 14-page guide. Packed with exercises for creativity, self-awareness, and personal growth — perfect for busy moms looking for balance and “me time.”
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Teresa Wiedrick
I help overwhelmed homeschool mamas shed what’s not working in their homeschool & life, so they can show up authentically, purposefully, and confidently in their homeschool & life.
This is so great, thank you! I love the affirmations as well. Just took an hour and a Hal to write in a cafe today while 2 kids had art class. They were my happiest hours this year so far. Think I’ll make it a habit! Gotta fill the well to keep giving.
Thank you! And so true too! Oh that is awesome. Man, I had to start that weekly cafe habit from the first few weeks of homeschooling. I think you’ve been doing it awhile right? You’re made from tougher stuff than me!!