Futuresteading

If you're yet to hear Mitch perform 'You're the voice", I beg you to head to the link at the bottom and listen. Carrying the message of unification, love and kindness. Culture is not foreign to Mitch who imbeds a celebration of it into every facet of life as tools to build identity and a strong sense of place. For him living and breathing culture is the start middle and end of it.An articulate, straight talker he sheds light on why everyone deserves a chance to not only survive but to thrive. His super-power-story-telling ability notches up a few ranks when on stage and over the last few years he has found a platform for passing on knowledge through song and dance. Nerves and awe aside, Jade manages to dig a little into the psyche of this incredible individual, who without question shows us why the first nations people of this country were not hunters and gatherers but the most purposeful people to have ever walked.Show NotesMa-wollagoolabah - self, family, communityFalling in love with his identity and eagerly celebrating this in a respectful and authentic wayThe value of being raised by a strong single motherPublicly honoring women to the point of reverenceBeing relentless in our desire to keep talking to convey a message of transparencyCircle people - we are connected to everything and everything is connected to usCan song and dance as mediums take their place as a much needed storytelling toolsEmojis are an ancient format Humans disconnection from spirit, soul and heartBeing the most connected and the most disconnected simultaneouslyHolidays = connection to the natural world. Do we love holidays or do we love the opportunity to unconsciously connect to our evolutionary placeBuilding an understanding of the spirit in the landOpening yourself up to ‘feel’ Honoring our ancestors, offering a rightful seat at the decision table and acknowledging the knowledge held by indigenous people"We're not hunters and gatherers, we’re the most purposeful people to have ever walkedThere are so many conversations to be had - we need to keep talkingHis mob cared for the land to co-exist not to be captured or controlled Walking together and healing so we can get to where we need to get toThe first people of a land MUST be heard first If your hearts in the right place you can only do the best you can with what you've got to ‘level’ up’Stradling the reality of living an urban life with intent and purpose while knowing how powerful a childhood on country can beSelf perception vs how others perceive youInstilling identity, belonging and connection through ritualLiving and breathing culture as part of every day lifeAvoiding the traps of fame by staying focussed on his purposeStaying grounded by knowing that he is just a vessel with a message who is part of something so much bigger than himStarting with self love - heal, educateConditioning that has bred fear of differenceComing together with an intent to heal, love and listen. Having real conversations which are birthed out of truthMitch Tambo InstagramMitch Tambo - You're the VoiceKeen to buy the Futuresteading book? Its now available at all good bookstores or you can order online here.Support the show

This heart led Mumma of three has been luring us with images of a dreamy, bloom filled life on her Daylesford apple orchard & words of equal romance via her craft blog for over a decade. She laughs easily, has found balance in being real & makes the simplest of thoughts feel like genuine aha moments. Kate Ulman is wrenchingly honest about the reality of farm life with young children, turning inwards when self care is needed & whether her babies will return to life on the land. Although not at her kitchen table, the intimacy of this conversation feels very personal & will leave your cup full & your heart nourished.Episode notesSeeing your home the way others doRealising she is driven by making, creating & beautyTaking an ugly foundation & making it ‘beautiful’ slowly & sureThe essence of a creative soul raising more creative beingsEvolving with our children who are becoming the people they are going to beCreating a ‘place’ for our childrenThe impact of an early childhood experience on a kibbutzLearning to farm at 30 & retrospectively being amazed they could do itGrowing things organically was our religion but we actually didn’t know howLife before social media - 10 years of ‘ugliness’ because we could afford the beautiful Sharing the raw truth of life on the land with a small familyExpectation vs realitySeasonal appreciation“Every season is another chance to get last years mistakes better”The annual pre Winter crises & assessment of realityPre farming life as a crafter & bloggerAcknowledging there's a time & place for everythingFiling your soul with the small &simple things but being realistic about doing whats possibleBeing kind about expectations“Being a martyr & running yourself ragged is NOT the solution but being aware & keeping it joyful means you can do it forever”Saying “I don't know” comfortablyWhen we take our actions so seriously that it puts other people including the next generation off ever wanting to participate in something worth doing Letting go of the little things like baking bread for the sake of the bigger pictureActively engaging with community wherever a snippet can be garneredPutting her energies into writing a bookTaking back her families story so it wasn’t available to the world onlineRediscovering herself post early childhood mother-domBeing the complete opposite of organisedCreating a plan for ‘older life’ so the love of the farming life continuesWhy bigger is not better. The active vision to make things simplerWhy her mum is her greatest inspiration for her approach to motherhoodHow she became the encourager of creativityDaily exclamation marks of ritual elude her because she follows inspiration insteadWhy her good intentions for ritual get forgottenWhy deep diving quickly into real conversations is important to herHer definition of success as living her truth & being filled with honesty, creativity, availability to the things she cares about Having the confidence to live from your heartGifting your future self by thinking aheadReferencesFox’s LaneSupport the show

While the path has been somewhat short, this enigmatic & curious chic sees life through a different set of goggles making her excited about all the things she’s yet to learn. Trusting herself & letting faith hold her has made her the queen of the pivot, from culinary school to fireside cooking, cookbooks to online workshops, who knows what tomorrow looks like...for any of us. For now though she is living in Florida, working with the next generation of creatives & taking it one day at a time. She’ll boost your gumption & perhaps light a fire that sends YOU in a new direction too.Spontaneously moving back to Florida mid pandemicHow fire catering became her thingHer winding & unexpected education pathWhy her collaboration with Louisa Brimble to create her cookbook series was ‘Art in the making’Being thankful for longer journeys Her artististic heritage & homeschooling childhood Creative Sarah meandered via small business ventures & fell on her bum a few timesFinding the balance between passion & monetised practicalityPutting a price on your work as a creative who still needs to feed yourselfThe fear of failure in business, overcome by being humble & owning her foiblesTaking wise counsel from our elders - finding mentorsGrowing up in the church resulted in an openness to receiving advicePay for the help you need o cover the skills you don’t have or don’t enjoyGuilding her clan - family firstSeparating business from personalActively seeking mentorship as a key life pillar - creating a safe, trusted environment to grow.Rituals to reset & recalibrate; surfing, running, movement + reading, journaling, spiritual recheckManaging a balanced head + heart lifeThe silver linings of making mistakesLosing ‘sarah’ in the busy-nessFollowing her intuition to make the big decisions - taking a leap of faithRemoving “stinking thinking” from your worldEmbracing WILDTalking to the next generation to inspire, upskill and connectThe power of curiosity and endlessly asking questionsSeeing with a new set of goggles and getting creative Seeking the pivot as an opportunity to quench thirst & seek more knowledgeTrusting & taking the first step in the direction of your dreams - just start!ReferencesWILD cookbookSarah Glover - InstagramSupport 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

Todays conversation (and the book he just wrote) is for anyone who eats. This much loved, story-telling fat pig farmer shares in very human terms why caring about soil is caring for the future of humanity. And we feel sure that by end you too will be tapping a dance in support of our single greatest foundation for life. He takes a complex topic and makes us all want to fight for it from wherever we are, balconies, veggie patches, community gardens, small acreage or large scale farms. From gut biome and mental health to food production and climate change his words will remind us why humility is needed when it comes to dealing with the ecosystem which feeds us.Episode Summary Is soil science impenetrable? He wanted to make it accessible.Overcoming the identity crisis of soil via storytelling to activate imagination“ If we just think about soil as the stuff that gets between me and mashed potato then it will never get the attention it really deservesWe have to make everyone care - and get as excited about it as the foundationThe farming movement which is as interested in what happens below the soil as above 98% of all our calories come from topsoilAustralia's agricultural land has lost half of its topsoil in the last 200yearsTopsoil feeds us and we need to arrest the loss and cherish the changeWhy finding soil builders is more helpful than feeling fearIt takes about 1000 years for nature to create 1cm of topsoil so we need to find a way to make it faster Finding those who are growing topsoil faster, learning from them and leap froggingSuper big brained soil scientists combined with ancient wisdom is demystifying and reassuring The super power of solidarity and sharingBeing comfortable with your “work in progress” as temporary custodians We are only one very small part of a long time scale Home gardener super heroes not to be underestimated Every bit of soil matters; pot plants, lawn, vegie garden, community gardensSmall domestic gardens feed 1 billion people globally. 70% of food grown in the world is grown in domestic environments Most of where we live is former food growing land but can we reignite it for food production againBringing our children up to value soil and farming while being engaged in a world that is interesting to them.Honest insights into parenthood as a farmer How to bring a relentlessly stimulated culture on a slow and gentle journeyThe 'Old Friends and hygiene' hypothesis'Embracing a world which is dominated from bacteria - accepting we are PART of it and healthier when entrenched in it.The interconnectedness of how we exist in the worldWe haven't been humble enough to recognise that the thing which feeds us properly needs to be allowed to do its thing properly. The miracle of watching seeds grow. Nature’s on our side but we have to give it a chance.Caring about soil is caring about the future of humanity. We really all need to care about its fate and currently we don't.Fat Pig FarmSoilSupport the show

Annie Raser-Rowland is the co-author of two of our most treasured books; The Weed Forager’s Handbook and The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More. Annie is an artist, horticulturalist and adventurer who has a knack for thwacking you with the truth -- in the best possible way.If you don't know this marvellous lass, that's probably because she keeps a pretty low profile online, preferring to spend her days in a state of sensuous connection with the world, pursuing everything money can't buy. And she has some excellent tips for helping you do the same.Annie and Catie cover a lot of ground in this convo, from hitchhiking adventures and weed foraging to chronic conditions, choosing life over career and controversial acts in the face of climate change. We know we say this every time... but this one's a goodie!SHOW NOTESSingle parent family taught her to be independent, responsible, frugal.Epic hitchhiking journeys around Australia.Discovering different ways of having fun that don’t cost money.When hitchhiking becomes a form of talk therapy.Attention as a practise.What to do when Monkey Mind takes over and you stop seeing the beauty in the everyday.Humans as story-addicted creatures.Solistalgia — when you’re nostalgic for where you are.The rate of change in modern society and how that disrupts a sense of place, belonging.How to plant yourself in new places. The sensory pleasure of the weather.Weather makes landscape and landscape makes culture.The origins of her love of weeds.Plant-filtering laser eyeballs that seek out food.There’s food you can eat that has zero environmental impact, beyond homegrown veggies.Writing a novel in celebration of non-utilitarian, fruity, hyper-abundant language.How a cancelled hike led to a quirky storyline.How to orchestrate a life in which time and adventures are plentiful.The beauty of turning down requests (even when they’re super impressive).The conscious choice not to have children.Giving work the flick in favour of life.How a chronic health condition has affirmed her choices and priorities."I’d rather not eat out, not buy new clothes, and spend lots of my time at the beach (which is what I’m currently doing)."Dealing with guilt about working less.Why keep trying to accrue more money more once you have enough?Protestant work ethic upbringing needs to be questioned right now.The ‘work’ of being a low-consumer is valid too.“I believe in the pattern of a society that these frugal habits are part of… and I want to perpetuate that.”Controversial tips for changing the world.Amazement as a tool for appreciating ordinary objects; being less wasteful.It’s a novel time. The rules are now different. Having children being the norm can no longer be part of the status quo. Drive less! Use your car if you would hire a car to do that thing, otherwise, find a different way.Good times with human beings is not something to be lazy about. Cultivating the skill of conversation. LINKS YOU'LL LOVEThe Weed Forager's Handbook ~ Annie Raser-Rowland & Adam GrubbThe Art of Frugal Hedonism ~ Annie Raser-Rowland & Adam GrubbSupport the show

