The Happy Homeschooler Podcast
Our Hosts
Jennifer Jones (left) is a dedicated homeschool advocate and community leader with over two decades of experience homeschooling her eight children in Marble Falls, Texas. Jennifer enjoys sharing her love of teaching with other families and has been involved in teaching at private homeschool academies as well as many co-op classes since 2000.
In 2011, Jennifer founded the Texas Hill Country Homeschoolers group to help build an inclusive homeschool community in small towns outside of Austin, Texas. Today the THCH group has more than 3,000 members and is a thriving group with activities and opportunities available for all types of homeschooling families. In 2016, Jennifer also co-founded the THCH Co-Op which serves the community by offering free academic and elective classes for ages 4-18.
After joining The Happy Homeschooler Podcast as a guest a few times, Jennifer was thrilled to be asked to join the podcast as a co-host in 2022. She hopes that by sharing her own experiences on the podcast she is able to make homeschooling more approachable for new families.
She believes that homeschooling is truly a lifestyle, not just an educational choice, and encourages listeners to embrace it as an adventure for the entire family. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband, Kyle, her adult children and grandchild. Some of her hobbies include traveling, hiking, camping and volunteering to help underprivileged communities in Austin, Texas.
Holly Williams Urbach (center) is a dedicated homeschooling mother of six wonderful people (five of whom are now adults). She began homeschooling in Texas in 1993 when homeschooling was not yet fully legal.
Holly is passionate about the benefits of the homeschooling lifestyle and shares her passion by mentoring new homeschoolers in person, through the local Facebook group she moderates with other seasoned homeschoolers in her community, and by being a co-host of The Happy Homeschooler Podcast. Holly has also been involved in homeschool co-ops and owned an enrichment academy for homeschoolers.
Holly lives in sunny central Texas with her husband, Joe, their youngest son, two rescue kitties, and her fur baby, Watson, a nine-pound Shih Tzu. Holly is known to her friends as the Reluctant Cat Rescue Lady, having found homes for twenty-six
cats during one year. In her spare time, Holly enjoys writing, being outdoors, practicing yoga, and
volunteering in various roles at her church.
Melody Gillum (right) and her husband Jon embraced a learning lifestyle back in the early days of the modern home school movement. Teaching and training seven children in all of life, from birth to graduation, was a grand adventure! While the learning lifestyle continues as their family heritage, 34 years of home schooling drew to a close in 2018. Melody seems unable to stop teaching, and currently supports her local community as the elementary director for a wonderful homeschool hybrid program. She is delighted to be a part of The Happy Homeschooler Podcast team!
About Our Editor
Norah Williams has been editing The Happy Homeschooler Podcast from the beginning. She is passionate about homeschooling (having been homeschooled herself) as well as podcasting.
In addition to The Happy Homeschooler Podcast, Norah is the producer and editor of the true crime podcast Found Dead, with Kristine Levine.