Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A medical crisis eight years ago pushed Kody’s family into a complete lifestyle overhaul that ultimately transformed her husband’s health, reshaped their home life, and sparked the creation of Homestead Science. In this conversation, we chat about moving from overwhelm and trial-and-error to raising capable kids, building a hands-on homeschool, and developing a curriculum that serves families whether on acreage or in a subdivision. Kody shares what she learned about practical skills, real-food living, large family dynamics, and the surprising joy of watching teens step into responsibility while still getting to be teenagers. Her story is a reminder that you don’t have to do everything at once, and that meaningful learning can happen right alongside real life!
In this episode, we cover:
- Kody reflects on her husband's sudden end-stage liver disease diagnosis and how it reshaped their entire family direction
- The early overwhelm of shifting from a typical American lifestyle to true whole-food, toxin-free living
- Rethinking low-fat diets, salts, and dairy, and discovering how traditional foods supported healing
- Finding a holistic doctor who affirmed the very changes they felt drawn to make
- Watching her husband's labs steadily improve until he finally received a clean bill of health
- Navigating blended family dynamics, homeschooling, homesteading, and medical crises all at once
- Realizing there was no curriculum that taught kids homesteading, agriculture, or practical home skills in a real-life way
- Beginning to write Homestead Science by creating hands-on lessons for her own kids, from milking routines to budgeting and food safety
- How the curriculum grows with children— early ages learning concepts playfully, older students tackling tools, measurements, planning, and economics
- Why the program works even for families without land, using store-bought ingredients and small-scale projects
- The role of strewing, entrepreneurship, and true responsibility in helping kids discover skills and confidence
- Kody’s encouragement to new homeschoolers: drop the pressure, honor what feels realistic in your season, and prioritize relationship over rigid expectations
- The surprising dynamic of teens in large families—how they can be incredibly helpful and still fully enjoy being teenagers, despite common misconceptions
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Check out Kody’s parenting book, Raising Self-Sufficient Kids: An Honest Mom's Guide to Intentional Parenting thehomesteadeducation.com/product/raising-self-sufficient-children/?srsltid=AfmBOorO1AgCsg93wiMobnTJWgCJx2l7WWNHKKBU1fOqsFVmOvEgNnPM
Explore her homeschool curriculum and resources: Homestead Science thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteadscience/?srsltid=AfmBOoqmr0ny3LkOlmgEzuU2RR99lPyiPDSzrYbWzfWNrTf2YwM3Atsy
Join my FREE masterclass to learn my 4-step framework for making money on YouTube bit.ly/farmhouseyoutubemasterclass
Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course bit.ly/simplesourdoughcourse
Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series bit.ly/simplesewingcourse
Turn your content creation dreams into a profitable business with my YouTube Success Academy bit.ly/farmhouseyoutubecourse
Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook homesteadliving.com/daily-sourdough/?utm_source=farmhouseonboone&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=SRD
CONNECT
Kody Hanner of Homestead Education
Website: thehomesteadeducation.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thehomesteadeducation
Instagram: instagram.com/homestead_education
Pinterest: pinterest.com/homesteadeducation
YouTube: youtube.com/@homesteadeducation
Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone
Blog: farmhouseonboone.com
YouTube: youtube.com/c/FarmhouseonBoone
Instagram: instagram.com/farmhouseonboone
TikTok: tiktok.com/@farmhouseonboone
Facebook: facebook.com/farmhouseonboone
Pinterest: pinterest.com/farmhouseonboone/_created
Do you have a question you’d like me to answer on the podcast? A guest you’d like me to interview? Submit your questions and ideas here: bit.ly/SFLquestions.
