Basecamp Live

Students today need to be deeply formed to love what is true and beautiful, and they also need practical skills and confidence that comes from real life experiences they can carry into college, career, and beyond.In this episode of BaseCamp Live, Davies Owens sits down with Mitchell Slater, founder and CEO of Slater Strategies, to talk about entrepreneurship, risk, and why many students are not being prepared for real life as well as they could be.Mitchell shares his story of growing up homeschooled in Alaska, learning hard work through real responsibilities, and starting his first business at 17 because his parents gave him room to try and learn. Together, they unpack why failure is such a powerful teacher, why our culture fears it, and how schools can create safe environments for students to practice real-world problem solving.They also dive into Mitchell’s SMT program, which trains a small team of students to help tell their school’s story through marketing, communication, and community engagement, without

“What is classical Christian education?” sounds like an easy question, until you try to answer it.In this episode, Davies Owens is joined by Dr. David Diener, professor of education at Hillsdale College and executive director of the Alcuin Fellowship, to offer a clear, grounded explanation of what classical Christian education is and what it is not. They explore why this approach begins with the purpose of education, not just the methods, and how it aims to form students into a certain kind of human being, equipped to live well in this life and the next.You will also hear how classical Christian schools differ from many modern models that treat education primarily as a transaction for career readiness, and why “integration” matters more than adding spiritual elements onto an otherwise secular framework.

Healthy habits are one of the greatest gifts we can give our children because habits quietly shape what they love and who they become. In this episode, Davies Owens is joined by Jeff Hendricks, headmaster at Providence Christian School of Texas, for a practical conversation about how formation happens through repeated, everyday actions.Jeff defines a habit as a repeated action that becomes instinctive. It begins with conscious effort, but over time it becomes automatic, like driving a car. That matters because the virtues we hope to see in adulthood, generosity, courage, hospitality, do not appear overnight. They are built through small faithful practices.A key theme throughout the conversation is that there is no neutral setting. Every child is learning habits of one kind or another, intentionally or passively. Jeff also addresses a common misconception: habit formation can sound harsh or overly strict, but discipline on the front end leads to freedom later. Like musicians and athletes, children gain joyful

Augustine argued that many of our biggest problems come not from loving bad things, but from loving good things in the wrong order. In this episode, Davies Owens sits down with counselor and Live Sturdy president Keith McCurdy to talk about the “ordering of loves” and why it impacts everything from marriage health to family culture to kids who flourish.Keith walks through a common modern pattern: world, kids, family, marriage, God, and why that order quietly drains families. Then he offers a clear, biblical alternative and a few simple practices that can create real change without turning your life upside down.

Many listeners have been asking for more alumni interviews, and this episode delivers. Davies Owens sits down with Ashton Lawrence, an Ambrose School graduate who joined the classical Christian world in fifth grade and stayed through graduation. Ashton reflects on the early challenges of adjusting to a more rigorous environment, the slow-burning value of logic and Latin, and the way great teachers helped the pieces “click” over time.As the conversation unfolds, Ashton connects the classroom to real life, from learning to spot fallacies in everyday arguments to building the kind of clear communication and steady conviction that helps a young adult navigate college, friendships, and vocational decisions with maturity. Along the way, he shares how family conversations, meaningful friendships, and hands-on experiences shaped him into someone who can read deeply, think carefully, and also solve real problems in the shop.Tune in to hear:Why Ashton’s “late entry” into classical Christian education in fifth grade bec

In a world filled with distraction, content overload, and cultural confusion, raising children who are wise, discerning, and grounded can feel daunting. In this episode, Davies Owens sits down with Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU, to explore how families can recover wisdom in America through small, faithful practices at home rather than sweeping overhauls.Marissa challenges parents to reclaim confidence as their children’s primary educators and encourages them to start with “micro, atomic habits” that build courage and clarity over time. Together, they discuss why young people are surrounded by information yet starving for meaning, and how virtue, responsibility, and service shape true maturity.

