Futuresteading

"Living as modern humans we are disconnected, out of place and don't belong in the same way as other species""If you're feeling called to do something larger than you - you should follow that"SummaryTodays guest Elspeth Hay experienced a rewriting of all she had known when when one day she was grappling with the frustration that the area she calls home didn't have the ability to create more small scale, localised food systems because they were landlocked by the ocean and surrounded by established Oak forests. Until one day her belief and her story was challenged when she learned that we can eat acorns. From there  stories she'd believed her whole life began to unravel.  Not just about acorns but about the way humans have pattered ourselves to our current day reality.This process led her to write a book titled feed us with trees. The journey of the book creation took her on an ancestral tour from New England USA to the UK, introduced her to indigenous wisdom keepers, gave her the courage to challenge the system we know to be true and hold empathy for the courageous wisdom knowledge holders that have kept nature based skills and interaction alive.Elspeth is a is a wonderful story teller and with this skill alone I'm sure she is one of those humans who we need as the bridge to wherever it is we are headed."Our story is totally made up & doesn't follow any natural laws so we can look to other influences to rewrite it'Loved this? Try thesePod ep: Osprey Oriel Lake - the story is in our bones Pod ep: Hillary Giovale -becoming a good relativePod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs code: future5Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - live like tomorrow matters, Huddle - creating a tomorrow of togetherness We talked about:Her birdwatching childhood that laid the groundwork for her landscape connectionHow chronic pain was a catalyst for changeWhy changing our story can reframe our patterning and behaviourFinding connection in the "common lands"Challenging the 'no farms no food story'Sidestepping the productivity storyWhy our colonisation story began with the desire to control labourColonial expansion & the beginning of capitalismLetting go of the idea that we have ALL the answersRight story/wrong storyWhy this needs to be the work of an entire cultureBasket weaving as her gateway to creating a new storyThe magic of song to rebuild a culturefinding ways to connect you to placeSupport the show

“We've lived fantastic lives because we've taken for granted the ecological damage we've done. Now we owe a debt"Well respected ecologist Simon Mustoe has written a new book How to Survive the Next 100 Years: Lessons from Nature. In its pages there's a definite sense of encouragement because ultimately Simon believes we are already seeing indicators of monumentally important shifts in our relationship with earth. In todays conversation we tackle the dichotomy between wisdom & knowledge, deciding that “It doesn't necessarily mean how much you know - if you don't have the wisdom to interpret it & you can't do anything worthwhile with it.We discover the economic value of a whale when we really unpack what it does for the world & we conclude that the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is one of the most important conservation books of all time.“Ecosystem complexity makes it abundantly clear that we will NEVER understand everything completely.”Loved this, try another: Digby Hall or Satyajit DasPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal HerbsSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - live like tomorrow matters, Huddle - creating a tomorrow of togethernessWe talked about:The wider impact of saving wildlife in our own backyards Government  enabling communities to act as custodians & not corporations How animals make ecosystems work & the impact on our daily lives “We're not in control of anything & we lack a comprehensive understanding of what it is we now need to do.”How 700 koalas were killed by a unilateral decision made behind closed doors.Valuing the human response to damaged nature.11 x increase in the amount of funding available in the last decade for nature based solutionsThe localised opportunities for people to contribute to the livelihood that they belong toBringing the voices of many for co-designed outcomes that leave legacy'sEnvironmental accounting; a transitionary solution to us becoming more connected to the ecosystem“The decline in our loss of species has had a greater economic impact than all the other climate issues combined”.Community led planning can unlock potential from nature based solutions.Being in relationship with ourselves, with our landscapes would take us back to the thing we know how to do well and become PART OF the functioning environmentSupport the show

Have you ever had that moment where you question - but there MUST be another way?Well in this conversation, Hayley and Matt Defina explore the journey of finding purpose and reprogramming our outdated ways or patterns to reach a more meaningful way of living.Matt shares the importance of emotional expression in mental health and his personal experiences that led him to create Another Way, a company focused on intentional living. They discuss the societal pressures surrounding purpose, the impact of environment, and the need for self-care amidst life's demands. The conversation emphasises that purpose is not a destination but a continuous process of growth and connection with oneself and the community. In this conversation, Matthew Defina and Hayley explore the intricate relationship between love, fear, and personal growth. They discuss the importance of confronting inner fears, the balance between being and doing, and the necessity of community in fostering individual growth.Find Matt Defina:https://www.anotherway.au/https://www.instagram.com/mattdefina_/https://themancave.life/More Like This:Nic Warner epPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs 5% discount code - future5Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - live like tomorrow matters, Huddle - creating a tomorrow of togethernessWe talked about:Purpose is an evolving journey rather than a fixed endpoint.Emotional expression is crucial for mental well-being and finding purpose.Self-care is essential, even for those with demanding responsibilities.Belief systems can create barriers to accessing one's true purpose.Creating space for self-reflection can lead to significant personal growth.The journey to purpose often involves overcoming fear and resistance.Community and support play vital roles in the pursuit of purpose.Intentional living aligns with one's authentic self and nurtures mental health.Recognising that actions often stem from love, not fear.Confronting inner fears is essential for personal growth.Nervous system regulation is foundational for emotional health.Finding balance between being and doing is crucial.Giving oneself permission to desire is a significant challenge.Community plays a vital role in personal healing and growth.The journey towards purpose often involves confronting limiting beliefs.Heart-led living requires courage and authenticity.Creating space for stillness allows for deeper self-awareness.The journey of self-discovery is ongoing and transformative.Support the show

Do you fancy the idea of growing your own medicinal herbs for tinctures & tea Todays guest Elle from Australian Medicinal Herbs took the plunge following a career sidestep when she was diagnosed with PTSD & replaced a 17 year career in the police force with a seed to packet business that slowly but surely healed her trauma, engaged her girls & now helps people all over Australia. Today she shares her unfolding story  & offers practical guidance & wizened encouragement to get growing in order to take agency of your own health through the potency of healing herbs.“Life is change - all the small steps you take lead you to another door or another window”"Herbal medicine is slow medicine & our bodies have adapted to this for generations. Our bodies have certain responses to plants that they don't to other medicines but we need to be connected & not detached"More Like This:Jane Stevens Futuresteading epCarolyn Parker Futuresteading epPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs 5% discount code - future5Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - live like tomorrow matters, Huddle - creating a tomorrow of togethernessWe talked about:From domestic violence policing to medicinal herb tincturesPTSD diagnosis after 17 years.Refocusing on her small children & her own healthHow permaculture opened her up to a new way of beingDiscovering the truth about our long supply chain food systemHerbs paved her path to healing post PTSDSeeing herbal remedies as MEDICINEMullein is her secret love Tulsi - a regulator which will find balanceTrusting that your body knows what to do with itself to build vitality“I don't recognise the person I used to be  - if you take steps towards this, you will eventually get there, be brave enough to persist”Normalising ‘grounding practice'Pushing back on handing over our health autonomy to doctorsHave we normalised anxiety? What are the natural solutionsManaging the rocks in our trauma backpack so it doesn't thwart usMethodically building a life that is home based, nourishing & flows in a seasonal rhythmConnecting to land & place & looking at things as a whole systemEmpowering her daughters to live the life they are called to.Keeping the Futuresteading podcast alive - GRATITUDE!Support the show

Rarely in life do you meet someone who moves through the world in complete service of others, filling their cup through small but regular actions that offer the world gifts of time, seeds, toilet paper, knowledge. Todays guest is just this person, intrinsically generous…even going so far as to say she stores her excess yields in other humans which in turn proliferates the generosity bug & reap returning acts of kindness as gifted lemon slice & moving boxes.Today we get to the bottom of what it looks like to blend permaculture principles into your life as a lifelong renter & we talk in earnest about the challenges of this prospect too & why its only getting harder to break the housing realities of so many in Australia, UK & the US.We dive into why its so important to advocate for yourself when you are - in her words ‘neuro spicy' & of course no conversation with the urban Nanna would be complete without a thorough rundown on all things foraging!!!This chat coincides with the launch of Annas newly released book “Everyday Permaculture” which might well become one of those books that you find on the shelf in every household - it definitely SHOULD Be!“Being so deeply steeped in capitalism makes it hard to ask people to become a permie not a consumer”“I never expect any member of community to be doing better than others - everyone brings something to the table & we need to value that diversity to see all of us thrive” Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - live like tomorrow matters, Huddle - creating a tomorrow of togethernessLoved this, try another:Anna the Urban Nanna previouslyPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  discount code: future5 We talked about-Growing up undiagnosed neuro spicy - “You're not broken you're just wired differently”Being a wisdom keeperBuilding confidence for self advocacy despite imposter syndromeBeing accessible, taking small bitesSeeing community as ‘A healthy forest', messy, live, flourishing, decaying, breathingFinding ways to connect rather than divideThere's no room for consumerism in the foragers mindsetForaging teaches you to ask how much is enoughCatching & storing energy in other people - breeding goodwill & gratitude The destabilising vagaries of life as a renter- fighting against injustice to have a roof over your head Housing crisis realities Creating belonging when you don't have a stable location to call home.Breaking up with stuff & setting it free by gifting it to others who will use it.Building neighbourly relationsBeing an active part in the betterment of someone else's lifeLiving with a spirit of generosityCreating a community corner of offerings for freeNot existing in a monetary societyCOMMUNITYSupport the show

"We live in a society where uninitiated men grow up"In this conversation, Hayley and Nick Warner explore the profound themes of transformation, relationships, and the importance of rites of passage in personal growth. They discuss the challenges of authenticity, the journey back to self, and the cost of inauthenticity in life and relationships. Nick shares insights on the significance of responsibility in relationships, the role of fatherhood as a rite of passage, and the necessity of returning to the heart in a society driven by the mind. The dialogue emphasises the importance of community, mentorship, and the healing power of facing one's pain and fears.Nic Warner is a father, a mentor, a rites of passage facilitator, and an expert in personal growth, he has helped countless individuals unlock their potential, navigate change, and create lives of purpose and fulfillment across the globe. He focuses on work for both the masculine and feminine, a tantric approach, with a particular passion for helping men break through their masks and step into their truest essence. Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs Discount code 'Future5' Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters, Huddle, Creating a tomorrow of togethernessWe talked aboutRites of passage are crucial for personal growth.Authenticity is often challenged by societal expectations.The journey back to self requires courage and trust.Inauthenticity can lead to a life unfulfilled.Responsibility in relationships is key to healing.Fatherhood is a significant rite of passage for men.Community support is essential for transformation.Pain can be a teacher if we allow it to be.Fear can guide us towards our true path.Living in alignment with one's heart leads to fulfillment.Follow Nic Warner- https://www.nicwarner.com/Support the showSupport the show

"What would it mean for us to start asking questions via embodied feelings rather than spreadsheets & rational outcomes…turn off our head and turn on our belly."“You don't build communities you build relationships - communities build themselves”Adrian Black is fresh off the plane from 5 weeks of living in an intentional community - a program designed to create a transformative culture. He shares his experience of transferring from being a series of individuals operating in cohesion of each other to operating as a whole via emotional release ceremonies with tears, grief, joy, laughter & dancing.He normalises 'cortisol crying' - metabolising to release deep emotions & reminds us that we have just two needs: belonging & authenticity. He has learnt to avoid ‘happiness'  & ‘perfectionism'- which are colonial constructs that set us up to fail and he is now focussed on actively bringing people together to celebrate with people, give gratitude & take the energy of the world to focus on something beautiful and worthwhile.His final advice is to check in regularly on three things - how are your thoughts, your feelings & your body.References CeresFrancis Weller - the Wild Edge of SorrowDr Gabor MateJoanna MaceyGlarisegg EDEPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal HerbsSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Books - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters, Huddle - creating a tomorrow of togethernessLoved this ep, try this one - Charlie Showers  We chatted about:Live as nature not with nature Having agency & care in how we make our decisionsEcovillage Design Education course Awakening deep memoryRelearning how to functionally live together in communityUnpacking the word communityFocus on Community first, Family second & individual thirdThe role that grief plays in our world & what it truly means to be alive When a physical space can hold SO many things & ask nothing in returnLoneliness at an all time high Accessing the interconnectedness of everything Being authentic, not performativeHearts holding the heartbreak of the world around usWhat is your fear telling you - be curious“I don't always need the light, I just need to remember that it will return”Avoiding polarisation - replace this with “Experience all that is is to be human” The role of ritual in community Frustrated by the reductionist view of the most complex system of all timeWhy decision making isn't as simple as a list of pro's & consMaking the community self aware of how to manage conflictNon linear decision makingHow do I show up in the relationships in my life. holding care, compassion & curiositySupport the show

