Connection is the Medicine
Welcome to the Connection Is The Medicine Podcast!
I am your host Eaden Shantay. In this podcast, I interview beautiful souls about connection to self, community, nature and Spirit. We are living at a time when disconnection is leading to great conflict and suffering across the globe. I believe that we can make the greatest positive impact through connection and especially connection to our deeper selves.
This podcast is a part of the Connection is the Medicine Foundation, offering programming at True Nature in Carbondale, CO and Loma Sagrada in Nosara, Costa Rica, dedicated to inspiration, connection and self discovery.
EADEN SHANTAY
Eaden grew up in a family with a deep love for arts, live music, architecture, and nature. His father was an award-winning property developer, his mother a modern dancer. Eaden’s upbringing, as well as his path of healing, greatly influenced his life and desire to create sanctuaries (True Nature Healing Arts, Colorado, USA and Loma Sagrada, Nosara, Costa Rica) for restoration and personal growth.
Eaden has been passionately seeking growth, community, and sacred space for over 30 years. He has a knack for bringing together talented people to support the evolution of his vision. He also loves sharing yoga philosophy, meditation, and conscious living classes and workshops.
Find Eaden on IG @eadenshantay
Thank you for listening,
EADEN SHANTAY
Co-Founder | Co-President at:
CONNECTION IS THE MEDICINE
www.connectionisthemedicine.com
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Co-Founder of:
TRUE NATURE + LOMA SAGRADA
Connection is the Medicine
Food Forest Communities with Stephen Brooks
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Living In Harmony with Sacred Mother Earth
Stephen Brooks is a pioneering permaculture educator, ethnobotanist, and regenerative community builder with over 30 years of experience in Costa Rica.
Early Life and Awakening: Raised in North Miami, Florida, Brooks’ life changed in 1995 when he witnessed a playground of indigenous children sprayed by a Chiquita Banana crop duster. This event sparked his dedication to sustainable alternatives to industrial agriculture and environmental destruction. He soon founded an eco-tour company, bringing students from the US and Europe to Costa Rica to experience the beauty of the land, its people, and the realities of rainforest loss and agro-business impacts—while showcasing practical solutions.
Key Contributions in Regenerative Agriculture and Food Forests: Brooks is best known as the founder of Punta Mona Center for Regenerative Design and Botanical Studies (established in the late 1990s on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast). This off-grid, beachfront site became a world leader in tropical permaculture, featuring an extensive collection of useful and exotic fruit trees, plants, and food forests. It has hosted the first (and many subsequent) Permaculture Design Courses (PDCs) in Costa Rica, training thousands in regenerative techniques like soil building, biodiversity enhancement, and self-sustaining food systems.
He specializes in exotic fruit trees and “life design” through permaculture—creating abundant, resilient ecosystems that produce food while regenerating land. His signature “Church of Fruit” gatherings celebrate the spiritual and communal connection to plants and diverse fruits.
Sustainable Communities and Broader Impact
Brooks has co-founded or played a key role in several thriving eco-villages and regenerative projects in Costa Rica, including:
•La Ecovilla and Tacotal (2006 onward) — Ecological planned communities.
•Alegría Village — A regenerative “agrihood” with extensive permaculture food forests in San Mateo.
•Eterna and others, emphasizing food forests, community resilience, and harmony with tropical ecosystems.
He co-founded the Envision Festival, a major gathering blending sustainability, culture, music, and education. He also co-founded Ecoversity, which offers online and in-person permaculture education, PDCs, and earth skills training.
Featured in media like Zac Efron’s Down to Earth (Netflix), Brooks continues to teach, consult, and inspire scalable models for regenerative living—focusing on biodiversity, soil health, community, and deeper reciprocity with nature. His work demonstrates how intentional food forests and ecological communities can heal land while supporting vibrant human cultures.
Connect with Stephen
IG: @stephenbrooks
FaceBook: @stephenbrookscr
LinkedIn Stephen Brooks
Ecoversity: Online and In-person Permaculture Education: ecoversity.org
Youtube: The Church of Fruit with Stephen Brooks
Permaculture:
• Punta Mona Center: Foundational Tropical Permaculture site, botanical studies (puntamona.org)
• Algeria Village (Regenerative eco-neighborhood in San Mateo, Costa Rica): communidadalegria.com
• La Ecovilla (Intentional Regenerative Community) laecovilla.com
• Eterna (present Costa Rica regenerative agriculture project in San Juanillo Costa Rica. Eterna.earth
• Envision Festival: envisionfestival.com
Thanks for listening and supporting the show.