Episodes
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This episode was made during one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. It happened in a place thatâs been called the most important site in the world. Lynne Kelly said that, co-author of Songlines, and my guest in the extremely popular episode 92. She said it in a call with filmmaker Anna Sofaer and I a little after this was recorded. Anna has made a series of extraordinary films about this place, as founder of The Solstice Project.
The place is called Chaco Canyon, located in the heart of New Mexico, and at the centre of the ancient Chacoan civilisation. This World Heritage site is still so little known, and at a time when its mysteries, prophesies and conscious transformations are so relevant to us today.
So this episode comes to you from the centrepiece of the centrepiece â the greatest of the Great Houses, Pueblo Bonito. Iâm joined there by Dana Scott, a great old mate from our time in Guatemala a quarter of a century ago, highly accomplished educator and counsellor, and newish subscriber to the podcast too. Some of you may remember reading about him in a piece on Substack while we were in Philadelphia last year, as the Scott family invited us along to their old haunt. Weâd been spending time with them in their current haunt in Baltimore, when it was revealed we had a long-standing mutual calling to Chaco Canyon. So we resolved to meet there.
Dana and I peeled off in golden twilight one evening to share some of our transformational experience of the place. This includes some deeply personal and crazily uncanny links. But as we say in the conversation, there is so much to this story and place. So if you, like us, find yourself fascinated with it all, do go to the sources we talk about - the tribes, researchers and of course what lies beyond.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 15 April 2025. (Intro recorded in the car at camp)
Title slide: the view during this conversation (pic: Anthony James).
See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
For those keen to hear about Old Salt Festival, Iâve sent an initial missive with photos to paid subscribers on Patreon and Substack, and Iâll have more for you all soon.
Music:
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Footage of Mercedes Sosa singing Cuando Tenga la Tierra, following Solo Le Pido a Dios.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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In last weekâs episode with Dr Jann Hayman, winding up our series from the Osage Nation, I mentioned weâd just been on a tour of their astounding Greenhouse. The woman who kindly gave us that tour, Dawn Wormington, had been recruited for the job by the Osage. And in this brief bonus to the Osage series, we hear from Dawn about the unexpected, unintended gift that keeps on giving, out of the filming of Killers of the Flower Moon.
If you happen to have come to the Osage series here first, you can hear my brief scene-setting introductory episode to the series with filmmaker Nicol Ragland here, my conversation with Chief Standing Bear here, and subsequent conversation with Dr Jann Hayman here (recommended in sequence).
Iâll share more photos of our visit, in addition to those appearing on the website, with paid subscribers this week.
Recorded 4 April 2025.
Title slide: AJ & Dawn astride the pineapples in the greenhouse (pic: Nicol Ragland).
See more photos on the website, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Music by Jeremiah Johnson.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Missing episodes?
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Dr. Jann Hayman is Secretary of Natural Resources for the Osage Nation. Weâve just come from a tour of their astounding greenhouse, after having had a powerful conversation with Chief Standing Bear. Jannâs graciously welcomed filmmaker Nicol Ragland and I for a chat at her office, amidst her busy end of the week. Both Chief and Nicol sing Jannâs praises loudly. Nicol calls her a powerhouse. And when she won the award from which I drew the title image for this episode, the presenter said âif you havenât been to Pawhuska to see [their] facilities, you need to!â
This continues our special series from Osage Nation HQ, in Pawhuska Oklahoma. Today, we speak with Jann about how the Nation is going about its masterful resurgence, on the ground. Jann was Director of Environment and Natural Resources when the Tribe mobilised much of its recent food sovereignty and related achievements. In the wake of that, she was asked onto Chiefâs Cabinet.
This conversation picks up from Chiefâs, as we flesh out the realities of those achievements, including their remarkable land re-acquisition and food sovereignty measures, related buffalo restoration, broader wildlife too, language innovation, trust-based funding, reconnecting with the elders, and building a systemic movement. We hear, too, how all this is impacting people, and what big ideas are next. And again, this is a very frank, inspiring, and fun yarn. With a deeply moving story and piece of music, played by Jann, to close.
