Fire has long been a revered force,  respected for its ceremonial holding, practical contribution to feeding, sterilising, warming, lighting and yarning around. These days though, few of us interact with fire regularly despite it connecting us to our ancestors and gently reminding us of what it means to be human. 

 Off the back of tragic circumstances when he was just 16, todays guest Cade Mcconnell, intentionally side stepped the drug fuelled, party filled scene that often lures late teens early 20 year men and instead went in search of what it meant to be a man. He found instead, ceremonial fires, yoga, men's circles, his feelings and what it means to operate in an intentional and sacred way.

He’s built his life around this way of being and in todays conversation we scratch below the mere mention of things like vision quests and sacred weddings and really unpack what it is to move through the world like this. 

For Cade - much of this begins with food, where it was grown it, how its prepared, who shares it and he says that by giving himself the git of making food intentional, it has rewritten his story and the rhythm of his life.

As a retreat caterer, who uses claypots for his cooking Cade says this way of preparing food is fundamentally about being in relationship with plants, clay and fire which is also the name of his book.

His mission is to bring a little earth into every kitchen.

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We talked about:

Rites of passage for young men

Claypot cooking

Creating more ceremony in our life

Holding our loved ones to account

Giving ourselves permission to take the time needed to create nourishing, love filled food

Mens circles and how they impact our living patterns

Building sacred communities

The impact of suicide

The value of counselling pre marriage

Why its important to build a strong foundation of trust and love for yourself before you offer this to another in marriage

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"Living as modern humans we are disconnected, out of place and don't belong in the same way as other species"

"If you're feeling called to do something larger than you - you should follow that"

Summary

Todays guest Elspeth Hay experienced a rewriting of all she had known when when one day she was grappling with the frustration that the area she calls home didn't have the ability to create more small scale, localised food systems because they were landlocked by the ocean and surrounded by established Oak forests. Until one day her belief and her story was challenged when she learned that we can eat acorns. From there  stories she’d believed her whole life began to unravel.  Not just about acorns but about the way humans have pattered ourselves to our current day reality.

This process led her to write a book titled feed us with trees. The journey of the book creation took her on an ancestral tour from New England USA to the UK, introduced her to indigenous wisdom keepers, gave her the courage to challenge the system we know to be true and hold empathy for the courageous wisdom knowledge holders that have kept nature based skills and interaction alive.

Elspeth is a is a wonderful story teller and with this skill alone I'm sure she is one of those humans who we need as the bridge to wherever it is we are headed.

"Our story is totally made up & doesn't follow any natural laws so we can look to other influences to rewrite it'

Loved this? Try these
Pod ep: Osprey Oriel Lake - the story is in our bones 

Pod ep: Hillary Giovale -becoming a good relative

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 We talked about:

• Her birdwatching childhood that laid the groundwork for her landscape connection
• How chronic pain was a catalyst for change
• Why changing our story can reframe our patterning and behaviour
• Finding connection in the "common lands"
• Challenging the 'no farms no food story'
• Sidestepping the productivity story
• Why our colonisation story began with the desire to control labour
• Colonial expansion & the beginning of capitalism
• Letting go of the idea that we have ALL the answers
• Right story/wrong story
• Why this needs to be the work of an entire culture
• Basket weaving as her gateway to creating a new story
• The magic of song to rebuild a culture
• finding ways to connect you to place

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“We’ve lived fantastic lives because we’ve taken for granted the ecological damage we’ve done. Now we owe a debt"

Well respected ecologist Simon Mustoe has written a new book How to Survive the Next 100 Years: Lessons from Nature. In its pages there's a definite sense of encouragement because ultimately Simon believes we are already seeing indicators of monumentally important shifts in our relationship with earth. 

In todays conversation we tackle the dichotomy between wisdom & knowledge, deciding that “It doesn't necessarily mean how much you know - if you don't have the wisdom to interpret it & you can’t do anything worthwhile with it.

We discover the economic value of a whale when we really unpack what it does for the world & we conclude that the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is one of the most important conservation books of all time.

“Ecosystem complexity makes it abundantly clear that we will NEVER understand everything completely.”

Loved this, try another: Digby Hall or Satyajit Das

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs

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We talked about:

• The wider impact of saving wildlife in our own backyards 
• Government  enabling communities to act as custodians & not corporations 
• How animals make ecosystems work & the impact on our daily lives 
• “We’re not in control of anything & we lack a comprehensive understanding of what it is we now need to do.”
• How 700 koalas were killed by a unilateral decision made behind closed doors.
• Valuing the human response to damaged nature.
• 11 x increase in the amount of funding available in the last decade for nature based solutions
• The localised opportunities for people to contribute to the livelihood that they belong to
• Bringing the voices of many for co-designed outcomes that leave legacy’s
• Environmental accounting; a transitionary solution to us becoming more connected to the ecosystem
• “The decline in our loss of species has had a greater economic impact than all the other climate issues combined”.
• Community led planning can unlock potential from nature based solutions.
• Being in relationship with ourselves, with our landscapes would take us back to the thing we know how to do well and become PART OF the functioning environment

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Have you ever had that moment where you question - but there MUST be another way?

Well in this conversation, Hayley and Matt Defina explore the journey of finding purpose and reprogramming our outdated ways or patterns to reach a more meaningful way of living.

Matt shares the importance of emotional expression in mental health and his personal experiences that led him to create Another Way, a company focused on intentional living. They discuss the societal pressures surrounding purpose, the impact of environment, and the need for self-care amidst life's demands. The conversation emphasises that purpose is not a destination but a continuous process of growth and connection with oneself and the community. 

In this conversation, Matthew Defina and Hayley explore the intricate relationship between love, fear, and personal growth. They discuss the importance of confronting inner fears, the balance between being and doing, and the necessity of community in fostering individual growth.

