This week in the clubhouse, I'm sitting down with Lydia to unpack what it was like growing up homeschooled in a large “Fundy-lite” Christian family deeply influenced by Vision Forum culture, purity culture, and Quiverfull-adjacent ideology.

Lydia shares her experience being the oldest of seven children, navigating homeschool co-ops, modesty culture, conservative Christian college, and the immense pressure of becoming the “obedient oldest daughter.” Together, Jacob and Lydia explore how homeschool isolation can exist even inside large communities, the hidden emotional burden placed on oldest daughters, and the long process of deconstructing beliefs that shaped adulthood.

This conversation dives into homeschooling culture, Christian nationalism, purity culture, social isolation, and the struggle to build an identity outside of the expectations placed on homeschool kids.

Some Of The Things We Referenced

• I Kissed Dating Goodbye
• Homeschool Legal Defense Association
• Doug Phillips
• Shiny Happy People

Connect with Lydia

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@90shomeschooler
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/90shomeschooler/

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story. Follow Ex-Homeschoolers Club on Instagram and TikTok for updates, and send us a message – we’d love to hear from you!

Connect with Jacob

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclub
• Email me at exhsclub@gmail.com

Chapters

00:00 Let's Meet Lydia

01:03 Growing Up On A Fundie Lite Homestead

03:42 Is Virginia The Homeschool Hub

05:33 Why Lydia's Family Homeschooled

09:48 Did Your Homeschool Curriculum Prepare You For College

13:12 I Went To College To Meet My Husband

14:35 What Is Vision Forum

19:00 Were Are Parents Even Reading What They Were Giving Us

22:05 Did You Have A Homeschool Community

27:17 Socialization Isn't The Same As Real Friends

28:50 Did Big Family Dynamics Lead To Parentification

33:22 Was College A Culture Shock

37:58 Why College Didn’t Change Me

40:43 Moving Out Was The Catalyst For My Deconstruction

45:16 My Therapist Made Me Start A TikTok

50:31 Today's Risks Of Homeschooling

53:05 Embrace the Weird

This week on the podcast, I sat down with Jaycie to unpack what it was like growing up K–12 homeschooled in a deeply religious environment shaped by ACE curriculum, church culture, and isolation. From role-playing public school in her bedroom as a kid to struggling with depression and culture shock during college, Jaycie shares an honest look at how homeschooling shaped her relationships, faith, and transition into adulthood.

In this episode, we covered:

• ACE curriculum often prioritized religious ideology over deep academic learning
• Homeschool isolation can make transitions into adulthood and college extremely difficult
• Many homeschoolers develop strong self-teaching and research skills
• Fear-based religious messaging can make social connection feel unsafe
• College became both liberating and emotionally overwhelming
• COVID gave many former evangelicals space to reevaluate faith and church culture
• Public school and homeschooling both have tradeoffs, but involvement from parents matters most
• Creative freedom and independent learning were meaningful positives from homeschooling

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to the Ex-Homeschoolers Club

00:35 Jaycie's Homeschool Rundown

01:36 ACE Curriculum Breakdown

03:09 Pros and Cons of ACE

09:45 Church as Social Life

11:02 Moving Missouri to Texas

13:59 Senior Year Depression

16:35 College Culture Shock

26:39 Gods Not Dead Mindset

30:23 Dropping Out and Marriage

32:50 Faith Shift During COVID

36:49 Homeschooling Reconsidered

40:22 Choosing Public School

44:33 Art Career and Reading

50:40 Cringey Co Op Puppets

53:04 Wrap Up and Goodbye

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story. Follow Ex-Homeschoolers Club on Instagram and TikTok for updates, and send us a message – we’d love to hear from you!

Connect with me:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclub
• Email me at exhsclub@gmail.com

This week on the podcast, I sat down with D.L. Mayfield for one of the most intense and thought-provoking conversations we’ve ever had on the Ex-Homeschoolers Club. We unpacked the influence of Focus on the Family, James Dobson, purity culture, and authoritarian parenting on an entire generation of homeschool kids — and what it means to revisit those ideas as adults.

Resources

• STRONGWILLED Project: https://www.strongwilledproject.com
• Coalition for Responsible Home Education

Chapters

00:00 Content Warning

00:14 Meet DL and Homeschool Roots

02:38 Pastor Kid Life and Moving Often

03:33 Reading Escape and Uneven Schooling

06:17 Public School Transition and Doomsday Prep

07:20 Host Reflections and Shared Homeschool Vibes

09:46 Focus on the Family in Childhood

10:31 Dobson Parenting and Abuse Enablers

13:38 Adventures in Odyssey Nostalgia vs Critique

16:49 Fascism Framework and Why Dobson Matters

21:48 Dobson Origins and Eugenics Links

24:06 Deconstruction Reaction and New Thesis

27:05 Porn Commission and Ignored Child Abuse

32:26 Predator Profiles and Forgiveness Culture

37:05 Wit as Trusted Authority

39:29 Imagination Station Lessons

42:53 Parenting Against Blind Trust

44:54 Authority and Homeschool Myths

46:26 Incest Denial and Epstein Parallels

50:45 Purity Culture and Male Lust

54:40 Girls Modesty and Predators

57:21 Forgiveness Without Justice

01:02:17 Stop Hitting Children

01:06:05 Listen to Kids and Reform

01:07:45 Strong Willed Resources

01:09:48 Late Bloomer Hope

01:11:42 Closing Thanks and Wrap

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story. Follow Ex-Homeschoolers Club on Instagram and TikTok for updates, and send us a message – we’d love to hear from you!

Connect with Jacob

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclub
• Email me at exhsclub@gmail.com