“Those who have descended from the colonisers, we carry privilege but we also suffer the need to apologise” Landscapes can etch into your very being & create a remembering. Making us feel whole & reminding us that we are just a thread in the complex web of the natural world. While somewhat insignificant your thread has a role to play as a relative to the threads it lies next too. The way we all interact with each other - both human and other than human, will be our making or our undoing.Hilary Giovale, author of “becoming a good relative” is based in the ponderosa pine forests of Arizona, opposite a reservation & lives next to the sacred mountain of kinship which she now considers to be her most important teacher. This feels like an important conversation to have had - as two white women without indigenous heritage -  it feels uncomfortable to have, and we will forever be learning, but Hilary (a 9th generation settler in the United States) begins the process of unpacking what it means to be in right relationship with the people & place that we each call home - pushing past the burden of white fragility to build pathways of robust healing & reconnection to our landscapes - to reconciliation with first peoples.She shares what it means to create ancestral alters & how to connect with these elders who's stories she tells us, are still unfolding.She reminds us that while the work we have to do is exceptionally confronting, grief won't kill us & that the time to heal in the bosom of natural landscapes is now."Elders are always identified by the community, never by the individual - they are usually unwilling but always shows up for the community, is wise, is generous, is funny, is humble,  Our communities can guide us to where the elders are."Loved this? Try another:    Indira NaidooPod Partners Rock:Australian Medicinal Herbs Discount code 'Future5' Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters, Huddle, Creating a tomorrow of togethernessWe talked aboutBeing fed a whitewashed mythology that was a narrative constructed to serve the cultivation of industrialisation.Realising she had been segregated from the truth of her countries cultureIntergenerational task of building right relations - backwards with her parents & forwards with her childrenCreating ancestral altersEldershipHealing rituals/programs - ritualised apology & forgivenessThe history of settler colonialism has created trauma, damage, theft of knowledge, land & culture.“Grief won't kill you”The relief of grief through letting tears flowCommon threads of wisdom which runs through indigenous cultures regardless of the continentGoing to the land in a reciprocal & respectful way & asking permission to be guidedAsking “how if at all can I help” informs how to be in right relationshipSupport the show

“How we raise our children is facilitating a denaturing of our human-ness. The opportunity is to be centred within & rebuild our culture” Dan Kittridge is the bare footed gent who coined the term Nutrient density off the back of his dao-ist strategy to create a life that afforded him the time & space to be at home with his young family, living simply with just 10k per year on the land.Over the next 20 years he became clear that his role was simply to serve & that it's not his job to know what he's doing or attempt to implement a plan rather to be sensitive to what's shown to him & respond in a way that was lead by love enabling him to get out of his head, get out of the ‘shoulds'  & get into the heart, asking instead, what flows.The result has been the creation of the bionutrient institute, a global speaking profile & a life long commitment to renaturing which he says sits at the centre of solving the poly-crises we face.“Having the right to land to provide adequate housing & food for every family should be a foundational right. The land cannot be sold but you have access to it sufficient for a simple life.”"As long as we engage with a colonised mind of separation/fear/division, we will not be able to engage with an indigenous mind of love/flow & unity"“As long as the structure of our lives require us to work jobs for money that are separating us from nature, we are paddling upstream. It becomes difficult to tune into the flow of nature.”Loved this? Try these:Manda Scott -  Becoming accidental godsDamon Gameau - A call to arms for storytellers Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  - discount code Future5Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Books - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters  & Huddle Creating a tomorrow of togethernessWe talked about:“We are not the body we are carrying around we are effectively individual consciousness that has physical attributes. Accepting this changes the way we interact with each other.”What is a soul - is it ecological? Or is it transcendent love? Getting ourselves into right relationship requires a serious restructure of our way of beingBeginning to decolonise starts during early childhood The money vs time equationThe rule of law is a paradox of control that can be equally exasperating & supportiveUnderstanding that there is a greater order & you don't have to control everything - you just have to be receptive to what is shown to you.Using nature to model ourselves- symbiosis. Be your own brilliant unique system & then add mycelium to connect others brillianceThe role that feelings have in the way we make decisionsWe dont need to KNOW anything - we are already wired with the knowledge we needIf we just work with nature - we will remember who we are and what we are supposed to do.Support the show

"I could live a lifetime here and still be learning  - it's a relationship - the greatest relationship of my life"Alice Irene Whitaker lives in a small cabin in the woods, is a mother of three, an author of the book “Homing" and host of the  'Reseed podcast, which is about rebuilding our relationship with nature.Surrounded by creek, meadow, and forest, Alice Irene began a new lifelong journey of repairing her fractured relationship with both herself and the natural world. Dismantling a history of anorexia, obsessiveness, and workaholism, she decided to stop taking and start caretaking. She shares how taking the leap to a life in a small cabin in the woods where seasons are apparent, repetition is a daily mantra and a shedding of her previous identity onto the forest floor has given her an opportunity to  live a lifetime in her new landscape and still be learning from the outside world every day - she sees her surrounds as a relationship-the greatest relationship of her life. Loved this? Try another one:Ep 122 Nat Wilmott - Living her dreamPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Shifting from an extractive life to a regenerative oneFalling in love with a landscape & experiencing the feeling of every cell in her body opening up.Seeking treescapesAcknowledging her body is built for creativity, rest & beauty not just output.Listening to our own stories above the noise of the modern worldRewriting our stories in the presence of the natural world rather than the presence of accolades, work & job promotionsBeing a baby on her journey towards humanityJustifying working like a machine because you are doing “burnout for good”The paradox of finding rest despite being needed for the causeWhen you take your growth mindset into the “for purpose” space - needing to unpack this.Creating care and caretakers in our world.Why care is not soft” and easy to dismiss but is as important as the wheels of industryMotherhood transformation - the drama of opening up & cracking open to the idea of what is kept and what is left behindBeing oriented on suffering of others or peace for us all. Children have helped her enjoy the act of love & making it personal and careQuote - “we are all mothers here”  it's not just about giving birth but is needed for all of us and mother earthWhat does it mean to go beyond the mothering of our own small household and relate this toThe power of repetition and observing the things which change and the things that stay the same.Building relationships with both humans and non-humanBecoming child like when you sit & observe mossBuilding networks of people who are interested in your niche areas of interest.Natural world muse.Being inspired by the tiny hummingbirdSupport the show

"We need to cultivate a culture of listening in society." But what does it truly mean to listen?In this episode, we delve into the profound impact that sound can have on our lives as we speak with renowned sound recordist Andrew Skeoch. With his expertise in capturing the essence of nature through sound, Andrew shares his journey of deep listening, the importance of empathetic listening, and how it connects us to the natural world and one another.Andrew, the author of Deep Listening, records breathtaking natural habitats from across the globe which have gained worldwide attention, with albums that attract tens of thousands of weekly streams on Spotify. His work has also featured in major films like Rabbit Proof Fence, The Jungle Book (2016), and the upcoming Force of Nature starring Eric Bana.Our conversation delves into the evolution of a heart-centered society that values cooperation over unhealthy competition. Andrew highlights the importance of understanding nature as an ongoing process and discusses how human sensitivity plays a crucial role in shaping our societal values. Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  Code for Discount: future5 Andrew's Website: https://listeningearth.com/andrewskeoch/We talked about:How to deeply listen, slow down and be present.Empathetic listening to nature and what we can learn by other species.Cooperation in nature often occurs across diverse species.Listening helps us connect with our inner selves and the environment.Nature's evolution shapes behaviors that benefit living systems.Listening is a powerful tool for social and political change.We need to cultivate a culture of listening in society.Nature teaches us that cooperation is more beneficial than competition.Human sensitivity varies, impacting societal values and interactions.We must learn from nature to create inclusive social structures.Practical applications of nature's principles are necessary for societal change.Understanding our evolutionary past can inform our future interactions.Support the show

Claire is a multi generational Scottish beef farmer who says 'Ag has potency and potential to be a catalyst on the front line of climate catastrophe'.As a Nuffield scholar 'exploring the scrutiny being placed on agriculture and how perceptions are changing', she embarked on a world research tour. While travelling, she fell in love with an Australian lad & now finds herself living in rural NSW. So after establishing a strong journalism career steeped in trust & long held relationships on home turf, she now finds herself on this wide brown land in the heat of summer without her networks & a need to rebuild a new life with people who she tells us are more laid back, more inclined to use humour dripping in sarcasm to navigate hard things & are exceptionally resilient.“Leave judgements at the door & come without bias in order to communicate which is both talking but equally listening, we've all got to be prepared to change our mindsets”“First gen farmers are more daring to have hard conversations & to really listen - they can be brave.""For progress we need to think outside ag - and not just speak to ourselves." "When will people other than farmers step into the food system & support the much needed potential for farming to be the potent ecological change making piece it is . Farmers cannot be all the things, they are best to be the land stewards but others need to take up the roles of advocating, supply chain development, consumer education, policy change & story telling"Links You'll LoveClaire Taylor Linked inNuffield Scholarship programLoved this? Try these:Gab Chan -  building political clout for agHelen Rebanks - in honor of the farmers wifeSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  Code for Discount: future5 We talked about:The politics of agriculture - overshadowed by a growing disconnect between politicians in the cities & farmers in the country Echo chambers are one of the biggest challenges in Ag. Its so important to look up & out to glean perspective on what's happening We need more patience and understanding in ag because there are deep cultural beliefs & values that will need to shift before practice change can occurWhy its time for farmers to build trust for those who are telling their stories & playing other roles in the food system so we can broaden the scope for supportRipping the bandaid off & beginning a new life in another country.Settling her body into a new landscape]Learning how to say yes to invitationsLearning to be vulnerable with new families and friendsAsking a new friend on a date - you'll have different friendships at differnt times The things we do for love - taken in by the boss's girlfriend Support the show

"Creativity is a life force - the universe is inherently creative - once we realise it's not ours - it takes the ego out of it & encourages all of us to utilise it as a gift for the greater good"Fleur Chambers is a best selling author, mama, philanthropist & of course a master meditator. Actually she is the creator of the free meditation app: The Happy Habit.Her post partum experience was the catalyst for seeking another way of being in the world & now she positions meditation as something much larger than just supporting the individuals need as a circuit breaker & asks us to get curious about leaning into an emergent way of being & exploring our intentions  without a sense of control and striving.  We unpack the deep wisdoms of the inner voice - the voice of nature, of the earth, of our body. We chat about the potency of parenting as an endless source of learning -importantly the value of dropping the expectation on everyone and replacing it with the essence of presence, learning to trust our own inner voice, opening the door on our potential & realising that growth is not about adding on but about peeling back & letting go.She shares her theory that Creativity is an energy that doesn't belong to us  and is simply a gift to the world at that moment in timeIn this conversation she encourages us to unlearn & relearn towards a new story..."Its time for a new story - where self esteem & confidence is no longer a patriarchal, corporate, growth dominated paradigm…instead the ease comes from learning to listen, acknowledging traumas, shared humanity, cherish, protect & preserve"'Links You'll LoveAll things Fleur Chambers: books, coursesNate Hagens and Bill Plotkin podcastLoved this ep, try another:Ep 83 - Naturally Well with JoPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Books - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters                           - Huddle - Creating a tomorrow of togethernessSupport the show

"The deepest trauma is disconnection from country."What does it truly mean to heal? How can we reclaim our ancestral wisdom and break free from patterns of diseased thinking?In this episode, we sit down with Valerie Ringland, a powerful voice in the world of Indigenous healing and restorative justice. Born on traditional Shawnee land in the U.S. and now living on Yuin Country in far southern NSW, Valerie brings a unique blend of Indigenous knowledge, and Western healing practices to her work. She's the author of the transformative book "Healing Through Indigenous Wisdom," which offers 52 weeks of profound exercises designed to help us reconnect with ourselves, our land, and our lineage.Valerie challenges us to reimagine cultural expression, confront our wounds head on, and see trauma not as a life sentence but as a spiritual calling. She invites us to explore shame, grief, and belonging as essential parts of our journey toward wholeness.In this episode you will learn: - The role of rituals, ceremonies, and ancestral connection in emotional well-being- How Indigenous wisdom offers powerful tools for self-discovery and community healing- And why "never enoughness" is a modern disease—and how to break free from itGet ready for a thought-provoking conversation that will challenge your perspectives, touch the deepest parts of your heart, and inspire you to reconnect with your true essence.Connect with Valerie:

Megan has made it her life work to bring the voice of the feminine into our stories, workplaces, communities & ultimately our culture. Ensuring they are heard & have agency to do what we do so well - be women with feminine traits which are celebrated & valued. You'll be delighted to hear its not about minimising the power of men but allowing women to meet them in a place that they have long relished and together they can create a world no longer dominated by the patriachy. Navigating a hard fought journey of finding her purpose & then having the courage to lean into it, Megan, now in her early 50s is committed to a life that enables women to rise.   Author, single mum, business owner & now completing her PHD in women's spirituality - she is taking her leadership role to new heights.In this conversation she talks about the seasons of life & places the idea that 'what is for you will never pass you'. She shares why change comes from the ground up in democratic environments, she offers tools for male allyship and insights into how & why women are rising. For such a powerhouse, it's reassuring to hear that her 'Enough' is what it is - and having peace in that.Links you'll loveWomen Rising - Mary Dalla CaminaMenergy - Mens gatheringJeremy Lent - patterning instinctsLoved this ep? Try this one:Ep 84 - Naturally well with Jo - being an intuitive generalist and being real about what is possible Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Books - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters, Huddle - Creating a tomorrow of togethernessPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs Support the show

 Its not every day you talk with a flaming locked, beard faced wizard. This one sees through the illusions of modernity & revels in an oscillating state of making progress through decay while genuinely attuning to the living systems in order to see our dire reality. He attempts to embody our meta crises & seeks insights outside of mere numbers by going into the woods to 'just be'...and perhaps along the way he will experience a physiological quickening that offers hope.He sees an undercurrent of people returning to ambiguity - warm provocations with room for textured, life filling conversation & he is building a relationship with dusk where in the liminal, he opens himself up to other intelligences & wisdoms, animacy & more than the human world.He laments our loss of seasonal attunement & encourages us all to re-member (become a member of the earth) to reignite our presence & acuity to notice the small, more than the rational.This wizard is indeed a wise orator & his words dance through the conversation like twinkling lights, sprinkling provocation that you may need to hear more than once.   Links You'll LoveHow to lead a quest - Fox WizardThe emerald podcast Daniel Schucktenberger - metacrises expertTyson Yunkaporta - Sand TalkNate Hagens - the great simplification podcastHospicing Modernity - Vanessa AndrettiSue Dennett - MeliodoraCatie Payne - Reskillience podcastNatures apprenticeRegenerative Leader ProgramSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Books - Futuresteading & Huddle Pod Partners Rock:  Australian Medicinal Herbs Loved it? Try this:Helena Norberg-Hodge - charts a path between systemic healing & onenessWe talked about:"Most people would rather see the world destroyed than face their grief of seeing the world destroyed".Mass produced distraction is not nourishing us.Living in an adolescent cultureFinding ways to build relationships with our landscapesNot adding too much structure to an emerging communityRelationalityThe beautiful normalisation of listening to the body & responding to what it really needs.Support the show

Meet Hayley - the whizz who usually sits in the editing suite of the Futuresteading pod  is in the hot seat today...and a few other days actually...todays episode is the chance to get to know the voice behind a mini series within this season of the futuresteading pod we are calling Stories from the heart. Hayley has been the producer on the pod for the last 6 seasons and now we are introducing her to this side of mic. You'll love her!From remote Alaskan cottages to inner city haunts, Hayley Jessup has been learning to live from the heart. Her journey has been visceral, gut led and has tapped a curiosity from deep inside her that she unpacks in todays conversation. It's not just about earth shattering love, it's about sliding into a comfortable place that stays true to you, your reason to be here and being sure of the work that is yours to do. Because you can and its right.Loved this? Try these:Ep 104 Tanya Massy - Can love create unison of head, hands and heartEp 69 Lisa Wells - Making a life at the end of the worldEp 51 Brooke McAlary on the farce of multitasking and the power of slowSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersPod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs We talked about:Living life in transitionher experience as a naturally curious question askerMaking decisions by intuitionLearning to be heart ledGiving yourself space to be who you need to be.Her experience living in a remote Alaskan cottageHer plans for the mini series "from the heart" in this seasons pod.Support the show

Tyson Yunkaporta is an Apalech man who is an academic, researcher arts critic & father. He is also the author of Sand Talk,  an extraordinary reading experience.  Like many of Australia's First Peoples, he has a complex identity and history but it's this that gives him authority to write and speak in a way which connects the wisdom of the past to the needs of the future. The way he thinks demands a longer term perspective.  He is both philosophical and practical,  compassionate yet realistic. He is filled with an other-worldly understanding of humanity.  In this conversation he urges us to consider the non linear complexity of the world. He challenges our expectations, points out cultural shortcomings and invites us to recognise indigenous concepts and their history. Importantly he shows how these patterns have the potential to be incorporated into our non indigenous thinking which  builds hope and possibility to benefit us all.“I don't have answers but I know that stories connect us to country. Country knows the answers. Notice it and be a custodian".Episode SummaryMinimising abstractions between lore and landThe illusion of the environment which is hidden by siloed systemsLet's look like dickheads for a minute while we work out the path forwardLooking for seasonal signs and responding to themLore carries recipes for how to live our lives with story and patternComing back into rhythm with the natural worldRunning out of time - the time to reconnect with country is nowThe dominating authoritarianism in the western world demands people are disconnected from the landscapeMutual aid activism - not about throwing bombs but making sure everyone is fed.Self determination being thwarted by authoritarianismStop looking at things and look at structures, systems and patterns insteadQuietly getting on with it - syndicate your neighbourhood with the next neighbourhoodThe bullshit of nation building is key in the decimation of connection to country.Activism is an industry Positive and negative feedback loops to understand how symbioses interlock with othersStory, ceremony and ritual for real thinking and real meaning makingUntil art became capital it was something that every human did every day to understand their place in the worldHow do we find a way of storytelling without reducing it to words"Image, dance, song - can all portray story but they have no depth of meaning if they don't have place"The lore is in the land "Leave those who are pecking over the carcass of the earth to their dying beliefs and the rest of us can get on with rebuilding relationships, stories, knowledge and place. Quietly and with people"Why we need to stop self flagellating acknowledgments of country and start building relationshipsReferencesViktor Stefanson - fire country managementSand Talk - Tyson YunkaportaThe other others - podcast.Thanks to our podcast partners:Wwoof AustraliaNutrisoilBuy the BookFuturesteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShout out to the rockstars who smooth the sound Open Door StudiosSupport the showSupport the show

Following the shocking & heartbreaking death of her younger sister Indira leant into grief with the help of the natural world. She formed a deep friendship with a tree, learnt the power of self trust & became conscious of death in a way that led her to see puddles as portals into another world.Despite the genesis, this conversation is joyful & powerful.Show Notes Forced  to be present - the pressure is off Living the now is how the body and mind forces you to be in grief"The ‘now' is not muddied by the past or the expectation of the future"Tackling the big topics and being prepared to sit with loss, grief and unexplained emotionsDiscovering that the answers to all the questions sit within you if you're prepared to lean into the discomfortDiscovering it's possible to feel closer to people in death than in lifeThe forgiveness that comes with deathDeliberately seeking the wondrous memories to overcome the sadnessBecoming much more contented and grateful in the face of griefLive while you are alive and don't die until you are dead - suck the marrow out of life Why the fuzziness has been taken out of life - she is rarely not sure anymoreLearning to listen to herselfLearning to make your backyard your worldWhy her tree is her favourite place on earthWaiting for a generation before we see the impact of our actionsBy being still you realise you're not separate from nature but part of it.Why she no longer sees where her skin ends and the bark on the tree begins Let's go fly a kite togetherReminding people to seek healing capacity through natureFinding ways to create a sense of boundless space Understanding the impact of the colour greenAllow yourself to be where you areTrust how you're feeling, what makes you feel betterThe varied faces of griefWhy acceptance wasn't enough - seeking meaning is the next phaseLearning we are in ‘the line' Becoming livened by the idea that death won't elude any of usDiscovering how much knowledge is already in your DNA - but learning how to unlock itUnlearning ‘being the one with all the answers'Spending time with people who are “experts in life”Stepping away from manufacturing experiences Discovering intoxication by being aware of the nature around me rather than the addition of stimulantsThe power of observationBecoming conscious of the subtle nuances in life Being drawn to the force of a treeBaby steps to bring change NOW to open a crack of light in lifeFind the time to build magic into your lifeReferencesThe Space Between the Stars - Indira Naidoo Podcast partners ROCK!Hidden Sea - Wine that saves the seaNutrisoilWwoof AustraliaBuy the BookFuturesteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersSupport the showCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonSupport the show

If climate reports and dystopian vibes are getting you down, this conversation with Meg Berryman might just lift you (gently) from the tiles.Meg is the host of the Regenerative Life podcast, where she holds activating and catalysing conversations about social change, sustainable business, holistic wellbeing, personal development and regeneration, creating ripples of change from the inside out.She's not only a brilliant interviewer, meeting mighty minds like Tyson Yunkaporta and Claire Dunn for the kinds of intellectual-yet-accessible chats that leave listeners awestruck, but a formidable thinker herself. We're stoked to welcome Meg for a wide-ranging convo that covers nervous system care, sitting in the magic dark, tending survival energy and watering the seeds of discontent. We discuss the perils of trying to make a positive impact out there if it's having a negative impact on you and your people. And how to go about satisfying that deep primal yearning to reconnect with self, earth and other beings. Right now, in this time of grief, confusion + frustration, Meg Berryman is pure medicine. Listen in. SHOW NOTESThe inspiration behind the Regenerative Life podcastAn unlearning journey of dropping the postures and dropping into true self.Finding the balance between the unknown + the five year plan. Challenging domesticity with wildnessRegeneration is an embodied experience; but it's not as easy as we've been sold. The things we've sold as making us happy aren't all they're cracked up to be. The agitation and restlessness we're feeling as feedback is not anything wrong with us! The lie of capitalism is that it's your problem, you need to buy something to fix you.The seeds of discontent are also the seeds of regenerationHomeostatic flux: ecosystems are constantly recalibrating according to feedback.How to reconsider + reevaluate what a good life is. We have a deep primal yearning to reconnect with ourselves, the earth, other being. That urge is continually being overidden because on some level, we assume there's something wrong with us. "It's not that I'm allergic to life, I'm allergic to the ways we've organised society and systems that are so removed from those basic primal instincts of being connected and belonging."Wisdom birthed from the bathroom floor. Epic burnout led to total breakdown led to epic recalibration.Is sheer willpower the only way to get shit done?Reframing breakdown as a period of magic dark.We've had a health and wellness paradigm for 20 years that's focussed on DOING things. But that keeps us in survival mode; it's not sustainable or regenerative. We need a whole lot of people to be regulated enough, for long enough, to make life giving decisions and make a dent in these systems.Being in conversation with questions. How do we come back to ourselves, and is that enough?Getting out of hustle culture in business. Everyone is saying, "we can't slow down because x, y, z….” It's the courageous soul chooses to interrogate that. If you're making impact out there, but that work is having a negative effect on your people in here, it's a net zero. It's not regenerative.The best gift you can give other beings is the gift of a settled system. Avoiding the one-two punch of shame and guilt.LINKS YOU'LL LOVEMy Grandmother's Hands -- Resmaa MenakemSupport the showSupport the show

Catie chats with Dr. Sapphire McMullan-Fisher, an ecologist with a special interest in biodiversity conservation, particularly macrofungi and mosses.Sapphire is a renowned scientific researcher, speaker, teacher and author with a knack for communicating fungi's vital ecological roles — and why we should all pay a lot more attention to these remarkable, all-connecting entities.She's is also a pretty radical member of the community here in Naarm/Melbourne, who last year let Catie + George transform her suburban backyard into a market garden through the Growing Farmers program. Wise, lively and friend of the fungi, enjoy this cracking convo with Sapphire McMullan-Fisher.SHOW NOTESBeing a GondwananGrowing up in a mining town in the Pilbara.From saving African animals to fungi fascination.A fire and fungi pHD in Tasmania.Overcoming dyslexia in academia. Ecosystems need fungi!Decomposition + partners of plants. Why to leave the tree debris be.Journey back to the Carboniferous period when all the coal and oil was formed.Fungi eats wood, invertebrates eat fungi, birds eat invertebrates... hey presto!Life goes on. (Even though we're seriously messing with systems.) How an understanding of matter recycling gives an appreciation of post-humous existence.Patterns + process + life = wow.Where do humans fit in the bigger picture? Should we just hurry up and extinct ourselves, or…?Making space + food in your garden for other organisms who deserve to be here in the landscape. How mindfulness of observing nature increase your understanding of it.Find the things that make your curiosity pop. Ask: what is it? How do I found out more about it?Re-activating our patterning brain.Curiosity as a practice.Being on the spectrum as a superpower. Growing up thinking you're not clever. Absorbing information in tiny little bites.Expanding communicating styles so that everyone gets it.How expectations shape your view of self. Looking to ecosystems to confirm our need for diversity. Allowing ourselves to learn and love learning.Biology is not a soft science!How a car accident changed everything. Having trust that humans won't be assholes.They say you need a village to raise a child… I need a village just to survive!The impossibility of going life alone.How do you learn to ask people for help?Letting people self select in how they help.Ways to be be radical and resist the status quo.Being sustainable within your limits.What's the #1 priority in taking action for the world?Letting your inner child guide us towards more fulfilling life and work.LINKS YOU'LL LOVEGrowing FarmersFun Fungi EcologyFungi4Land on InstaSupport the show