Find Matt Defina:

https://www.anotherway.au/

https://www.instagram.com/mattdefina_/
https://themancave.life/

More Like This:

Nic Warner ep

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We talked about:

• Purpose is an evolving journey rather than a fixed endpoint.
• Emotional expression is crucial for mental well-being and finding purpose.
• Self-care is essential, even for those with demanding responsibilities.
• Belief systems can create barriers to accessing one's true purpose.
• Creating space for self-reflection can lead to significant personal growth.
• The journey to purpose often involves overcoming fear and resistance.
• Community and support play vital roles in the pursuit of purpose.
• Intentional living aligns with one's authentic self and nurtures mental health.
• Recognising that actions often stem from love, not fear.
• Confronting inner fears is essential for personal growth.
• Nervous system regulation is foundational for emotional health.
• Finding balance between being and doing is crucial.
• Giving oneself permission to desire is a significant challenge.
• Community plays a vital role in personal healing and growth.
• The journey towards purpose often involves confronting limiting beliefs.
• Heart-led living requires courage and authenticity.
• Creating space for stillness allows for deeper self-awareness.
• The journey of self-discovery is ongoing and transformative.

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Do you fancy the idea of growing your own medicinal herbs for tinctures & tea Todays guest Elle from Australian Medicinal Herbs took the plunge following a career sidestep when she was diagnosed with PTSD & replaced a 17 year career in the police force with a seed to packet business that slowly but surely healed her trauma, engaged her girls & now helps people all over Australia. Today she shares her unfolding story  & offers practical guidance & wizened encouragement to get growing in order to take agency of your own health through the potency of healing herbs.

“Life is change - all the small steps you take lead you to another door or another window”

"Herbal medicine is slow medicine & our bodies have adapted to this for generations. Our bodies have certain responses to plants that they don’t to other medicines but we need to be connected & not detached"

More Like This:

Jane Stevens Futuresteading ep

Carolyn Parker Futuresteading ep

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We talked about:

• From domestic violence policing to medicinal herb tinctures
• PTSD diagnosis after 17 years.
• Refocusing on her small children & her own health
• How permaculture opened her up to a new way of being
• Discovering the truth about our long supply chain food system
• Herbs paved her path to healing post PTSD
• Seeing herbal remedies as MEDICINE
• Mullein is her secret love 
• Tulsi - a regulator which will find balance
• Trusting that your body knows what to do with itself to build vitality
• “I don’t recognise the person I used to be  - if you take steps towards this, you will eventually get there, be brave enough to persist”
• Normalising ‘grounding practice’
• Pushing back on handing over our health autonomy to doctors
• Have we normalised anxiety? What are the natural solutions
• Managing the rocks in our trauma backpack so it doesn't thwart us
• Methodically building a life that is home based, nourishing & flows in a seasonal rhythm
• Connecting to land & place & looking at things as a whole system
• Empowering her daughters to live the life they are called to.
• Keeping the Futuresteading podcast alive - GRATITUDE!

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Rarely in life do you meet someone who moves through the world in complete service of others, filling their cup through small but regular actions that offer the world gifts of time, seeds, toilet paper, knowledge. Todays guest is just this person, intrinsically generous…even going so far as to say she stores her excess yields in other humans which in turn proliferates the generosity bug & reap returning acts of kindness as gifted lemon slice & moving boxes.

Today we get to the bottom of what it looks like to blend permaculture principles into your life as a lifelong renter & we talk in earnest about the challenges of this prospect too & why its only getting harder to break the housing realities of so many in Australia, UK & the US.

We dive into why its so important to advocate for yourself when you are - in her words ‘neuro spicy’ & of course no conversation with the urban Nanna would be complete without a thorough rundown on all things foraging!!!

This chat coincides with the launch of Annas newly released book “Everyday Permaculture” which might well become one of those books that you find on the shelf in every household - it definitely SHOULD Be!

“Being so deeply steeped in capitalism makes it hard to ask people to become a permie not a consumer”

“I never expect any member of community to be doing better than others - everyone brings something to the table & we need to value that diversity to see all of us thrive” 

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Buy the Book - Futuresteading - live like tomorrow matters, Huddle - creating a tomorrow of togetherness

Loved this, try another:

Anna the Urban Nanna previously

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  discount code: future5 

We talked about-

• Growing up undiagnosed neuro spicy - “You’re not broken you’re just wired differently”
• Being a wisdom keeper
• Building confidence for self advocacy despite imposter syndrome
• Being accessible, taking small bites
• Seeing community as ‘A healthy forest’, messy, live, flourishing, decaying, breathing
• Finding ways to connect rather than divide
• There’s no room for consumerism in the foragers mindset
• Foraging teaches you to ask how much is enough
• Catching & storing energy in other people - breeding goodwill & gratitude 
• The destabilising vagaries of life as a renter- fighting against injustice to have a roof over your head 
• Housing crisis realities 
• Creating belonging when you don't have a stable location to call home.
• Breaking up with stuff & setting it free by gifting it to others who will use it.
• Building neighbourly relations
• Being an active part in the betterment of someone else's life
• Living with a spirit of generosity
• Creating a community corner of offerings for free
• Not existing in a monetary society
• COMMUNITY

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"We live in a society where uninitiated men grow up"

In this conversation, Hayley and Nick Warner explore the profound themes of transformation, relationships, and the importance of rites of passage in personal growth. They discuss the challenges of authenticity, the journey back to self, and the cost of inauthenticity in life and relationships. Nick shares insights on the significance of responsibility in relationships, the role of fatherhood as a rite of passage, and the necessity of returning to the heart in a society driven by the mind. The dialogue emphasises the importance of community, mentorship, and the healing power of facing one's pain and fears.

Nic Warner is a father, a mentor, a rites of passage facilitator, and an expert in personal growth, he has helped countless individuals unlock their potential, navigate change, and create lives of purpose and fulfillment across the globe. He focuses on work for both the masculine and feminine, a tantric approach, with a particular passion for helping men break through their masks and step into their truest essence. 

