S5 E14: Creating Freedom in Education: How a Pod Can Change Everything
The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Release Date: 12/04/2025
The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary Social media is no longer just a distraction — it is shaping identity, behavior, mental health, and safety for an entire generation. In this eye-opening episode, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Nicki Petrossi, a former social media executive turned national advocate for child safety online. Nicki is the founder of Scrolling 2 Death, co-founder of the Tech-Safe Learning Coalition, and a leading voice helping parents understand what is actually happening behind screens. Nicki brings insider knowledge from her time working inside social media platforms — paired with real-world...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary This is one of the most consequential and challenging conversations ever hosted on The InFormed Parent Podcast. In this episode, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Del Bigtree — journalist, filmmaker, former Emmy-winning producer, and one of the most influential voices calling for transparency in public health and medical science today. Del is the founder and CEO of Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), host of The HighWire, and Executive Producer of the documentary An Inconvenient Study. This episode centers on a never-published vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated study conducted...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary Season 6 opens with a powerful solo episode from Suzanne Phillips, founder of Beacon Parent, setting the tone for what lies ahead. In this monologue, Suzanne reflects on the cultural moment parents are navigating right now — one marked by confusion, exhaustion, pressure, and noise. From education and technology to identity, sexuality, and discipleship, parents are being asked to make high-stakes decisions without clarity or support. This episode is both an invitation and a reset. Suzanne explains why this season exists, what has shaped the direction of the conversations...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary: In this powerful and timely episode, Suzanne sits down with two moms who have lived what so many parents are only beginning to consider: you can change your child’s educational story — and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Today’s guests, Lauren Tatum and Brandy Hansen, both stepped out of traditional education pathways to create thriving, faith-filled homeschool pods for their children and communities. From fear and overwhelm to clarity and confidence, their journeys reveal what is possible when parents refuse to believe the cultural lie that there is only one way to...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary: In this heartfelt and deeply practical episode, Suzanne Phillips sits down with Jonathan Pitts—author, speaker, ministry executive, father of five, and President of For Girls Like You, a ministry serving tween girls and their parents. Jonathan has spent nearly two decades in Christian leadership, including serving as Executive Director of Dr. Tony Evans’ ministry (The Urban Alternative), managing recording artist Anthony Evans, Jr., and now serving in pastoral leadership at Church of the City in Franklin, TN. As a father of four daughters and a newly welcomed baby boy,...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary: In today’s episode of The InFormed Parent Podcast, Suzanne Phillips sits down with Andrew Chambers, the Head of Campus Life at Excel College, one of the most innovative and biblically grounded higher education models in the country. With many parents questioning traditional college pathways — rising costs, secular influence, lack of discipleship, cultural pressure — this conversation opens the door to a revolutionary alternative designed to help students become wise, mature, productive adults who live purposeful and fulfilling lives. Andrew shares how Excel College is...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary: In this energizing and visionary episode of The InFormed Parent Podcast, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Justin MacDonald, award-winning educator, coach, entrepreneur, global executive, and founder of The Academy at District Church. Justin brings a bold, fresh perspective on what education could be — and what’s possible when the Church, families, and innovative thinkers reclaim learning for the next generation With a model that blends individualized learning, entrepreneurship, leadership development, and Christ-centered formation, The Academy is proving that children...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary: In this heartfelt and wisdom-filled episode, Suzanne Phillips sits down with her own pastor, Chuck Ramsey, Lead Pastor of Restoration Church, for a conversation on building strong families through biblical parenting and discipleship. As a father of seven and grandfather of five, Pastor Chuck shares both personal and pastoral insights on what it means to raise children with a “vertical” mindset—anchored in God’s Word, guided by His Spirit, and grounded in eternal truth. Together, they discuss the power of a Vertical Church, how its principles build strong families at...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary: In this eye-opening and deeply practical episode of The InFormed Parent Podcast, Suzanne Phillips is joined by Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes—a leading organization helping families, schools, and churches navigate the complex world of technology, internet safety, and digital wellness. Chris’s work has reached hundreds of thousands of students and families nationwide and even led him to conversations at the White House about the dangers of AI and child safety online. This episode equips parents to take actionable steps toward creating safer digital...