Do you know where your grain comes from... the farmers name... how they grow it? Woodstock flour are doing their level best to change the last frontier via the power of building relationships and connecting. Join Jade and Courtenay as they get gritty on grains and hear why we need to value its diversity and regionality just like  we do wine or cheese. Links You'll Love!Woodstock flour websiteFood Connect in BrisbaneOpen Food NetworkKirsten and Serenity Futuresteading InterviewTivoli Road BakeryHolistic ManagementRiverina Organics Growers GroupShow us you love us!Casual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShow NotesWhy food production is the avenue to create the most significant environmental changeFinding a way to fit into the family farm as the 2nd generation via a stone mill & farmers marketsGetting people to think about their grain consumption as they do their veggies or fruitVenturing onto their own farm in RutherglenDiversifying & de-risking as part of the succession planMaintaining identity in the succession processBuilding a farm business that is totally collaborative & openly shares knowledgeThe importance of transparency in building a movementThe power of open minded, interactive relationshipsBuilding a business via the lens of socio-political factorsLand ownership & its connection to class & race - privilegeFacing the confronting reality of land ownership on unceded landCSA model for grainsCovid experiences of customer demandsOpen Road ProjectEducation about true cost of food & reconciling the inaccessibility of this realityThe journey of creating a path to market from scratchThe value of putting yourself into things regardless of financial return in the short timeHolistic management Collaborating with community is often an opportunity to connect with land, find joy through connection to others & learn from all that's around usAcknowledging the slow pace of us as humansHow do we get the next generation interested in food production?The beauty of rural communities being accepting of each others ways & thinking Finding solidarity in the wine growing communityRising early to paint - no excuses, no interruptionsDefining business roles in a small family business Being deliberate about the daily decisions to ensure balanceHow her painting complements her businessBookending the day at the dinner tableSupport the show

Recorded just days after the Federal election, Gabrielle Chan doesn't mince words - even when bone tired. A celebrated journalist with the Guardian, outspoken advocate for rural Australia and encourager of individual agency. "Our system has been made up by people and it can be rewritten by people". Lets not wait for Government to bring change but get active and organised now during times of abundance. Links You'll LoveAcres and Acres in CorryongWendell BerryThe GuardianShow us you love us!Casual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShow NotesConnecting the grass roots regen ag movements with top down politicsThe need for change in our food, water, land management policies“We export a lot of sausage sandwiches - beef and wheat”Why it's time to change the narrative around Australia's ag sector Why ‘level playing fields' are a farceThe fragility of financial deregulations, long global supply chains increasing disease, increased drought - how do we as a sovereign nation reassure ourselves of continued prosperityThe potential for rural policy to create the framework that allows smaller scale and regen practices to thriveThe power of the colonial squatacracyHow do we bring policy reform to ag so it has relevance for smaller scale 7 regen practices to thriveThe potential of utilising the “voices for” movement as a model for local food to growWhy we need to re-engage with politics The thing that only Govt does  is set the ground rules for how we conduct our business. People need to be involved in politics to influence its directionThe need for strategic water policy to better support us on the driest continent on earthTalking about water, food and skills while we are in times of abundanceWhere does the role of govt need to stop and allow room for community to pick upThe ongoing debate about why we do not yet have drought policy or food policyRefine what you want to change  - get organised and get active in the arena from bottom upThe big secret - we are ALL MAKING IT UPHer slow, gradual, accidental path to being a communicator.Her writing approach - just keep writing, push through the creative barriersThe process of sitting down and ordering your thoughts results in a unique Connecting the systemic dots through political reportingThe history of farming and nature controlThe Connectivity of farming to EVERYTHING ELSEAg and environment are different political portfolios - WTFWe cannot have an economy without an environmentThe need for the economy the environment  + the desires of the humans involved in farming  to be interacting The need to account for ecological resourcesQuestions the fundamental systemsFinding optimism in the work done by othersHaving faith in humanityConnecting people to spark changeSupport the show

Sign out of 2024 with this lively mastermind who suggests we take country into our body ! How?Build routine around food,Go barefoot to boost immunity, Stop seeing food as an inconvenienceCook & eat with family oftenConnect to the seasons of your life & the landscapeCreate & share ceremonyUse food as a reconciliation toolBelonging to a matriarchal community has unlocked knowledge handed down by oral stories, dance & art where kinship is more than human to human. Knowing your spirit belongs here is a gift we can all tap but with belonging comes responsibility - one to mother earth, but also to sisterhood, eldership and to being part of the greater whole.Links You'll LoveKarkala book by Mindy WoodsKarkala instagramLoved this? Try these:Tyson YunkaportaBilla from the Wild SchoolSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Living by 6 local seasons"Being part of the greater whole - we are one of the parts of many, it's not us & them but all of us as one contributing to our country in some way we can maintain balance"Caring for her totems goanna, echidna & wollomi pine via broader care of her environmentSocietal lack of connection & belongingImperfect allyship - ok to make mistakes but important to maintain connectionMob love a yarn - connect, be quiet, shut your mouth, open your listening & be there in respectful observation. Get curious about native food landscapes, Knowledge is the sacred part, the fundamental core of culture & treated with great reverence despite it not being written down, its taken seriously when its shared onIt's not transactional, it's about relationships & allows us all to slow down to a pace that humans should actually move at.Childhood memories on country with family - eating oysters out of jam jarsBeing a proud cook - not a chefHaving friends apply for masterchef on her behalfDebunking the myth of Australian food being meat pies & sausage rollsAsking what is Australia's cuisine & exploring culture through foodEating foods from our landscape, they belong here, are highly nutritious & are abundantMoving into eldership as wisdom holders - not an age but a readinessWhen you're taking care of country you're taking care of mob & community tooThe privilege of taking on responsibility for cultural teachingsWhen women are in charge it creates a great balance - women's wishes are always community based & they are thinking about country community & culture".You can't be what you can't see - be the one to lead the wayStanding loud & proud in sisterhood - uniting."The privilege to eat food that you've grown & understand the value of: local, seasonal, country gives you what you need at the right times in abundance - feeding the old people & the young people before feeding the well ones"Support the show

What started as a throw away title while supporting her husband James Rebanks on his book tours, Helen Rebanks now proudly refers to herself as the farmers wife - a title that has very much become her identity & set in her a burning desire to write her own book about invisible women who's stories are not told. As a mother of four & the backbone for their farming ventures in the Lakes District in the UK, Helen declares that the only people who work harder than farmers are farmers wives. I reckon she's right! She is a small in stature, large in capability kind of woman who truly loves her daily reason to get out of bed & nurture her family. hold the many threads of keeping a family going, setting the pace and rhythm.  She speaks of honouring our capability to be in service with love, empathy  compassion & a regular roast on the dinner table not just on Sundays. Through this lens she is bringing her own kind of approach to combatting corporate greed, multi national farmland ownership & returning us to localised food systems.Food that's made with love & care says “I'm nourished & looked after” - imagine being the person in the house that provides this service” This story is about speaking up for those who hold families together, hold communities together. We need small farm futures with local food systems. Knowing where our food comes from & being able to ask the questions.Join us at her at her kitchen table.Links You'll LoveThe Farmers Wife Helen Rebanks bookThe Sheppard's wife Insta handleLoved this? Try these:Ep 54 Mara from Orto farm Ep 121 Nat Wilmott Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Speaking up for the women who sit behind the regenerative family farmers life.Thinking holistically about life on the land - It's WHOLE!The farmers table as a gathering placeReasons for transitioning into regenerative practices.Sharing her farming stories to help others transition their on earth practices"If I've ever felt minimised in the work I do its not been by me or my family"Living small & living local rather than chasing a celebrity culture is what she strives for. Our deep disconnection to our food.The power of a meal around the tableTomatoes on toast or scrambled eggs IS DINNERThe role of motherhood taught her to become a voice for the process of becoming a mother. We can suffer in silence or talk to each other & learn.Sharing very vulnerable things in the hope it helps others.Support the show

SummaryAs a super quiet, observing kid, Carolyn often had her head in a book or went adventuring on her own. As an adult this lead to naturally hermitty behaviour before she actively decided to show others that shy characters can do bold & hard things too - especially if they take tea wherever they go. Now, woven into a well connected community she is more or less living her daydream of tea caravans, herbal gardens, her very own herbal medicine book & a throng of good folks around her.She reveals that growing herbs was her gateway to herbalism & that we can all know their potency by incorporating them into every day life & not just turning to them when we're sick. But to do this we must get to know them. The best way to become intimate is to grow them, dry them, taste them, smell them, feel how they moves through your body.Join us on a magical herbal love-affair!Links You'll LoveThe Medicine Garden - Carolyn ParkerThe Cottage HerbalistLoved this ep? Try these:Anthea Koullouros Perma PixieSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Her seasonal daily rhythm“It was a daydream of mine not to wake up to an alarm but to wake up with the sunshine”Being a poly-jobist: business woman, gardener, herbalist"I'm an evolved that-way sort of person - I straddle between being a list maker & a meanderer".Being the kid who wasn't ultra conversational & actively moving through the discomfort of it & learning to have conversations & a little false bravadoI want to show other reserved/shy people that you can o scary things“I think we are hard wired for comfort but this doesn't allow us to reach our potential”Taking herself off to a boxing gym to learn how to be assertive & confidentDrawing daydream gardensDiscovering you can be a herbalist later in lifeBeing a naturopath is so much more than a job - enabling the patient to undertake holistic change is really where the opportunity to change is.Viewing it more as a lifestyle is part of the solutionTeaching her patients skills rather than selling them potionsLeading patients to veggie gardens, kimchi pots, community & settled adrenalsWearing fun clothes & sporting dirty fingernails at the same timePicking outfits like her dinner, according to colourAward winning tea blends - making tea since big enough to be trusted with a kettleStarting her tea caravanNot being nostalgicThe importance of being connected to peopleStop moving the goal posts without appreciating what you've achievedSupport the show

SummaryIf we are going to lay the foundations of a world we are proud to leave as a legacy we need to be comfortable to move into elderhood - for Manda Scott this is about getting comfortable with emergence and asking the living web “what is mine to do”. We've created a world where separation, anxiety & powerlessness have become the underlying defaults instead of a world of security, belonging & agency. We are addicted to dopamine &exist in a world of trauma rather than initiation so how are we to rewrite these patterns?By listening to the heart-mind - its very shy & quiet but the head mind will whisper if it needs you to really listen.Links You'll LoveAny Human Power - Manda ScottAccidental Gods - Manda Scott program &  podcast Right story, Wrong story - Tyson YunkaportaSand talk - Tyson YunkaportaMans search for meaning - Victor FrankelFrancis Weller - The Wild Edge of SorrowLoved this? Try these:Tyson YunkaportaDamon GameauSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Learning to live as functioning members of the earth communityWhy she writes fiction not non fictionReceiving shamanic instructionHow to be in connection with the web of life in all its complexityBeing born into a trauma culture rather than an initiation cultureWhy seeing truth without self projection is hard.Her decades of shamanic teaching - still learning to discern the difference between what her ego is saying and what the energy is sayingReturning to a sit spot to receive instructions to write a book“Skin Listening” - an ability to be felt with all your senses without pre conceived ideasSit spots - what can I see, what can I feel, what does my heart say Why some languages say “I am other” and some say “I am intrinsically part of what is happening.Initiation culture is capable of holding contained encounters with deathWe live in a dopamine culture - addicted to turning oil into adrenalineYearning for a serotonin mesh of connection of meaning & purposeThe four stages of AdulthoodUndoing our head mind dominanceOffering yourself in service and waiting for your path. The chaos of our culture is that we think we can plan aheadWe live in an insane world & ourselves its saneOne of the key measures of adulthood is being prepared to walk against the tideSupport the show

