135 - Jody Underwood: Homesteading, Microschooling & Living Off-Grid

<p><strong>Homesteading, Free State Project, Micro Schools, Education Reform, School Budgets, Off-Grid Living, Homeschooling, Bitcoin, Local Government, Critical Thinking.</strong></p> <p>Timothy Allen speaks with <strong>Jody Underwood</strong></p> <p>A former school board member and Free State Project board member, Jody discusses her off-grid lifestyle in New Hampshire, where she pursues self-sufficiency and runs an education non-profit. Drawn by the Free State Project, she moved with friends to embrace off-grid living, raising animals and growing food.</p> <p>Jody shares insights into local education reform, including a controversial vote to drastically cut the school budget—later overturned—that sparked backlash. She critiques the traditional education system and advocates for alternatives like micro schools and homeschool co-ops, reflecting a broader shift toward personalized, parent-driven education.</p> <p>Enjoy the conversation</p> <p><strong>SHOW SPONSOR: Veritas Village</strong>: <a href="https://www.ecovillages.life/freecities">https://www.ecovillages.life/freecities</a></p> <p>Veritas Village is a phenomenal project in Panama, building off-grid, energy self-sufficient luxury homes for freedom lovers. <strong>Bitcoin</strong> is accepted at all villages, including for the purchase of property.</p> <ul> <li>All the podcast links: <a href="https://linktr.ee/freeCitiesPodcast">https://linktr.ee/freeCitiesPodcast</a></li> <li>Free Cities Telegram Community: <a href="https://t.me/+im6c6r4jQkUzMjU0">https://t.me/+im6c6r4jQkUzMjU0</a></li> <li>Free Cities Conference: <a href="https://freecitiesconference.com/">https://freecitiesconference.com/</a></li> <li>Free Cities Foundation Newsletter: <a href="https://free-cities.org/subscribe">https://free-cities.org/subscribe</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>DONATE Bitcoin</strong> to the Free Cities Podcast: bc1q5jun0nzxzqepch84rqk0jnv0rd8uvns28df7mg</p> <p><strong>TIMESTAMPS</strong></p> <ul> <li>0:00:30 – Introduction to the episode and Veritas Village sponsor</li> <li>0:03:35 – Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Fountain integration announcement</li> <li>0:08:18 – CONVERSATION STARTS</li> <li>0:12:50 – Differences in daily life between New Hampshire, New York, and California</li> <li>0:14:59 – Off-grid living, farming, and self-sufficiency</li> <li>0:19:35 – Animal slaughter regulations in New Hampshire</li> <li>0:21:10 – Registering chickens and avian flu</li> <li>0:22:36 – Experience with the Free State Project and involvement in local government</li> <li>0:25:18 – School board involvement and budget slashing</li> <li>0:30:17 – Voting process and budget reduction</li> <li>0:34:12 – Quorum, smear campaign, and revote</li> <li>0:36:51 – Micro schools and learning pods</li> <li>0:40:19 – Homeschool co-ops</li> <li>0:41:51 – Micro schools as an entrepreneurial option</li> <li>0:42:12 – Education savings accounts and government's role in education</li> <li>0:48:11 – Shifting roles in education and the job market</li> <li>0:53:30 – Individualization of learning</li> <li>1:01:18 – Critical thinking in children</li> <li>1:04:25 – Publicly funded Charter schools and religion</li> <li>1:06:05 – Classical Schools with DEI</li> <li>1:07:20 – Pornographic books in school libraries</li> <li>1:08:22 – Leaning to the left on the education scale</li> <li>1:08:57 – Is it possible as a homeschooler to get government money and universal ESAs?</li> <li>1:11:37 – If bringing up kids, what's the best path forward and starting with homeschooling</li> </ul> <p><strong>NOSTR</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Timothy Allen: Search '<a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>' on your Nostr app</li> <li>Free Cities Foundation: npub1lsj8pmgedqqamt89c27tzjjnlf0wn7q7udjm7j2cl9xxz97eacns2mwpee</li> </ul> <p><strong>LEGACY SOCIAL MEDIA</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Jody Underwood: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jody-underwood-157299">https://www.linkedin.com/in/jody-underwood-157299</a></li> <li>Timothy Allen: <a href="https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen">https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen</a></li> <li>Free Cities Foundation: <a href="https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound">https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>OTHER LINKS</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Jody's non-profit - EdOpt: <a href="https://edopt.org/">https://edopt.org/</a></li> <li>Free Cities Foundation: <a href="https://free-cities.org/">https://free-cities.org/</a></li> <li>SPONSOR: Veritas Village: <a href="https://www.ecovillages.life/freecities">https://www.ecovillages.life/freecities</a></li> </ul>