If you happen to have come to the Osage series here first, you can hear my chat with Chief Standing Bear last week, and the brief scene-setting episode with Nicol, the week prior (if youâre not familiar with the back story on this one, itâs worth ducking back to listen to that 13 minutes with Nicol first).
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 4 April 2025. (Intro recorded at Greens Lake, Utah)
Title slide source.
More photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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As introduced last week, weâre about to have a very special meeting with Chief Standing Bear of the Osage Nation. The family and I made our way with friend and filmmaker Nicol Ragland to Osage HQ in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. How the Osage survived being marched to these lands by the US government in the 19th century, and ongoing brutality in the 20th, is a scene set in last weekâs episode (if youâre not familiar with that back story, itâs worth ducking back to listen to that brief 13 minute episode first).
We pick up the Osage story in the 21st century, where theyâre mapping a masterful resurgence including the rare reclamation of land, the powerful realisation of food sovereignty, the innovative return of language, and so much more.
As mentioned in the introductory episode last week, some of you might recognise the Osage Nation from the recent Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon. The Chiefâs early reference to their extraordinary Academy Awards live performance relates to that.
Join me with Chief Standing Bear, for a fascinating, frank, fun and generous insight into the Osage Nation, his role, and their resurgence.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 4 April 2025. (Intro recorded by the Colorado River at camp in Castle Valley, Utah.)
Title slide: The Chief, from the Nationâs website.
See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Welcome to the launch of a very special series from a very special visit to the Osage Nation. Some of you might recognise the Osage Nation from the recent Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon (have a look at this awesome live performance at the Oscars). Or from the book that was based on, by David Grann. Or indeed, from the podcast series, In Trust. Theyâve all done a heck of a job bringing to new light and new generations what was done to the Osage back in 1920s Oklahoma. In this series, we follow the story of the Osage in the 2020s â mapping a masterful resurgence of land reclamation, food sovereignty, the return of language, and so much more.
Our privilege was to share time with Chief Standing Bear, and later the Nationâs Secretary of Natural Resources, Dr Jann Hayman. The stories and work of both are captivating, moving and often astounding.
To set the scene for us first is the person who introduced us, friend and filmmaker Nicol Ragland. You might remember Nicol as director of the very first Farmers Footprint film, among many others. Or episode 80 on this podcast. Well, four years since that podcast, after we moved on from last weekâs incredible story in Texas, we met Nicol for the first time in person at her home in Oklahoma City. And after weâd visited the Osage together, we headed out to Nicolâs farm. Thatâs its own story. For this episode though, I asked if sheâd share some of the story of her unlikely return to her roots in Oklahoma, and how only then did she start to learn of its deeper stories.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 8 April 2025.
Title slide: Nicol at her farm (pic: Anthony James).
For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Beginning & ending music by Jeremiah Johnson.
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Christopher Brown is a celebrated science-fiction writer and decorated lawyer (and once co-hosted a punk rock radio show). His newest book, however, is described as a âgenre-defying work of nature writing, literary nonfiction, and memoir that explores what happens when nature and the city intersect ⊠[challenging] our assumptions of nature itself.â Itâs called A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys and other Wild Places.
The blurb of its publisher Timber Press, an imprint of Hachette, puts it like this:
'During the real estate crash of the late 2000s, Christopher Brown purchased an empty lot in an industrial section of Austin, Texas. The propertyâa brownfield site bisected with an abandoned petroleum pipeline and littered with concrete debris and landfill trashâwas an unlikely site for a home. Along with his son, Brown had explored similar empty lots around Austin, âruinedâ spaces once used for agriculture and industry awaiting their redevelopment as Austin became a 21st century boom town.
'He discovered them to be teeming with natural activity, and embarked on a twenty-year project to live in and document such spaces. There, in our most damaged landscapes, he witnessed the remarkable resilience of wild nature, learned how easy it is to bring back the wild in our own backyards, and discovered that, by working to heal the wounds we have made on the Earth, we can also heal ourselves. Beautifully written and philosophically hard-hitting, [it] offers a new lens on human disruption and nature, offering a sense of hope among the edgelands.'