From confident whizz kid to suffering imposter syndrome - heck haven’t we all - this accomplished millennial spokeswoman and now author shares her tales of covid motherhood, the power of stories to ground us and working through the bravado to pop out at her truth.We like to call her Pacey Stacey-June, she thinks, speaks and acts at a cracking rate but despite this, has a gentle, soulful sense of wisdom and refreshing honesty.SHOW NOTESHer 2020 reality: Editing a book, having a baby and living life in lockdownBeating one beat ahead of her surroundingsLockdown lessons - thriving in ISOReasons to ‘get real’ fastThe difference between the medium of audio and the medium of written wordsWhat gave her Imposter syndrome and how storytelling reassured herThe truth of writing and rewriting a manuscript BEFORE you send it to the editorWorking through the bravado and digging to the truth of not knowing everythingThe confronting challenge of embracing shortcomingsThe broken nature of our education system which creates self doubt and builds wallsOwning “Author-dom”Learning to have a better conversation with your intuition and trusting your instinctWhy she things there’s really only a handful of feelingsTransitioning from passionate, ambitious and self focused pre motherhood to being humbled by a new born which has taught me the most epic lessons of my life.Redefining her values following motherhoodHer curiosity for other womens stories and why she honors them to rebut the patriarchyHaving to hunt out stories of people who represented her The bullshit theory that all women in the sisterhood should get along but acknowledging that a feminine energy connects us and gives us strength “Women have more in common than not and if we could just get past the bullshit then we could definitely build a sisterhood that holds us”The difference between community and having a lot of people in our lifeGetting past shallow connections, demanding we give more of ourselves in return for a robust community to be wrapped around usHow motherhood helps you to build a communityBuilding self through repetitive practices Finding quiet so her inner voice will speak to her rather than her speaking to it.Giving her intuition a name “my divine”Honouring anxiety by giving it enough quiet timeThe value of creating flexible plans rather than rules so you don’t feel like you’ve broken an agreementThe difference between her public and her private profileThe value of protecting her intimate self by taking a deep breath before oversharing in a public realm.LINKS YOU'LL LOVESelf care clubSingle Pringle - Stacey JuneSupport the show

As publisher of Dumbo Feather & Co-owner of Small Giants, Berry is one heck of a leader who doesn’t shy away from wearing her heart, beliefs and the paradox of life on her sleeve. In her own words she is ‘living with meaning in this one wild & precious life’ & as a master of language this interview will challenge you, pave the road for asking questions & fill you with fierce hope. SHOW NOTESBeing a good ancestor by leaving a legacyAdulting = knowing your decisions leave an impactBeing shocked into asking essential questionsSitting in the uncomfortable truth to work things out owning your identity & bringing weight to your beliefsActivism & violence is correlative - group think thrives in this environmentThe grandchild of holocaust survivors, the daughter of a refugee entrepreneur - her intergenerational trauma gives her strength to take an opinionHer interest in the moderate centre for a radical shiftNavigating her kids through the complexity of being culturally differentBeing proximate to the issues we need to put our efforts into Why we need to have opinions despite living in a world of cancel cultureRehumanise, relocalise & embrace hard conversations respectfullyThe value of finding wisdom without actionBringing the three dimensional view of hands, head and hard to the table with kindness & generosity.Creating online communities which are nourishing & useful not toxic and depletingPulsing so you can continue to show upBuilding touchstones of people who are conscious, emotionally intelligent, empatheticMinimising the obsession with the ego. Why the hero’s journey is a false narrativeShit gets interesting when we are awake to the beauty of this incredible planetThe subtle shift of changing your thoughts from things happening ‘to’ me to things happening ‘for’ meWe can all own a regenerative, restorative future but we need to do this togetherThe fraught promise of collaborationOwnership means nothing but everythingBecome an elder by taking ownership of actionsWhy context mattersUsing AND instead of BUT so you don’t negate everything you’ve already said so you can hold multiplicity & not be reductionistLiving meaningfully in this one wild & precious life.Being inspired by language - the most incredible technology we’ve inventedQUOTES“If you keep things in, you project things out, the shadows can haunt you”“It’s easier to have a broad tent of acceptance when those you are engaging are proximate”“If I haven’t metabolised my story, I can't be of use to the future”“Australians weren’t born into hatred of the “other”LINKS YOU'LL LOVEDumbo Feather - publicationSmall Giants - AcademyAn inconvenient truth - filmNature and the human soul - Bill PlotkinDonut Economics - Kate Raworth Regen Melbourne - Small GiantsSupport the show

Jade takes a peek inside the clever, creative and quietly brilliant world of Natasha Morgan. Natasha is, in her own words, a landscape architect and urban designer by profession, and a multi-disciplinary creative collaborator by natural inclination. Anyone who’s been to Natasha’s design hub and home, Oak and Monkey Puzzle, can attest to that.After throwing career caution to the wind and enrolling herself in the school of life, Natasha and family embarked on a major tree-change from Melbourne to a five acre property in rural Victoria, learning to live with the seasons, grow and gather, preserve, make and embed themselves in place.This honest and passionate conversation reveals what it’s like to relinquish international renown and kindle a simple existence in partnership with nature. Clairvoyant chooks included.SHOW NOTESBlooming independence that came from her childhoodHer mum's immigration story A childhood love of getting in the dirt to grow things Architecture to landscape architecture and then urban design and place making.“During my times of greatest challenge, I gardened my way through it.”How people connect with places and the stories of the landscape“My real curiosity about people developed as I developed curiosity about myself.”Creating immediacy with her endeavoursA desire to build a life via the disparate threads of interests she had.Despite managing a 17 million dollar project, she couldn't get her child to sleep How a humble chalkboard was the catalyst to create an entirely new life The complexity and celebration that comes with collaboration.Seeking solace and inspiration in your surroundings“I’ve never in my life had such a deep respect for soil, sun and water - they've become my currency.”“While I can’t change the world around me, I can change this five acre plot.”Coming to peace with the severity of seasonality and the cyclical nature of growing food“The seasons are like old friends - they bring a reverence for what’s around us.”The role of chickens in settling a 10 year old autistic mindCreating an immersive life with kids so their imaginations can thriveAcknowledging the grief that comes with an autism diagnosisWhile neuro-diversity is ‘bloody hard’ it’s also an incredible gift Reconnecting with the inner - “No amount of accolades could give me the joy I get from seeing my children find the first pine mushroom of the season."Making space for experiences rather than things.Transitioning slowly and intentionally via storytellingHow sharing a dream bought bigger ideas to fruition incrementallyYou don't need a lot to do something, but being curious is the first step.Changing your life within your areas of influence."I let gardening be the one thing in my life that I didn't have to be in control of. It gave me permission to make mistakes."LINKS YOU'LL LOVENatasha + Oak and Monkey Puzzle on InstaThe Peace of Wild Things ~ Wendell BerryMilkwood PermacultureSupport the show

Helena Norberg-Hodge is a writer, filmmaker, international speaker and leader of the global localisation movement. She’s been promoting an economics of personal, social and ecological well-being for more than 40 years, and is one of the world’s most treasured environmentalists and visionaries.Today Helena pulls up an apple crate at the Futuresteading campfire to share stories from Ladakh, lament the madness of globalization and light the way back (and forward) to oneness.We discuss the true wealth of traditional societies, the dangers of scale and tech solutions, pressure to conform to a consumer monoculture, and the real economy of Mother Gaia. Oh, she’s brilliant folks. We’re so excited to welcome you into this conversation. SHOW NOTESHow she ended up on a remote plateau in Tibetan India.Discovering the healthiest, happiest, most peaceful people she had ever met.Existing under surveillance in times of political tension.The true wealth of traditional societies.Why people everywhere are being pressured to conform to a consumer monoculture.A need for a deeper dialogue between the west and the global south.The path of separation; being herded into urban centres and separated from the land. Instead of being dependent on the land, we became dependent on enormous institutions to meet our needs.Manufactured scarcity.The luxury of using more energy per person per capita… is it actually a luxury?Policy change is needed to make decentralisation possiblePollies on auto-pilot re. urbanisation. Governments are separating us from the sources of our food, creating unsustainable, toxic, energy-hungry situations in the name of growth.Why most people are getting poorer despite our obsession with growth. Towards smaller towns and smaller cities. When you shorten the distance between farm and table, you have market pressure towards diversity.What happens when people are replaced by energy and technology.Stay away from the propaganda that’s saying we need technological fixes.In Ladakh, everyone grows up with a multi-dimensional knowledge of how to grow, build, make clothes, dance, create. How modernity negatively affects young people versus radiantly confident youth in Ladakh.Australia flies food to China to be processed before being flown back again.The things we aren’t hearing about in the climate movement.Are people in power totally evil? Localisation is a clear path towards systemic healing.Simple policy changes can catalyse radical change.Why there is no distinction between human and non-human life.There is a huge awakening happening! The real economy is Mother Gaia.We aren’t so greedy after all.What happens when we create human-scale interventions. Experiencing oneness and the fabric of interdependence via localisation.World Localization Day! What it’s about and how you can get involved.LINKS YOU'LL LOVEWorld Localization DayLocal FuturesNoam ChomskySmall is Beautiful ~ E F SchumacherNaomi KleinRussel BrandBrian EnoSupport the show

If you consider yourself multipassionate, someone who entertains a vast array of interests (while regularly feeling overwhelmed), then we have the role model for you!Fiona Weir Walmsley of Buena Vista Farm in Gerringong, NSW, has walked a quirky and colourful path, embodying the diversity and adaptability we so desperately need for a resilient future. From running a medieval catering company to earning her marketing stripes, living ‘from scratch’ and leading women in local food, keeping bees, tending goats and, gosh, writing a book while she’s at it… Fiona is our kind of renaissance farmer!Hear how Fiona and her family have created a super diverse existence on 18 acres (think goats, chooks, cows, veggies, cheese, cut flowers + cooking school) -- and enjoyed the kind of riches money will never buy.SHOW NOTESShe is writing a book! Cooking food from scratch.Her “from scratch” life.A background in commercial cookery, medieval history and marketing.Why she locked the front door for this interview…Buena Vista biscuits built a local presenceTransitioning back to her family farmFarming succession planning: five generations of dairy farmersDiscovering Joel SalatinBuilding a commercial kitchen to kick off cash flow“We swore to ourselves we would never take being given a farm for granted.”Diversifying to be financially viable: bees, chickens, goats, market gardening, cooking school, book writing.“Sometimes our heads feel like they're going to fall off and my brains will come out of my ears.”Creating a community of WWOOFers and watching them go on to do incredible things.Getting practical with support from online apps to stay on top of everything.Transitioning her market garden to cut flowers.Ebbing and flowing the various business arms depending on who has the energy, what season it is, what the greater market forces are doing.Her ‘farm native’ babiesGetting a local, weekly farmers market off the ground.“When farmers markets are weekly, it changes peoples food buying habits.”Actively participating in a female led, food-centric community.Is her life photoshopped? How real is the grid?The pain in the arse truth about sourdough.Finding solidarity with others who have a collaborative vision.Helping younger people get a leg up into regen ag.Sourdough was the first “SLOW FOOD”.Living this way is never going to make sense financially; you have to uncouple your thinking from capitalism ways and instead see the rewards as non-fiscal.LINKS YOU'LL LOVEBuena Vista FarmSAGE farmer's marketJoel Salatin + Polyface FarmDeep Winter Agrarian GatheringGerringong farmer's marketSupport 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.SHOW 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 dominationLINKS YOU'LL LOVEMara + Village Dreaming on InstagramVillage Dreaming + ORTO Farm onlineThe Red Tent ~ Anita DiamantSupport the show

