Why I Felt Completely Unprepared for Adulthood After Homeschooling

If you want to support the channel, like, comment, share, or consider buying me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclub

Sorry to say, that today's episode is audio-only.

Today, I'm sitting down with Rachael to unpack her experience growing up homeschooled in a deeply evangelical Christian environment. Rachael shares how undiagnosed ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia made school difficult while the pressure to be a “perfect” homeschool kid led her to blame herself rather than question the system. She also talks about purity culture, rigid gender roles, the pressure to discover God’s perfect plan for her life, and why she felt completely unprepared to launch into adulthood after graduation. Her journey eventually took her to YWAM and overseas to Thailand, where new experiences helped her begin recognizing emotions she had spent years denying (including anger). Today, Rachael is working through years of religious deconstruction and therapy while reconnecting with the creativity and artistic identity she once felt ashamed to embrace.

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.

*Connect with me* • BuyMeACoffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhsclub • Email me at [email protected] • Listen on Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/exhsclub/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/ • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclub • Newsletter: https://exhsclub.beehiiv.com/ • Substack: https://exhsclub.substack.com

*Chapters* 00:00 Welcome Back To The Ex-Homeschoolers Club 00:41 Meet Rachel 02:02 How Cancer Traumatized A Family 05:19 What The Early Years Of Homeschooling Looked Like 08:28 The Struggle Of Undiagnosed Learning Struggles 11:23 How Faith Fostered An Environment Of Perfectionism 15:00 What Did Homeschool Community Look Like For You? 19:11 What Role Did Gender Roles And Purity Culture Play In Your Life? 22:11 Moving To Colorado 26:50 Finding Homeschool Friends Via Seminary 29:25 Taking Public School Classes As A Homeschooler 33:36 Homeschool Hierarchy Pressure 36:19 Preparing Your Kids To Launch Into Adulthood 37:50 Rachael Was Unprepared To Launch 41:47 Crashing After High School Graduation 43:42 What Is Gods Will In My Life 47:35 Finding YWAM And Launching Into Adulthood 54:32 Red Flags Of YWAM 58:11 Discovering Anger 01:02:41 Find Myself And Reclaiming Creativity 01:08:35 Where Do You Stand With Homeschooling? 01:14:00 Find Your Self-Autonomy 01:16:19 Thanks For Tuning In