The Permaculture Podcast

Rhamis Kent - Islam, Ethics, and Earth Care

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Rhamis Kent, a permaculture teacher and designer originally from the United States who currently lives in the United Kingdom and teaches in Africa and the Middle East. He joins me today to begin the series on Faith and Earth Care. During this conversation we discuss his background, the ideas of law and ethics, the core tenants of Islam, and how these relate to our being stewards of the earth. We wrap things up by talking more about ethics and land care. Even though Rhamis is a practicing Muslim, we talk about Islam and faith in an academic and largely secular fashion, divorced from the geo-politics one might hear in the news. There is a great deal of value in this interview for anyone who wants to understand and engage others to build greater community and, in turn, a better world. This conversation is the first of at least two, possibly three, with Rhamis and serves as an introduction to what will follow. As Rhamis and I spent 6 hours talking over two different days the tone of this conversation is considerably more open and jovial than I have had in most of the previous interviews. That lead to a show that is quite different from the norm. Because of that you’ll hear two cuts in the middle where I removed a couple of minutes of me taking us on different tangents. The difference is that because of how long we spoke this first time I ran up against a hard deadline and had to stop the conversation a bit abruptly. If you enjoy this episode, consider making a donation to help keep this show going. Find out how at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. I don’t have a lot to add to the conversation at the moment, as I’ll do a longer breakdown after the end of these interviews with Rhamis, whether that is one more or two. However, I will remark that while listening to Rhamis I was reminded of the stories and teachings in my own childhood, and how similar people really are to one another. A desire for peace, kinship, kindness, and to be treated like a human being. I won’t say those ideas are universal, but I will say it is incredible how small the difference are that so often divide us. I’d rather focus on what brings us together. Wouldn’t you? Where ever you stand after listening to all of this, I’d like to hear from you. Email me: The Permaculture Podcast. Join in the discussions on Facebook: facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast. Or follow me on twitter where I am: @permaculturecst. Also, please feel free to call me if there is any way I can help you on your path with permaculture. A phone call is the easiest way to reach me, and often garners the quickest reply. I'm not always available to answer the phone, but will call you back as soon as possible. That number is: . The next episode of the show is a Q&A with Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss about tending the wild, expect that on Friday, January 24th. The next full interview is out on January 27th, with Eric Puro of The Poosh.org and that organization’s work to build sustainable projects around the world. Then will be Wayne Herring back for a Q&A about small scale farming on January 31st. You can find a full listing of upcoming shows, now plotted out through May 2014, by going to the Release Schedule. If you’ve missed anything from the past you can also check out the Show Archives. Resources: Rhamis Kent (Permaculture Global) Brethren of Purity (Wikipedia Entry) The Case of the Animals Versus Man Before the King of the Jinn from the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity (Oxford University Press) Epistles of the Brethren of Purity (Oxford University Press) Ibn al-'Arabi by William C. Chittick (Available to read online) Collapse by Jared Diamond (English Wikipedia Entry) Dirt by David Montgomery (UC Press) Reconstruction by Way of the Soil by G.T. Wrench (Available to read online) Topsoil and Civilization by Carter and Dale (Link to Google Books, no ebook Available) (Episode 2014-004)

Learn More

Marisha Auerbach - Urban Landscapes, Bio-Diversity, and Permaculture Education

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Marisha Auerbach, a permaculture designer and teacher from Portland, Oregon. She joins me today to talk about her work in the urban environment and her intentional choice to move to Portland to build working examples of the systems needed to exemplify what we can do. From there we touch on biodiversity and savings seeds, then cover some educational opportunities coming up that Marisha is involved with, and end with a general conversation about permaculture education and whether or not the on-line space is an appropriate one in which to teach permaculture. We cover a lot of ground and Marisha's long involvement in the community means there are copious resources listed below. You will also find links to several past guests she mentions to support our conversation together. If you enjoy this episode, or any of the others from the podcast, please consider making a donation so I can keep on keeping on. Find out how at: thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. You may enjoy these past episodes: Edible Forest Gardens and Permaculture with Dave Jacke Exploring Permaculture with Larry Santoyo Financial Permaculture with Eric Toensmeier Teaching the PDC with Andrew Millison Resources: Herb'n Wisdom, Marisha's Blog. Marisha's upcoming events: Maya Mountain Research Farm (Belize PDC) The 2014 Local Food Enterprise Summit: A Financial Permaculture Convergence People and places: Bullock Brothers The Evergreen State College Forest Shoemer Gary Nabhan Wild Thyme Farm Organizations: Abundant Life Seed Foundation (Now merged with Territorial Seed Company) The American Livestock Breed Conservancy Seed Savers Exchange Plants and Animals: Ahimsa Silk Coast Strawberry Lower Salmon River Winter Squash Sedum Silver Fox rabbit Join in the conversations: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst (Episode 2014-003)