Hungry?  How bout a salad…trust me, after todays convo, you're going to want to eat salad for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Not just the limp lettuce & store bought dressing kind of salad but one that tickles all your gastronomic senses. Once you've been satiated the convo settle into really chewing on the realities of this high energy lass' day to day existence: her rituals,  her challenge to find the gaps to do the quiet things, learning to really be in the moment & finding her path to enoughness.Alice Zaslavski has chatted with us on the pod before but since then her OTT love for food, food education & food appreciation has exploded into the stratosphere with another 3 cookbooks, her own radio segment on Saturday mornings & now her own cooking show on the ABC, you'll still find her exuberance filling the pages of papers & magazines nationwide & for today you'll her convincing you to serve salad for your every meal. The pace of this human is dizzy-ing so its a strap in & hang tight kind of episode.Links You'll LoveA bite to eat with Alice - ABCSalad Days - Alice ZaslavskiPhenomenom - Free Lessons via the lense of food Loved this? Try these:Alice on Futuresteading previouslySupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Being a talker on paper Her latest adventures in gastronomic pleasures Listening to your body to understand what you need at the time.Food as medicine deserves to be understood by allHer ‘vegetable-forward' food, centric Georgian heritage Sharing a common vision but not always sharing the same timing ambitionsMovement has power - just start & collectively the energies come togetherBreaking our daily fast with vegetablesBe ready & willing to adapt the recipes to suit yourselfThe real life day to day juggle of such a busy busy life Having a ‘wife' in her ‘husband'Learning to say a hard NOPrioritising her health as the most important part of her jobBeing lit up by all that you do so it doesn't feel like working a day of your lifeTime to update the vision boardThe soma response to birthing a new projectBuilding an enabling network to get into flowEnabling others to be their most magic version of themselvesBeing an extroverted extrovert - learning how to absorb human energy via a screenLearning to speak English with Big Ted on PlayschoolWishing for more time with communityMaking time for readingSaying yes to the opportunities that ground you.Support the show

This is a pour-a-cuppa kinda convo - Matilda Brown is a rare kind-of open book where nothing is off limits and despite not actually being her friend you get the distinct feeling that you must be. Flipping a childhood acting career for a regnerative food business wasn't part of her plan - actually nothing really is, this breath of fresh air claims to be “bumbling around with life, filling in time until she dies.” But her bumble is joyful & hopeful in the best way possible.She & her husband Scott Gooding are the brains & brawn behind the Good Farm pre prepared meals range & they've just released a cook book with the same name - its as delightful as she is - This is her story!Links You'll LoveThe Good Farm Shopthe Good Farm CookbookProvinirLoved this? Try these eps:Alex from CornersmithLaura from Feather & boneSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Being an oversharer & wanting to know the details without any shameGoing through the world giving more than takingBoobs peaking at 14Fad diets of her teenage years without an understanding of nutritionFrom actor to foodieLife epiphanies via parenthoodBelieving that the universe has your back & the lessons you are being served are necessaryStumbling into a regenerative pathCreating Cow shares until they realised there was a hole in their bucketThe challenge of building a business around the true cost of a whole animal outside of the industrial food systemCreating a regenerative food business nuancing as they went.Combining a regen story with convenienceSharing more than just the business news in this nosey world…navigating sharing of personal storiesAvoiding a thick skin so you keep ‘feeling'I have so much to learn as a spiritual being in a humans body, on a ride in a world that can't be controlled or predicted.Magic sits in the bumbling, rats & mice & problem childrenAppreciating the things that money can't buy The value of being relational - shunning the online solutionThe need to squeeze your closest folkHow many ‘no's' do you need before you get to the YESEven when things are hard they can still be heart filling and they can make you FEEL so alive! This is living, side stepping numbness is when you feel your most alive.Support the show

SummaryLife is impermanent. Precious but not entitled to length. The past is behind us, the future is unknown & all we have is this moment. Our role is to meet the moment.Being overwhelmed with the assignment of bringing healing & protection to the earth, todays guest looked to Gaia as the source of guidance towards effortless harmony. Easier said than done but she found that our cultural inclination to constant self referencing & focussing on I, Me, Mine was the limitation. Looking beyond the veil into another dimension & awakening her relationship to the earth allowed her to thread humility into all her actions & remembering that we are part of & conspiring with gaia in every living moment gave her the space to take a breath before acting.She meditatedShe took the radical act of pausing to gain clarityShe had  the courage to step out of the old patterns She undertook pilgrimagesShe built global networks of healing & peaceShe honoured those who are maintaining the ceremonies, prayers & connections that keep us all in balance.She filled Earth Treasure vases and built a global mandala as her offering of  'sacred activism'.This is her story.Links You'll LoveJoanna Macey - the work that reconnectsCharles Eisenstein - new and ancient story podcastCynthia Jurs Book - Summoned by the EarthGaiamandala.net global healing communityLoved this ep? Try these:E138 Osprey Oriel LakeE105 Rosemary MorrowSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Buddhism tradition of earth treasure vases - holy vessels with purposeBeing prepared within yourself before succumbing to a summoningBringing the earth back into balanceFilling small clay pots with prayers, offerings, traditions & intentions as a symbolic measure for healing & balanceClay pots are kind of like living beings - they come alive in your handsThe clay includes many sacred substances linking them to ancestral lineages Allowing ancient practices to become relevant to the world today & to the people that are participating in the offering processThe capacity for different cultures, communities & lands to accept without assumptionMaking offerings to the earth & the unseen-beings-without-a-voice that we know we need to keep in balanceBecoming a vessel but not imposing your own ideas & self importance on what you think is best for the world.Getting down on her knees and opening her heart and asking for support from the unseen energy.Our own true nature is so much a part of the nature of Gaia“ When I learned how to get myself out of the way, form an intention, but allow that intention to unfold on its own without trying so hard to make it happen, things started to unfold in a very different way - in ways I never could have predicted"Support the show

SummaryThe age of short termism now dominates - Todays guest however takes long termism the way we all take breakfast (those not on a fasting regime anyway) Apparently he was born this way. In his recently released book Taming the Apocalypse he states that the only remaining sustainable resources after industrialisation runs its course will be biology & culture. To prepare for this time, Shane Simonsen has an exceptionally original approach to zero input, large scale farming & has committed his life's plan of living long enough to connect varieties of crops that have been separated by 60 million years of evolution by creating plant hybridisation at scale - his seed collection rivals Svalbard the Global Seed Vault.His thesis so far: -The shortcoming of science is that it wants all organisms to behave like machines. -If we have 1000 farmers over 1000 years doing this, we would see a miracle  - not a machine.- Now is the moment for sacrificial offerings of research & time for the sake of learning for future generations- Putting seeds in the dirt NOT a seed bank is the best path to build genetic diversityLinks You'll LoveShane Simonsen substackLoved this? Try this:Artists as family episodeSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Learning to think long termZero input large scale, experimental  farmingChanging career direction away from complex & fragile systemsFrom hunter gatherer culture to industrial ag with nothing in betweenCulture gaps and skills gapsBiological systems are complicated, networked & chaotic Why Bunya nuts were his starting placeHumans have the capacity to recognise the uniqueness & value of something in the eco system & support it to become an ongoing part of our food future.Why biology is the unexpected miracle. Rebuilding culture so we can accept slow, magical outcomes You don't need many people like Shane to create real change - seed sharing, experimentation, desire to create new thingsThe defense chemicals of our food Why humans are really bad at imagining things that gradually change our base lineOpting out from resource intensive lives - creeping off into the margins to existSpending months of hand farming to grow $20 worth of grainRebuilding trust & re-forming collectivismBeginning your own hybridisation program with vegetables Almost all the vegetable seed you buy originated in hot houses in HollandAustralia is on the end of supply lines so it's likely we will experience a supply shock - this might be just the wake up call to realise the vulnerable state we are in.Can we get our politicians to fly the permaculture flag?Taming elephants to hybridise themSupport the show

SummaryIn a world dominated by a striving for endless growth, it can be hard to see that while a drive towards money and individualism is great for the economy, it is fundamentally destructive for humanity, community & ecology. This conversation tackles us relearning our ability to grow our environment with each other & to meet our own needs rather than outsourcing to those who will make the divisions based on profit. It asks us to opt for less transactions & more relationships, it addresses the epidemic of loneliness and it settles on the idea that a little bit of debt is a good thing - relational debt that is.The time to navigate difficult & complex divisions  to make us anti fragile is now but it requires us to heal our hurt hearts so we can do the work we need to do in our current system. Degrowth is the salve, held by love that is the container for our path forward as humanity.Links You'll LoveTools for Conviviality - Ivan IllichNational Degrowth NetworkThe Overstory - Richard PowersLoved this? Try these:Ep 125 Jane Hilliard - EnoughnessEp 120 Just CollapseEp 77 Tammi JonasSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Poverty is political Building action into your everyday existenceSeeking inspiration from socialist countriesBuilding an obsession with nature Composting as a gateway drug Evolving from being individuals to being change making huddlesMaking academic theories approachable & practicalFinding collective inspiration for criticising growthCreating coalitions of the unlikely by side stepping black & white Creating containers for people who are looking to connect despite the inevitable conflicts that will ariseWe need more spaces to hold respected disagreementsDespite relationships being thorny, we are going to have to work this out.The hardest skills of all are the soft skills of really working wth humans - meeting people with what they need to unpack the complexity Being part of groups where the hard stuff can be heldBuilding the ‘neighbourhood' - learning the name of the person next door, even when they are different to youBeing materially dependent on one another is a good thingOur mobility has meant we are avoiding our ability to learn to manage conflict.Why cleverness is disarmingThe role of grief & gratitude in this journeySlow is smooth & smooth is fastInstead of air conditioners - lets have an afternoon napReturning us to our natural cycles & building our life around itSide stepping linear, capitalist striving.Connection to the earth is not lost on us - it's in our ancestral knowledge, but we need to sit still, reskill & really want to relearn Learning to be comfortable with a lack of controlSupport the show

As a food grower, lover of the natural world, cook and wizened plant expert, todays conversation meanders between the veggie patch & the kitchen, the garden shed & the pickling shelf. A reverence for the food we eat was planted deep inside Paulette's young mind by a mother who shared her skills and passion which then carried her onto this trajectory of life where she experiences the world through her garden.As founder and owner of Provenance Growers and now author she tells the story of where our food comes from, how it was grown and what nutrients it might share with us in our interwoven way of existence with the natural world.Links you'll love:Provenance growersBroccoli and other love storiesLoved this? Try these:Similar themes but of course wonderfully different stories.Ep 134 Jane Stevens who is a herbalist & astrologer in the USEp 121 Nat Wilmott who shares her story of homesteading, homeschooling & living simply in the West Gippsland HillsEp 53 Simeon Ash from Spoke and Spade market garden.Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like Tomorrow MattersWe talked about:Learning lessons outside with her MumSeeing a process evolve from environmental impact to food Tapping back into her childhood skills to step away from the pressure to sell thingsChanging careers in her mid 20's & landing in horticultureMaking people feel happy & safe with what we do with our handsThe many uses of flowers for culinary, health & horticultureHer addiction to seeds - especially spring loaded onesTips for managing cross pollination for seed savingHer caffeine supported daily routine The cycle of paddock/soil  management Her love of perennial edibles for ease of management & health of soilCreating plants that are hardy & weather beaten that thrive when plantedKids pulling away from their parentsBeing a reluctant elderMarket gardening as an ideal job for a human low in confidence & introvertedHer ADHD diagnosisHer husband is the doer & she is the wandererStorytelling as a tool for knowledge sharingFollowing the rhythm of her brain as a pattern to writing her bookThe freedom of knowing you can hold more than one idea at onceThe beautiful cyclical nature of observing & interactingLean model of market gardeningManaging failure - easier to do when you are safe & have your basics metAvoiding waste from the outsetSupport the show

This gent who goes by the name of Das is eccentric, passionate, articulate & intelligent so strap in for this fast paced, heady conversation framed through the lens of equal rights for species other than humans to the very resources we are destroying. His voice grins, setting a positive tone & his true love of the natural world is just a tad intoxicating.We leap from the truth that adaptability trumps strength for resilience. We quip about how the finance sector is filled with animals,  we both agree that animals are more sensible than human beings - they don't go about destroying the landscape that keeps them alive & we ponder how we came to be a culture that thinks we can click our way out of the quandary we find ourselves in. We ask if you're suffering from 'Prognostic Miopia' where you are so focussed on the near term things you don't connect with the real long term consequences of our actions. We suspect the very culture we all swim in, means we all suffer & rather than feeling the weight of this, taking the approach of finding our own, individual ways to swim out of it. It covers a lots and its a cracker! Links You'll LoveAldo Leopold - The Sand County AlmanacWild Quests by DasBarry Lopez - Arctic DreamsLoved this Ep….Listen to:- Damon Gameau - Dan Palmer - Helena Norberg Hodge  Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShow NotesDefining what it means to be human through studying animals Coming face to face with a grizzly bear in AlaskaFailing our natural world as its guardianOur need for 1.7 earths"Human eyes need more pixels than there are in the universe to capture the beauty of some animals"Going to the root cause of the problems rather than bandaid-ingHuman beings as mere hosts for bacteria & virusesThe danger of our reliance on tech"Humans address every problem with Paleolithic emotions, medievil institutions & godlike technology - a dangerous recipeReading your landscapeEntering the phase of populism for answersMoving our problems into the future"Ultimately the worth of our species will be measured by our acceptance of our true role within the complex web that is life"Support the show