info_outlineThe InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
Episode Summary: In this powerful and redemptive episode of The InFormed Parent Podcast, Suzanne Phillips sits down with Joshua Broome—a bestselling author, speaker, and former adult film star whose life has been radically transformed by the love and truth of Jesus. Now serving as the Executive Director of Walk Worthy, a division of the American Association of Christian Counselors, Joshua uses his story to educate and inspire families to confront the dangers of pornography, protect their children online, and live out a biblically grounded vision of sexuality and purpose. This conversation...
info_outlineEpisode Summary:
In this powerful and timely episode, Suzanne sits down with two moms who have lived what so many parents are only beginning to consider: you can change your child’s educational story — and it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Today’s guests, Lauren Tatum and Brandy Hansen, both stepped out of traditional education pathways to create thriving, faith-filled homeschool pods for their children and communities. From fear and overwhelm to clarity and confidence, their journeys reveal what is possible when parents refuse to believe the cultural lie that there is only one way to educate kids.
This conversation explores the cultural pressure surrounding education, the rise of therapeutic and agenda-driven classrooms, and why more families every year are discovering freedom through pods, microschools, hybrid models, and custom learning environments.
Suzanne also introduces The Pod Packet, a practical, step-by-step resource created to help parents launch their own simple-but-powerful pod—without needing to build a full school or reinvent the wheel.
Whether you’re curious, cautious, overwhelmed, or ready to take action, this episode will give you vision, options, and encouragement for the educational future of your family.
Episode Highlights:
✔️ Lauren & Brandy’s personal journeys into alternative education
✔️ Public, private, homeschool — and why they chose something different
✔️ The cultural lies that pressure parents into traditional schooling
✔️ Why pods work — and how simple they can be
✔️ The story behind The Pod Packet and how it equips families
✔️ How to structure a pod, build rhythms, and set expectations
✔️ Real results: confidence, community, joy
✔️ How pods grow into hybrids, microschools, or academies
✔️ Encouragement for parents feeling the nudge to make a change
🎧 Listen Now: [Insert Podcast Link]
Featured Resource: The Pod Packet
A practical, step-by-step guide to help families create a simple, effective homeschool pod rooted in vision, community, and clarity.
Perfect for:
- parents
- teachers
- churches
- entrepreneurs
- hybrid or microschool starters
👉 Learn More → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket
👉 Instagram → @thepodpacket
Call-to-Actions (CTAs):
📲 Connect with Today’s Guests:
- @thepodpacket
- www.beaconparent.com/podpacket
📲 Stay Connected with Beacon Parent:
- Instagram: @suzannephillips_
- Instagram: @beacon_parent
- Website: www.beaconparent.com
📚 Beacon Parent Free Resource Hub:
Tools for discipleship, identity, parenting, culture conversations & more.
👉 Download free resources → www.beaconparent.com/thehub
✨ Parent Club (Monthly Membership):
Foundational discipleship, community, teaching, and support for parents.
👉 Join the club → www.beaconparent.com/parentclub
🏫 Considering Alternative Education?
Explore The Pod Packet — your first step toward building a meaningful, small-scale educational community.
👉 Get the packet → www.beaconparent.com/podpacket
Identity Truth for the Family:
You don’t have to choose what culture tells you is “normal.”
Parents have God-given authority, creativity, and freedom to shape an environment where their children can grow in truth, purpose, and joy.
Closing CTA:
Parents — you have more options than ever, and more influence than you know. If this episode encouraged you, share it with another family exploring educational alternatives or seeking clarity for next year.
🎧 Listen Now →