Learn More

Review: Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist by Michael Judd

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






This episode is a review from my wife, Shawn Marie, of Michael Judd's new book, Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist: Have Your Yard and Eat it Too.

Learn More

Arthur Haines - Wild Foods

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Arthur Haines. He is a botanist, forager, and wild foods expert from Maine, where he teaches these ideas through his school, the Delta Institute of Natural History. You can find out more about Arthur at arthurhaines.com. Arthur is a returning guest, so if you'd like to learn more about him, and foraging, check out the first interview. I like Arthur, the work he's doing, and how he shares this information. He's steeped in not only the history and lore of wild plants and native foods, but also offers plenty of examples to go along with the conversation. To carry this discussion, we begin with a definition of what Arthur means by a wild food, and then discuss four main areas where wild foods differ from cultivated ones:
Nutrient density.
Phtyochemisty.
Essential fatty acid ratio.
Calories relative to fiber.
There is a great deal of useful information in this conversation, though I would have liked a better connection for our conversation that day. You'll hear that when you give this show a listen, but please stick with us through it as what we cover is well worth your time, ties together several previous interviews, and sets us up for a conversation I recently recorded with Dr. John Kitsteiner about permaculture, food, and our health. To add to this conversation, here are links to past interviews about foraging, tending the wild, and nutrient density. Wild Foods and Foraging with Arthur Haines Foraging with Sam Thayer Restoring Eden: Zone 4 Permaculture with Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss Nutrient Dense Foods with Dan Kittredge An Introduction to Nutrient Dense Farming with Mary Johnson If you enjoy this conversation, and the others related to it, please consider making a donation to the show so I can keep things going. Find out how at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. One of the points Arthur raised in this conversation that stuck with me was when I talked about the Paw Paw and he said that “The work of eating is done for us,” as aresult of plant breeding and selection. Taking a step back from that, when I look at our supermarket that space plays a similar role in taking the effort out of eating. We can buy what we want, whenever we want. I was reminded of this over the 2013 holidays my family fell back on our old eating habits, and how we are returning to our more thoughtful diet as we get out from under that crunch. In that process my daughter asked for strawberries and we were able to buy them from California, picked, pre-washed, and packaged by the pound ready for our consumption. As I cut them up to eat, I found myself thinking about the decision that went into purchasing them, and how easy it was to buy those berries and bring them home. If I want to the supermarket and restaurants mean I never have to prepare or cook food. Ever. I'm not condemning grocery stores or our ability to plug-in to the world-wide network of food, but just be more conscious of using it. I think the place to start is to get back into being intimate with our food, and to do that, start cooking a meal at home. Once a week is a start. Take it slow. Find a favored recipe from friend or family member and make that part of what you do. Then add another, and another, until your're comfortable cooking with what you have. Then try fresh foods from a farmer's market. Then add wild foods. Arthur mentioned violets, which grow here in Pennsylvania, and are one of my favorite fresh food snacks when I'm in the yard. Sure, I might not fill up on a few handfuls of them, but they give me something to munch on, as do young dandelion leaves. Both of these you can sneak into a salad and feed to your friends as new flavors and colors on their plates. Then the next time you talk to them and ask about wild foods, you can say they've already eaten some, and have a new conversation about the wonderful edibles all around us. Are you a fan of wild foods? Planning to learn about them and add them to your diet? I'd love to hear from you. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast . You can also join in the conversation by liking the show on Facebook: facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast or on Twitter, where I am @permaculturecst. From here, next week on January 14th, Marisha Auerbach joins me to talk about permaculture, including continuing the thread of permaculture and education. The first part of my talk with Rhamis Kent about Permaculture and Earth Care is out on January 21st, and then Eric Puro of ThePoosh.org rounds out the month and sets up for the 4 weeks of February. If you're interested in taking a permaculture design course, but haven't had the time, consider joining me for the next year long, mentored, PDC+, which begins April 1st, 2014. Email me for a copy of the course syllabus to see if you are interested, and we can arrange registering you for the class if you'd like. On the website you'll see two new menu options at the top: Show Archives and Release Schedule. The show archive is still being filled out, but you'll find the past episodes arranged in chronological order by topic, so within each topic the first episode is the oldest on that subject. It's not complete yet, as I'm cleaning up the archives and continue to add more links to the list, but it's a good place to start. The release schedule forecasts into the future when different guests, topical episodes, and reviews, will come out. Until the next time, take care of the earth, your self, and each other. Resources: Arthur Haines Delta Institute of Natural History beta-Carotene (Wiki) Dandelions (Wiki) Ox-eye Daisy (Wiki) (Episode 2014-001)