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs Discount code 'Future5' 

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Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
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We talked about

• Rites of passage are crucial for personal growth.
• Authenticity is often challenged by societal expectations.
• The journey back to self requires courage and trust.
• Inauthenticity can lead to a life unfulfilled.
• Responsibility in relationships is key to healing.
• Fatherhood is a significant rite of passage for men.
• Community support is essential for transformation.
• Pain can be a teacher if we allow it to be.
• Fear can guide us towards our true path.
• Living in alignment with one's heart leads to fulfillment.

Follow Nic Warner- https://www.nicwarner.com/

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"What would it mean for us to start asking questions via embodied feelings rather than spreadsheets & rational outcomes…turn off our head and turn on our belly."

“You don’t build communities you build relationships - communities build themselves”

Adrian Black is fresh off the plane from 5 weeks of living in an intentional community - a program designed to create a transformative culture. He shares his experience of transferring from being a series of individuals operating in cohesion of each other to operating as a whole via emotional release ceremonies with tears, grief, joy, laughter & dancing.

He normalises 'cortisol crying' - metabolising to release deep emotions & reminds us that we have just two needs: belonging & authenticity. He has learnt to avoid ‘happiness’  & ‘perfectionism’- which are colonial constructs that set us up to fail and he is now focussed on actively bringing people together to celebrate with people, give gratitude & take the energy of the world to focus on something beautiful and worthwhile.

His final advice is to check in regularly on three things - how are your thoughts, your feelings & your body.

References 

• Ceres
• Francis Weller - the Wild Edge of Sorrow
• Dr Gabor Mate
• Joanna Macey
• Glarisegg EDE

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs

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Buy the Books - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters, Huddle - creating a tomorrow of togetherness

Loved this ep, try this one - Charlie Showers  

We chatted about:

• Live as nature not with nature 
• Having agency & care in how we make our decisions
• Ecovillage Design Education course 
• Awakening deep memory
• Relearning how to functionally live together in community
• Unpacking the word community
• Focus on Community first, Family second & individual third
• The role that grief plays in our world & what it truly means to be alive 
• When a physical space can hold SO many things & ask nothing in return
• Loneliness at an all time high 
• Accessing the interconnectedness of everything 
• Being authentic, not performative
• Hearts holding the heartbreak of the world around us
• What is your fear telling you - be curious
• “I don't always need the light, I just need to remember that it will return”
• Avoiding polarisation - replace this with “Experience all that is is to be human” 
• The role of ritual in community 
• Frustrated by the reductionist view of the most complex system of all time
• Why decision making isn't as simple as a list of pro’s & cons
• Making the community self aware of how to manage conflict
• Non linear decision making
• How do I show up in the relationships in my life. holding care, compassion & curiosity

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“Those who have descended from the colonisers, we carry privilege but we also suffer the need to apologise” 

Landscapes can etch into your very being & create a remembering. Making us feel whole & reminding us that we are just a thread in the complex web of the natural world. While somewhat insignificant your thread has a role to play as a relative to the threads it lies next too. The way we all interact with each other - both human and other than human, will be our making or our undoing.

Hilary Giovale, author of “becoming a good relative” is based in the ponderosa pine forests of Arizona, opposite a reservation & lives next to the sacred mountain of kinship which she now considers to be her most important teacher. This feels like an important conversation to have had - as two white women without indigenous heritage -  it feels uncomfortable to have, and we will forever be learning, but Hilary (a 9th generation settler in the United States) begins the process of unpacking what it means to be in right relationship with the people & place that we each call home - pushing past the burden of white fragility to build pathways of robust healing & reconnection to our landscapes - to reconciliation with first peoples.

She shares what it means to create ancestral alters & how to connect with these elders who’s stories she tells us, are still unfolding.

She reminds us that while the work we have to do is exceptionally confronting, grief won’t kill us & that the time to heal in the bosom of natural landscapes is now.

"Elders are always identified by the community, never by the individual - they are usually unwilling but always shows up for the community, is wise, is generous, is funny, is humble,  Our communities can guide us to where the elders are."

Loved this? Try another:    Indira Naidoo

Pod Partners Rock:Australian Medicinal Herbs Discount code 'Future5' 

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Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
Regular Support - Patreon
Buy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters, Huddle, Creating a tomorrow of togetherness

We talked about

Being fed a whitewashed mythology that was a narrative constructed to serve the cultivation of industrialisation.

Realising she had been segregated from the truth of her countries culture

Intergenerational task of building right relations - backwards with her parents & forwards with her children

Creating ancestral alters

Eldership

Healing rituals/programs - ritualised apology & forgiveness

The history of settler colonialism has created trauma, damage, theft of knowledge, land & culture.

“Grief won’t kill you”

The relief of grief through letting tears flow

Common threads of wisdom which runs through indigenous cultures regardless of the continent

Going to the land in a reciprocal & respectful way & asking permission to be guided

Asking “how if at all can I help” informs how to be in right relationship

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“How we raise our children is facilitating a denaturing of our human-ness. The opportunity is to be centred within & rebuild our culture” 

Dan Kittridge is the bare footed gent who coined the term Nutrient density off the back of his dao-ist strategy to create a life that afforded him the time & space to be at home with his young family, living simply with just 10k per year on the land.

Over the next 20 years he became clear that his role was simply to serve & that it's not his job to know what he's doing or attempt to implement a plan rather to be sensitive to what's shown to him & respond in a way that was lead by love enabling him to get out of his head, get out of the ‘shoulds’  & get into the heart, asking instead, what flows.

The result has been the creation of the bionutrient institute, a global speaking profile & a life long commitment to renaturing which he says sits at the centre of solving the poly-crises we face.

“Having the right to land to provide adequate housing & food for every family should be a foundational right. The land cannot be sold but you have access to it sufficient for a simple life.”

