Lisa Weiner, MSN

Keynote: Why Being Attached to Our Kids Isn’t Enough - They Need to Be Attached to Us, too! The fact that we love our kids is so important, but it is not what gives us our ability to lead, raise, teach or guide our children. What grants us this most important power and influence is when our kids love us. When they like us, love us, look to us for guidance and rest in our care, that’s when we are granted to power to parent them. In this keynote, Lisa will explore how attachment is meant to unfold and some of the more “hidden” dynamics affecting attachment, such as the alpha and dependent roles and defendedness and vulnerability.

Workshop: Let’s Explore Alpha Kids. Many children and teens these days are attached to their parents in the alpha position. These kids can appear bossy, demanding and alarmed and they are generally hard to parent. In this workshop, we’ll explore the various dynamics that can influence kids to attach in this way including sensitivity, adoption and parenting styles and techniques.

Lisa Weiner, MSN, is a nurse practitioner, parent coach, Internal Family Systems Practitioner and Faculty member at the Neufeld Institute. She loves supporting parents through classes, workshops and coaching sessions. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two sons.

https://www.lisaweiner.coach

Olivia Votaw

In Pursuit of Beauty: An education that awakens love for truth, orders the imagination, and strengthens the will toward the good.

Olivia Votaw has been involved in public, private, and homeschool education for over 20 years. She loves learning just about anything, but is currently most excited about, America's founding, Georgics, poetry, and sourdough. Olivia is one of the founders of Rise Up Academy in Lehi, Utah and ALTUS Family Liber Academy in Tucson, Arizona. Camping on the beach, reading, laughing, cooking, and road trips are some of her favorite things. Olivia lives in Southern Arizona with her Votawesome husband, three spunky kids, Mexican mother, and two fluffy dogs. 

Amber & Sarah

This workshop introduces families to unit studies as a flexible, low-stress approach to homeschooling. Participants will learn how to plan unit studies using a simple framework, adapt them for multiple ages, and naturally cover multiple subjects through one topic. Attendees will leave feeling empowered, inspired, and ready to implement unit studies with confidence.

Amber and Sarah are the founders of Battle Born Homeschoolers, a Northern Nevada homeschool nonprofit dedicated to building connection, confidence, and community for homeschool families. Amber and Sarah run Battle Born Homeschoolers, a Northern Nevada homeschool nonprofit dedicated to building connection, confidence, and community for homeschool families. Seasoned homeschool parents and event organizers. They focus on making learning feel affordable, flexible, and joyful through real-life, community-centered education. https://www.battlebornhomeschoolers.com

Stacy J. Stewart

In this interactive hands-on workshop, you will be the student as Stacy takes you through a structured lesson based on the research-supported science of reading. Handouts will be provided to help you take what you learn here to what you can do with your student at home. Although this workshop is geared toward early readers, parents of struggling older readers can benefit from learning the instructional strategies that are shared.

Stacy J. Stewart is a Literacy and Reading Specialist, and a Board-Certified Educational Therapist with over 25 years of experience. In private practice her focus has been on psycholinguistic assessment and interventions with struggling readers. She has also worked with educational publishers as a consultant and served in private and public schools as a Literacy Coach and literacy program coordinator.

Jami Hepworth

Poetry is the Hook for engaging one-room school house type learning. Learn to use poetry and the arts to access multiple subjects for multiple ages in a pleasant atmosphere of individual pursuit and achievement through gentle invitations. Jami’s interactive workshop will allow you to experience hunting for good poems, doing copy work, embellishing a handwritten quote, and active listening to classical music.

Jami is a single mom who has homeschooled her kids from the beginning. She and her five kids love to hike and try new recipes. Jami is a fearless seeker of truth who shares her insights and memes on social media with an audience of thousands. In her work as a life coach, she has learned to listen deeply and find the underlying needs, hurts, and concerns that people harbor as she helps them resolve the pain and seek healing. She has created numerous courses for homeschoolers

Jocelyn Vance

In this workshop we will dive deep into creating an individualized plan for your middle/highschooler.  We will discuss dual enrollment in Northern Nevada, sports, extracurriculars, college entrance and transcripts.  We will also explore the many options available from college to trade schools. I will also teach you the skills and tools you need to create a plan that is individualized for your teens.  I believe that individualization is what creates ownership in your teens.  When they own their education this becomes a joyful and amazing journey for parents and teens.  We will discuss the tools you need to become their parent/mentor and greatest advocate for their future. 

Jocelyn Vance is a Mom to 6 kids ages 6-22.  She has homeschooled for the past 13 years and has learned so much about parenting, family life and education and can talk about any of these topics for hours.  She is also the Reno Market Manager for the Children’s Entrepreneur Market and is passionate about entrepreneurship, so you may have seen her around town.  