Meet Jades husband - Charlie Showers. Perched at the kitchen table, this  conversation is steered by questions received from listeners. For an oft reserved gent, Charlie emotionally opens the doors about why he leans into the 'uncomfortable' to realise his humanity, to the grief of facing his own mortality, taking his boys through rites of passage and why regenerative farming has been the perfect laboratory to spur his curiosity about systems, our connection to biological processes and being brave enough to do the opposite of what the mainstream insist on when fighting for a life of perpetuity for humanity.Learn what 'exudate' means and how it could be the chance for all of us to leave life instead of destruction behind us  and what he want's done with his teeth when he dies. Links You'll LovePandoras SeedSupport the Show:Casual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe chatted about:Sharing a common vision but not always sharing the same timing ambitionsMovement has power - just start & collectively the energies come togetherThe value of being a curious poly-jobistWhy bringing a dream to fruition is impatience filled when the vision is so clearHis experience of taking his boys through rites of passageWhere he wants to be buriedNumbing yourself with the anaesthetic of netflixRelishing the chance to build deeper ritual in his lifeEmbracing discomfortBeing a morning person through & throughHis enough: a daily reflection - what's enough for him spiritually & to be who he truly isAlso asking - what will I strip away but what do I need more of: cultural depth, His desire to explore an extremely simple existence - stripping back his farming 'needs'Moving away from the word 'farming' - becoming hyper experimental in the way he produces food on countryMoving away from the loaded word of 'farming'Exploring the edges of the system we are all ensconced inWhat the landscape he stewards evokes in him  & being a proud contributor to the Alpine Valleys of North East Victoria. "I'm yearning to be surrounded by people who are connected to place not just for the sake of it but because its important to living in a deep The intimate beauty of hosting on farm Wwoofers (volunteers)Composting op shop shirts when they literally fall off his backBeing a banjo playing hack, brewing moonshine, anti authoritarianCollecting TeethStorytelling: An important part of sharing culture. Digesting complex informationThe complexity of being the partner of someone who has such a strong callingCultural anaestheticsThe journeys he has left in him - entwined in an exploration of self and elderhoodInner work for the benefit of then serving his community around himModifying Black Barn Farm so it becomes a much more community spaceBuilding a community of practice where the sum of the parts are greater than the whole.Exudate: providing things for the benefit of other things.You can go through life and the exhaust that comes out of the back of you does not have to be waste, rather than a product that contributes to the building of more life.Support the show

Dani Wolff is a roll-your-sleeves-up-&-get-shit-done kinda girl who oozes earth wisdom and mama wisdom but most of all she personifies what it means to be collaborative. From her years in an intentional community to  her globe trotting earth building projects and now her multi fingered prongs in collaborations that take her from  veggie gardens to matriessence mentoring  she shares a bagful of insights into how we can bring some of the ideological ideas to life in a way that can work for each of us wherever we live.Links You'll Love:Earthed to birthJohno Futuresteading episode (her husband)Support the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Natural rhythms of each yearEarth building design is not about the building, its about the people & the relationshipsBeing drawn to communities & their dynamics - people careHer trip to Scotland for a the Gaia led course in organisational designCreating an intentional community with 25 other people using gut led decisionsHolding shame when reflecting on previous experiencesTeaching social permaculture The complexity of ownership & agencyLiving without comforts &with so many people  took its toll & resulted in emotional exhaustion Communities work when there are different types of peopleReflection is a really important part of the cycleHer earth building experiencesFalling pregnant changed how she lives - pulling back from constant travel & constantly being in communityReframing who you are as part of matriessesnce - it was really hard to let go of her preconceived ideas of who she was and how she would live The new rhythm that motherhood brings300sq metres is the perfect size for 6 families (23 people altogether). Using everything they grow & swapping the value added goodies with each otherBeing collaborative is in our DNA but that doesn't make it easyIt takes a lot to make the leap into working collaboratively & requires conversation & check ins to be sure everyone still feels valued & recompensedThere's an inner knowing that we feel better when we work with othersHow a greater driver can be the reason to connectThe importance of sharing our parenting challenges honestlyBeing mothers & women who can share, assures us that we are good parentWanting to breastfeed foreverDo people carry the weight of their babies early birthing traumaWhat can we do differently to encourage others to build their own tools & not just rely on organisers to make things happen - create independent groups for themselvesSeek mothers groups or activities & be brave enough to put yourself out thereConsistently showing up is so important for community groups to build momentumPersistence is required to get things off the groundAsk "What's your why - do you want to learn skills, do you want support, where are your vulnerabilitiesMind mapping & getting clear on what your wants/hopes are to fill a void Her huddle word is NOURISHMENTSupport the show

No-one else is coming in to solve the human induced problems & it's not about us anymore - we all have a responsibility to do something  for the generations still to comeDigby Hall reckons that if joined together we have wisdom, integrity & immense power to bring change but we must learn how to self manage the whiplash of constantly changing environments  because its a forever 'whole' game, so this is our new normal and we have to be able to sustain our role in it.Fundamentally climate change & climate action is a human issue but we don't have much living memory about how to work deeply in community & this leads us to divided & siloed communities. Todays conversation asks "how do we 'humanly solve these challenges by the way we make our daily decisions"Links You'll LoveLancet report - planetary  dietary guidelinesDigbys tedx talkSupport the show:Casual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked aboutWhat's the decision making process for a regular family to make plans for a life that is climate resilient?Giving people tools they can use to make their own decisions rather than providing the answersNothing is linear - planning for a climate impacted future really depends on your future of choiceWhen planning for 7 generations it changes the first step you will take today.First Nations thinking and caring for country is becoming a critical part of the way we design for climate i.e the way we manage water Which water catchment are you in, how does your water get to the tap, how do you interact with your water, who manages your waterFunctioning on the edge of our system - constantly challenging how we are doing our workA “huddle” is the difference between light and dark, life & death."There are so many more of us in this change tribe than there are in the opposing camp of climate change disbelievers but it's critical that we find where we all are and how we transcend our ever so slightly different lenses which might not overly 100%"The importance of being in relationships with people who might be slightly different but ultimately want the same thing2 ways to be an activist 1 is to do things actively and 2, where do you spend your money i.e superannuation funds hold immense power yet most of us are apathetic about it. He looks for the levers that trigger the flow of everything elseA design rule he always puts in place - "if we did nothing else but made sure that every occupant using this building is within 8 metres of the outside world. This then solves lots of other things"We have to have both art & science to solve problems of the magnitude we are facingWhy he chose Tassie; grassroots initiatives, community of life long learnersThe power of the yarn in local communitiesHis food decision making tree Thinking about where you shop - Shorten the supply chain at every opportunityReconnecting with place & the environment through the food we eat.We know how to do what must be done but we've been distracted by the lure of convenience The risks of self sufficiency & the vibrancy of community sufficiency"You don't have the right to do things now that will ultimately harm the greater good. We have a responsibility & we each need to do the best we can to make a difference"Support the show

MILK…despite the fact that 6 billion people on the planet drink it and we have been for 10,00 years, most of us rarely give it a moments thought. Todays conversation with Matthew Evans takes us swimming in vats of the stuff.Milk looms large in our culture and it's complex, layered, nutritionally interesting and culturally rich. Milk doesn't just feed us - it affects the very way our DNA behaves, feeds your microbiome, speaks to brain health, beneficial to heart health. Fascinatingly, there's a two way communication between a mother and her baby which is passed through the milk.Far from innocuous milk is in fact an extraordinarily complex social, political, ethical, environmental, scientific and fashionable elixir. So make yourself a milky coffee and settle in with Matthew while he unpacks all of this with his trademark capability to weave a story while teaching us fascinating things.Links You'll LoveBruny Island CheeseMilk - Matthew EvansSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matterWe talked about: Mammals giving birth is wonderful but traumatic and fraught The intimate relationship you have with your milking cow - you're the midwife, boss, trusted friend, child We began to milk animals about the same time as we started planting grain10,000 years worth of accumulated knowledge and reciprocity from an animalMilking animals take the things a human can't eat and turn it into high quality protein that we CAN use = the original alchemyHumans have thrived quite well with dairy in our life.Why milk ended up at the end of a political and public beating stickWhen we expect to buy one of the most complex lipid fat substances at less than bottled water - we've lost our way. It's fashionable to put the boot into milk but 98% of Australians have cow dairy in their fridgeThe Whitlam years of 300ml milk bottles at playlunch ruined a generation of potential milk drinkersThere's not actually much to say about plant milks  - they are ultra processed, nutritionally minimal and our bodies have not evolved to recognise any nutritional benefits. A fan of the tim-tam - but this is how you should think about MYLK - it's a sometimes food that offers little value.Homogenisation and pasteurised processing and the impact it has on how we digest it - faster and earlier in the gut' despite knowing that  this is not beneficial to humansThe disservice the dairy industry has done to itself with the introduction of skim milk - deconstructing the amazing product that it actually is. Losing qualityHippie nirvana of reintroducing us back to our local dairies  - its incomparable with anything you can buy in the shops1 in four farmers in the world have a dairy cowRaw Milk - forbidden in Australia, it requires licenced dairy processor permits.When you kill the bad bacteria you also kill the good bacteria. Cheesmakers will always choose unpasteurised milkRaw milk is the new moonshineThink of raw milk as a living thingRaw milk swaps in a McDonalds carpark for baristas Transformation of dairy into everything it becomesWhey makes a great antifungal and puts ALL the resources to use.He now looks at a bottle of fresh milk diffSupport the show

How do you create community and influence people? Hannah Churton made friends over bucketloads of kitchen scraps and believes that compost can salve climate anxiety? It's not simply the creation of black gold that returns the goods - it's the strength and power in the community that has been built around it. Much  like a warm cuddle - just like this convo!Support the showCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersReferences from our chatWar on waste ABCWe Talked AboutLiving in a zoom world - building communities from both ‘unreal worlds' and those in your own literal backyard.Beginning a community compost hub during a pandemic“Of course the people came - it was a beautiful surprise that so many people were interested in engaging - was it a product of the time where people were seeking interaction or were they genuinely interested in composting and food waste"The courage it takes to set something like this up - nothing to lose was her reason to do it.Inviting people to participate by creating an easy-to-engage-in process that anyone could accessThe importance of making change as simple as possible so there was not a single barrier to participating.Weighing everything that comes through to incentivise participants - documented on a blackboard so people can see how much they have recovered from landfill.Building pride in the collective effortThe street now knows each other really wellUsing community compost to build verge gardens that community members can use.Rewarding the community with a bucket of Evolving from composting, to verge gardens to food swaps. Creating a passive “Hub” that invites everyone but doesn't require hand holding. So everyone can be an active participant.Foundational educational opportunity with open days and tours so they can see what actually happensI didn't know I had a deep need to thrive with connection and community until I put systems in place genuinely access people.Reflecting on the difference between altitudes and where transition can take hold.Compost has salved climate anxietyCollectivising efforts‘Success' - changed immeasurably in the last few years since having children.Doing away with her old version of success.Reinventing herself: Success is broadening her impact, and that can be as simple as others observing different ways of living, a softer footprint on the planetFrom a career in community development on a global scale compared to her street scale success. “Look what can be achieved on such a small scale”Creating hundreds and thousands of same-same but different versions of simple, local replicable projectsShifting our value towards things that are small, localised, practical and do-able Teaching your kids to tell the story of your ways to look after the planetBuilding communities with a collective knowledge levelLearning names over compost and thinking communally“We think about ourselves as ‘the street' over the individual households”She's gone full nerd on her food waste with a PHDAll the things that can be made from food that's hasn't been eaten“Just get your hands dirty and you'll be rewarded - starting will lead you down a beautiful path whatever it is”.“Fear really is what stops people from starting. You will fail so learn to accept that its the pathway to success."Composting is a meditation on regeneration"Support the show

"When did we start othering earth to be overused & under-respected"?We humans are the younger brother & sister of other beings who have been here for longer than us & have more experience. Now it's time for humans to have humility, unlearn & relearn from those who haven't been so lured by the lux.Storytelling stepping stones will help us move to that place but a good storyteller also requires a good listener & it can be hard to hear the trees over the noise. Words can also fail us when the emotion of what we are losing is greater than words alone can capture - so seeking many forms of adaptation will require all the grit we've got!  Leah isn't 'doing career' any more, she is simply doing what she loves & seeking the nexus of all that she loves - "that's where the power comes from in each of us...perhaps it's as simple as seeing the beauty in a cut cabbage" References:Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos Friends of SilenceChurch of the Wild Two Rivers,Kiss the ground The Spiritual Wisdom of Trees: Insights from Our Elders Shalem Institute for Spiritual FormationRobyn Wall Kimmera - Braiding Sweet GrassSupport the Show:Casual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters Show Notes:Rebuilding a new life via tomatoes The inside word on her cohousing community of small homes Beginning her local movements “save our soil” & “lawns for life”, "We have two journeys - one is heart & soul: what is mine to do, the outward journey is how do I connect with all the living world around me. Of course the trick is connecting the two.Leading pilgrimages throughout America “the places really lead the pilgrimage”Transition can be painful because we think we need to know where we're going"How do we live more fully alive, deeply connected, balanced on the edge and in a way that is together? This is the conversation we could be in for the rest of our lives"Building trust by telling the truth about our reality.We keep trying to figure it out by using our head - we gotta have a heart journey Avoiding solutions that are wrapped up in a bow."We are living in a time on a threshold - we cannot go back to the world we knew  and while the story is not clear, our role is to plant the trees for future generations"Support the Show.

