Episodes
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This is an interview Sean Blanda of Sabbatical did with Ashley on her approach to moving to Uruguay for a time when her kids were young. A write-up of the interview is here:
https://sabbatical.email/interviews/ashley-colby-how-i-took-a-working-parent-sabbatical -
Ashley speaks with Tessa Carman and her uncle Dwight about his journey to Guatemala from a small farming family in the Midwest. We discuss the push and pull of moving abroad, learning ecological farming, where to find home, and more.
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Missing episodes?
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In this election day special, Jason talks with Jon Council, candidate for County Commissioner 3 in Watauga County of Western NC (Jason’s home county) and Sarah Davis, his campaign manager, to talk about local issues in the region, including environmental protection, affordable housing for the working class, and mutual aid. In particular they talk about the impacts of Hurricane Helene in the region, how it changed the nature of their campaign into one of disaster relief organizing, and the challenges and opportunities moving forward.
They are both active members with Down Home NC (https://downhomenc.org/ ) and it’s local chapter Keep WNC (and Watauga) Home (https://keepwnchome.org/ )
A profile of Sarah Davis can be found here: https://medium.com/reclaiming-rural/calling-watauga-home-a8608d9d36d7
Jon’s campaign website can be found here: https://www.councilforwatauga.com/
About Jon:
Born and raised in North Carolina, I have grown to appreciate the diverse communities and nature that surround us, especially here in the High Country. My wife and I have lived on the Watauga River for the past six years after living and working in other communities around the area. We have witnessed firsthand the areas where our local government has fallen short. Our county's working people deserve access to safe and affordable housing, environmental protections, clean water, a voice on our local boards, and much more. I have faced these same issues daily and am dedicated to making a difference for our county. I aim to become a public servant, not a politician.
To learn more about my involvement in our community and the issues I am running on, check out this interview with the national publication, Barn Raiser Media (https://barnraisingmedia.com/appalachia-carpenter-watauga-county-development-organizing-minimum-housing-standards/ )
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In this episode, Casey Spinks, editor at Front Porch Republic, and Ashley discuss philosophy, theology, and the challenges in contemplative and active lives.
Casey Spinks is a contributing editor for Front Porch Republic. He lives with his family in Waco, Texas, where he teaches theology and philosophy at Baylor University.
https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/author/caseyspinks/
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Small Town Mayor James Decker w/ Ashley and Nate
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In this episode, Nate talks with Robert Hirschfeld, the director of water quality at the Illinois Prairie Rivers Network. They discuss the water quality crisis in the midwest, chemical pollution in the water and air, pesticide drift, and why despite the common sense that everyone wants “clean air and clean water” we continue to allow polluters to destroy what should be a healthy commons. They also talk about what can be done and how we can move beyond passive acceptance or theatrical protest.
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In this conversation, Jason talks with Rust Belt Kid (@rustbeltkid1 ) about the decline and signs of a potential revival of American manufacturing and agriculture. He talks about his experience growing up in the Midwest, his day job in manufacturing, his aspirations to become a farmer and early successes on his recent 20 acres, and ideas he has about combining the two in new and innovative ways, while also drawing heavily from the knowledge of the old timers and from old photos about how things used to be done
Rust Belt Kid’s Twitter Profile: https://x.com/rustbeltkid1
Manufacturing and Agriculture. Terry Redlin American. Midwest's Greatest Archive Browser.
Company: gatorbar.com
Two prior DO episodes were mentioned in the episode, including:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5F29SVjpME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npQ1m38V6Hc&t=97s
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Alice, Dylan, and Ashley discuss using government funds for regenerative agriculture, building bioregional food hubs, and their upcoming Heritage Food Festival this November.
Alice Melendez-
I was born in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains between Clay City and the rolling fields of central Kentucky. I grew up on the farm, went to small-town schools, and learned to drive on winding country roads with lots of blind spots. I went away, like a lot of people, and came back. “Away” took me to Dartmouth College, Philadelphia, and then six or so years in Houston where my kids were born into a big Mexican household. I studied the way that economies social agreements and hard physical realities interplay in actual places (not models). I worked at a delivery business and a refugee resettlement agency. I ran a handyman business and for a short while a grain elevator. I thought for a while that 'the climate movement' might generate political will for a massive transformation in how humans relate to the natural world, and I worked on that. Now, I think it's time to focus on regenerative agriculture in our Ohio River Valley to ride through whatever comes our way.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e1duQMt65R-EeAMVzZzhpsVwQuBfYet0/view?usp=drive_link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uxg83U_IQ6RXOUQVCOz3H-MlkCt6EzP0/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=115071514593909738663&rtpof=true&sd=true
http://heritagefoodfest.org
http://mtfolly.com
http://mtfolly.com/for-farmers
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In this emergency podcast, DO hosts discuss the upcoming US Presidential election as well as plans for yanking Western society back from the precipice of certain total destruction.