This week, Catie sits down with Alice Crowe in her plant-filled Melbourne home for a chat over tea and marmalade toast. Alice is a Botanist, kitchen gardener at Heide Museum of Modern Art, founder of The Lush Forest, president of Growing Farmers and former litigation lawyer who underwent a pretty radical life pivot -- ample inspiration for anyone who’s ever wanted to ‘just quit everything’ to see what happens next.We talk: pulling the pin on conventional success, the primal energy of the rainforest, boring habits (that make for a beautiful life), can backyard farming feed the world? and things you can’t go to your grave without knowing.SHOW NOTESThe journey from litigation lawyer to botany nerd.The perils and pure distraction of perpetual busy-ness. When your body says NUP.When external metrics of success don’t align with your internal compass.Quitting a corporate career without a plan. Taking three months off to do who-knows-what.How quickly wellness returns when you Just Stop.How a short horticulture course at Burnley College became a Master of Science (Botany).Idolising people who wear secateurs on their belt.Approaching nurseries as a mature-age assistant with no skills and no experience.The joy of pottering around watering geraniums. Realising that the simple, non-intellectual stuff is where it’s at for happiness.An epiphany thanks to Ficus elastica.How to honour what your heart wants when that’s not necessarily what the world wants.Less noise during the pandemic = more clarity.Boring habits that facilitate contentment, peacefulness.Why being in a tropical rainforest is a primeval, sensory experience.Brain explosion! How did we get these amazing plants and universe?Things you can’t go to your grave not knowing.The delight in the mundane and the magic of dumb questions.Why everyone should look at something through a microscope once daily!Photosynthesis = SORCERY.The story of plant evolution is the story of the earth.Why we need more scientific literacy to fight misinformation that hobbles climate action.The folly of mental striving. We’ve got what we’ve got. The paradox of changemaking: Is it more effective when you’re not out to succeed?Rebecca Solnit.The garden of your mental health.Meditation as foundation.Why true acceptance is truly courageous.The myth of the individual, self-sufficient unit.No individual can fight a system. How to get on the systems waves with others!How Growing Farmers began and how it’s transforming backyards, local food systems, new farmer opportunities and (with any luck) the planet.Building non-transactional community relationships.Will we go down the tech farming or agroecology road?Why all the academic arguments in the world aren’t a substitute for just giving it a go.Why shifting our current paradigm and lifestyle is terrifying!Practising new systems while things are relatively ‘stable’.Talking to kids who are scared about climate change. LINKS YOU'LL LOVEAlice on InstaThe Lush ForestHeide Museum of Modern ArtGrowing FarmersRebecca SolnitJonathan Lear -- Radical HopeSupport the show

Catie goes free range with her mic to interview one of Melbourne’s best loved urban farmers: Simeon Ash from Spoke & Spade and Collingwood Children's Farm.Sit with us on a wooden bench in Sim’s city plot, freshly planted with broad beans, garlic and greens, as we chat about the realities of small-scale farming in Australia’s second largest city. (Don’t mind the occasional plane or magpie serenade.)Sim has been leading the charge in urban ag for years, better known as ‘that guy who turned the front yard of his rental into a market garden’ following a Curtis Stone-style approach. Without owning any land himself, Sim has tended numerous backyard farms in inner-suburban Melbourne, offering CSA veggie boxes (delivered by electric bike!) to his local community, plus a heckload of inspiration to aspiring growers. We talk educational pathways, finances, unexpected pests (and their excrement) and the power of surrounding yourself with a believable solution to the impossible issues of our time.SHOW NOTESWhy backyard growing is so much more than food productionCompost as the gateway to the interconnectedness of nature and human systemsCompleting a permaculture design course to 'join the dots’ on systemsFinding good people who have already done what you want to do - then copying them.Setting yourself up as an urban micro farmer ain't straightforward!Striking relationships with people who have spare space and are eager to see it productive.Making the business viable via a CSA modelTrawling google maps to find unused empty blocks and hitting up the landlords for a dual relationships.How food is as political as it is connective.Front yards > backyardsSeeking permission to use rental properties for micro businesses .Setting up a farmgate on your vergeGoing to the ‘dark side’ of facebook to engage his communityMaking crust with values intact - honest insights into the financial reality of urban farming.Simplicity as the baseline for this life.Acknowledging his ‘underserved position of privilege’.A vision of Melbourne being a leading hub of urban agriculture.Minimum viability scale of 2 hectaresHow life aspirations change with experience and time.Pests and poo in food production spacesWhy time is your greatest asset as a market gardenerRepeated existential crisis that lead to farming as his way of ‘doing something and being part of something that is positive'.We are at a time in history where we could sacrifice a little more "I’m 30 and Id like to see a future where I wont be so mad at myself for not doing anything."Being a human scale change-maker. Taking a leap which makes the leap for the next person less of a jump.LINKS YOU'LL LOVESpoke & Spade on Instagram + WebCurtis Stone -- The Urban FarmerThe NEIS schemeMilkwood PDCSupport the show

“Meat is hard” as Laura Dalrymple (of Feather and Bone fame) knows only too well. But this ethical meat mistress also knows that demonising meat is a distraction from the much bigger and much more urgent issues of our time.Taking the hard questions head on is what Laura does best with an eloquence and warmth that makes you wonder what was so problematic in the first place.In this hour of conversation we discuss taking ownership of our own actions by tapping into our own moral scales to find a balance that’s right for each of us. And feeling solidarity in the knowledge that, “Food is the universal connector that is a powerful political, social, economic and cultural force that we need right now”.SHOW NOTESTackling the food system issues via ethical meat Engaging people emotionally and intellectually to transform the food systemTaking actions to shorten the supply chain Retelling core myths in new ways The genesis of her book “The Ethical Omnivore’The insane juggle of raising a family while running a business and writing a bookWhy optimism is important in these times of changeArresting eco anxietyFacing hypocrisy dailyRestoring cultural landscapes in short time framesManaging the frustration of the “say/do gap” Why change is slow and hard but worth the journeyWhy a food system needs more than just farmers; it also needs storytellers and eaters and wholesalers, community buildersWe don’t have time to be precious about our values position or our patch; we face serious issues and we need open hearted, respectful and non-judgemental togetherness to enact change.Being vigilant about doing the “best you can” rather than “the best there is”.Food is the universal connector that that unlocks change in a powerful wayJade's story of rebuilding a community through the lens of her new knowledgeBeing capable of straddling multiple ideals The power of wholistic thinking rather than silo mentalityThe magnetic process that occurs where you move into the orbits of the people who have similar idealsThe demonisation of meat in recent years which seem to distract from the issues at handWriting a book that's an embodiment of transparencyTalking about slaughter is the kiss of death but it's critical to talk about it or it will become a dark opaque corner of the universe that everyone ignores.Answering the most asked, most confronting question: “How did the animal die?"Realising our role in the ecosystem of life Not being a killjoy with overzealous passion. LINKS YOU'LL LOVEFeather and Bone onlineThe Ethical Omnivore ~ Laura Dalrymple and Grant HilliardSydney University ~ Charles Perkins CentreSupport the show

Brooke McAlary has built a life and brand around slow. She's the author of three books, the co-host of The Slow Home podcast and the voice of a movement that says, "Dear Joneses, I'm opting out of the rat race."But hey, that doesn't mean she's exempt from overwhelm. This convo opens with Brooke and Jade swapping stories of exhaustion. File that under honesty. So join us on the couch as we define our zone zero, get our inner turmoil sorted before facing the outer chaos, and discuss a potential inner care deficit.We talk packaged up versions of “balance” “slow” and “simple” and why “tilting” may be more useful; leaning into the most pressing issue of the moment.Why multi tasking is a farce but barefoot bushwalking creates a heady sense of lightness, wonder and awe that just might hold the answers.Say no to fast and yes to slow living with Brooke McAlary.SHOW NOTESWhy her books and pod are basically talking to herself to maintain a slower paceBeing diagnosed with severe postnatal depression Googling in search of solutionsLetting go of the relentless ‘keep up’ approach to lifeStabilising mental health and finding a deeper sense of contentmentLiving life with no bufferOperating at 70% capacity to ensure there’s room for unplannedDefining and protecting zone zeroGetting the inner turmoil sorted before facing the outer chaosAvoiding an inner care deficitThe intrinsic link between inward care and capacity to give Why the words 'balance', 'simple' and 'slow' are all fraughtThe endless wrestle of living counter culturally Learning to “tilt” rather than “balance”The fraudulence of multi taskingExperiencing a loss of connection, celebration and grieving as a result of covidFacing into the need for ‘unlearning’ to build a brave new non-consumerist worldBuilding your tribe without preaching Equating simple with ‘ease’ not ‘easy’ Why simplicity lives in the process of finding easeNoticing = gratitudeFamily rituals that offer hopeBarefoot bushwalking on a bliss waveA designated slow room Reconciling the footprint of travel by embracing her local areaVision Quests Why small actions of care, purpose and values are creating powerful ripples Rebuilding rites of passage for our youth to test and expand resilience and tap into the wisdom from older generationsWriting a letter to your younger selfJump starting our memory making function LINKS YOU'LL LOVEZenHabitsSlow - Brooke McAlaryDestination Simple - Brooke McAlaryCare - Brooke McAlaryRites of passage instituteAlone - SBS seriesVision Quest ChallengesSupport the show

Having just moved back to her childhood home in Tasmania, Pip Lincolne is celebrating the launch of her latest book “Days Like These” while giving herself time and space to etch her place in a new community. And of course, create for the love of it.This conversation speaks to the value of taking a temperature check on your feelings, asking consent before giving advice, having ‘enough’ rather than excess, and why success lies in the simplest of things -- not least of which is an insatiable love of books.SHOW NOTESWriting books that are heart on sleeve The creative journey of meet me at mikes Life with clinical depression and chronic anxiety and turning it into something worthwhile for others If mums are not ok then no-one else is okThe collaborative journey of writing a book Building friendship and community groups through creativityTaking the gloss off and replacing it with grit in the way we tell our storiesBeing true and sincere for the sake of empowering others Making the move to Tassie following a covid job loss “When you return to the place you grew up in, it's like you’ve left pieces of your DNA there and your body knows that this is where you belong."Taking the time to narrow ideas rather than taking on too muchThe joy of being a cog in the wheel and falling in behind othersThe creative doing is what matters most, not the end result. Taking time to unwind our minds with daydreams, procrastinationValuing the ‘middle-of-the-night’ interruptionsHot tip for mums to change the lens of insomnia to avoid the anxiety spiralAdvice for giving advice - seek permission and offer to listen firstAcknowledging that a person in crisis doesn’t want to be processed and managed rather “heard” and trustedSuccess is about having close bonds with your kids, a few close friends, supportive family, a cosy home and enough money to get by. Keeping her desires for MORE focussed on the non material things.A day in the life of a writerIf you’re ever stuck, “take it to the back fence, the answers are there”LINKS YOU'LL LOVECraft for the Soul -- Pip LincolneWhen Life is not Peachy -- Pip LincolneDays Like These -- Pip LincolneSupport the show

Kate (aka. Compostable Kate) has a thing for decomposition.This inner city mother of three is the self-appointed Compost Queen who single-handedly collects scraps from her neighbours and local cafes to reduce food waste and produce garden gold. As well as being an activist on the ground, she’s also a compost influencer in the ether. Kate is gaining thousands of followers on Instagram who love her catchy content and colourful tutorials on making grade-A hot compost. What's more, her stats are translating into action.In this convo, Kate shares the story of her potted street garden on the pavement in inner city Sydney, the cooling power of greenery in urban spaces, how she's using social media for good, and strategies for Insta-stalking local MPs to agitate for change.Upbeat, down-to-earth, anything-is-possible stuff from her Right Royal Highness of Compost.SHOW NOTESWhy composting is her number one focus!Being a share waste userComposting in a tiny inner city terraceBeing a crazy urban bowerbird Creating a composting ‘mothership' to service her ‘compost hungry’ needs Compost wars with her mumCreating a potted street garden for her communityInviting neighbours to join her on this questSwapping and sharing Permaculture wars in the suburbsExtending friendships beyond a sprig of mintHoarding behaviour during covidWhy it’s important to have fun when encouraging change The potency but potential poison of social mediaMaking compost a happy and exciting message via memes, music and comedyChanneling eco-activism between kids' napsEncouraging second hand presents Protecting the childhood years of wonderRising children who are empowered by their ability to actionFinding your ONE thing! Food waste as a catalyst for climate impactFocussing on local letter writing and agitation to bring about changeMaking the most of opportunities on our vergesChange can really happen in the tiny strips of soil between roads and footpathsThe power of green in a city is amplified against the black bitumenUsing movable pots in a rental to change the use of the streetscapeUrban sprawl by way of potted plants rather than housesUse of signage and lights to activate your street pot garden Being at peace if anything is stolen Getting resource savvy with the things you can find rather than always buying newCOMPOST HOW TOLINKS YOU'LL LOVEShareWaste appMichael Mobbs (creator of regenerative city verges in Chippendale)RetrosuburbiaUno's Garden - Graeme BaseBower - Reuse + Repair programsSupport the show