Learn More

Looking Back Over 2013 and Forward Into 2014

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






This is the year end look back for 2013 and look forward to what's in-store for 2014. Also, if you're new to the show, this is a good place to start. First, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to donate some of their capital, be that social, financial, or otherwise, to help make this show a success. Without your ongoing support this wouldn't be possible. If you'd like to lend a hand to make 2014 an even more impressive year than 2013, consider how you can help. Find out more at thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. Now then, let's look back over 2013 and see what was there, in case you missed anything, and then look at what 2014 has in store for us. If my count is correct, and I won't say that it is, there were 65 episodes released this past year. Along the way the various guests covered a broad range of topics, and looking through my notes the year covered several broad areas. They were: Food and Farming. Financial and Professional Permaculture. Permaculture: Past, Present, and Future, and the general category of Building a Permaculture World, for those that don't fit cleanly under these headings. You'll find all those episodes as part of a year-end index, in the show notes at thepermaculturepodcast.com/2013/review. For 2013 the majority of the shows were the conversations with guests. Using my unscientific method of comments, questions, and the feedback received regarding the different interviews, the top 5 episodes of this year were, in no particular order: Top 5 Episodes of 2013: The Gift by Matt Winters Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss Ethan Hughes Larry Santoyo Dave Jacke If this is one of your first times tuning in, those are the best place to start. I should also mention that of all the interviews recorded so far, Ethan Hughes first time on the show, from 2012, is the one episode that receives the most responses. Give it a listen and see why that is. Behind the scenes quite a lot happened as well. Many of you have been privy to that from being long-time listeners, or from following along with the discussions on Facebook. If this is one of your first times listening to the show, those are the best place to start. Also, of all the interviews recorded so far, Ethan Hughes first time on the show, from 2012, is the one episode that receives the most responses. Give it a listen and see why that is. Behind the scenes quite a lot happened as well. Many of you have been privy to that from being long-time listeners, or from following along with the discussions on Facebook. Some of the 2013 milestones include:
Creating the current release schedule with one interview every Tuesday, and some infrequent additional shows coming out on a Friday or Sunday.
The first on-line PDC+ launched on July 1st, 2013. I've got some great participants in the class doing great work. They graduate on July 1st, 2014, so keep an eye out for them in the next few years.
Recording live, in-person interviews.
Moving the podcast website to a new server, which vastly improved download and response times on the site.
And, most surprisingly for me, all this happened while wearing the hats of my many roles including parent, husband, friend, student, colleague, and all the others in-between. Some days I don't know how it all happens, but it does. Which brings us to what 2014 has in store for this podcast. First, I've started opening up the interviews to allow more time for the guests and I to speak, if they are able. This means that some guests, such as I mentioned in the talk with Adam Campbell, wind up speaking with me for several hours. Long enough to release several episodes from that one conversation, and allow us to dig more deeply into the topic at hand. Second, some of those conversations have caused me to consider my position with the podcast and sharing this information with the world, especially the interviews with people who offered critiques of permaculture. Identifying the need to build the so-called “invisible structures” so they become part of our visible work has taken a prominence in my own thinking. Long before I ever considered working with technology and computers, I was a sociology/anthropology dual major with the desire to learn more about people. The ideas of the non-physical arrangements that can build a better world really tap into that side of myself. Anyway, don't worry, that doesn't mean I'm going to quit producing the show, or that I'll stop speaking with anyone and everyone in the world of Permaculture. Sharing their stories continues to be important to me, and essential to the overall mission of this show to make permaculture accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. Rather, what I'm doing is working on arranging interviews with multiple guests around a particular topic, related to the subjects we now think of as invisible. One such topic is about faith and caring for the earth, because of the large number of people in the world who connect with the community created by their shared religion. You'll get to hear perspectives from