The conversation doubles as a drinking game. Take a drink any time a host:
refers to wokeness (approvingly or disparagingly)
mis-pronounces “Kamala”
uses a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings metaphor
complains about Twitter
complains about “neocons”
expresses fear of AI and/or transhumanism
accuses another host of conspiracy theory
mentions “authoritarianism” or “totalitarianism”
gets googly-eyed talking about Thomas Massie
disagrees on the relevance of RFK joining the Trump campaign
Finish your drink (and open another) any time a host mentions:
cosmo-localism
epistemology
meta-modern ______
“hive mind”
“techno-feudalism”
“The woke/postmodern Right”
“I'm not telling you who you should vote for”
“___ is morally depraved”
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In this episode we discuss Chris Smaje’s recent article: Off-grid: further thoughts on the failing renewables transition
Chris can be found at chrissmaje.com and on Twitter at @csmaje
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An excellent conversation on topics of mutual interest.
Can be found on Twitter at @Hispeedlowdrug: Lightly brain damaged 6ft 2in white trash polymath
I've heard all these stories about people with twitter connections meeting IRL and forming beautiful friendships and relationships. I would like that. I'm a mid 40's handyman with a strange bio and a young son in Western MA. Interested in schizo bros and cute single mothers.
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Austin and Nate discuss Austin’s recent book Barons, concerning consolidation and corruption in the food system. With a focus on the midwest, Austin and Nate discuss how the rise of industrial agriculture has degraded the heartland, how it was allowed to happen, who has been responsible, and most importantly, how to move forward with a different, more humane agriculture that values the health of people and places. They spoke about the necessity of a two prong approach, one involving building capable mid-sized farms and the other taking a hatchet to the monopoly industrialists who have been allowed to seize our land and our resources.
Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. He worked at the Open Markets Institute, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Congressional Research Service before becoming a Fellow at Yale University. He is a 7th generation Iowan and 1st generation college graduate, with degrees from Grinnell College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. -
Arie and Jason meander through a conversation, loosely inspired by recent podcast topics, exploring various ideas.
https://bothand.libsyn.com/20-whats-metamodern-with-linda-ceriello-greg-dember
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4iKUVpwwGA&t=11s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XBfoJx_8mg&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZKrhrb9oao&t=34s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4DmHZJu8UE&t=24s
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In this episode, Ashley and Dougald discuss an event they are co-creating in Chicago over the weekend of September 14 and 15. They talk about the various experimentations on the margins they have been a part of over the years, many of the friends they have in common, Ashley’s experience hosting Dougald’s co-conspirator Paul Kingsnorth in Wyoming last year, and their plans for this upcoming retreat in September.
Check out the event here: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/dougaldhineretreat
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Paul McNiel and Ashley discuss the Wagon Box, their shared event with Paul Kingsnorth last year, and their upcoming event this Labor Day in Wyoming. Ashley asks Paul about his conception of the Wagon Box as a new vision of a campus: a place to not only learn, but enjoy fleeting moments of inspiration with fellow learners. You get the inside scoop on the event with Kingsnorth in this episode and an invite to the upcoming event, to Doomer Optimism listeners only.
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Today we sat down with four similar-minded folks to talk about our personal experiences with various Food Hub models. We let the conversation go free-form like we were sitting on the front porch at one of our farms and chatting with friends. It was a great and insightful conversation for all of us and we vowed to record another episode in the future to get updates on our respective projects.
Megan Kinney- Director of Cooperative Distribution-North Coast Growers Association
https://www.northcoastgrowersassociation.org/
As the director of Harvest Hub, Megan seeks to increase our community's access to local food infrastructure like cold storage and distribution systems. This includes coordinating the Harvest Box program (a multi-farm CSA-style produce box), the Farm-to-Freezer project (a freezer for use by NCGA members), and overseeing the operations of Harvest Hub. She sits on the board of Humboldt Made and is the co-chair of the Food Access Working Group in the Humboldt COAD. She is a registered and certified Trainer with the Produce Safety Alliance through Cornell University. Megan is honored to have been awarded the Community Alliance with Family Farmers 2022 Farmers' Market Champion of the Year and is a graduate of the Food Systems Leadership Cohort and Leadership Redwood Coast in 2023.