Come with us to a homesteading, homeschooling farmhouse in Pennsylvania where the days start early and the blessings are abundant. Grab a yellow chair on the porch (to the tune of morning crickets) and meet Sarah Stutzman, the down-to-earth powerhouse behind Wellfolk Revival, a place to meet belly to belly and up-skill yourself, your kids and your community.This is one of those rocking chair chats that offers a glimpse into someone else's world; their daily habits and ways of thinking. Their challenges and triumphs. Their personal paradigm. And even if you don't aspire to be a modern day homesteader, this convo could very well revive whatever latent life dreams you've got hiding in there. Time to action them?SHOW NOTESRaising kids in a “new normal”The value of community sufficiency What is homesteading?Her childhood on a Christmas tree farm surrounded by exotic animals before moving to life in a subdivisionAccidentally homesteading via a desire to know where her food came from Using skills to teach people how to start a garden, grow their food and take baby stepsBuilding communityResources needed for up-skillingCraving community Bringing people around the table to learnPivoting business around CovidEating organ meats and head cheeseEmbracing the chaos and imperfectionBlowing the romance perception and keeping it realBe the ripple effect by inviting people to your real house (messy and all) at any time and encouraging them to share their new skills with othersGetting the kids involved so the foundations to hold them during the rebellion phase are strongLetting kids feel their own way and encouraging them to learn through mistakesGetting past our own failures, focus on our successesIntegrating with the local Amish, traditional farmers and new wave of micro farmsConnecting!Reconciling the process of taking life to sustain our own nutritional needsCounting the things on your plate that you have a connection to Avoiding the throw away mentalityUsing the ENTIRE animal to honour the WHOLE and not just the best partsLooking for the blessings in between the constant hard workNourishing our bodies with good food and our minds with beautiful thingsStopping and embracing the simple moments as a measure of successSeeing success through the eyes of a childThe power of pulling out other people's gifts and talentsAvoiding the overwhelm of the emergency by doing the small things every day Haste makes waste so just make paceLINKS YOU'LL LOVEWellfolk Revival online + on InstagramSupport the show

Does activism always have to be so serious? Nup, says Emma-Kate Rose. Lighten up and let your hair down, let’s face our collective challenges in lycra! It was fitting that Emma-Kate was on her way to No Lights No Lycra as we recorded this convo, because her radical approach to balancing work and play is probably the most refreshing thing you’ll hear all day.After quitting her career in criminology inspired by Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, Emma-Kate went on to crowdfund $2 million for Brissy Food Connect’s community hub with partner Rob Pekin. Impressive stuff. She’s also a mother, social entrepreneur, community builder, risk taker, intuition-follower, and big fan of ‘sticking to your knitting’.Emma-Kate shares her transition from avid consumer to climate activist, unexpected ways to mobilise community, how indigenous epistemology infuses Food Connect, creating careholders not shareholders, bleeding days, part time work and food sovereignty. Look, it's a pretty frivolous conversation ;)Get snacks and press play on the wonderful Emma-Kate Rose!SHOW NOTESAn urban start in Sydney The cycle of boom and bust in her own childhood home led to questioning “why people do bad things”.Her career in criminology before taking on the food systemBeing hit with the “tonne of bricks that is climate change”.Starting a local climate action groupStarting a car sharing businessSelling the cars and putting the family on public transport and bicycles.Encouraging various economies to embrace de-carbonisation.Accidentally crowd funding $2 million to keep the wheels of Brisbane Food Connect turning and in the hands of community ownership.Manifesting intentions and creating visions despite having no money and no idea how.Questioning enough to move the needle rather than settling for business as usual solutions.Food Connect as a social enterprise that provides a platform for multiple values aligned businesses a chance to incubate into a supported environment.Offering office space to social entrepreneurs who need affordable access to office space.Incorporating indigenous epistemology into their business Creating careholders not share holdersFun over ideologyWhy we're ready to have a national conversation about embracing Indigenous cultureReassessing our sense of time and urgency -- “Act now is required but do we do that at the expense of our relationships with our fellow human beings?"Walking the talk and building a life that really honours a balanced life: work, community contribution, joy.Whats a bleeding day? Escaping the trap of being earnest in your activismMaking the most of bringing people together while we canLINKS YOU'LL LOVEFood Connect BrisbaneIndigenous Epistemology: Descent Into the Womb of Decolonised Research Methodologies - Marcus Waters and Marva McCleanDark Emu - Bruce PascoeThe Next EconomySupport the show

Plug in, listen up and let your imagination run 100 000 years into the future. Joshua Gilbert is a Worimi man, farmer, entrepreneur, environmental advocate and truth teller with a vision for a sustainable future -- and boy is it beautiful. We chat with Josh about the 60 000 years of agricultural history in his bones, why ‘Indigenous farming’ isn’t some separate and immutable thing, what the 26th of January means to him and why asking daft questions is all part of the process.Oh, and he’s optimistic that humanity will 'make it'... it just might require a little more respect for the past, deep self inquiry and a few less fences.It's a good day to be your ears.LINKS YOU'LL LOVE- Joshua Gilbert online + Instagram- Bruce Pascoe ~ Dark Emu- Bill Gammage ~ The Biggest Estate on EarthSupport the show

Hey multi-passionate peeps! Here's a chick who's notorious for turning every hobby into a jobbie and doing it pretty darn brilliantly. Harriet Birrell, aka. Natural Harry, is a serial entrepreneur who specialises in healthy, conscious, creative businesses with heart -- and today we're quizzing her about her process. Harry shares her intuitive approach to business and life, maintaining a flexible schedule that allows for creativity, evolving projects to align with her values (even if that means shutting them down) and finding success despite 'not having a business brain'.This open-water-swimming, tiny-house-dwelling, deliciously-self-deprecating woman is a breath of fresh air in a world of slick brands and brazen confidence. Down-to-earth all the way. SHOW NOTESHer free range farm childhood with veggie gardens, camping trips, paddock picnicsMaintaining complexity in creative avenues rather than falling into simplicityNever wanting to be boxed by one career choiceThe struggle of defining what you doThe value of a morning routineBox breathing to reset overwhelmAcknowledging your future self when building your dayThe power of self depreciation and putting your imperfections on showThe hypocrisy of owning a retail shop despite it being an ethical purchaseThe value of keeping high quality things in circulation rather than perpetuating consumptionNot being the expertSharing her knowledge and asking others to make it their ownCreating her books and then using them like everyone else who buys themThe short termism of fulfilling ourselves with anything other than deep personal satisfactionDaily habits: dry body brushingJudgement: do it less!Collaboration is key. Even as an entity in your own right, we need others around us to make it all come to life.Tales of her three businessesLiving close to the ocean and surrounded by natureBuilding community connections; how, why and whatLassooing her entrepreneurial spiritTaking risks by accident; finding success without a business brainThe bad habit of turning her hobbies into a businessCelebrating the wins to maintain motivationLINKS YOU'LL LOVENatural Harry online + InstagramNikole Ramsay photographyZeitgeist (film series)Support the show

If living in a permaculture village piques your interest, listen up! Global permaculture leader Morag Gamble joins us today from her home in Crystal Waters, one of Australia’s best known eco villages, sharing her wisdom on all things intentional communities, human cooperation, non-human relationships and permaculture ethics.Morag is candid about financials, telling us about how she’s achieved her debt-free set up while exploring alternative pathways for those who don’t have the means to ‘buy’ their utopia. A truly inspiring, long-form convo with one of Australia’s greatest holistic thinkers.SHOW NOTESHer life in the Southern Queensland eco village, Crystal WatersLiving surrounded by the ‘commons’Cohabitating with wildlifeDesigning water systems, community, mutual aid, electricity systemsHer transition from the suburbs to a life of permaculture practice via her eco pilgrimage which included: Gaia Ecology, localism and living a sustainable life in Ladakh India.Unschooling herself so she could homeschool her childrenThe secondary impact of Covid on developing nationsWorking with refugee settlements to build permaculture skills and resilienceHow young women in refugee settlements are being impacted by CovidBeginning women's cooperatives to supply the basics; soap, sanitary pads, clothes, seed saving.Earth care, people care, fair shareHow much is enough and how much could we share with others?Creating ripple effects The sheer practivism of permacultureWhy “they" is "we”Accepting the constant evolution of your role within your communityGiving yourself permission to become an ambassador for the change you want to seePersonal growth - if you find yourself in a lot of goop, perhaps its time to assess how you interact with people?How she got her start financiallyPurposefully building her house in small, affordable pods using discounted timber to avoid ever borrowing and allow for adaptation The freedom of having no debtCollective economies that generate shared ownership and responsibilityHow a “poverty” filled community can live as though they are incredibly “rich" by a simple change of lensBreaking the consumption pattern by considering how resources can be accessed alternativelyThe global stronghold of permaculture which is rarely seen by the mainstream mediaSpreading permaculture ambassadors across the world to ensure this gentler existence can spread far and wide fast and then coming back.“The difference that makes a difference.”Defining success by being energised by what you do.Creating boundaries to ensure the bills are paid and balance can be achievedAbundance mentality.LINKS YOU'LL LOVENora Bateson - Warm DataFritjof CapraSchumacher CollegeHelena Norberg Hodge -- Local FuturesPermaculture Education InstitutePermayouthMorag Gamble - Website + YouTubeSupport the show

Have you spent much time in the bush on your own? Do you listen to your heart when making life's big decisions? What about social media -- ever given it the flick?This conversation with Tricia Hogbin of little eco footprints might inspire you to do more of all three. Tricia lives with her husband and daughter in a downscaled shipping container, and while her “husband earns the money, she earns their resilience”.She takes her cues from Mother Nature and the moon, and knows the power of taking a breather, slowing down and seeking answers by turning inwards.With a good dose of open and healthy conversation about the life stages of women , all things moon cycles, shamanic witchcraft and spending time alone in the bush, this might just be the conversation all women need to hear to inspire that curious path of listening to one's heart.SHOW NOTESAvoiding the debt trapChildhood commitment to protecting natureObscene naive materialism where consumption is dictating our choicesNature connection gatherings for women, focus on slowing down, tuning into inner self, ritualBarefoot bushwalking, women’s circlesLiving a life by the cycles of the moonExperiencing a wilderness soloThrowing others opinions to the windStepping away from the grip of social media & taking a six month sabbaticalHaving the same rules for online communications as we do in the real worldAvoiding eco anxiety in kids Raising children who are resilient, creative and courageousReframing hypocrisy as an opportunity for changeShamanic Womancraft: reconnecting with the earth seasons and the lunar cycles. “A way to facilitate healing by reclaiming our feminine knowledge.” Taking a midlife gap yearFacing menopausePre Menstural Supervision Maiden, Mother, Maga, Crone“The deeper the journey, the more inwards I face and the smoother the road out in front.”Seeking time with wise eldersTaking time in the forrest for wild solitude to create a clear vision and gift yourself timeThe beauty of being uncomfortable and inconveniencedTurning the volume of others down so we can listen to our wise hearts LINKS YOU'LL LOVEWildcraft Australia School of Shamanic Womancraft • Come Home to Your Wild SelfThe Wisdom of Menopause - Christiane NorthrupThe Power Of Menopause with Jane Hardwicke Collings Little Eco Footprints - Website + InstagramSupport the show