GET MORE FROM THIS EPISODE
Listen to this podcast episode: pod.link/1494284839/episode/ZjVlMTRjMjAtY2Q1MS0xMWYwLWI4N2MtMDcwYjIxMTBlNzU0
View full show notes on the blog: simplefarmhouselifepodcast.com/2025/12/02/how-hands-on-real-life-learning-transformed-their-health-and-home-kody-hanner-of-homestead-education-episode-318
A medical crisis eight years ago pushed Kody’s family into a complete lifestyle overhaul that ultimately transformed her husband’s health, reshaped their home life, and sparked the creation of Homestead Science. In this conversation, we chat about moving from overwhelm and trial-and-error to raising capable kids, building a hands-on homeschool, and developing a curriculum that serves families whether on acreage or in a subdivision. Kody shares what she learned about practical skills, real-food living, large family dynamics, and the surprising joy of watching teens step into responsibility while still getting to be teenagers. Her story is a reminder that you don’t have to do everything at once, and that meaningful learning can happen right alongside real life!
In this episode, we cover:
- Kody reflects on her husband's sudden end-stage liver disease diagnosis and how it reshaped their entire family direction
- The early overwhelm of shifting from a typical American lifestyle to true whole-food, toxin-free living
- Rethinking low-fat diets, salts, and dairy, and discovering how traditional foods supported healing
- Finding a holistic doctor who affirmed the very changes they felt drawn to make
- Watching her husband's labs steadily improve until he finally received a clean bill of health
- Navigating blended family dynamics, homeschooling, homesteading, and medical crises all at once
- Realizing there was no curriculum that taught kids homesteading, agriculture, or practical home skills in a real-life way
- Beginning to write Homestead Science by creating hands-on lessons for her own kids, from milking routines to budgeting and food safety
- How the curriculum grows with children— early ages learning concepts playfully, older students tackling tools, measurements, planning, and economics
- Why the program works even for families without land, using store-bought ingredients and small-scale projects
- The role of strewing, entrepreneurship, and true responsibility in helping kids discover skills and confidence
- Kody’s encouragement to new homeschoolers: drop the pressure, honor what feels realistic in your season, and prioritize relationship over rigid expectations
- The surprising dynamic of teens in large families—how they can be incredibly helpful and still fully enjoy being teenagers, despite common misconceptions
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Check out Kody’s parenting book, Raising Self-Sufficient Kids: An Honest Mom's Guide to Intentional Parenting thehomesteadeducation.com/product/raising-self-sufficient-children/?srsltid=AfmBOorO1AgCsg93wiMobnTJWgCJx2l7WWNHKKBU1fOqsFVmOvEgNnPM
Explore her homeschool curriculum and resources: Homestead Science thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteadscience/?srsltid=AfmBOoqmr0ny3LkOlmgEzuU2RR99lPyiPDSzrYbWzfWNrTf2YwM3Atsy
Join my FREE masterclass to learn my 4-step framework for making money on YouTube bit.ly/farmhouseyoutubemasterclass
Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course bit.ly/simplesourdoughcourse
Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series bit.ly/simplesewingcourse
Turn your content creation dreams into a profitable business with my YouTube Success Academy bit.ly/farmhouseyoutubecourse
Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook homesteadliving.com/daily-sourdough/?utm_source=farmhouseonboone&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=SRD
CONNECT
Kody Hanner of Homestead Education
Website: thehomesteadeducation.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thehomesteadeducation
Instagram: instagram.com/homestead_education
Pinterest: pinterest.com/homesteadeducation
YouTube: youtube.com/@homesteadeducation
Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone
Blog: farmhouseonboone.com
YouTube: youtube.com/c/FarmhouseonBoone
Instagram: instagram.com/farmhouseonboone
TikTok: tiktok.com/@farmhouseonboone
Facebook: facebook.com/farmhouseonboone
Pinterest: pinterest.com/farmhouseonboone/_created
Do you have a question you’d like me to answer on the podcast? A guest you’d like me to interview? Submit your questions and ideas here: bit.ly/SFLquestions.
GET MORE FROM THIS EPISODE
Listen to this podcast episode: pod.link/1494284839/episode/ZjVlMTRjMjAtY2Q1MS0xMWYwLWI4N2MtMDcwYjIxMTBlNzU0
View full show notes on the blog: simplefarmhouselifepodcast.com/2025/12/02/how-hands-on-real-life-learning-transformed-their-health-and-home-kody-hanner-of-homestead-education-episode-318