As soon as I received this book, I immediately invited Chris onto the podcast. And to my delight, he and his family were happy to have us drop by. So while our wives worked and kids played, Chris and I explored what heâs called their âlittle house on the petroleum prairieâ, and just how he navigated a serendipitous path, through personal and global travails, to a portal of healing, regeneration and more than a little magic.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 30 March 2025.
Title slide: Chris holds a tell-tale sign, in front of the house you can barely discern from all the lush greenery there now (pic: Anthony James).
See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Silhouettes, by Muted (sourced from Artlist).
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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It was difficult trying to choose the opening quote for this week's episode. My guest Lorenzo Washington articulated a handful of beautiful passages. So I thought I'd put the 'short list', as it were, together here. Let's call it a preview of ep.259, The Jefferson Street Sound: Preserving Nashville's Soul with Lorenzo Washington. One of my favourites.
Title slide: Lorenzo and I outside the Museum after our chat (pic: Olivia Cheng).
See more photos on the episode website, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Nashville's musical legacy extends far beyond the mainstream country narrative. Tucked away in North Nashville, the Jefferson Street Sound Museum stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of jazz, soul, and rhythm and blues that thrived from the 1940s to the 70s. Founded and curated by Lorenzo Washington, this museum isn't just a collection of artifacts â it's a living, breathing continuation of the African American music and community that shaped generations.
Weâre talking about artists like Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, James Brown, Little Richard, Peggy Gaines, Jimmy Church, Jackie Shane, Ike and Tina Turner and many more, when they played the many clubs that lined Jefferson Street, alongside the local enterprises that provided âeverything you need to sustain a communityâ. That was until around half a century ago, when the construction of Interstate 40 displaced more than a thousand black residents, destroyed a business and cultural district on Jefferson Street that was thriving against the odds, and cut the neighbourhood in half.
Lorenzo tells of how âblack museums start in the kitchenâ â literally â and his was no different. What he thought might last a year or so has since grown to consume his entire house, win multiple awards, and spawn a new generation of folk taking up the mantle. The brilliant short film on PBS, Exit 207, opens with Lorenzo walking astride young leader Carlos Partee, founder of the Nashville Black Market, just part of the cultural and economic resurgence on and around Jefferson Street. And Lorenzoâs open mic nights, recording studio, community events, conversations with legends and more, continue not just to preserve a legacy, but to create one.
I met up with this dapper, funny, humble and still sprightly 82-year-old at the Museum, as he was gearing up for the Annual Gala on April 3 - in honor of what is now Lorenzo Washington Day in Nashville TN. We end up with a song made for him at the Museum by Nashvilleâs Queen of the Blues, Marion James.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 11 March 2025.
Title slide: Lorenzo outside the Museum after our chat (pic: Olivia Cheng).
See more photos on the episode website, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Watch Out, by Chaun Davis (from Artlist).
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Today we continue the new series Vignettes from the Source, featuring some of the unforgettable, transformative and often inexplicable moments my guests have shared over the years.
This one is from almost five years ago, with regenerative agriculture legend, the founder of RCS Australia, Dr Terry McCosker. Terry and his family have become dear friends over those five years, but this conversation was our first at any length. And still stands as one of the most popular, and profound, on this podcast.
I commonly look at grabbing 10 or 15 minutes for these vignettes, but on this occasion, Terry and I took off straight out of the gates, and never looked back. I found the first half hour and a bit so moving, fundamental to his pioneering life, and universal in relevance. And then I just had to patch in the last few minutes together too, featuring Terryâs story about his choice of music.
If youâd like to hear or revisit the rest of this conversation, head to episode 67 â âBehind the Greatest Regenerative Agriculture Movement in Australia: Dr Terry McCosker on life, death and learning true powerâ. Along with the bonus episode. And also episode 136 (with photos on that web page) with Terry alongside brilliant wife Pam, at their home after the 30th anniversary RCS Australia international convergence eventually took place in 2022.
I hope you enjoy revisiting this one with Terry McCosker.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Originally recorded 30 July 2020 (with an intro recorded today).
Title slide: AJ & Terry after the Convergence event in 2022.
For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener via the links below.
Music:
The first and last tune you hear is by Jeremiah Johnson.
