Our Story

From the founder:

One of my favorite movies as a girl was Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. Loosely based on the life of horse diver Sonora Webster Carver, it inspired me to pursue my dreams with courage and determination. Throughout my life, I have tried to do just that.

I was raised in the woods of Northern Maine, where blueberry picking, hiking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing shaped my childhood. My mother homeschooled my four siblings and me — a rare choice in the 1990s — and I loved the flexibility and closeness it provided. My parents nurtured our creativity and instilled in us a deep enthusiasm for learning and trying new things.

Driven academically yet grounded in compassion for others, I earned a BS in Biology from Roberts Wesleyan University with plans to attend medical school. Life, however, redirected my path. After marrying Isaac in 2004, we moved from the East Coast to Colorado Springs to pursue his career. We quickly fell in love with the West and the outdoor adventures it offered.

I worked as a private caregiver for an elderly couple until the birth of my first child in 2011. Over six years, I welcomed four children — three boys and one girl. During those early years, I operated an in-home daycare and later began teaching ESL to Chinese students. It was there that I discovered a love for teaching.

When I began homeschooling my oldest son, I realized he learned very differently than I did. After a difficult transition to public school and watching his love of learning fade, we found Ascend Micro School in 2019. In that hands-on, collaborative environment, he rediscovered joy in learning. Watching him flourish transformed my understanding of education. I became convinced that children thrive in environments that honor creativity and celebrate their unique gifts.

Eventually, I joined the staff at Ascend as a teacher and later served as director. When economic pressures began threatening the sustainability of tuition-based micro schooling, I knew I couldn’t let that kind of environment disappear without trying to find another way.

In partnership with Education ReEnvisioned BOCES, Wildheart Learning was born in February 2026.

Wildheart Learning is the natural outgrowth of my story — shaped by the woods of Maine, the gift of homeschooling, the lessons of motherhood, and the conviction that education should strengthen a child’s curiosity, creativity, compassion, courage, character, and sense of community. By partnering with families and removing tuition barriers, we are expanding access to a learning environment where children are known, valued, and empowered.

I believe every child deserves a place where their heart is seen, their gifts are nurtured, and their love of learning is protected.

And so we begin this next chapter — with courage, with hope, and with wild hearts.