In this episode, Davies Owens briefly steps into the archives to revisit a valuable conversation with Dr. Louis Markos on how the ancient world understood virtue, education, and human flourishing, and why those insights remain essential today.Dr. Markos explains how the Greeks and Romans, though lacking Christian revelation, asked the right questions about human nature, moral formation, and the purpose of education. Figures such as Socrates and Plato modeled humility, rational discourse, and civic responsibility, forming a vision of education aimed not merely at usefulness, but at virtue.Together, Davies and Dr. Markos explore why classical Christian education continues to draw from this ancient inheritance. Far from being outdated, a liberal arts education grounded in timeless truths prepares students to engage a modern, technology-driven world with wisdom, clarity, and courage.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how work gets done across nearly every industry. As automation accelerates and technology reshapes careers, parents and educators are asking pressing questions. What kinds of jobs will still exist? How should students prepare for an uncertain future? And what kinds of skills will truly endure?In this episode of BaseCamp Live, host Davies Owens is joined by Tami Peterson, founder and CEO of Life Architects Coaching. Together, they explore how AI is transforming college admissions, career pathways, and workforce expectations, and why human formation matters more than ever.Davies and Tami discuss how colleges are already responding to AI’s influence, particularly in admissions. With AI-generated essays becoming commonplace, many schools are rethinking how they evaluate applicants and are placing renewed emphasis on in-person writing, oral exams, classroom engagement, and mentorship-driven learning environments. These shifts highlight a growing desire to see how student

What is a good teacher?Most of us can name a teacher who made a lasting impact, not just through information, but through formation, awakening curiosity, shaping understanding, and building confidence. In this BaseCamp Live episode, host Davies Owens sits down with classical educator and mentor Carrie Eben, co-author of The Good Teacher: 10 Pedagogical Principles That Will Transform Your Teaching, to explore the often-overlooked piece of classical Christian education, how we teach, not only what we teach.Carrie has spent more than 25 years serving in classical education across schools and homeschooling. She is a founding board member at Sager Classical Academy in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and a head mentor for the Searcy Institute Master Teacher Apprenticeship in the Ozark Mountain region. Together, Davies and Carrie discuss why classical schools must often “make” teachers through mentorship and apprenticeship, and why pedagogy matters because the teacher is not merely delivering content, the teacher is shapi

AI is moving faster than any technology humanity has ever created. For Christian schools and families committed to timeless, unchanging truth, that speed raises urgent questions. How should schools rethink testing, writing, and academic integrity? Where is the line between being informed and becoming dependent?In this episode of BaseCamp Live, host Davies Owens welcomes back Emily Harrison, a writer, speaker, and consultant who helps schools and churches think wisely about digital media. Emily works closely with Christian and classical Christian communities and equips families to engage technology through a biblical worldview.Together, they explore why AI can be helpful for experts but often harmful for amateurs, especially students who are still forming knowledge, discernment, and intellectual habits. They address student pressure to outsource thinking, the limits of filters and detection tools, and why true formation cannot be automated.Emily raises a growing concern schools can no longer ignore: student di

What truly sets a classical Christian classroom apart?Curriculum matters, but as Mandi Gerth explains, it is not the only or even the primary driver of formation. A child is shaped day after day by the culture of the classroom, the small liturgies, the tone of the teacher, and the habits that govern transitions, conversations, and even how class begins and ends.Host Davies Owens talks with Mandi about her book Thoroughness and Charm: Cultivating the Habits of a Classical Classroom and about what it means for a teacher to be a “monarch” in the best sense, an authority who orders the room so that students can rest, attend, and delight in learning. They discuss the difference between entertainment and genuine engagement, how joy differs from “fun,” and why liturgy is such a powerful antidote to chaos in both school and home.Mandi also addresses the “3:01 p.m. problem,” naming how easy it is for phones, entertainment, and scattered schedules to undo the formation that happens during the school day. She shares sim

Smartphones have become the default for families, but what if the default is actually harmful? In this episode, Davies Owens talks with Chris Kaspar, founder and CEO of Techless, about why modern devices were never designed with children in mind and how parents can choose a healthier path.Chris shares the moment that opened his eyes as a foster parent and explains why families today feel trapped between two extremes. Either give kids full access to the digital world or reject technology altogether. He argues that both options miss the mark. The real issue is the design, incentives, and addictive features built into mainstream phones that quietly shape identity, attention, and spiritual formation.