Charlie Arnott is an eighth generation Aussie farmer, educator, regenerative ag advocate, podcast host, wellness dude and pretty darn enlightened dad in his spare time.For all that, there was a time Charlie wasn’t such a conscious operator. His early farming career was characterised by all the conventional stuff; synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, a high input/output model, and a bitter ongoing battle against nature.Today, he shares the epiphanies that led him to where he is today -- an award-winning biodynamic farmer who lives and breathes regenerative principles -- plus a veritable polyculture of stories, struggles and holistic thinking. A thought-provoking conversation with a visionary fella.SHOW NOTESA blessed country childhood with a high bar for work ethic and a deep appreciation of farmingBack on the farm from 1997, questioning the congruence of his values with his farming practicesInterrogating chemical use, increased understanding in human health.“Once you’ve learned other ways of doing things, you can’t unlearn them, and I was searching for something to “go towards”. I had a new set of KPIS including ecology, well being, sense of purpose."Building a new community of intuitive, curious land managers.Changing the paddock between your ears! Why people are mean when they are scared.If you don’t have a few enemies, you're not having a good go. Making decisions through the lens of seven generations.Making the legacy attractive enough for the next generation to see it as desirable.“My sense of compassion and gratitude for the paddocks in my care is immense.”Practices that are ritualistic and foster a sense of reverence for our surroundingsEngaging with the essence of our biome.Why we need to keep our food coming from places that are as close to the natural world as possible.Accepting those with different filters and ethics.Are plants sentient beings?Why using your credit card to abdicate responsibility for your actions isn't enough.The joy of not being an expert.Why it's OK to judge your former self but never others.A day in the life of Charlie ArnottJournaling for clarity and gratitude“Success is the confluence of preparation and opportunity”. LINKS YOU'LL LOVECharlie Arnott -- Website, Instagram, PodcastSacred Cow: The case for (better) meat -- DocumentaryThe Secret Life of Trees -- Peter WohllebenSupport the show

Get to know the wild, wise and wonderful Steph Phillips (aka Green and Growing Things) who's living the simple life in rural Tassie.Steph shares her four year transition from “Stiletto Steph” to “Simple Steph”, now raising three nature-loving wildlings in a frugal, seasonal and rhythmic fashion that's our kind of inspirational. In this slow paced and honest convo, Steph talks about everything from making paint from foraged materials to self-compassion, community bonds and her love/hate relationship with social media. One of those positive and affirming conversations that'll make you feel a whole lot better about the world. Listen in.SHOW NOTESRaising wildlings From having a purpose-built shoe wardrobe to her current lifeThe influence of Sir David Attenborough in kicking off her life changesBedding down small changes before you leap to the next changeThe importance of hibernation time: read, think, sit in order to gain strength for the busy timesHelping kids fall in love with the earthAvoiding comparison-itis with really strong boundaries on social mediaWhy we need to stay connected to self, our surrounds, the natural worldThe ‘say and do gap’. The power of leading by example and sitting in your crap.Guiding children with the mantra: “Use your manners and trust your heart.”Moving to Tassie four years agoA day in the life of a family of five who are living intentionally and simplyCreating a farm of ‘pets’Natural activities for kids: foraging, paint-making, collectionsForcing yourself to see the beauty in things; to stop, observe and give them the reverence they deserve.The delight of writing a book that fosters creativity and curiosityBeing kind to ourselves despite feeling the weight of hypocrisyParticipating in things that are out of our comfort zones; womens circles, chanting groupsEveryone has a storyTreating your phone like the inanimate object that it isMaking water colour paints from foraged findsLINKS YOU'LL LOVEGreen and Growing Things on Instagram + OnlineSupport the show

Even though Jess Scully is Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney, that doesn't stop her using emojis in official communications or wearing Converse sneakers to important meetings.That's why we love her. She's a bit of a rebel, and makes a helluva lot of sense.Jess is a pollie on a mission to encourage agency of thought and diverse voices that are heard in all their humanness. She cheers for inclusivity and creativity, sustainability and community. All things Futuresteading.As a published author, mother, politician and relentless advocate for creating a better world, she's quick to acknowledge her ‘invisible’ supporters and vulnerabilities with words that are strong, true and fair. While politics doesn't always attract such visionary empaths, Sydneysiders are lucky to have Jess on their side. Listen in for her deliciously actionable advice on how to be a force for good in your local community.SHOW NOTESHer optimistic childhood filled with wonderGrowing up with the idea that she deserved to have her voice heardWhy she thought local government might be something she did in retirement but why the time was suddenly NOWUsing emojis in official communicationContributing to a more representative, inclusive communityBringing a human lens that doesn’t exclude people to politicsHow do we bring other voices to the table?Speaking to governments in a way that gets heard Working with the system to bring change via feedbackThe power of supporting initiatives; not just endlessly knocking effortsBuilding invisible support infrastructuresTransformative helpers on the sidelinesThe toxic adversarial nature of political life which makes it harder to build a fairer worldSharing vulnerabilities and being honestThe amazing people who fill her with hope via their commitment to positive changeStanding up for the elements of our culture which are critical but not always economically viableAvoiding arguments that end up back at economics rather than the truly valuable stuffThe constant tussle between the things that are the guts of society and the daily references to GDPWhy her utopia is a place that values and includes everyoneUniversal basic services says “let's fund things people need such as transport, housing education -- in a way that speaks to individual regions”Creating “enabling” architectureCreating a culture of inclusivity Not living our lives as though we are disempowered and disconnected, but present and with agencyLINKS YOU'LL LOVEGlimpses of Utopia -- Jess ScullySydney -- Your SaySupport the show

Some people are born storytellers. And some of those people have magical, lyrical voices that transport you instantly.Such is Alexx Stuart. You might already know her as the wellness maven and recipe Queen behind Low Tox Life, but this convo takes the story further -- back to childhood, right to the heart of who she is, and everything she's learned about life as a changemaker.Alexx shares how her city-based life growing food on her balcony and making consciously considered choices has led to social success. In her words: “Social success is about doing more for the world than what it gives to us. Deeply held success really comes when it’s not just about looking after yourself but when you’ve committed to something bigger."Join us in this convo about questioning authority, building community, supporting mental health and making change in joyous, positive and peaceful ways.SHOW NOTESThe influence of her dynamic, empowered french mumThe 80s convenience culture was actually code for “make us profit, make us money”Music taught her social justice and inspired a connection to things bigger than herselfAvoiding a “desperate anger” and instead creating justice peacefullyNever being afraid to take yourself into a healthy, respectful debate - debate smart Listening to different points of viewThe strong moral compass of artists who feel the pain of humanityHow sickness kickstarted her journeyThe impact of a hyper developed and adapted food systemThe value of challenging authorities and becoming a system changer positively“I just couldn’t believe how many aspects of our life are not set up for us to thrive”Why looking after your mental health is a great place to startWhy change is a lifelong journey and there are no medalsA low tox life is about Food, Body, Mind and Home“Every time I make it a fight, I want to retract it. For me it has to be a peaceful way forward.”Working in the overlapsSetting boundariesLeading from the front with optimistic joyfulnessA week in the life of Alexx StuartSetting your compass Channeling a “feeling” for the dayDoing one thing you’d be disappointed not to complete each day, first.The gene snip that thwarts your body from mounting an immune response to black mould sporesHow chronic inflammation has resulted in chronic illness and heightened by electro magneticsSetting a low bar to ensure self compassionBeing tuned into something bigger than ourselves to maintain momentumIdentifying the change maker withinConstructing your life in the city that feels more villageyTaking your shoes off and reactivating your mental and physical health Rewriting success from within, connecting to a deep sense of gratitudeLINKS YOU'LL LOVELow Tox LifeMichael PollanThe Regenerative Journey podcast with Charlie ArnottBrené BrownThe Edible Balcony -- Indira NaidooShare Waste appSupport the show

How does a family of five go from 'regular' consumption to producing just one minuscule jar of waste in a year?Find out in this chat with Lauren and Oberon Carter -- founders of Zero Waste Families , authors of A Family Guide to Waste Free Living and the brains behind Spiral Garden.These deliciously non-dogmatic Tasmanians treat us to a personal account of financial, professional and psychological transition, how they reduced their energy consumption by a massive 60%, what they're doing to engage their street and community, and why to have hope in the next generation of considerate and creative human beings. SHOW NOTESTapping into kids' smarts to solve the problems in front of us Building friendship networks that appreciate your values and support your effortsWaste free gift ideas Building a waste-free mindset and habitsTaking a fast leap rather than a slow limp; doing it all at once with clear intentionWhy the permaculture principle of “produce no waste” is the most accessible Doing a climate impact survey The difference between recycling and downcyclingThe burden of “the system”: the role of government vs. the role of individuals to make lifestyle changes Why it’s important that those of us in positions of affluence take the responsibility and make change to our lifestyle. Adopting lifestyle choices that buck the norm: homeschooling, homebirthing, food production, second hand clothing.Avoiding burnout from community commitment Engaging people across socio-economic lines; keeping things small, achievable and gentle.The power of conversationsReframing success away from ‘bigness’ and towards smaller measures that reflect day to day existenceLearning how to forage, holiday simply, buy second hand, live away from consumptive past times#52climatesolutionsSeeking joy by being in the bush, appreciating the diversity in nature, seeing small and slowing down and observingBeing part of rather than apart from the natural world Seasonal ritual; observation, festivals, food, celebration, foragingComing to terms with hypocrisy in your everyday; petrol fuelled car, working for the governmentLetting go of the urge to control how everything looksThe importance of finding hobbies that are NOT related to the cause Understanding the intricacies of others is more important than preaching the ‘solution’LINKS YOU'LL LOVEA Family Guide to Waste-Free Living -- Lauren and Oberon CarterFamily Living Zero Waste -- Happen FilmsAssess your carbon footprintZero Waste Tasmania groupSpiral Garden online & InstagramRetrosuburbia -- David HolmgrenSupport the show

Could jam be your gateway to lost skills? It was for Anna, aka The Urban Nanna, who started making jams and preserves as an act of self care, only to end up inspiring thousands of people to reclaim forgotten skills of frugality and everyday resourcefulness.Anna's greatest joy is watching those around her experience aha! moments, and has a guiding belief that change comes from a strong and recognised personal intent.If anyone can get you excited to exercise practical skills and community building -- even in the smallest city rental -- it's Anna, with her upfront honesty and acceptance of mistakes.So join us in this raucous chat with a truly kindred futuresteader, where you'll gain serious solidarity and life smarts between peals of laughter. SHOW NOTESThe oral tradition of passing on skills that we used to know intuitively.Why aha! moments are solid rewards for someone who loves to teach.Jam as the gateway to rediscovering lost skills.Life with Asperger's -- and why it's probably a superpower.How to get over the fear factor and embrace mistakes.Futuresteading in a rental. What’s your style? Being honest about your needs and the art of having an upfront conversation with your landlord.Creating community where you are: fostering relationships via sharing, groundedness and kindness.Creating a community corner that people clamber to connect with.Creating a glut of giving. Sharing the abundance, sharing toys, sharing books.Foraging in your own neighbourhood. Putting otherwise wasted food to good use and sharing it with the community.The importance of thinking about your place in the broader natural context. The biological imperative for success is to survive, thrive and reproduce.Pulling away from the socially acceptable view of success.Reawakening the inner child.Thinking hard about what you believe in and making changes to align with it.Discovering what drives you.Where do you begin? Starting something because it honestly interests you.Anna's happy place as a bird nerd and connecting with wild beaches or calm meadows.LINKS YOU'LL LOVEThe Urban Nanna blogThe Urban Nanna InstagramCræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts -- Alex LanglandsThe Art of Fermentation -- Sandor KatzHolistic Decision Making -- Dan PalmerSupport the show