"As long as we engage with a colonised mind of separation/fear/division, we will not be able to engage with an indigenous mind of love/flow & unity"

“As long as the structure of our lives require us to work jobs for money that are separating us from nature, we are paddling upstream. It becomes difficult to tune into the flow of nature.”

Loved this? Try these:

Manda Scott - Becoming accidental gods

Damon Gameau - A call to arms for storytellers 

Pod Partners Rock:Australian Medicinal Herbs  - discount code Future5

Support the Show
Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
Regular Support - Patreon
Buy the Books - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters  & Huddle Creating a tomorrow of togetherness

We talked about:

“We are not the body we are carrying around we are effectively individual consciousness that has physical attributes. Accepting this changes the way we interact with each other.”

What is a soul - is it ecological? Or is it transcendent love? 

Getting ourselves into right relationship requires a serious restructure of our way of being

Beginning to decolonise starts during early childhood 

The money vs time equation

The rule of law is a paradox of control that can be equally exasperating & supportive

Understanding that there is a greater order & you don't have to control everything - you just have to be receptive to what is shown to you.

Using nature to model ourselves- symbiosis. Be your own brilliant unique system & then add mycelium to connect others brilliance

The role that feelings have in the way we make decisions

We dont need to KNOW anything - we are already wired with the knowledge we need

If we just work with nature - we will remember who we are and what we are supposed to do.

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"I could live a lifetime here and still be learning  - it’s a relationship - the greatest relationship of my life"

Alice Irene Whitaker lives in a small cabin in the woods, is a mother of three, an author of the book “Homing" and host of the  'Reseed podcast, which is about rebuilding our relationship with nature.

Surrounded by creek, meadow, and forest, Alice Irene began a new lifelong journey of repairing her fractured relationship with both herself and the natural world. Dismantling a history of anorexia, obsessiveness, and workaholism, she decided to stop taking and start caretaking. 

She shares how taking the leap to a life in a small cabin in the woods where seasons are apparent, repetition is a daily mantra and a shedding of her previous identity onto the forest floor has given her an opportunity to  live a lifetime in her new landscape and still be learning from the outside world every day - she sees her surrounds as a relationship-the greatest relationship of her life. 

Loved this? Try another one:

Ep 122 Nat Wilmott - Living her dream

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs

 
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We talked about:

Shifting from an extractive life to a regenerative one

Falling in love with a landscape & experiencing the feeling of every cell in her body opening up.

Seeking treescapes

Acknowledging her body is built for creativity, rest & beauty not just output.

Listening to our own stories above the noise of the modern world

Rewriting our stories in the presence of the natural world rather than the presence of accolades, work & job promotions

Being a baby on her journey towards humanity

Justifying working like a machine because you are doing “burnout for good”

The paradox of finding rest despite being needed for the cause

When you take your growth mindset into the “for purpose” space - needing to unpack this.

Creating care and caretakers in our world.

Why care is not soft” and easy to dismiss but is as important as the wheels of industry

Motherhood transformation - the drama of opening up & cracking open to the idea of what is kept and what is left behind

Being oriented on suffering of others or peace for us all. Children have helped her enjoy the act of love & making it personal and care

Quote - “we are all mothers here”  it’s not just about giving birth but is needed for all of us and mother earth

What does it mean to go beyond the mothering of our own small household and relate this to

The power of repetition and observing the things which change and the things that stay the same.

Building relationships with both humans and non-human

Becoming child like when you sit & observe moss

Building networks of people who are interested in your niche areas of interest.

Natural world muse.

Being inspired by the tiny hummingbird

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"We need to cultivate a culture of listening in society." But what does it truly mean to listen?

In this episode, we delve into the profound impact that sound can have on our lives as we speak with renowned sound recordist Andrew Skeoch. With his expertise in capturing the essence of nature through sound, Andrew shares his journey of deep listening, the importance of empathetic listening, and how it connects us to the natural world and one another.

Andrew, the author of Deep Listening, records breathtaking natural habitats from across the globe which have gained worldwide attention, with albums that attract tens of thousands of weekly streams on Spotify. His work has also featured in major films like Rabbit Proof Fence, The Jungle Book (2016), and the upcoming Force of Nature starring Eric Bana.

Our conversation delves into the evolution of a heart-centered society that values cooperation over unhealthy competition. Andrew highlights the importance of understanding nature as an ongoing process and discusses how human sensitivity plays a crucial role in shaping our societal values. 

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Buy the book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  

Code for Discount: future5 

Andrew's Website: https://listeningearth.com/andrewskeoch/

We talked about:

• How to deeply listen, slow down and be present.
• Empathetic listening to nature and what we can learn by other species.
• Cooperation in nature often occurs across diverse species.
• Listening helps us connect with our inner selves and the environment.
• Nature's evolution shapes behaviors that benefit living systems.
• Listening is a powerful tool for social and political change.
• We need to cultivate a culture of listening in society.
• Nature teaches us that cooperation is more beneficial than competition.
• Human sensitivity varies, impacting societal values and interactions.
• We must learn from nature to create inclusive social structures.
• Practical applications of nature's principles are necessary for societal change.
• Understanding our evolutionary past can inform our future interactions.

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Claire is a multi generational Scottish beef farmer who says 'Ag has potency and potential to be a catalyst on the front line of climate catastrophe'.

As a Nuffield scholar 'exploring the scrutiny being placed on agriculture and how perceptions are changing', she embarked on a world research tour. While travelling, she fell in love with an Australian lad & now finds herself living in rural NSW. So after establishing a strong journalism career steeped in trust & long held relationships on home turf, she now finds herself on this wide brown land in the heat of summer without her networks & a need to rebuild a new life with people who she tells us are more laid back, more inclined to use humour dripping in sarcasm to navigate hard things & are exceptionally resilient.

“Leave judgements at the door & come without bias in order to communicate which is both talking but equally listening, we’ve all got to be prepared to change our mindsets”

“First gen farmers are more daring to have hard conversations & to really listen - they can be brave."

"For progress we need to think outside ag - and not just speak to ourselves." 