Senior thesis is the capstone of a classical Christian education, and Dr. Tom Vierra believes it may be one of the most countercultural things schools do today. In this episode, Davies Owens talks with Tom, longtime classical educator and Senior Thesis Coordinator at Wilson Hill Academy, about why thesis is far more than “just a big paper.” Tom shares his path from early days at Great Hearts to helping shape Wilson Hill’s senior thesis program, where students research a topic that matters, write a 12–15 page thesis-driven paper, and publicly defend it. Along the way, they learn self-management, deep research, biblical reasoning, and confident communication that carry far beyond college.Together they unpack the six-part classical rhetoric structure, including exordium, narratio, and refutatio, and why Wilson Hill requires students to write an antithesis paper arguing against their own position. This habit trains humility, civil discourse, and the ability to engage real counterarguments rather than living in an

Classical learning has deep roots in the United Kingdom. Yet many schools in England, Scotland, and Wales have drifted toward child-led, utilitarian models that leave students unformed and unmoored. At the same time, a quiet renewal is beginning to take shape.In this episode, British educator Jamie Burns, founder of the Fellowship for Classical Learning, joins host Davies Owens to share how he rediscovered classical Christian education, why he believes it is the answer to the UK’s educational crisis, and how God is using a small group of families to start new schools in London and Cardiff.Jamie traces his own story, from an average state education to rich conversations around his family’s dinner table, through years in mainstream schools, and finally to an “aha” moment listening to Andrew Kern that gave him language for what he had always felt. Along the way he offers a clear, inside look at the current state of education in England, Scotland, and Wales, and the surprising ways classical ideas are resurfacing

Parents often wonder if pushing through difficult books is worth the tears and late nights. In this episode, Davies Owens is joined by Sara Osborne, author of Reading for the Long Run, as she explains why classics feel hard, how to discern real obstacles from attitude or context, and practical steps to move forward with confidence.

Technology is changing faster than families can keep up. From social media to smartphones to the latest wave of AI “companions,” new tools are shaping how children think, connect, and even define friendship. In this episode, Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes and a leading voice on digital safety, joins host Davies Owens to unpack what’s really happening and how parents and schools can respond with both truth and grace.

Can classical schools really prepare students for STEM careers? Many parents wonder if a humanities-rich education leaves room for science and technology. Our guest, Diane Gray, scientist, musician, contractor, tutor, and mother of seven, says yes. After 12 years in biotech R&D, Diane completed a master’s in Classical Studies to explore how classical Christian education and STEM can thrive together.In this conversation with host Davies Owens, Diane shares her research comparing STEM and classical models, revealing that the two are not in competition, but complementary.

Davies Owens welcomes Ken Rhinehart, a commercial real-estate veteran and founder of VPA Classical, to demystify how classical schools can find, fund, and secure facilities that actually serve the mission.

We live in a culture of soundbites, but Christian parents and educators are called to form young people who listen well, think deeply, and speak with humility and grace. Host Davies Owens sits down with Dr. Justin Smith, Head of School at Little Rock Christian Academy and Herzog Foundation coach, to unpack the Harkness Method (a modern form of Socratic dialogue) and why it may be one of the most vital forms of discipleship in our time.In this conversation:Harkness vs. Socratic: what’s the same, what’s different, and how each keeps the text at the center rather than opinion.Truth matters: how Christ-centered schools avoid “bad talk radio” and anchor discussion in authorial intent, Scripture, and absolute truth.Formation over performance: why silence, restraint, and student discovery create stickier learning than efficient lectures.K–12 on-ramps: how Justin’s team trains 7th–12th graders in names, manners, eye contact, question stems, and textual evidence.Home practices: simple dinner-table question bowls, “ros

In this Best of BaseCamp Live flashback, host Davies Owens sits down with pastor, musician, and author Jacob Hess to explore how story, liturgy, and imagination shape the hearts of our children - and why the stories we tell matter now more than ever.