Amy Neukom- Co Owner Neukom Family Farms
https://www.instagram.com/neukomfamilyfarm/
Neukom Family Farms is a small family farm located along the Trinity River in Inland Northern Humboldt County. We dry farm tree fruit including peaches. pluots, plums, figs, apples, Asian and European pears. We also grow a variety of annuals such as heirloom and slicer tomatoes, melons, winter squash, and dried beans utilizing water conservation techniques. Most of our land is kept natural for the abundance of wildlife in our area.
Dru Zucchino- Executive Director- TRACTOR Food and Farms
https://tractorfoodandfarms.com/
Hailing from the Old North State, Dru is the Executive Director of TRACTOR Food and Farms. He has over a decade of experience in North Carolina agriculture, ranging from conventional blueberry production in Pender County to biodynamic fruit orchards in Mitchell County. He holds a BA in English Literature and a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. He lives in Mitchell County, where he, his wife, Jessica, and two children keep busy managing small fruit plots and orchards.
Chris Jagger- Co-Owner Blue Fox Farm, Not Only Farmers Podcast
https://www.instagram.com/bluefoxfarm/
https://open.spotify.com/show/12YRGbk9IYMh4gbR0pTkEh?si=cb16eecee40a49e5
Chris and Melanie started farming in Santa Cruz, CA in the late 90’s and took the classic route of on-farm internships with several mentors until they had the gumption to start their own farm in southern Oregon in the early 2000’s. Blue Fox Farm started as a 1-acre farm, scaled to 45 acres, and is now back at 5 acres in production. Chris has supplemented their farm income with his Blue Fox Ag Services consulting business, helping farmers scale efficiently and farm cost-effectively. Chris also has a labor-of-love podcast Not Only Farmers, where he chats with interesting people doing things in agriculture.
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Ashley and Arie broadly discuss Goethean science, loconomy, and doomer optimism.
This is part of a series of interviews where new hosts turn the mic on recurring DO hosts, like this one with Donald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOyS9fAtSI8
Arie J. Dallas is a sometimes surrealist painter who wonders about the mystery of life and connection. He currently produces Popcorn Forest, an interview show focusing especially on epistemology, neurodivergence, creativity, systems science, and experimentation.
Popcorn Forest is at: http://www.popcornforest.com .
His paintings are at: www.ariejames.xyz.
Goethe on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe
Goetheanum and their publications: https://dasgoetheanum.com/en/
Craig Holdregde on Goethean Science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmzXTuoqjMU&t=3744s&pp=ygUQZ29ldGhlYW4gc2NpZW5jZQ%3D%3D Merlin Sheldrake (son of Rupert Sheldrake) on Fungal Lifeforms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpnCowci0XQ&pp=ygUTc2hlbGRyYWtlIG11c2hyb29tcw%3D%3D
Arie's Selected Doomer Optimism Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVgIDIxsH2zleq7jFf7Dxw8sP5Ia_3yrg
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Here’s a link to buy the book (if you use the code ‘CUP20’ you can get 20% off)
Here’s a link to the Nature article I mentioned
Dana R. Fisher is a dynamic speaker and author who writes about activism, democracy and climate policy. Her most recent book, Saving Ourselves: from Climate Shocks to Climate Action was published in February 2024 by Columbia University Press. She is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity (CECE) and a Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Her current projects include evaluating the ways that federal service corps programs are expanding their climate-related work (funded by AmeriCorps, the Department of Interior, and the US Forest Service). Fisher is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution and the chair-elect of the Political Sociology section of the American Sociological Association. She served as a Contributing Author for Working Group 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Review (IPCC AR6) writing about citizen engagement and civic activism. Her media appearances include ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, PBS Newshour, and various programs on NPR, BBC, and CBC. Her words have appeared in the popular media, including in the Washington Post, Slate, TIME Magazine, Politico, the Nation, and the American Prospect. Dana earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has authored over eighty research papers and book chapters and has written seven books. For more details, see www.danarfisher.com
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Ashley talks with James of Michigan (@michlakeshore ) about his adventure walking along the coast of Lake Michigan from his home all the way up the shore to the top of the state at Mackinac Bridge. They discuss the meaning of pilgrimages, the unexpected lessons, and how the journey reinforced James’ faith.
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Cultural Renewal with Donald and Mike
In this episode, the roles are reversed, and occasional first-time host Donald is interviewed by friend & DO fan, Mike. They discuss religion & spirituality, education, punk rock, veganism, literature, and Ancient Greek, circling around the question of how to bring about cultural renewal in their own lives.
Donald lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and daughters. He writes at the Borges Review of Books.
Mike lives in the same town and liked the original tweet where Doomer Optimism was coined.
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