"When will people other than farmers step into the food system & support the much needed potential for farming to be the potent ecological change making piece it is . Farmers cannot be all the things, they are best to be the land stewards but others need to take up the roles of advocating, supply chain development, consumer education, policy change & story telling"

Links You'll Love
Claire Taylor Linked in

Nuffield Scholarship program

Loved this? Try these:
Gab Chan -  building political clout for ag

Helen Rebanks - in honor of the farmers wife

Support the Show
Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
Regular Support - Patreon
Buy the book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  

Code for Discount: future5 

We talked about:

The politics of agriculture - overshadowed by a growing disconnect between politicians in the cities & farmers in the country 

Echo chambers are one of the biggest challenges in Ag. Its so important to look up & out to glean perspective on what's happening 

We need more patience and understanding in ag because there are deep cultural beliefs & values that will need to shift before practice change can occur

Why its time for farmers to build trust for those who are telling their stories & playing other roles in the food system so we can broaden the scope for support

Ripping the bandaid off & beginning a new life in another country.

Settling her body into a new landscape]

Learning how to say yes to invitations

Learning to be vulnerable with new families and friends

Asking a new friend on a date - you’ll have different friendships at differnt times 

The things we do for love - taken in by the boss’s girlfriend 

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"Creativity is a life force - the universe is inherently creative - once we realise it's not ours - it takes the ego out of it & encourages all of us to utilise it as a gift for the greater good"

Fleur Chambers is a best selling author, mama, philanthropist & of course a master meditator. Actually she is the creator of the free meditation app: The Happy Habit.

Her post partum experience was the catalyst for seeking another way of being in the world & now she positions meditation as something much larger than just supporting the individuals need as a circuit breaker & asks us to get curious about leaning into an emergent way of being & exploring our intentions  without a sense of control and striving.  We unpack the deep wisdoms of the inner voice - the voice of nature, of the earth, of our body. 

We chat about the potency of parenting as an endless source of learning -importantly the value of dropping the expectation on everyone and replacing it with the essence of presence, learning to trust our own inner voice, opening the door on our potential & realising that growth is not about adding on but about peeling back & letting go.

She shares her theory that Creativity is an energy that doesn’t belong to us  and is simply a gift to the world at that moment in time

In this conversation she encourages us to unlearn & relearn towards a new story...

"Its time for a new story - where self esteem & confidence is no longer a patriarchal, corporate, growth dominated paradigm…instead the ease comes from learning to listen, acknowledging traumas, shared humanity, cherish, protect & preserve"'

Links You'll Love
All things Fleur Chambers: books, courses

Nate Hagens and Bill Plotkin podcast

Loved this ep, try another:

Ep 83 - Naturally Well with Jo

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs  

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Buy the Books - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

                           - Huddle - Creating a tomorrow of togetherness

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"The deepest trauma is disconnection from country."

What does it truly mean to heal? How can we reclaim our ancestral wisdom and break free from patterns of diseased thinking?

In this episode, we sit down with Valerie Ringland, a powerful voice in the world of Indigenous healing and restorative justice. Born on traditional Shawnee land in the U.S. and now living on Yuin Country in far southern NSW, Valerie brings a unique blend of Indigenous knowledge, and Western healing practices to her work. She’s the author of the transformative book "Healing Through Indigenous Wisdom," which offers 52 weeks of profound exercises designed to help us reconnect with ourselves, our land, and our lineage.

Valerie challenges us to reimagine cultural expression, confront our wounds head on, and see trauma not as a life sentence but as a spiritual calling. She invites us to explore shame, grief, and belonging as essential parts of our journey toward wholeness.

In this episode you will learn: 

- The role of rituals, ceremonies, and ancestral connection in emotional well-being
- How Indigenous wisdom offers powerful tools for self-discovery and community healing
- And why "never enoughness" is a modern disease—and how to break free from it

Get ready for a thought-provoking conversation that will challenge your perspectives, touch the deepest parts of your heart, and inspire you to reconnect with your true essence.

Connect with Valerie:

🌍 Website: Earth Ethos
📘 Facebook: Valerie Ringland
▶️ YouTube: Earth Ethos

Join Valerie at Her Upcoming Events (March 2025):

📍 Retreat Series | Far South Coast, NSW (Yuin Country)
March 28 @ 5PM | Tilba, NSW

📍 Author Talks – International Women's Day (Melbourne, VIC):
🗓️ March 8 @ 11AM | Qi Crystals, Caulfield
🗓️ March 8 @ 3:30PM | Theosophical Society, Melbourne

📍 Author Talks – Far South Coast, NSW:
📖 March 13 @ 3-4PM | Tura Marrang Library, Tura Beach
📖 March 24 @ 10:30AM | Bermagui Library, Bermagui

💫 If today's episode resonates with you, explore Valerie's retreats and author talks through her website Earth Ethos.

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Megan has made it her life work to bring the voice of the feminine into our stories, workplaces, communities & ultimately our culture. Ensuring they are heard & have agency to do what we do so well - be women with feminine traits which are celebrated & valued. You'll be delighted to hear its not about minimising the power of men but allowing women to meet them in a place that they have long relished and together they can create a world no longer dominated by the patriachy.

 Navigating a hard fought journey of finding her purpose & then having the courage to lean into it, Megan, now in her early 50s is committed to a life that enables women to rise.   Author, single mum, business owner & now completing her PHD in women's spirituality - she is taking her leadership role to new heights.

In this conversation she talks about the seasons of life & places the idea that 'what is for you will never pass you'. She shares why change comes from the ground up in democratic environments, she offers tools for male allyship and insights into how & why women are rising. For such a powerhouse, it's reassuring to hear that her 'Enough' is what it is - and having peace in that.