As the host of the the 'regen-narration podcast, listening, learning and storytelling is this mans lens.  Join us in getting comfortable sitting in silence while we wait for the insightsWith an intent for working collaboratively and creating a community of care, this conversation is flowing and abstract, reflecting on our life of fat, comfort and ease while we need to embrace the discomforts of our future - learning new skills to navigate a world without rose coloured glasses while maintaining action and hope that is meaningful and uplifting.Show Notes Why his podcast is its own entity Why he is as curious and hopeful as all heckMeta narratives of the regeneration movementHow communities are used as political pawns and divided when actually we are stronger when unitedWhat he imagines life will be in 50 yearsWhy he believes our future is not yet written  Elite structures are the abstractions blocking all of us from connection to countryWhat he is doing to get around the colonial abstractionsFinding what it is you can bring to others and offering it with generosityHow can we all implement the things we are learning to the way we live our livesBuilding a community of people Navigating the complexities of human-ness in our efforts to rebuild our communitiesCreating a Community of carePrioritising the living systems - not just supplanting the current paradigm solutionsOwning and claiming your own storytelling narrative - be in it, share it, connect with itRemoving binary thinkingRevelling in the space of head/heart truthOur mind (the way we think) is based in biological reality and so is the way we feel - how can we chart a holistic, intuitive, experiential way forwardMore of us are going to feel the sharp edges of climate impactThe power of the in-betweenWhile we're nothing on our own we are magnificent as a sum of the partsMinimising intellectual explanation and leaving room for a felt experienceIt's time to come together across cultures, across words, across knowledge barriersOur divisions are usually accentuated by the powers that beReferencesRegennarration podcastKim Ngyuan - Conversations with coalminers about climate changeAmanda Cahil - the Next EconomyPaul HawkenDamon Gameau - Regenerate AustraliaTyson Yunkaporta - futuresteading interviewKing Stingray - indigenous bandPodcast partners ROCK!Hidden Sea - Wine that saves the seaNutrisoilWwoof AustraliaBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersSupport the showCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonSupport the Show.

Bugger off dogmatic rules - who wrote those anyway. Push off unfaltering sustainable existence - you're leave us feeling guilty. Shhhh up incessant Instagram perfection - it's not real!  Tune in to this fire cracker of fresh air to recalibrate your judgment beacon and give yourself a break while you learn to a make a difference in a way that works for you. Could that be quiet food related activism or perhaps sharing practical skills in your community, or waking up to the plastic explosion in our lives and actively curbing your contribution. Perhaps its pickling...everything in sight! What ever your path, Alex is unwaveringly supportive of anyone having a go at even the smallest of things & her final word of advice ' slow down, don't peak too soon...its a long path & its not getting any easier'Links You'll LoveCornersmith - Use it allCornersmith - Food Savers Guide A-ZSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShow NotesGrowing up in a share house that loved to cook in her formative yearsCreating community around the share plateBeing ok with fish fingers and frozen peasLetting judgement go to make a difference while being acceptingEducation to build hope & practical skills during this climate emergencyThe exhausting weight of being sustainable 24/7Wanting to help people fall in love with their kitchens again without ideologyBeginning a business with her husband despite limited experienceDiscovering pickling when her kids were tiny & she was losing her mindPickling as an onramp to a simpler sustainable lifeLying awake thinking about wasting cumquatsPutting community abundance to good use in a pickling jarCrossing language barriers to learn food preservation methods from her neighbourhoodTaking twists & turns in businessWhy now is the time to stand up & shout really loudlyNo person can avoid having to make regenerative choicesGetting bolder with ageTrading with locals who swap backyard produce for coffeeNavigating a food business through covidAvoiding being black and whiteMaking spaces where its simple for people to make a contributionChoosing her favourite pickleYou don't have to make mega batches of food to make a contributionEating and using what you've got to reduce food wasteChoose one thing, while you build your habits and reframe your practicesDo we all need to be a little uncomfortable in order to make us all think and create other solutions,Wake up and stop being passive, owning your decisions or solutionsUsing scraps from the bin to create magicIf it can be used - use itSaving money by using every single part of every single thingLucky dip cupboard - food without labelsThe process of writing a cook bookReplacing the guilt with creativity in the kitchenThe disservice of instagram perpetuating perfectionPearl of wisdom - going slower in our change journey to ensure longevitySupport the Show.

Our most downloaded backyard adventurer is chatting with us again but this time with better sound and more sleep under his belt so  we are witness to a  more true version of this humorous, odd character.  A self titled 'polyjobist; a generalist at many things, he shares the challenge of writing a book after a decade in academia, worrying about breaking the law to make films and shares why he took up his granddads wood chopping axes despite his mediochre capability.Our conversation is all 'Miles' - it follows tangents,   is really personal and stays true to his advice giving allergy. LINKS YOU'LL LOVEThe Backyard AdventurerBeau Miles You TubeBeauisms - InstagramCasey Nistadt - New York story tellerSUPPORT THE SHOWCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShow NotesFalling short on expectations and promisesFear of being sued - breaking the law to film documentariesReframing your view of the world from your child-like baseline“Bad River” - soon to be released film series‘I don't like being a negative storyteller but the time for me to have an opinion is hereI suppose I love attention but I've got hermit written all over meA really quiet kid that began to bust out into his physicality which helped define himWas he an undiagnosed dyslexic kid? Is that formative in creating who he is?Learning maths by building things Why he took up grandads ax's to become a wood chopperBeing the mouth piece for those who you surround yourself withStorytelling via various mediums: Film, book Being Beau - thinking in tangents, following abstract thoughts, speaking in first person, finding your voiceMy greatest skill in life is being a hard workerWhy recording his book as an audio book taught him where his writing faults arePhenomonology - crating definition and essences out of subjectivityThe challenges of being a story teller Our life is about defining our essencesWhile being attracted to individualism - life is simply just better when lived with othersBeing watered down as an individual by becoming a parentWhy community is defined by doing the dishesReducing moving parts - from film making to doing dishesIsland foods - planning a trip with Paul West, Jade Miles and Beau Miles and three basic foodsDescribing himself in three words: Hardy, Resilient, OddI think we are all odd but I'm just willing to say itHis allergy to advice givingIf a story teller is doing their job, there will be a million outcomes as others interpret the insights. This is desirable rather than a singular outcomeLiving like tomorrow matters  MUST look different for every single one of us -that's where the magic sitsLiving life with an intentional unknowingnessAs a film maker he doesn't want to know what the outcomes will be, he wants a surprise and that raw, honest reality of one day at a time. His hopefulness comes from where he livesSupport the Show.

Charlie Mgee -- permaculture troubadour and Formidable Vegetable frontman -- composes swingin' tunes on a ukulele that address climate change, food security and regenerative sustainable living.From 'energy-descent electroswing' to 'post-apocalypso', his unforgettable music provides permaculture earworms that entertain and educate. Maybe you're humming one right now?In this energetic convo, we quiz Charlie about the role of art and creativity in changemaking; how music has a knack for bridging gaps and delivering powerful messages through melody. Charlie talks about his childhood in the bush, his wandering spirit, what it's like living in a tiny house at Melliodora with Brenna Quinlan, and his vision for a more beautiful world.*** Now you can support the show by shouting us a cuppa! Click here to check it out. ***SHOW NOTESHight energy artistic life in a tiny house with Brenna QuinlanStories from permie childhood Why chickens are a gateway drug into alternative livingFinding ways of synthesising complex concepts and making them accessible All pervasive gratitude A pledge to stop flying & touring Australia in biodiesel converted vanCoping with covid by understanding joy and grief are two sides of the same coinAcknowledging the hard stuff to build the good stuffIndividual vision post covid lockdown Daily life at MelliodoraPushing against the treadmill to move towards intentional simplicityBeing OK to be a bit different Managing multiple communities in your lifeThe accidental creation of an annual festivalYearning for a deeper connection to placeAvoiding tribalism Staying open minded to ensure a rounded world viewSeeing all of life as equal to oneselfListening more and talking lessThe risk of being interpreted as a dogmatic idealist who will show us all the wayThink global, act localHow music and the arts is the ultimate universal language Why he doesn't copyright his musicThe power of regenerative creativity - how we imagine the worldGo hug a tree! LINKS YOU'LL LOVEFormidable Vegetable on InstagramFormidable Vegetable onlineMelliodoraDavid Holmgren's RetrosuburbiaBrenna Quinlan on InstagramCharles Eisenstein - The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is PossibleThe Patterning Instinct - Jeremy LentSupport this podcast by shouting us a cuppaSupport the Show.Support the Show.

What would it be like to rely solely  on yourself, lean into ecological literacy, to really notice the changing patterns of the season & offer yourself the time it genuinely takes to live intimately with the earth . Claire  tells of her pathway to  following a calling to initiation - a need to let her social identity rot away on the forest floor & go into a place of deep introspection. Spurred by a  primal knowledge that we are living in a world with a deficit in:  nature, elders, community, ritual & skills, Claire is rewriting her story & rebuilding the culture around her to become one of eco awakening - it starts with something as basic as an intentional 'wander' or journaling & accepting awkwardness as we relearn the art of village building using pan cultural tools like rhythm, percussion, scent, song, body movement, repetition, nature noticing,Links You'll LoveNatures apprenticeMy year without matchesRewilding the urban soulJoanna Macy - Active hopeSupport the showCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShow NotesSpending a year off grid, alone, connecting to her human identityTo do what I could to be a voice for the voicelessHer psyche turned towards a deep interconnectedness which heals the rift between the human soul & natureThe constant flow of the forest sees an intruding human as a benign presenceRewriting her patterns of productivity, structure, Growing from a solo wolf into a community beingWhy she never felt lonely when in the bushLearning the art of community generated & self designed ceremony which links nature & cultureVision quests - multiple days along in a wild place. A way to mark a transition that's already happening. A strong ceremony with an element of ordeal which humbles us & marks us porous to some of the quieter conversations.Deep adaptation is what we're needing. How can I live well on the land, in community with a thriving culture with wisdom around the journey of adolescence to adulthood. Reclaiming what we've lost, what we've buried but reclaiming culture in a contemporary setting.Hunter gatherers challenge - eating only what you grow, forage or barteredFeasting on community through intention, dedication, time, conflict, conversationsGrief as a community builder Sparking ourselves through rewilding - a full expression of our animus being - creativity, love, vision, vitality, quiet, deep attuned listening, Removing abstractions from our ability to connect to our life support systems - our embeddedness with the web of life“Don't ask what the world needs of us, ask what makes you come alive and go do that because what the world needs most right now is a population of people who are alive”Support the Show.