She believes that homeschooling is the best way to have closer knit family relationships.  She fell in love with home education as she dove into researching and reading every book on the subject.  She is passionate about family centered homeschooling and intentional parenting and believes that embracing inspiration and individualization is a key component of a joyful home education journey.  She currently has graduated 2 kids who have gone on to pursue their dreams, has 1 son about to graduate and has 2 more middle schoolers.  Join her in this workshop as she shares her experiences and knowledge of homeschooling teens and helps you create an individualized plan for your teens. She shares her journey on her instagram channel @ourinspiredfamilylife and has a blog at www.ourinspiredfamilylife.com where she shares resources to inspire you to have a more joyful journey in family life and in homeschooling. 

Alicia Chancellor Hansen, MS

People often worry about potential negative impacts from homeschooling. Questions regularly come up about topics such as socialization, making friends, curriculum, costs, teaching (especially math!), adult work schedules, issuing diplomas, and getting into college. We will consider these concerns and ways to address them so our kids can thrive.

Alicia has been involved in the Northern Nevada homeschooling community for 12 years. She has served on the Board of Northern Nevada Home Schools (NNHS) since 2019 and is currently Chair. She has organized the NNHS Science and Invention Fair since 2018 and the Spelling Bee since 2023.

Alicia and her husband Michael currently reside in Carson City and homeschool their four children, ages 14, 12, 9, and 7. She has been both a primary homeschooling parent and homeschooled while working full-time as a data analyst and project manager. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Mathematics with an Emphasis in Statistics from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Christian Funk

Kids need a compass to help guide them through life! Let’s figure out what you want your kids to stand for so they don’t fall for anything. In this workshop you will do hands on activities that you can do with your youth to help them do hard things. Doing hard things build character, perseverance, and confidence.

We will explore ideas on how to foster a strong relationship with your son, how to encourage your kids, and how to get dads involved in homeschooling—it is easier than you think.

Christian has been married for 32 years to his sweetheart, Kathy, and together they have raised and are raising 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls. They have 4 grandchildren. He has coached boys and girls lacrosse, NFL flag football, and basketball. He has been a scout master and mentor for youth in a variety of settings and activities. He is currently a business owner and bison rancher.

Jackie Scalzi

Jackie's interactive workshop is designed for parents who are new to homeschooling or considering the transition. Whether you are feeling overwhelmed with the transition or need a place to start, together we'll walk through what homeschooling looks like. A clear foundation for homeschooling that fits each attendee's needs is the best way to begin their journey with confidence. By addressing common myths and fears, understanding state requirements, and gaining confidence in choosing curriculum, families will leave emboldened in their choice to homeschool. 

Jackie has been a homeschooling mom of two for eight years and was first drawn to homeschooling for the freedom and flexibility it provides. Jackie wanted the ability to honor her family values, meet her children where they are, and foster a true love of learning. She believes every child learns differently and is passionate about helping families create learning environments that will support curiosity and growth through her work at The Hope Academy.

Mickelle Shea

"Adulting" has become a burdensome, dreaded word associated with nothing but chores, bills, and responsibilities.  No wonder we have so many parents experiencing "failure to launch!" Tour my Adult Skills binder and take home a template for yourself.  The ASB isn't just about skills, though—implicit in this book is the opportunity to curate a worldview canon for your children. 

Mickelle is often told she's serious and deep, but mostly because pedantic and idiosyncratic aren't compliments.  She considers the quest to cultivate discernment and taste—and thus a flourishing and beautiful life—to be among the most serious endeavors of homeschooling.  Aristotle's observation that true education is a type of enculturation: "to love what we ought to love, and hate what we ought to hate" has sunk deep in her bones and she sometimes mutters it in her sleep.  Mickelle has never found an Albinoni concerto, a Joseph Geisser painting, or a chocolate pastry that doesn't speak to her soul, but she's always willing to keep looking.  Especially with the pastries.

Lorna Burkhard

Join Lorna Burkhard in exploring the mysteries of snowflakes. We will visit the Google Classroom and hear fascinating details, note snowflake vocabulary, and follow prompts to draw three types of snow-flakes. All supplies will be provided. By attending this workshop, you will be prepared to implement nature study and art into your homeschool repertoire.

Lorna is an experienced nature journalist who has taught nature journaling to all ages of children for more than 15 years. Her vitality and enthusiasm is so catching. She deftly helps kids and adults learn how to draw, paint, and thereby SEE more clearly.

Nickelle Robinson

Nickelle will guide you to understanding how to work with the seasons for integrated learning in your home that flows smoothly with life instead of fighting it. Learn basic hygge for homeschoolers, how to make spring come alive, what to do all summer as a homeschool family, and how to enjoy an abundant autumn with routines and rhythms that feel natural.

Nikelle was raised in the Pacific Northwest running wild in the woods. She has a zest for life and has sought adventure in running marathons, climbing mountains, snowboarding, scuba diving, backpacking, and traveling. As long as she can remember she has thrived in experiential, sensory-rich, immersive environments. She went on to manage high ropes course experiences, work in wilderness therapy, and as a recreation therapist in residential settings for youth. 

Her motherhood journey has required a serious metamorphosis, and she (eventually) surrendered to slower rhythms, a simpler life, and seeks to prioritize experiential learning and deep connection with the earth and with people. She loves living in accordance with the seasons alongside her family.   All who know her acknowledge her as a strict imperfectionist.