Links you’ll love

• Women Rising - Mary Dalla Camina
• Menergy - Mens gathering
• Jeremy Lent - patterning instincts

Loved this ep? Try this one:

Ep 84 - Naturally well with Jo - being an intuitive generalist and being real about what is possible

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Buy the Books - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters, Huddle - Creating a tomorrow of togetherness

Pod Partners Rock: Australian Medicinal Herbs 

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 Its not every day you talk with a flaming locked, beard faced wizard. This one sees through the illusions of modernity & revels in an oscillating state of making progress through decay while genuinely attuning to the living systems in order to see our dire reality. 

He attempts to embody our meta crises & seeks insights outside of mere numbers by going into the woods to 'just be'...and perhaps along the way he will experience a physiological quickening that offers hope.

He sees an undercurrent of people returning to ambiguity - warm provocations with room for textured, life filling conversation & he is building a relationship with dusk where in the liminal, he opens himself up to other intelligences & wisdoms, animacy & more than the human world.

He laments our loss of seasonal attunement & encourages us all to re-member (become a member of the earth) to reignite our presence & acuity to notice the small, more than the rational.

This wizard is indeed a wise orator & his words dance through the conversation like twinkling lights, sprinkling provocation that you may need to hear more than once.   

Links You'll Love

• How to lead a quest - Fox Wizard
• The emerald podcast 
• Daniel Schucktenberger - metacrises expert
• Tyson Yunkaporta - Sand Talk
• Nate Hagens - the great simplification podcast
• Hospicing Modernity - Vanessa Andretti
• Sue Dennett - Meliodora
• Catie Payne - Reskillience podcast
• Natures apprentice
• Regenerative Leader Program

Support the Show
Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
Regular Support - Patreon
Buy the Books - Futuresteading & Huddle 

Pod Partners Rock:  Australian Medicinal Herbs 

Loved it? Try this:

• Helena Norberg-Hodge - charts a path between systemic healing & oneness

We talked about:

• "Most people would rather see the world destroyed than face their grief of seeing the world destroyed".
• Mass produced distraction is not nourishing us.
• Living in an adolescent culture
• Finding ways to build relationships with our landscapes
• Not adding too much structure to an emerging community
• Relationality
• The beautiful normalisation of listening to the body & responding to what it really needs.

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Meet Hayley - the whizz who usually sits in the editing suite of the Futuresteading pod  is in the hot seat today...and a few other days actually...todays episode is the chance to get to know the voice behind a mini series within this season of the futuresteading pod we are calling Stories from the heart. Hayley has been the producer on the pod for the last 6 seasons and now we are introducing her to this side of mic. You'll love her!

From remote Alaskan cottages to inner city haunts, Hayley Jessup has been learning to live from the heart. Her journey has been visceral, gut led and has tapped a curiosity from deep inside her that she unpacks in todays conversation. It’s not just about earth shattering love, it’s about sliding into a comfortable place that stays true to you, your reason to be here and being sure of the work that is yours to do. Because you can and its right.

Loved this? Try these:

Ep 104 Tanya Massy - Can love create unison of head, hands and heart

Ep 69 Lisa Wells - Making a life at the end of the world

Ep 51 Brooke McAlary on the farce of multitasking and the power of slow

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Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
Regular Support - Patreon
Buy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

Pod Partners Rock: 

Australian Medicinal Herbs 

We talked about:

Living life in transition

her experience as a naturally curious question asker

Making decisions by intuition

Learning to be heart led

Giving yourself space to be who you need to be.

Her experience living in a remote Alaskan cottage

Her plans for the mini series "from the heart" in this seasons pod.

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Tyson Yunkaporta is an Apalech man who is an academic, researcher arts critic & father. He is also the author of Sand Talk,  an extraordinary reading experience.  Like many of Australia’s First Peoples, he has a complex identity and history but it's this that gives him authority to write and speak in a way which connects the wisdom of the past to the needs of the future. 

The way he thinks demands a longer term perspective.  He is both philosophical and practical,  compassionate yet realistic. He is filled with an other-worldly understanding of humanity.  In this conversation he urges us to consider the non linear complexity of the world. 

He challenges our expectations, points out cultural shortcomings and invites us to recognise indigenous concepts and their history. Importantly he shows how these patterns have the potential to be incorporated into our non indigenous thinking which  builds hope and possibility to benefit us all.

“I don’t have answers but I know that stories connect us to country. Country knows the answers. Notice it and be a custodian".

Episode Summary
Minimising abstractions between lore and land
The illusion of the environment which is hidden by siloed systems
Let’s look like dickheads for a minute while we work out the path forward
Looking for seasonal signs and responding to them
Lore carries recipes for how to live our lives with story and pattern
Coming back into rhythm with the natural world
Running out of time - the time to reconnect with country is now
The dominating authoritarianism in the western world demands people are disconnected from the landscape
Mutual aid activism - not about throwing bombs but making sure everyone is fed.
Self determination being thwarted by authoritarianism
Stop looking at things and look at structures, systems and patterns instead
Quietly getting on with it - syndicate your neighbourhood with the next neighbourhood
The bullshit of nation building is key in the decimation of connection to country.
Activism is an industry 
Positive and negative feedback loops to understand how symbioses interlock with others
Story, ceremony and ritual for real thinking and real meaning making
Until art became capital it was something that every human did every day to understand their place in the world
How do we find a way of storytelling without reducing it to words
"Image, dance, song - can all portray story but they have no depth of meaning if they don't have place"
The lore is in the land 
"Leave those who are pecking over the carcass of the earth to their dying beliefs and the rest of us can get on with rebuilding relationships, stories, knowledge and place. Quietly and with people"
Why we need to stop self flagellating acknowledgments of country and start building relationships

References

Viktor Stefanson - fire country management
Sand Talk - Tyson Yunkaporta
The other others - podcast.

Thanks to our podcast partners:

Wwoof Australia
Nutrisoil

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Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

Shout out to the rockstars who smooth the sound Open Door Studios

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Following the shocking & heartbreaking death of her younger sister Indira leant into grief with the help of the natural world. She formed a deep friendship with a tree, learnt the power of self trust & became conscious of death in a way that led her to see puddles as portals into another world.
Despite the genesis, this conversation is joyful & powerful.