Take a walk in nature or find the nearest hammock to enjoy this deeply complex and moving conversation with Meg and Patrick Ulman of Artist as Family.This family of four live a largely non-monetary existence on a quarter-acre permaculture plot on Djaara peoples' country/Daylesford. They describe themselves as neopeasants, defined by the gardens and forests they tend, the resources they glean and grow, the community they're part of and the technologies they both use and refuse.They practice permapoesis, which simply means permanent making or regenerative living -– an antidote to disposable culture -- and show us what's possible when creativity, reverence and reciprocity is placed at the heart of human existence. SHOW NOTESA frugal background and time on a kibbutzEarly skills in propagation and a deep desire to grow thingsAn attraction to counter culture and eternal questioning of injusticesFinding peace by the Mittagong creekWorking as a couple to overcome grief over the dominant cultureGrowing a new story out of the old story -- about community, not just one ideaThe holistic awakening of permacultureMoving from clock time to ecological time Daily connection to the natural world; chanting, observing, meditatingCreating an art practice that is not separate from everyday lifeAvoiding monotonous and tedious work through neopeasantryWhy Covid has helped us register our collective exhaustionGiving up cars and moving at an ecological paceBeing cash poor yet time rich in frugal abundanceTime offline allows a songful, interconnected, wildness that is about observation and interactionThe importance of rites of passage -- how do we bring them back?Recognising the value of the child-to-adult process and parent/child separationGrief circles -- “for crying out loud”. Sharing, howling, laughing, storytelling and bearing witness to each other.Giving back to the forest via humanure, menstrual blood, tearsHow fire has held our stories since the beginning of timeDaily gratitude ritual of naming the inputs needed for each mealGrowing layers and building gifts to share with our community by accepting ourselvesGetting the dance right between consciousness and overwhelmWhy being aware of ideology is importantWhy activism and politics need complexityA brief history of patriarchal dominance, removing feminine power in the popular cultureLINKS YOU'LL LOVEArtist as Family -- YouTube, Instagram + blogHow Goats are Regenerating a Forest and Protecting This Town from Bushfire -- Happen FilmsA Branch From the Lightning Tree -- Martin Shaw The Wild Edge of Sorrow -- Francis WellerMartin PrechtellTyson YunkaportaDavid HolmgrenThe Invention of Capitalism -- Michael PerelmanSupport the show

It isn't magic that food grows in our backyard?! And Joel Orchard is just the gent to encourage the farmer in all of us.Joel is the founder of Young Farmers Connect and the Australian/New Zealand CSA Network; a fair food advocate, educator and a passionate agricultural networker. He's super calm, absurdly inspiring and imparts hard truths about our world with intense kindness.Wrap your ears around this episode and be reminded that through farming, we can be social and environmental activists, impacting cultural change. And simply getting to know where your food comes from is a profound way to make a difference.SHOW NOTESRecorded on Bunjalung country in the Northern RiversDespite being surrounded by progressive thinkers, there are still boundaries to small scale regenerative food productionWhy language builds boxes that can limit opportunityThe difficulty in making small scale farming work: Cost, land access, paths to marketWhat the new face of farming looks likeChanging the narrative about the reality of a successful small scale farming businessWhy it’s not necessary to be a full time farmerThe young professionals who are moving into agricultureDiversification of on farm/off farm existence Identifying the structural concerns that make eating consciously difficultWhy farming is the most meaningful way to “walk-the-talk”Creating a circular economy, no waste, mushroom business Why it’s important we all continue to share and learn togetherCultivating networks where we feel “safe” to learn. Peer-support learning.What does ‘CSA’ mean? And creative paths to market.Shortening supply chains for our food is critical in creating a genuine shift away from nationalised, commodified growing practicesEnsuring fortified perpetuity for the small scale farming sectorThe strength in collectivisationWhy beauty mattersFinding ways to slow down and observe the small thingsThe importance of telling the complete and imperfect realities of farming to remove the cultural elitism -- not just bucolic, romantic imagesHow do we make sure everyone can access local food?The true cost of food -- mother nature is already paying the bills for usSupporting each other to ensure those who are pushing envelopes can continueCreating spaces and places for safe support, development and solidarityShifting the scarcity mindset to a sharing/collaborative mindsetWorking with kids -- the next gen farmersDemystifying farming -- it isn't magic that food grows in your backyardBringing life back to a place that limits over stimulation Revelling in repetitive tasks that use your bodyWhat is a locavore? Why should be all eat localShake the hand of the person who grows your foodLINKS YOU'LL LOVECall of the Reed Warbler - Charles MasseyFarming Democracy - Food Sovereignty AllianceFoodies Guide to Capitalism - Eric Holt-GiménezYoung Farmers Connect NetworkProm Coast Food CollectiveOpen Food NetworkRECO Hubs (Qld)Support the show

For all the fad diets, juice fasts and dogma out there, few health advocates keep it as real as Anthia Koullouros. Anthia is one of Sydney's original nose-to-tail, soil-to-plate, no-BS Naturopaths who was questioning supplements and sipping bone broth before it was cool. She's an author, speaker, educator and Apothecarius (listen in to see what that brilliant term entails) who weaves science, spirituality, feminism and self care like an absolute master -- yet never takes herself too seriously. This chat with Anthia was particularly timely, catching her right on the cusp of big business and life changes which she was gracious enough to share with us. You'll leave this convo feeling like you've received a big, warm bear hug from a wise woman who just gets it. SHOW NOTESHer instinctive herbalism spurred by Cypriot ancestorsHer apothecary origins where women could be healersHer attraction to the humble weed and the essence of healing whollyBreaking into naturopathy when it was a ‘fringe alternative’Why we should be applying our food seasonality sensibility to herbs and opting for the real deal rather than pharmaceuticalsHer concerns that holistic medicine is becoming more like western medicine in how it is used and expected to performThe growth in holistic health since covidThe role ritual plays in recentering and reconnecting with yourself and communityWhy she shuts the door at work between 4 and 4.30Taking care of herself as the ‘bow and arrow’ foundation of selfCreating a symbiotic relationship with the natural worldThe value of reconnecting with the nervous system before making decisionsThe spontaneous desire to autocorrect The difference between head and heart decisionsTools to get out of ourselves so we can get into ourselvesWhy the natural world has a place in everyone's healing pathCraving simplicity and reducing over-complicationNormalising ritual - especially for women Having the discipline to NOT get on your screen to fill in the gapsActively doing things differently in businessWhy she is here to be of service - to bring clarity, to unscramble the confusion, at human scaleWhy success is in the sublimely simple; connecting, longevity, belonging, the beauty of truthAvoiding groundhog dayMoving into new chapters without feeling overwhelmedCooking weed pieLINKS YOU'LL LOVEHow to Get Well -- Paavo AirolaAnthia on InstagramApotheca by AnthiaAnthia onlineSupport the show

Diego Bonetto, aka. The Weedy One, grew up on a dairy farm in northern Italy where it was still common practice to collect the wild bounty of the land. After moving to Australia in the 90s, Diego found that his practical foraging knowledge and weedy know-how was actually pretty rare. He lamented our modern approach to "weeds" -- a battle waged with poisons rather than a loving relationship that respects the valuable, nutrition and wisdom of the plants all around us.So he became a weed advocate and educator, harking back to the dandelions, nettles, mulberries and edible mushrooms of his childhood and sharing their stories with those longing to return to their roots.Diego's enthusiasm will inspire and move you, as it has done for the thousands of people who have attended his public and private workshops, events and weed walks. This conversation about belonging, sustainability, agency and food is just a glimpse of Diego's immense knowledge, and we encourage you to connect with him online or better still, in person!SHOW NOTESCollecting wild plants, fungi, grains and berries as a child to supply seasonal produce to his family larder.Empowering people to recall childhood memories ; mulberries as lipstick, daisy chains to overcome fear and find confidence.Foraging does more than just give us free food; it’s our chance to experience gratitude, connect to ecology, anchor us all to the now. It cuts away our entitlement to resources and encourages us to engage in the gifts of the natural world.How to create steps to build foraging confidence, even in urban spaces.Basic rules of foraging.Foraging is not survival, it's establishing relationships of care-taking.Ocean foraging.The vast majority of foraging is handfuls for tasting rather than buckets of food.Are plants a living, conscious, feeling things? Why we should be up in arms about factory farming which is enslavement into a system of yield rather than being a wild species which fetches its own minerals and grows of its own accord.We are part of a system where we eat and can be eaten.Foraging foundation of being still, staying put and becoming part of a specific cycle so you can build knowledge.Stepping from observer to stakeholder to caretaker.Why “weeds” is an arbitrary term.The importance of acknowledging the services that plants play.Backyard medicine is the result of coevolution.Calling on the knowledge of our wisdom holders to maintain self care.Why mulberries and blackberries are wonderful foraging teacher species and part of our ecological symbiotic contract to eat the species.Putting humans back in the cycle of life.LINKS YOU'LL LOVEDiego Bonetto on Instagram @theweedyoneDiego Bonetto onlinePhoto credit -- Aimee CrouchSupport the show

Rebecca Scott of STREAT is a socially-responsible and refreshingly quirky role model for our times. A self proclaimed 'hustler’ since childhood, Bec sees the value in everyone and everything. What's more, she knows how to bolt it all together to build an egalitarian vision that contributes to the social betterment of our world. With 11 social enterprises under the STREAT banner, Bec's quest to provide a sense of belonging and hope to our youth -- catalysed by the simple question “whose problem is that really?” -- will inspire and challenge you in equal measure. Language warning: one or two f-bombs dropped.SHOW NOTESSTREAT has fed over 3 million people since opening in 2010Why her school teachers aren't surprised that she's become a ‘social entrepreneur’Harnessing collaborative energy, social capital, political capitalA working class kid with a talent for “hustling” - not bossy but capableAn intrinsic sense of egalitarianism - everyone in a community can add valueUsing creativity to solve problems and affect changeThe joy of co-founding a social enterprise with her 10 year old sonWhat is a social enterprise?Using the margins to stimulate the creative process - in line with other random collaboratorsTaking years to connect dots of systems thinking using creativity and visual promptsHer aversion to creating projects on her own - co creation makes sparks fly and reality happenFor every one idea that happens, 100 don’t come to fruition. That’s ok.The queen of side projects Following the path of the energy flowMoving on if a project comes up against inertiaManaging her phenomenal restlessnessInhabiting 2050 in her mindWhy she looks like a “messy innovator”Connecting all her projects without being linearSpotting patterns through the noiseValuing latent potential Needing pace and slowness simultaneouslyBeing the equal master of the small and fast, the quiet and loudDon’t give up your day job and still make a differenceHave you assessed your environmental footprint?Why we must stop externalising slaveryWhy corporate companies are just an extension of our individual buying habitsThe power of arming yourself with knowledge and building a likeminded tribe Seeking humans who inspire through gentle humilityBelonging and social inclusion is the secret sauce for homeless youthWhose problem are the homeless?The beauty of a new budEverything worthwhile starts with a simple conversationLINKS YOU'LL LOVESTREATChicken Soup for the SoulSupport 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

Kirsten Larsen + Serenity Hill are proof that two minds are better than one.As the founders of Open Food Network, a game-changing open source technology at the centre of building valued and fair food chains, they think globally, act locally and are actively encouraging a culture where whole-self is present in the workplace. Hear how these two values-aligned women brought their shared vision for fairer local food systems to life -- and why the rest of the world is excited.*keep it rolling right till the end for Futuresteading listener shout outs*SHOW NOTESSocial justice from an early ageThe impact of ‘coming out’ The freedom of the natural worldThe value of independent thinking as a central valueHaving the tools and empowerment to challenge the systemThe power of knowing you were loved as a childA desire for purpose is in every one of usFrom a broken state of deep ecology to a place of believing in the power of conscious capabilityIdentifying technology as the missing piece for connecting eaters with growersLearning how to unlock problems by listening to the needs and filling a gapStructuring things to disable centralisation of power The critical role of aggregators/food hubs in a local food system that are locally relevant and transparent The power of collaboration for efficiency, capital ownership, accessibility, logisticsThe myriad of ways that all tiers of the food chain can embark on changeThe value of “open source” as a language which is not constrained in its ability to adapt and leapfrogOffering opportunity for knowledge commons The privilege of having the psychological knowledge that you have ‘back up’Transvestment - recognising that you are drawing money from the old economy and placing it into the ideological vision of a new futureGetting to a point where work that conflicts with ideology is no longer neededBuilding space for others to step into positions of influence where they may not have previously had a voice Having a baby to ‘turn off’ from ideological responsibilitiesConsciously creating a culture where people bring their whole selves to the work placeCreation of a ‘heart channel’ in the workplace for frank, open, personal story tellingBeing honest with kids about the truth of the worldEvoking joy and aliveness in the next generationNature based education as a central cog in our communitiesLINKS YOU'LL LOVEOpen Food NetworkCERESFood Connect BrisbaneJoanna Macy Deep Green Resistance - Derrick Jensen, Aric McBay, Lierre KeithTreading Lightly - Karl Erik Sveiby, Tex SkuthorpeSupport the show

