Hi, everyone. I’m so excited to be here. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been a metalhead since I was 12 or 13 years old. I loved heavy metal music, but back then, every adult in my life thought it was terrible. I had to sneak around to listen to it. Funny enough, bands like Metallica were the only ones who truly seemed to understand what I was going through. People labeled them as “bad influences,” but they were a voice of truth for me in a world focused on obedience and compliance.
Growing up in a culture that prioritized control above connection, many of us experienced some form of abuse. That’s why I’m here today—to help you understand and heal from those cycles, so you can create something better for yourselves and your future families. It’s such an honor to be here and see this event grow from its beginnings to what it is now.
I didn’t even realize I was an anarchist until 2011, when Jeff Berwick explained what it meant. He told me, “You’re an anarchist,” and I said, “Really?” When he explained the philosophy of freedom and non-coercion, it clicked. My journey into anarchism actually started with parenting—specifically, a parenting philosophy rooted in respect, freedom, and connection.
The majority of parenting advice out there, whether from experts or family and friends, is based on the authoritarian paradigm. You’ve probably seen TV shows like Nanny 911 or Supernanny, where a strict nanny enforces obedience. Even when spanking isn’t involved, the methods are still authoritarian, disrespectful, and abusive. Techniques like “time-outs” or the “naughty step” focus solely on the parents’ needs for convenience and control. This paradigm prioritizes adult desires—like quiet, uninterrupted sleep, or obedience at all costs—over the child’s well-being.
Behavior modification, which most people mistake for parenting, is all about getting children to comply. The idea is to “train” them to be “good.” But parenting isn’t supposed to be convenient; it’s about connection. Letting go of control starts right at birth, which is a subject very close to my heart.
I’m a mom of four incredible kids: Devin, 19; Tiffany, 16; Ivy, 13; and Orion, 10. My parenting journey was never something I planned—it evolved naturally and organically. When I gave birth to Devin, I wanted a natural birth, even though I wasn’t sure if I could handle the pain. But I did it. That experience was life-changing. All the horror stories I’d heard from other women made me realize how much fear dominates our cultural narrative about birth. No one told me birth could be empowering and joyful until I lived it myself.
After Devin’s birth, I became passionate about sharing this truth. I trained as a childbirth educator, doula, and later as a midwife. My first home birth was with Tiffany, and it was incredible. One of the reasons I respect my children so deeply is that I believe their identities and preferences matter, even their names. Tiffany, for example, was originally named Dakota, but when she decided she wanted to change it, I fully supported her. This respect starts at birth and continues through their entire lives.
The medicalized birth system is rooted in fear, control, and profit. Hospitals often turn normal births into emergencies to justify interventions, and it’s heartbreaking. For example, when a laboring mother feels fear—whether from a tiger in the wild or the sterile, intimidating environment of a hospital—her labor stalls as a biological response. Instead of trusting this natural process, hospitals intervene with drugs like Pitocin, which leads to a cascade of complications.
Pitocin-induced contractions are unnaturally strong and painful, often leading to epidurals, which in turn can slow labor, distress the baby, and result in unnecessary C-sections. In the U.S., the C-section rate is over 30%, even though over 90% of women could safely give birth naturally. It’s a system designed for convenience and profit, not empowerment.
But birth is meant to transform women. It’s not just about bringing life into the world—it’s about birthing ourselves as mothers. This transformation gives us confidence and connection with our babies, something that hospital interventions often rob from us.
Parenting, like birth, has been co-opted by a system that prioritizes obedience and compliance over connection and freedom. I first realized this when I gave birth to Devin. As I held him for the first time, the TV was showing live coverage of the Columbine shootings. Watching those events unfold while holding my newborn made me vow never to force my children into a system that didn’t respect their freedom.
This led me to unschooling—a philosophy that rejects coercive education in favor of learning driven by a child’s passions and interests. Unschooling is often misunderstood as neglect, but it’s the opposite. It’s about creating a rich, resource-filled environment where children can thrive. My kids have never been forced to read, write, or complete a workbook, yet they’ve all learned those skills naturally. Learning is as organic as walking or talking when it’s not forced.
This philosophy extends to discipline as well. My children have never been punished punitively. Instead, we approach challenges through connection and communication. Punishment teaches children that power and control are the way to get what you want, which is the opposite of what I want to model for them.
Through peaceful parenting and unschooling, we can raise a generation of free-thinking, self-directed, and confident individuals. These are the kids who will change the world because they haven’t been conditioned to accept mediocrity or authority blindly.
If this philosophy resonates with you, know that it’s just the beginning. I’m here to support you on this journey and help you learn how to apply these ideas in your own life. Thank you for being open-minded enough to listen, and thank you to my incredible children for teaching me everything I know.
Together, we can start a revolution—one rooted in freedom, respect, and love. Thank you.