Show Notes

•  Forced  to be present - the pressure is off 
• Living the now is how the body and mind forces you to be in grief
• "The ‘now’ is not muddied by the past or the expectation of the future"
• Tackling the big topics and being prepared to sit with loss, grief and unexplained emotions
• Discovering that the answers to all the questions sit within you if you're prepared to lean into the discomfort
• Discovering it's possible to feel closer to people in death than in life
• The forgiveness that comes with death
• Deliberately seeking the wondrous memories to overcome the sadness
• Becoming much more contented and grateful in the face of grief
• Live while you are alive and don’t die until you are dead - suck the marrow out of life 
• Why the fuzziness has been taken out of life - she is rarely not sure anymore
• Learning to listen to herself
• Learning to make your backyard your world
• Why her tree is her favourite place on earth
• Waiting for a generation before we see the impact of our actions
• By being still you realise you're not separate from nature but part of it.
• Why she no longer sees where her skin ends and the bark on the tree begins 
• Let’s go fly a kite together
• Reminding people to seek healing capacity through nature
• Finding ways to create a sense of boundless space 
• Understanding the impact of the colour green
• Allow yourself to be where you are
• Trust how you’re feeling, what makes you feel better
• The varied faces of grief
• Why acceptance wasn’t enough - seeking meaning is the next phase
• Learning we are in ‘the line’ 
• Becoming livened by the idea that death won’t elude any of us
• Discovering how much knowledge is already in your DNA - but learning how to unlock it
• Unlearning ‘being the one with all the answers’
• Spending time with people who are “experts in life”
• Stepping away from manufacturing experiences 
• Discovering intoxication by being aware of the nature around me rather than the addition of stimulants
• The power of observation
• Becoming conscious of the subtle nuances in life 
• Being drawn to the force of a tree
• Baby steps to bring change NOW to open a crack of light in life
• Find the time to build magic into your life

References

The Space Between the Stars - Indira Naidoo

 Podcast partners ROCK!

Hidden Sea - Wine that saves the sea
Nutrisoil
Wwoof Australia

Buy the Book

Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

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Regular Support - Patreon

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If climate reports and dystopian vibes are getting you down, this conversation with Meg Berryman might just lift you (gently) from the tiles.

Meg is the host of the Regenerative Life podcast, where she holds activating and catalysing conversations about social change, sustainable business, holistic wellbeing, personal development and regeneration, creating ripples of change from the inside out.

She’s not only a brilliant interviewer, meeting mighty minds like Tyson Yunkaporta and Claire Dunn for the kinds of intellectual-yet-accessible chats that leave listeners awestruck, but a formidable thinker herself. 

We’re stoked to welcome Meg for a wide-ranging convo that covers nervous system care, sitting in the magic dark, tending survival energy and watering the seeds of discontent. We discuss the perils of trying to make a positive impact out there if it’s having a negative impact on you and your people. And how to go about satisfying that deep primal yearning to reconnect with self, earth and other beings. 

Right now, in this time of grief, confusion + frustration, Meg Berryman is pure medicine. Listen in. 

SHOW NOTES

• The inspiration behind the Regenerative Life podcast
• An unlearning journey of dropping the postures and dropping into true self.
• Finding the balance between the unknown + the five year plan. 
• Challenging domesticity with wildness
• Regeneration is an embodied experience; but it’s not as easy as we’ve been sold. 
• The things we’ve sold as making us happy aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. The agitation and restlessness we’re feeling as feedback is not anything wrong with us! The lie of capitalism is that it’s your problem, you need to buy something to fix you.
• The seeds of discontent are also the seeds of regeneration
• Homeostatic flux: ecosystems are constantly recalibrating according to feedback.
• How to reconsider + reevaluate what a good life is. 
• We have a deep primal yearning to reconnect with ourselves, the earth, other being. That urge is continually being overidden because on some level, we assume there’s something wrong with us. 
• "It’s not that I’m allergic to life, I’m allergic to the ways we’ve organised society and systems that are so removed from those basic primal instincts of being connected and belonging."
• Wisdom birthed from the bathroom floor. 
• Epic burnout led to total breakdown led to epic recalibration.
• Is sheer willpower the only way to get shit done?
• Reframing breakdown as a period of magic dark.
• We’ve had a health and wellness paradigm for 20 years that’s focussed on DOING things. But that keeps us in survival mode; it’s not sustainable or regenerative.
•  We need a whole lot of people to be regulated enough, for long enough, to make life giving decisions and make a dent in these systems.
• Being in conversation with questions. 
• How do we come back to ourselves, and is that enough?
• Getting out of hustle culture in business. 
• Everyone is saying, "we can’t slow down because x, y, z….” It’s the courageous soul chooses to interrogate that. 
• If you’re making impact out there, but that work is having a negative effect on your people in here, it’s a net zero. It’s not regenerative.
• The best gift you can give other beings is the gift of a settled system. 
• Avoiding the one-two punch of shame and guilt.

LINKS YOU'LL LOVE

• My Grandmother's Hands -- Resmaa Menakem

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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 NOTES

• Being a Gondwanan
• Growing 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 LOVE

• Growing Farmers
• Fun Fungi Ecology
• Fungi4Land on Insta

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Do you know where your grain comes from... the farmers name... how they grow it? Woodstock flour are doing their level best to change the last frontier via the power of building relationships and connecting. Join Jade and Courtenay as they get gritty on grains and hear why we need to value its diversity and regionality just like  we do wine or cheese.