numerous different faiths in the process. Another is about non-violent communication, and with that restorative justice, so that we can find ways to connect with other people. Those larger pieces create the interview arc you can expect in 2014. I've already begun recording interviews on these subjects, with more big topics to be added as the year progresses. To add more voices to the conversation, and so you can hear a wider variety of differing perspectives, I'm working with some of my local colleagues to develop a series of recorded round-table discussions. I'll present a question or idea to the assembled group and they discuss it in front of an audience. Using those additional recordings, my plan is for 75 episodes of the regular show, based around a 50 week production schedule. That figure does not include the additional material for support members. Since I mentioned it, here's what's planned for the membership program. Rather than focus on product oriented benefits or discounts, though there are a few of those already worked out, I'm looking at bringing you more of what you've asked me for: permaculture. In addition to members only audio, you can also look forward to written articles from myself and my permaculture colleagues, as well as videos. Those videos include instructional pieces and interviews. Because I want to do this right for you, this will not be launching on January 1st, 2014 as originally planned. With the server change, and my developer in the middle of moving, the members program is scheduled to begin April 1st, 2014. Also on April 1st, 2014, the next year-long on-line PDC+ course begins, with an additional similar PDC+ scheduled to start July 1, 2014, and a 13-week intensive for August to October. The PDC+ classes are limited to 15 students, and the intensive to 10. Contact me if you'd like more information on any of these, or would like to pre-register. And that covers the retrospective for 2013 and gets everything set for 2014. If you have a question you'd like answered in an upcoming episode, a topic to be discussed at one of the future round tables, or if there is any way I can help you on your road with permaculture, feel free to contact me. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast . You can also join in on the conversations by liking the show on Facebook or follow me on Twitter where I am @permaculturecst. May your New Year be a peaceful and joyous one. Until the next time, take care of the earth, your self, and each other. 2013 Episode Index Food and Farming: Permaculture Farms with Rafter Sass Ferguson Urban Agriculture with Adam Brock of The GrowHaus Starting a Small Scale Farm with Erin Harvey The Vegetable Gardener’s Guide to Permaculture with Christopher Shein Community Food Systems and Abundance with Lisa Fernandes Waste Farming with John-Paul Maxfield Incredible Edible with Pam Warhurst Joshua Farm: Urban Agriculture with Kirsten Reinford Starting a Sustainable Family Farm with Wayne Herring Wild Foods and Foraging with Arthur Haines Modern Agriculture Systems with Dr. Laura Jackson Foraging with Sam Thayer Financial and Professional Permaculture: The Permaculture Credit Union with Bill Sommers Green Hacker Spaces with Dr. Wayne Dorband Community Development Finance with Bill Sommers Ecolonomics with Dr. Wayne Dorband Professional Permaculture with Erik Ohlsen Josh Trought and D Acres Trees and Professional Permaculture with Damien McAnany Permaculture: Past, Present, and Future: David Holmgren on Permaculture: An Interview. Masanobu Fukuoka and Natural Farming with Larry Korn Permaculture Activism with Keith Johnson Restoring Eden: Zone 4 Permaculture with Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss The Interface Between Permaculture and The Wild with Michael Pilarski Edible Forest Gardens and Permaculture With Dave Jacke Landscaping Naturally with Robert Kourik Exploring Permaculture with Larry Santoyo The Gift by Matt Winters Participatory Culture and Community Building with Mark Lakeman Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast Exploring Urban Permaculture With Mark Lakeman Peace and Permaculture Education with Adam Campbell (Part I) Building a Better World: Teaching The Permaculture Design Course with Andrew Millison Permaculture and Disasters My Permaculture Journey with Scott Mann Invisible Structures with Adam Brock San Diego Sustainable Living Institute with Josh Robinson Agroforestry with Steve Gabriel Writing the Carbon Farming Toolkit with Eric Toensmeier All Roads Lead to Permaculture by Andy Russell The Citizen Scientist with Stephen Harrod Buhner Biochar, Gasification, and Woodlot Management Whole Systems Design and the Resilient Farm with Ben Falk World Stove with Nathaniel Mulcahy Natural Building and Design with Bob Theis The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener with Niki Jabbour Pennsylvania Women’s Agriculture Network with Ann Stone Environmental Outreach with Paul Garrett Economic and Financial Collapse with Nicole Foss Building Resilience with Dan Allen More Natural Building with Bob Theis Honeybees with Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp An Introduction to Radical Mycology

