Renee Cabatic

Renée Cabatic has been a speaker in the unschooling community for over a decade, sharing her lived experience of radically unschooling her children from early childhood through their eventual, self-directed choice to attend college. Grounded in trust, autonomy, and deep respect for young people, Renee brings both practical insight and honest reflection to her unschooling advocacy.

Her approach is shaped not only by years of unschooling, but by a commitment to questioning conventional narratives around education, authority, and growth. Renee’s talks invite parents to examine their assumptions, release fear-based control, and build more authentic, connected relationships with their children.

Renée lives in Philomath, Oregon with her spouse Chris (who does EVERYTHING and makes ALL. THE. THINGS. POSSIBLE.) and their son Xander (a rock climber, photographer, and knitter, currently studying Machine Tool Technology at Linn-Benton Community College). Her daughter XuMei now lives in Portland—after nearly running away with the horse circus Odysseo, she pivoted during COVID, earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University, and was hired by Boeing. She is also her local union representative!

At Sunflower Stables, Renee shares life with a lively herd that includes her Mustangs, Rory and Mulder. She is a horse riding instructor, rock climber, yoga teacher, breast cancer survivor, writer, dancer and lifelong learner.