With front line activism on his resume and a concerted effort to diverge from his familial farming and retail heritage, Chris Ennis embarked on a path of his own only to find himself at the front of the socially progressive 10 acre urban farming, retail and educational enterprise CERES Fair Food and now CERES Fair Wood in Melbourne's North. As you guessed it, an urban farm and retailer. Seems you can't escape what's in your blood... but you can reframe it to suit our times and cultural needs which is exactly what Chris has done as a social entrepreneur.SHOW NOTESWhat is a social entrepreneur? Caring about all the parts of business that aren't about moneyEnterprise stacking = an ecosystem of diverse enterprises that fit togetherMake up the rules of business! You can decide what the workplace looks like and how that fits with your lifeDifferent ways of being a farmer even in the cityHaving faith in kids to take their seeded habits and make them bounce in later lifeFrom fair food to fair wood and possibly fair anythingStacking diversity in life to ensure multi-purpose usesNot subscribing to traditional channels of business or being pigeon holedWhy he refers to ‘founders’ as weedsPlanning for business succession with the right types of peopleThe long game versus short-term-ismThe importance of seeing the pathway as having value The value of generational knowledge in businessYearning for indigenous wisdomBeing comfortable to ask uncomfortable questionsEmbedding ritual as the social fabric of lifePractical positive activism is nourishing and fulfillingAim for deeper change, it’s more potent than flashy shallow initiativesIf in doubt - go out!LINKS YOU'LL LOVEProm Coast Food CollectiveBaw Baw Food HubBeechworth Food Co opRetrosuburbia - David HolmgrenThe Social Dilemma Ubie - NSW based social enterpriseGreen Connect South SydneyCERES Fair WoodCERES Fair FoodDark Emu - Bruce PascoeSupport the show

Warning: this episode with Rob Greenfield might make you want to do something crazy - like sell all your material possessions, set off on an adventure with only a backpack and faith in human kindness, or build a tiny home from reclaimed materials with your mates.Rob is an activist and humanitarian dedicated to leading the way to a more sustainable, just and equal world. He embarks on extreme projects to bring attention to important global issues and inspire positive change. His work has been covered by media worldwide including National Geographic and he’s been named “The Robin Hood of modern times” by France 2 TV. Rob’s life is an embodiment of Gandhi’s philosophy, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” He believes that our actions really do matter and that as individuals and communities we have the power to improve the world around us. Rob donates 100% of his media earnings to grassroots nonprofits and has committed to living simply and responsibly for life.This conversation strikes the balance between inspiration and groundedness, and will leave you feeling both comforted and courageous. SHOW NOTESFrom shining his car on Sundays at age 25 with dollar signs in his eyes to dumpster diving over 2,000 times and being a beacon for radical change around the world.The decision to transform his life so he stopped destroying the earthMaking one positive change every single week for two yearsIntersectional environmentalism - deeply intertwined problems and their solutionsBuilding feedback loops towards empowerment and a sustainable foundationLearning skills to stand strong against the sweeping tide of consumptionFinding alternatives for the things you think you needHolistic decision makingTravelling the world for the same price as the annual cost of a carBuilding freedom by avoiding the minimum monthly repayment trapLiving a life that's not so 'protected’ or ‘insured’The truth: a quality existence takes time, travel, eating, learning, conversing.Spreading excess when you have it so life is more equitable - from those who have enough to those who have too little.Demonetising life relies on more human kindnessThe illusion that money makes us independentTeaching our kids critical thinking and about relationships to thrive in a post carbon economySkill sharing The power of needing each otherThe problems with convenienceThe psychology of changeThe value of minimising judgement and enhancing compassion and understandingStarting with the things which excite you the mostLINKS YOU'LL LOVERob's websiteRob's InstagramSupport the show

If there's a human who represents the quintessential qualities of living like tomorrow matters, it just might be Hannah Maloney. A former front line picketer, Hannah transitioned to a more sustainable approach to advocacy for climate action and First Nations justice when she founded Good Life Permaculture and is now based in Tassie on Muwinina country where days of voluntary simplicity provide time for her community which she collaborates with to teach, design and live with love. Hannah is a radical homemaker who is currently writing a book, blogging her knowledge for all to learn from and has recently forayed into the world of television presenting on Gardening Australia.SHOW NOTESHannah's transition from frontline activism to a more sustainable pace to avoid burnoutWhy a simple life can be a hard life but when infused with joy, a wonderful lifeFollowing your Shen energyChoosing to sit on the edge of comfort and forcing yourself to cope with discomfort where often the greatest outcome is achievedShowing up despite adversity, for the sake of the individual AND self assuranceDiscovering the wonders of planting, food flowers and fibreGoing to bed in a state of love every dayPractical ideas for swapping resources with our neighbours like your vacuumSeeking ways to be more usefulAvoiding dogma for self and othersLoving people unconditionally where they’re atWhy she wakes at 4am each dayPreserving her natural energyRadical Hope - it's not what you might suspectThe power of imaginationLINKS YOU'LL LOVEGood Life Permaculture[musician] Briggs[musician] Thelma Plumm[musician] Mama Kin“From What Is To What If” - Rob HopkinsSupport the show

Dan Palmer is co-founder of Permablitz, Landed, Holistic Decision Making, Making Permaculture Stronger and Very Edible Gardens. He has a PhD in systems thinking and contagious levels of enthusiasm for supporting the journeys of others. He currently lives with his wife and two daughters in a small home in Castlemaine, Victoria.We hear Dan’s thoughts on consciously shaping a vibrant and beautiful life, getting paid for your passion, how to be vulnerable and cut to the chase (rather than participating in superficial BS), the deception of ideas, the illusion of separation from the natural world and why to ask better questions. SHOW NOTESHow Dan moved away from reductionist thinking and towards a holistic framework. Discovering holistic management and the influence of Allan Savory.How to uncover the deeper intention beneath the goal or dream.What are the core ingredients of a fulfilling life?How linear thinking sustains our industrialised society.Why you can’t just ‘join your life back up’ to create a whole - you need to go right back to the DNA of your values and beliefs.How to tap into deep harmony and coherence.Why life can’t be like a knitted jumper. “Deciding your way” towards the life you want.Why self work isn’t selfish - it’s a precursor to genuine altruism.Honouring the need for financial security in a world that hinges on money.An uncompromising approach to making profit from your passion.From hobby to Patreon; a by-donation model of asking for financial support. How to avoid fake bullshit conversations and go deeper. Having hard conversations vs. modern ‘communities’ that stroke our egos.Why Dan’s excited to be alive at this time in history. Sending positive ripples into space and time.How to enjoy the ride and make peace with everything you can’t change. The gnarly question of how to instil hope, buoyancy and knowledge in your kids. The ritual of ‘roses and thorns’ at dinner time.Why to se the 'shape' of your life. Waking up and approaching each day as a living whole that you can make as vibrant and alive as possible - versus a to-do list of frenzied actions. Our obligation to contribute to the beauty of the universe. How we’ve been hijacked by the idea that the world is a machine. How to lead with feeling and back up with thinking.“The intellect is too crude a net to catch the whole” - Christopher AlexanderWhy we don’t need to “reconnect” with nature - we have never been separate. How to relax back into underlying non-separateness.Understanding “life sheds” rather than arbitrary borders.Why advice and “answers” can disempower people.How can we ask better questions? LINKS YOU’LL LOVEMaking Permaculture Stronger PermablitzLandedHolistic Decision MakingVery Edible GardensAllan SavoryBrian GoodwinCharles EisensteinChristopher AlexanderSupport the show

If changing the world over breakfast sounds like your kind of activism, you’ll love this conversation with Cassie Duncan; a woman who took her passion for a fairer food system and plated it up as an accessible, digestible and inspiring not-for-profit: Sustainable Table. Cassie co-founded Sustainable Table in 2009 as a way to help more Aussies make ethical choices about what they eat. Through beautifully written articles, educational events and innovative campaigns that connect eaters with farmers in deeply emotional (and motivating) ways, Sustainable Table taps into the most powerful change agent of all: story. Today, we hear Cassie’s; how she became the ethical food enthusiast she is today, why we need to humanise our food system, what our eating choices can change (hint: everything), how she overcame imposter syndrome and why it’s impossible to be the perfect parent. Enjoy ample wisdom and solidarity in this free-wheeling conversation with one of our favourite guests so far. Dig in. SHOW NOTESHer long standing love of food.How her mother's fierce sense of social justice and standing up for the underdog has made her what she is.Why the loss of her mum at 21 forced a deep reflection of self.Food is friendly and positive and we connect to it, but in truth it's deeply destructive.Applying ethics to the food we choose to buy.Why starting the conversation with food is a gateway to bigger issues.How Australians identify with fairness, and yet we haven't translated this fairness to farmers.How to tell your story honestly until corporations listen and make change.Her paralysis and overwhelm before finding a way to engage personally.The importance of having people with different skills, interests, communication styles and audiences.Managing imposter syndrome.Why living your truest life influences others like nothing else.Farmers market family rituals.Doing the everyday stuff in a way that makes it purposeful.Taking the time to discover your community.The gift of building a financially viable life around your values.Why people will stop buying a product and instead buy into a way of life.Raising considered, awake kids.Top tips: Start with what you can control, honour your strengths and skills, connect and communicate with each other.Growing “gritty” kids by not over-protecting them.The surprising benefits of asking others for help.LINKS YOU'LL LOVESustainable Table websiteSustainable Table InstagramSupport the show

Before you ask, yes this is Charlie Showers of Black Barn Farm - Jade's other half. Charlie is a fair food advocate, holistic orchardist, landscape scientist and insatiable reader, with an appetite for knowledge that sees him getting up before the birds to devour scientific papers, books and teachings, before putting it into practice at Black Barn Farm. In this conversation, he shares decades of wisdom with his trademark patience, clarity and intellect. He covers the power of community and regional pride, a new way to frame our 'hypocrisy' in this time of transition, the reality of first generation farming and a sugar-free account of a 'working marriage' and unified vision. You'll get to hear Jade's answers too ;) No hopium, all clarity in this complex interview that inspires action!SHOW NOTESSitting with the contradiction inherent in your morals and lifestyleReconciling hypocrisy in your everyday existenceBeing self aware without it becoming unbearable His childhood role-modelling of ‘family statesmen’ who committed to the needs of their community equally with their ownMaintaining curiosity about our system, culture and economy to impart changeWhy farming is the best place for him to share knowledge at a community level and make meaningful change Why showing rather than telling is the most powerful way to inspireBeing exposed to those who have a different way of being, whirrs the thinking cogsThe importance of self time to recuperate and maintain balance when you’re an introvertWhy endless hope is not always helpful, and hopium is a recipe for ignoranceWhat a new future might look likeThe raw reality of starting up a long-game farming enterpriseThe potency of creating a dream togetherUndertaking change journeys as a coupleIdeas to ‘blow your mind’Living examples of how systems interact with and impact on each otherAwe of the Indigenous Australian cultural understanding of the complex web of the worldMaking ‘complexity science’ more mainstream for the betterment of allHis evolution of changemaking from panicked urgency to slow and steady solutionsWhy being more settled will make his children better change makersThe evolution and personal nature of successImportance of a ‘solutions based mindset’LINKS YOU'LL LOVEBlack Barn Farm website & InstagramSupport the show