Today Jade sits down with one of those luminous beings who's living like tomorrow matters with deep intention and integrity.Mara of Village Dreaming and ORTO Farm near Daylesford shares stories from her slow food life and lyrical observations (to the tune of ‘riding a bike to work in the city is like experiencing a musical') that'll linger long after this convo wraps up. Mara describes her Italian roots and being a waste renegade, the magic of WWOOFing and running a cooking school, wildlife corridors and messages to her 20 year old self. It's better than a big bowl of Bolognese with hot-buttered garlic bread and it's yours for the devouring.LINKS YOU'LL LOVEMara + Village Dreaming on InstagramVillage Dreaming + ORTO Farm onlineThe Red Tent ~ Anita DiamantSUPPORT THE SHOWCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonSHOW NOTESSharing our lives on social mediaWhy there should be more shame in wasteBuilding adventure through salvaging wasteDiverting waste as a human rights and social issueBeing an eco-renegade Her Italian heritage that provides a foundation for living with heartBeing surrounded by love has allowed her to be a lover in returnBeing 110% herselfNaming her farm to reflect a circular and loving villageHand building a home that is the culmination of a 20 year journey in community building/love of foodThe Magic of WWOOFing; refilling  hearts, rebuilding  skills and recreating rhythmsHer desire to be the archetypal mother Running a cooking school in your own home with heart, song and danceHaving a partner who is as warm, delicious and inviting as ricottaCreating ORTO farm: berries, olives, wildlife corridors, orchards and one-day pigs on pasture Messages to her 20 year old self - well done!Years of searching for like minded individualsWhy the music industry interrupted her need to be ‘home for dinner'Discovering permacultureHer pure love of cycling The privilege of building her own straw bale house using ‘light earth'Adding a greenhouse on the northern side of her house = revolutionary outcomeThe work needed to retrofit housing stock in this countryWhy ENOUGH is reflected in the health of relationshipsBeing part of a world that actively manages the impacts of climate changeManaging the ‘daunt' of educating our kids without them experiencing dread and fear Giving kids rope to make their own decisionsStruggling to say “life is going to get harder” (but knowing it's the truth)The power of bringing disparate groups together to effect real change! We re more alike than not.Removing judgement and expectations from transitionSeeing glints in peoples eyes when they consider their homes as life havensThe nasty cycle of fiscal dominationSupport the Show.

This episode is akin to being a fly on the wall as you overhear a convo…  a warm, convivial, personal conversation to round out season nine.  Listening back, while editing - with the Sunday roast cooking - it felt intimate to be part of this natter between Sadie and Jade which was recorded in late Spring  art the end of their respective days. They poured themselves a glass of wine and hit the recording button. Neither were in the mood to touch on doom-dom so they intentionally avoided consumerism, capitalism and colonialism, but unpacked many a worthwhile morsel to help us in our huddles - why do we all have our own white goods?Join the chat for a little snapshot capture of two farming women who've created public facing businesses while they share what this experience has been like and where it might go to next...perhaps a school, perhaps a space for the community to activate, perhaps a collaboration of good folk bringing their best selves, hopes n dreams to  the table to create a homegrown hundreds and thousands solution to land  management.References:Fat Pig farmWife Drought - Annabel CrabbMilk - Matthew EvansSupport the showCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShow NotesChecking in on our promise to invite a complete stranger for a cuppaBeing ballsy enough to open yourself to strangers & invite them inThe weight of creating an experience that people become very familiar with & in time take a place of personal connection.The pressure of having to deliver when you are someone's bucket list The pressure of being part of someone's integral nostalgia & memoryMoving away from being a restaurateur & stepping into full time farming & parentingThe importance of the person that holds all the pieces of a community, to drive, listen & manage cohesion Are the answers going to be found in the weedsCould they run a high school stream on fat pig farm covering everything from science to economics?Collecting people & bringing them in to her place of nurturingWhy she isn't the power behind the throne but a partner in crime to live her best lifeRemoving gender from the way we define our best selvesWalking in step with many, even when those many aren't necessarily the ones you would select if given a choice The long hard process of defining your no-go zonesOur greatest capability is to find solutions from within our communityCreating bioregional strengths that creates a culture How do we get people off social media where the sound bite lives and the complexity gets lostComplexity needs to be celebrated and continued - keep it alive and be ok with thatSAFE and HELD - is her one word that reflects HUDDLESSupport the Show.

How do we become a life enhancing species?How do we remember in our bones our earth lineage?Osprey asks us to consider 'How are we each ‘efforting' towards a different way of being? If you said Together...SNAP. While acknowledging that we're each complicit in living & swimming in an extractive economy & extractive world - its about the way we navigate it.  In dismantling old oppressive systems that harm life instead of nurture it, we first need to acknowledge our diluted collective understanding that we're living relative and connected to the web of life and that we are not separate or orphaned from it. That being on the land, in our body and away from intellectual focus provides the more dominant societies to become humbled and more engaged with our hearts and minds. When operating in this way, we change our story and ultimately change our way of being in a world that is gasping for us to interact differently.As a female leader, she beats to a different drum but we all might learn a thing or two from her approach.Conversation ReferencesWECANThe story is in our bones - Osprey Oriel LakeSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked aboutHer role as founder of the Women's Earth & Climate Action Network WECANLeading an organisation with heart led decision making - feminine leadership differs to mainstream narrativeDivesting away from destructive projects is a powerful actThe power of storytelling in creating changeHeart to heart human connection has resulted in banks divesting millions of dollarsBringing our whole selves to show up and talk to people we don't agree with, share stories & work on moving hearts and mindsTalking to people in positions of wealth and influence to enact changeWe need an ecosystem with projects and campaigns at all tiers - the challenge is when we don't work together Knitting ecosystems together- Collective power comes from together-nessOrganisations who have money need to be bridgebuilders for those who don'tMentorship from indigenous leaders woven throughout her life experiencesIts time to compost the modern day ideologies and create new soils….its is going to stop as nature will make us stopWe need to connect with the earth and each other to reconfirm our identities in relationship with the landBuilding our communityWe can't rely on soundbites to make a decisionWhy she doesn't travel for vacations - only for workHow are we utilising our privilege to lift up others, and make choicesBeing willing to be in uncomfortable situations and then being quiet enough to listen to others especially not white wealthy people so we can keep creating more equity and balanceWe are in a time where we are unpacking racism patriarchy and colonisation - observations Sidestepping divisionHow worldviews and climate justice can reframe our climate crisisWe are dealing with crises about identify and trauma which leads to violence, division and an inability to look inwards How do you live in a system which you are trying to transformHer one word - RELATIVES with each other, the air, water, trees, we are all in relationship.Support the Show.

 Jane Stevens  is passing on the knowledge from her lifelong poly passions of gardening, herbalism, astrology and moon cycles as a gift to the world in the from of a book  (one that carries a Chelsea green publishers mark on the spine & a Rosemary Gladstar forward no less).  This Wisconsin based wealth of other-worldly wisdom shares why writing a book in her mid 60s is the perfect time of pass such earthly wisdoms. She speaks of planting seeds according to the moon cycles - are you familiar with the moon cycles? Creating gardens according to the 7 body chakras, the  pattern of herbalists always being shunted to the side & why she quit watching the news to focus instead on the plants in her garden which leaves her feeling more empowered & less fearful.Things we chat about Four elements herbal creams Earth and Soul - Leah RampyCelestial garden - Jane StevensDr Jill Stansbury - Herbalist and AuthorSupport the showCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersConversation PointsGrandmotherly inspiration to become a herbalist at five that set a feeling of awe in her heart - “I just knew that I needed to be with the plantsA Wisconsin tradition of planting a Peony from your mothers farm on your own farmGardening by the moon to create a practical rhythmLetting nature be more in control and being more of a partnerStart by following the quarters of the 28 day moon cycleWeek one: The new moon rises at dawn & sets at dusk (the time to be starting projects including seeds which have their seeds outside the fruit - lettuce, broccoli)Week Two: The first quarter rises at midday & sets at midnight (plant seeds that hold their seeds inside the fruit such as cucumbers and tomatoes)Week Three: The full moon rises at dusk & sets at dawn (the soil moisture is pulling down so its the perfect time to plant root vegetables)Week Four: The last quarter rises at midnight and sets at noon (time of rest, planning, setting traps, weeding)Being multi disciplinary has meant she chartered her own pathHer astrology points to brave leadershipTeaching is a gentle roleTurning their farm into a ‘public garden' - a childhood dreamPlanting a garden based on the 7 chakra system to build mental and bodily strengthPlants are seductiveHerbalists in history have forever been dogged by the system - pushed out by designSeduction begins by teaching children to be engaged in nature - they get excited and teach their parentsThe need for us to build our own skills and herbal medical kits in order to side step the system that shuts it downAccess to deep knowledge of Chinese, ayurvedic and native herbalism - now is the time to actParticipate in herb walks in your local areaIntegration - layering meditation, astrology, herbalismBeing brave enough to use the space and skills of our young people.What does enough look like - Health, loving relationships, all your bills being paid, gratitude, humility.One word - Gratitude - for a seed that was planted in me to work with plants, that I was educated, have a career outdoors, finding the love of my life - these gifts have kept me humble.Support the Show.

Sarah Andrews has this way of stripping back the noise & replacing hustle with humility. A gentle woman, who describes herself as '90% introvert', she has crated beautiful spaces by considering them her palette to tell stories  & then inviting in a global community of folk to share her special space.The key, she says, to creating spaces that are warm, nurturing and supportive of the community they are designed to hold, is to be sure that “beautiful is not the ‘budget”.“My plan was to teach a few what I knew and then go sailing but it didn't happen like that because what was being taught was so special & it really did what it said on the box”Today the futuresteading pod invites you to open the box and learn ways to create spaces that nurture togetherness.  Things we talked about:Hosting masterclass - Sarahs online programThe Poetry of Spaces - Sarah AndrewsCaptains Rest - Sarah's AccommodationSupport the showCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersShow NotesHow a tumultuous life has lead her to creating spaces that make her feel safeSpaces that make you feel the way you want to feel  & be the best we canFinding your medium to create stories - art, verbal words, design, written words,Walking the line of being a hermit that is alone but not wanting to be aloneUnderstanding her ratio for a happy life - for her its 90% introvertedAttracting people together but without the obligation of having to hold them all.“I'd found an internal happiness as a host and wanted to gift that to others” “Hosting & creating spaces is a science which can be broken down into a process?Frustration with the creative world using words that don't have meaningful measure.Building tools that could be taught to people who don't think they're creative.It's easy to copy something if you've got a big budget but if you're creating something that's creative & individual then the real beauty is uncovered“For many reasons captains rest should not have been a success but when it was I was inundated with people asking me to help them do the same for them”Humility in creating a global network of minded individuals "I don't have the energy for it to be all about me so it's lovely to see a community of people connecting from the comfort of my couch"Every year I just do what I can - which is different every year - there's no strategy but it feels good & works for me.Enough is not about doing more, having more, seeing more, it's about how much you can give to the world.Building a meaningful community of people she loves & trustsI'm a three friend type of person - they've seen me through every part of my lifeBeing part of a community that is protective of one another & generousInner huddles & outer huddlesOur community is a success because it's genuine - it's not a side hustle or a business venture - I'd be doing it anyway.The thing that always links to success is ‘realness' - when it lights up people's eyes you know it's true. It's those who have the bravery to follow thatA better way of being a community of people interacting with one another is when we sidestep division. Being led by kindness - one of the hardest but most rewarding things about being alive.Support the Show.

Summary: In a world of consumption & content this chat ponders which containers for connection are going to hold us in relationships that are strong enough to navigate sickness & health, vitality & misery & how we build bridges to thread our significant worlds into one place so we can be ‘whole'.  Over & above the individual, we ask ‘how do we build cultures where ‘welcome' is the default & division is not normalised. Casper TerKuile  is an articulate, poetic communicator who believes that ritual holds the key for much of this transition work. Where we buck the system, going beyond the prioritising of comfort at the expense of belonging.  Casper lyrically leads us through making everyday things deeply intentional, shared moments of magic that change our attitude to the mundane & bring magic to the small threads of potential delight. In a desire to move beyond the morass of 'MEH' we consider that whatever the problem - community is the answer & how we might build bridges to connect everyone's efforts to create the necessary structures. What ever they are - you can't treat community like a shopping centre - waiting to serve your every whim but with nothing offered in return.In an unexpected twist we ask: How would someone farm humans? - a lot more singing & dancing & a lot less sitting behind a deskWe Chatted About:Power of Ritual - Casper ter Kuille - rhymes with SmileNearness ProjectThe Overstory - Richard PowersA Paradise Built in Hell - Rebecca SolnitSupport the ShowBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonShow Notes:How are community & spirituality changing Less than half the population now consider themselves religious - lowest in historyHow can we connect more deeply with the people who matter Exploring spiritualityCreating pathways to build deeper relationships & bonds Creating collaborative covenants - Professional relationships as defined by the way ‘we want to be together'. Sacred reading - one of the most profound reading practices - as much about how you are reading as what you are reading “I may not be guilty but we are all responsible”Potluck dinners to build communities of warmthIs your “place” where the trees look like they should?Does placeless-ness contribute to a sense of cosmic loneliness?Seeing the best of people in tough times - it calls for the best in peopleWe were once born into a ‘role' and way of being Making our day to day decisions through the framework of regeneration that results in life.Anti elite vitriol in rural USA emphasised and polarised by social media companiesRelational cohesionNose to tail eating…meat eaten with reverence. Honouring the beast that gave its lifeThe value of policy makers in our period of transitionI went to graduate school on divinity and public politicsWhy change makers need to find homes at all tiers of system change Support the Show.