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

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