Need some lockdown solidarity? Here’s 20 minutes of it, with a real and honest chat about our experiences, and insights, from the ongoing Victorian lockdown. Jade’s juggling kids on the farm in Stage 3 while Catie is chucking tanties at her laptop in Melbourne’s Stage 4. We hope this little small glimpse into our everyday is akin to a virtual hug.Caveat: There's no one experience of lockdown, nor prescription for doing it right. We acknowledge our relative good fortune while honouring the tougher-than-tough reality of so many others.SHOW NOTESWhy Catie's brain is like wet cakeLong funky days at home with kidsWired brains and screen-impacted sleepSolidarity!Finding daily patterns for consistency and reassuranceWhy this enforced localisation is giving us the chance to take a microscopic view of our local turfSharing a daily lunch with family - snack plates + kidsThe value of accepting this period of wartime-like griefSeeing a psychologist is a mental multivitaminWe are experiencing acute instabilityGrief/joy/love are combining to create empathy for othersHuman adaptabilityAt least there's no FOMO!Willingness to be vulnerable; we are all in this togetherThe value of maintaining perspectiveThe value of repetition and orderDiving into abstract, artistic, creative concepts and classic literatureLoving those at homeLetting joy be your compass - harking back to our childhood lovesWhy we don't have to have a picture of the new world we want. Nature is emergent; let's be open to unfolding solutionsSeeing the beauty in the immediateLINKS YOU'LL LOVEDumbo Feather MagazineBleak House - Charles DickensSand Talk - Tyson YunkaportaSupport the show

Join us for a calming conversation about how to make a difference without the overwhelm. In true surfie style, Robyn Rosenfeldt is laid back - despite riding a wave of daily to-dos and permaculture reporting as the founder of Pip Magazine. (Not already all over Pip? It’s a dedicated Aussie permaculture mag with everything from foraging tips to renegade urban gardeners, seed saving, waste-busting, soil building and good old fashioned storytelling.)Robyn started Pip from scratch, so of course, we were itching to get inside her mind and understand the process of turning passion into print, beliefs into features, change making into this beautiful, uplifting, shareable thing you can hold in your hands. And with her refreshingly realistic advice and natural optimism, you just might find yourself taking small steps in the direction of your dreams in about an hour’s time.SHOW NOTESRebelling against her middle class suburban upbringing.On being a doer who doesn't wait for others to make it happen.Her interest in alternatives from an very early age.Why taking on less is more powerful.The driver behind PIP magazine.Why not everyone can do everything (and shouldn't try). Natural optimism.Avoiding the comparison trap. What makes a community with heart and soulHow she followed her intuition in founding Pip.Why to just give things a go.Starting small and letting things grow slowly.Her love of surfing for perspective and balance.Creating ritual with kids.Making financial ends meet by being happy with ‘enough’.Life in Pambula on the NSW South coast.Role modelling hopefulness and optimism for her kids.Adapting to our changing world.The recalibration of life in times of a pandemicHer one piece of advice.LINKS YOU'LL LOVEPip MagazinePip has a podcast!Support the show

Johno heads up Conscious Ground Organics in Byron Bay, an earth school that produces changemaking humans and delicious food in equal measure. On this working organic farm, Johno and his team have created a world class agri-educational facility, mentoring people through earth care and regeneration, people care and leadership training, and all kinds of skills like driving tractors to thinking holistically about life.Johno is one of those humans whose grit, determination and practicality will inspire you to keep it real and put a little strategy around your dreams (in fact, he's sometimes called the 'Dream Assassin', injecting much-needed reality into those rosy ideals). You’ll hear about his dislike of school, his incredible father and role model, his methods of self-reflection and values-realignment, and the ritualistic structure of his everyday. Enjoy this tangible, practical and actionable conversation with a certified organic legend.SHOW NOTESA childhood as one of nine kids raised by their dad on his own.Why he takes his gift of connecting people to their place very responsibly.What ‘place’ means to him.The gift of offering knowledge without needing anything in return.The expectation that everyone around him should soon be capable of superseding him in their knowledge.Why mentors matter.Why a practical, hands-on approach rather than academic strength has led him to where he is today.His full circle career path back to the land.Why he will never compromise on his values.Why parenting and farming are the hardest jobs on earth.How to maintain balance between ideology and long-term sustainability.How he became known as the Dream Assassin.The value of being brutally honest.What Conscious Ground is here to do.Why support and clear expectations make a vision come to life.The value of building rituals.The excitement of teaching skills to the next generation.What is “enough”?Why to celebrate accomplishments no matter how small.SCRUM - A project management framework where all heads are moving in a united direction for a short time.Why have a dance party in the green house?LINKS YOU'LL LOVEConscious Ground OnlineSupport the show

We spend an hour looking through the lens of anthropology, nutrition and vitalism with Cyndi O’Meara, author of ‘Changing Habits, Changing Lives’ (once just a book, now an entire movement).Cyndi's wisdom is born of deep scientific research and understanding, coupled with a refreshing awe for the body's innate healing potential.We journey back to her childhood (where seeds of big pharma skepticism were sown), talk all things success (and being an anti-statistic), how she embraces the Japanese concept of Ikigai, and why becoming a farmer at age 50 was a peak-fulfilment moment.Cyndi’s unwavering commitment to human health - and the rich, juicy life it facilitates - makes this conversation a feel-good reminder of your own innate strength. Listen. Absorb. Enjoy.SHOW NOTESCyndi’s childhood in a household that shunned western medicine and looked to food, chiropractors, physical activity and the outdoors for health. No vaccinations, no antibiotics, no painkillers.Why having a family of haemophiliacs set her up to question Big Pharma.Her sense of following a path which was intended for her.How studying chiropractic reinvigorated her love of nutrition and vitalism. She shares a beautiful story about a farmer who transitioned to organic growing techniques (but took a little longer to apply this philosophy to his body). Her experience growing abundant food harvests in pots.Her ritualistic habits of picking fresh herbs, doing the daily crossword and preparing a breakfast from scratch.Her CADA start to the day.Why she questioned her beliefs while parenting.Her tips for packing food for travel.Why food is her only focus as a consumer, rather than fashion or home renovations.Becoming a farmer in her 50’s, a long held dream for a food bowl and retreat.Parenting by example and not following trends.Why raising a close-knit family of conscious humans is her greatest achievement.The philosophy of vitalistic consciousness as opposed to mechanism.The power of community.How to boost immune function to boost health to boost resilience.Her definition of success.The power of science blended with history.What is Ikigai, and how can it help shape a meaningful life?LINKS YOU'LL LOVEChanging Habits, Changing Lives - Cyndi O'MearaCyndi O'Meara OnlineAtlas Shrugged - Ayn RandThe Japanese philosophy of IkigaiSupport the show

“Herbs aren’t drugs, and we shouldn’t expect them to perform like drugs. They’re food. They work with the human body in intuitive ways we can’t yet explain.”So, Catie is a trained naturopath! We dig into her “brown bottle” education and go deep into her love of medicinal plants as culinary healers, esoteric friends and nourishing allies for life. This shortie focuses on the simplest ways you can build relationships with our green community and tap into the powerful benefits of backyard herbalism. We hope it inspires you to get out there and have a yarn with a rosemary bush!SHOW NOTESThe power of dried herbs.Herbs as symbols and archetypes - Ma’am Rosemary, Pioneer Dandelion, Stoic Sage.How to head into the garden and tap into the herbal wisdom you need.Why food/herb pairings are everyday herbal medicine.The power of herbal infusions.Volatile oils, aromatic teas and nourishing herbs.Great herbal references and books!LINKS YOU'LL LOVE[Books & knowledge]Root to Bloom: A Modern Guide to Whole Plant Use - Jocelyn Cross and Mat PemberWild Food - Roger Phillips Chelsea Green Publishing The Herbalist’s Way : The Art and Practice of Healing with Plants - Nancy PhillipsRosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use - Rosemary GladstarBotany In A Day -Thomas J. ElpelWeed Forager's Handbook: A Guide to Edible and Medicinal Weeds in Australia - Adam Grubb & Annie Raser-Rowland[Herbal Teachers]Susun Weed Taj The Perma Pixie[Great Aussie Suppliers]Highland HerbsAustral HerbsSupport the show

How do you live your beliefs while earning enough to eat? This is the question we put to ORICoop founder and fair farming advocate Carolyn Suggate (amongst other conundrums). It’s a curly one, but Carolyn comes to the party with passion and insight aplenty. She shares why she pursues her principles over financial gain, how she makes it work with her partner and family, tips for raising conscious kids (without being pushy or puritanical), her unexpected foray into olympic rifle shooting, and why we should put farmers at the top of the food chain. Enjoy this conversation with a big-picture food-systems thinker and down-to-earth proponent of simple pleasures.SHOW NOTESCarolyn’s accidental olympic rifle shooting career.Why she rebelled against conventional farming. Her 20 year journey back to farming.The on/off-farm income balancing act.Why she follows fulfillment, not financial rewards. A call to end the cycle of undervaluing farmers. Noticing that our children emulate our values.How farming systems are reverting back to pre 1950’s practices where we encourage diversity and seasonal observation.How adversity builds character. Why we need our tribe to stay on course. How to raise changemaking kids. The pitfalls of being puritanical about organic farming.How the industrial mentality of incessant production and high yields is hurting farmers. Why our financial system thwarts our ability to be nimble with nature. Her no-rule Sundays.The value of seasonal connection.Empowering our children to call out racism, sexism, culturalism.Thinking further back than our colonial roots. Why we should be supporting farmers, not eaters. Has community evolved as a concept? Can we still create the tight-knit communities of yesteryear? Why we can’t forget that nature is in control.Her advice to “start early - it’s a long road and you need the right people.”Her experience of supportive-yet-stifling rural communities. Is tourism good for communities?LINKS YOU'LL LOVEThe Barossa CoopORICoopProm Coast Food CollectiveCERESSupport the show

A woman with generosity in spades, Sophie Hansen has turned her background in publishing into a force for good. For the last decade, she’s been plating up important messages about slow living, local produce and reverence for farmers (disguised as lip smacking seasonal recipes) on her exceedingly popular blog: Local Is Lovely. Sophie takes us backstage to life on a deer farm, her city-to-rural transition, raising contented kids, sharing with abandon and letting her love of great food take her in all manner of delicious directions.This chat is satisfying listening for anyone who thinks a better world starts with the simple act of coming together over food.SHOW NOTESHow she nearly ended up as a news journalist before getting distracted by food. What she learned at Australian Table magazine.Her Slow Food internship in Italy.Why and how she started Local Is Lovely after moving to rural NSW and craving a creative outlet. How she turned her existing skills into a career that fit her life.The beauty of an unpredictable life path.The launch of her third cookbook.Trusting your path when venturing out as a freelancer.Managing imposter syndrome.Her 'Rules of Engagement' for social media.Why diversifying her freelance work means spreading risk.Her approach to kids: helping them stay curious, open minded and confident to ask the hard questions.Her early bird daily rhythm and preferred work schedule.Balancing living generously without running out of time.The importance of putting down the smart phone.Life on her community-filled country lane.Why she oscillates between sheer panic and the realisation she's doing her best.Her advice to take baby steps and start by thinking about where your food comes from.The value of making a fuss at meal times.Why to make an effort to create daily rituals.LINKS YOU'LL LOVERecipe & Food Inspo:Michael PollanMidnight Chicken - Ella RisbridgerNigel SlaterNigella LawsonDiana HenryPodcasts:The High LowThe Daily - NTYRadio Cherry Bombe7AMDesert Island DiscsInstagram favourites:@sue_singingmagpicproduce @anjadunkSupport the show