Learn More

An Introduction to Radical Mycology

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






This episode is a piece submitted to my by Peter McCoy of Radical Mycology, and serves as an introduction to the organization that bears that name, as well as a number of the ways we can use mycelium to build a better world. Though Paul Stamets and his book Mycelium Running are perhaps the most well known examples of an expert and information available on this subject, there are many other people doing good work with fungi. Peter and his Radical Mycelium partner Maya are some of them. It's important to know the stories of those who can help us and who we can help in turn. Find out more about Peter, Maya, and their work at: RadicalMycology.com Support the IndieGoGo Campaign: The Radical Mycology Book

Learn More

Adam Campbell - Peace & Permaculture Education (Part I)

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Adam Campbell, a permaculture practitioner and teacher at the Peace and Permaculture Center located on 10 acres adjacent to the Stillwater Sanctuary in La Plata Missouri.

Learn More

Mark Lakeman - Exploring Urban Permaculture

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






This is the second interview with Mr. Lakeman. If you haven't heard it, please listen to his first interview before digging into this one. In this conversation we talk about permaculture and our city landscapes. Part of this is examples of how to rebuild our communities and bring people together, as well as understanding further the story we inhabit and how we can use permaculture to understand our own story and build regenerative cities. With the places Mark took the conversation I did my best to hang on and enjoy the ride. Sometimes I'd like to go through an interview and reflect on it point by point, and give a full breakdown of all my thoughts that come from a given conversation. But if I did that, I'd only release 8 shows a year and they'd be 8 hours long. I'd become more like Dan Carlin's Hardcore History rather than this weekly show with so many guests. Because of that I'm left with only so much to say at these end of show wrap-ups without becoming long winded. So in this case, and paired with the last interview with Mark, are three pieces that I scribbled down about wanting to cover further: Regeneration by addressing whole systems, becoming a facilitator for other people, and using permaculture to inhabit your own story. When it comes to regenerating the world around us by addressing whole systems I think back to the interview with Michael Pilarski, which had quite an impact on me. I almost think of his idea about “cleaning up our own little piece of the world” as a principle to approach how to get all the work done that rests before us. To that includes beyond the landscape and the wild, to be involved in our local community, building relationships with neighbors, and by engaging others. I've found that one of the easiest ways to start breaking down those interpersonal walls is by remembering that kindness costs me nothing and it can bring joy and delight in the world for others. I've been surprised what a difference this makes for my relationship with others and taking the time to make a space for someone to be open, honest, and vulnerable. If this isn't something you're comfortable with, and I realize that I am an extroverted person by the nature of what I do, then what are others ways that you can open doors and space for others, and show kindness in your own way? That idea of each of us having our broad niches, as David Holmgren implored in his interview, and to step away from the specialization that Mark spoke of in our conversation this time, is another place where we can reach out and aid is by becoming facilitators for other people. Each of us have skills and abilities we can share with others. I want to insure that each and everyone of you can find a path that works and gets you where you want to go. To do that requires to find your own story and inhabit it. I know we don't all have the same opportunities in our lives for different reasons, that some of us have been damaged by life, physically, mentally, emotionally, but we can work on ourselves and grow and be the people we want to. Take the time to use the principles of permaculture and look at yourself. If you need help, get it. If you can help others, provide it. Though it may be many years spent doing something we don't enjoy so we have a bit of time and money to pursue our real interests, we can get there. My own path took over a decade. Let's work together to make sure your journey doesn't take that long, or, if it does, that you are able to enjoy every moment of it. Other episode you may enjoy: Invisible Structures with Adam Brock Dave Jacke on Permaculture Exploring Permaculture with Larry Santoyo Resources: Mark Lakeman Communitecture The City Repair Project The Planet Repair Institute