Links You'll Love!
Woodstock flour website
Food Connect in Brisbane
Open Food Network
Kirsten and Serenity Futuresteading Interview
Tivoli Road Bakery
Holistic Management
Riverina Organics Growers Group

Show us you love us!
Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
Regular Support - Patreon
Buy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

Show Notes

• Why food production is the avenue to create the most significant environmental change
• Finding a way to fit into the family farm as the 2nd generation via a stone mill & farmers markets
• Getting people to think about their grain consumption as they do their veggies or fruit
• Venturing onto their own farm in Rutherglen
• Diversifying & de-risking as part of the succession plan
• Maintaining identity in the succession process
• Building a farm business that is totally collaborative & openly shares knowledge
• The importance of transparency in building a movement
• The power of open minded, interactive relationships
• Building a business via the lens of socio-political factors
• Land ownership & its connection to class & race - privilege
• Facing the confronting reality of land ownership on unceded land
• CSA model for grains
• Covid experiences of customer demands
• Open Road Project
• Education about true cost of food & reconciling the inaccessibility of this reality
• The journey of creating a path to market from scratch
• The value of putting yourself into things regardless of financial return in the short time
• Holistic management 
• Collaborating with community is often an opportunity to connect with land, find joy through connection to others & learn from all that’s around us
• Acknowledging the slow pace of us as humans
• How do we get the next generation interested in food production?
• The beauty of rural communities being accepting of each others ways & thinking 
• Finding solidarity in the wine growing community
• Rising early to paint - no excuses, no interruptions
• Defining business roles in a small family business 
• Being deliberate about the daily decisions to ensure balance
• How her painting complements her business
• Bookending the day at the dinner table

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Recorded just days after the Federal election, Gabrielle Chan doesn't mince words - even when bone tired. A celebrated journalist with the Guardian, outspoken advocate for rural Australia and encourager of individual agency. "Our system has been made up by people and it can be rewritten by people". Lets not wait for Government to bring change but get active and organised now during times of abundance.

Links You'll Love
Acres and Acres in Corryong
Wendell Berry
The Guardian

Show us you love us!
Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
Regular Support - Patreon
Buy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

Show Notes
Connecting the grass roots regen ag movements with top down politics
The need for change in our food, water, land management policies
“We export a lot of sausage sandwiches - beef and wheat”
Why it’s time to change the narrative around Australia's ag sector 
Why ‘level playing fields’ are a farce
The fragility of financial deregulations, long global supply chains increasing disease, increased drought - how do we as a sovereign nation reassure ourselves of continued prosperity
The potential for rural policy to create the framework that allows smaller scale and regen practices to thrive
The power of the colonial squatacracy
How do we bring policy reform to ag so it has relevance for smaller scale 7 regen practices to thrive
The potential of utilising the “voices for” movement as a model for local food to grow
Why we need to re-engage with politics 
The thing that only Govt does  is set the ground rules for how we conduct our business. 
People need to be involved in politics to influence its direction
The need for strategic water policy to better support us on the driest continent on earth
Talking about water, food and skills while we are in times of abundance
Where does the role of govt need to stop and allow room for community to pick up
The ongoing debate about why we do not yet have drought policy or food policy
Refine what you want to change  - get organised and get active in the arena from bottom up
The big secret - we are ALL MAKING IT UP
Her slow, gradual, accidental path to being a communicator.
Her writing approach - just keep writing, push through the creative barriers
The process of sitting down and ordering your thoughts results in a unique 
Connecting the systemic dots through political reporting
The history of farming and nature control
The Connectivity of farming to EVERYTHING ELSE
Ag and environment are different political portfolios - WTF
We cannot have an economy without an environment
The need for the economy the environment  + the desires of the humans involved in farming  to be interacting 
The need to account for ecological resources

Questions the fundamental systems
Finding optimism in the work done by others
Having faith in humanity
Connecting people to spark change

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Sign out of 2024 with this lively mastermind who suggests we take country into our body ! How?
Build routine around food,
Go barefoot to boost immunity, 
Stop seeing food as an inconvenience
Cook & eat with family often
Connect to the seasons of your life & the landscape
Create & share ceremony
Use food as a reconciliation tool

Belonging to a matriarchal community has unlocked knowledge handed down by oral stories, dance & art where kinship is more than human to human. Knowing your spirit belongs here is a gift we can all tap but with belonging comes responsibility - one to mother earth, but also to sisterhood, eldership and to being part of the greater whole.

Links You'll Love
Karkala book by Mindy Woods
Karkala instagram

Loved this? Try these:
Tyson Yunkaporta
Billa from the Wild School

Support the Show
Casual Support - Buy Me A Coffee
Regular Support - Patreon
Buy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters

We talked about:

Living by 6 local seasons
"Being part of the greater whole - we are one of the parts of many, it’s not us & them but all of us as one contributing to our country in some way we can maintain balance"
Caring for her totems goanna, echidna & wollomi pine via broader care of her environment
Societal lack of connection & belonging
Imperfect allyship - ok to make mistakes but important to maintain connection
Mob love a yarn - connect, be quiet, shut your mouth, open your listening & be there in respectful observation. Get curious about native food landscapes, 
Knowledge is the sacred part, the fundamental core of culture & treated with great reverence despite it not being written down, its taken seriously when its shared on
It’s not transactional, it’s about relationships & allows us all to slow down to a pace that humans should actually move at.
Childhood memories on country with family - eating oysters out of jam jars
Being a proud cook - not a chef
Having friends apply for masterchef on her behalf
Debunking the myth of Australian food being meat pies & sausage rolls
Asking what is Australia's cuisine & exploring culture through food
Eating foods from our landscape, they belong here, are highly nutritious & are abundant
Moving into eldership as wisdom holders - not an age but a readiness
When you’re taking care of country you're taking care of mob & community too
The privilege of taking on responsibility for cultural teachings
When women are in charge it creates a great balance - women's wishes are always community based & they are thinking about country community & culture".
You can’t be what you can’t see - be the one to lead the way
Standing loud & proud in sisterhood - uniting.
"The privilege to eat food that you’ve grown & understand the value of: local, seasonal, country gives you what you need at the right times in abundance - feeding the old people & the young people before feeding the well ones"

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