Learn More

Jack Spirko - Survival and Preparedness

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast. For the many of you who know him, then he needs no introduction. For those of you who hear “Survival Podcast” and wonder about how that ties in with permaculture, take the time to sit down and give this episode a listen. Jack is the reason why The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann exists.

Learn More

Ethan Hughes - Practical Possibilities

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Ethan Hughes. He is part of the team that lives at the Possibility Alliance and Stillwater Sanctuary in La Plata, Missouri. This is Ethan's second time sitting down to talk to me for the show, having joined me last year for our conversation I called “Radical Possibilities.” I recommend you listen to that episode first, even if you've already heard it, as an introduction to this one. Once you're done there, come back and catch up. This time around, at the suggestion of my permaculture colleague and listener Josh Evans, more on the practical side of things. Though, as you'll hear, how Ethan and his community practice their methods is as much about the internal work as the external, and insuring we meet ourselves where we are at to make good decisions that we're ready for, rather than jumping in too deep with both feet and no way to cushion the landing. Much of what Ethan and his community do rests in their embodiment of what they do, so you won't find a lot of resources in the show notes for this episode. What you will find, however, is their contact information. You can send Ethan in particular, or the Still Water Sanctuary, in general, a letter to: The Possibility Alliance 85 Edgecomb Road Belfast, ME 04915 207-338-5719 You can also visit them at that address, but make sure you send a letter or call ahead and arrange the visit before you go. Though they're open to visitors, please consider their community and personal space, as well as your own. I can easily say that my first interview with Ethan was one of the the top 3, if not the top, interview episode of the show. I think that this follow up will wind up ranking right up there with it. What I loved about this conversation, as well as the last one, was Ethan's candor and honesty with us about how their site is developing, their successes and failures, and that it is a gradual process. We have to move at our own pace and in our own time. Some will be quicker, some will be slower, but as long as we keep putting one foot in front of the other we can get there. Something else which stood out, among the many quotable moments, was that idea that “speed is overrated.” I can completely understand that, especially after the life I've had this fall. Watching the weather change, the stream begin to have ice form in the stillness of the water flow behind rocks, the cardinals and blue jays beginning to rest upon the bird feeders, and things slow down, I'm thankful for a slower, if only slightly so, pace. It reminds me that I'd rather do one thing at a time, really well, than to do a bunch of things all at once that aren't my best. To provide a create a level of quality to what I do, rather than quantity. To do that, I think, requires us to slow down, but not to look at a task as so daunting that we live in fear of doing it or that it requires perfection. I struggled with that idea of needing perfection, as well as my own fear of success or being seen as a failure, for a long time. Once I started doing different things, to try my hand at living the life I wanted to, the failures weren't as big as I told myself. The setbacks, though often, weren't as horrible as they could have been. So now, everyday, I take a step, however small, closer to the authentic life I want to live, and tell my own story, rather than inhabit someone else's. It isn't easy, but we can walk this road together. Where are you going? What do you want to do? If you enjoy this interview, you may also like: Mark Lakeman Bill Wilson Damien McAnany Resources: Ethan Hughes First Interview: Radical Possibilities

Learn More