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Springhouse Community School has been called âthe most dynamic and promising experiment in education and community buildingâ. Itâs a K12 bilingual school, with adult programs, community networks, and even a print shop (thatâs a glorious story in itself). It also works with a participatory budgeting and pricing model, and incorporates things like restorative justice and land regeneration practices.
The school describes itself as an âintergenerational, vitality-centred learning community in Southwest Virginia where we are fundamentally transforming the purpose and practice of education.â Its vision? A world where all life thrives. Sounds obvious when you say it. What else would education be for? It all stems from Meg Wheatleyâs premise that âLife pushes back against a story that excludes itâ.
Jenny Finn is the schoolâs somewhat unwitting founder and Executive Director, having never imagined sheâd be living here or doing this. And itâs a wonder sheâs even with us at all. But her death-defying tale has ultimately shaped her journey. And as we talk about it, some uncanny parallels in our lives feed a consistently amazing and often hilarious chat â in her car! Yep, we tried in her office, as it was too windy outside, but school life was in full volume as an evening event commenced. Which by the way, featured student and other presentations on Economics and the Cosmos. Now that sounds like an education.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 27 February 2025.
See photos on the episode website, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener - all via the links below.
Music:
Circle of Life, by Letra (sourced on Artlist).
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
Jenny singing an Irish tune.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Last weekâs episode on-location with a âcommunity juggernautâ restoration project in South Carolina drew some wonderful responses â like âI felt like I was right thereâ, âGiving me goose bumpsâ, âThe future retrospective documentary idea is brilliantâ, and âThis kicks assâ! So hereâs a 5 minute bonus to lift your spirits a little more.
It starts as we were winding up, but with micâs left running, capturing a stunning moment by an old oak tree standing on the original plantation house grounds. (And the Angel Oak Joel mentions, is an even older oak he just filmed a story for, to assist in its preservation and celebration.)
Then another stunning moment, when Schuyler Clogston drifted by, and the tale emerged of her serendipitous encounter with the Project. And finally, some more context to the amazing regeneration at play, and the out-take at the end of the main episode.
If youâve come here first, you can tune into that main episode 256 with Joel Caldwell and Dr Blake Scott, âThe Marsh Appreciation & Restoration Society for Happinessâ. Youâll find a few links in the show notes as usual, along with transcript, and a bunch of photos on that episode website, with more for paid subscribers on Patreon and Substack.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded September 2024.
Title image: the oak tree we pass (pic: Anthony James).
Music:
By Jeremiah Johnson.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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What to do when your prominent low-lying coastal city starts to go underwater, nigh on weekly on average, already? Charleston, South Carolina, is served by The Post and Courier. It runs a series called the Rising Waters Lab. And a couple of months ago, it featured a story titled, âThe Southeastâs first urban eco-corridor aims to connect fragmented habitats in Charlestonâ. Welcome to The MARSH Project.
What started as a personal effort among three friends to revitalise and steward an acre of marsh on the peninsula, has grown into a community-powered juggernaut. And not just to save a city from flooding, or even just to restore its incredible lands and waters. But the complex history of this place means the healing runs deep.
One of the founders of the project is Joel Caldwell (also in episode 227 talking about his new film for Patagonia, for which he went on to win the Short Film Award at the prestigious Santa Barbara International Film Festival). It was Judith Schwartz who said we might enjoy meeting Joel - and the two Blakes, Dr Blake Scott and Blake SuĂĄrez. When I looked them up online and saw the project theyâd instigated was called the Marsh Appreciation and Restoration Society for Happiness, I knew these were guys I did want to meet.
We arrived in Charleston on a day when the community was to gather at the marsh for a clean-up event. We hear from them too, as I wander alongside Joel and Dr Blake to learn about how this juggernaut is happening.
Recorded Sept. 2024.
Title slide: Joel & Dr Blake (pic: AJ). See more pics on the website & more still for paid subscribers.
Music:
Galaxy Groove, by Yarin Primak (from Artlist)
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Today we continue the new series Vignettes from the Source, featuring some of the unforgettable, transformative moments my guests have shared over the years. This one is from a little over three years ago. Itâs the first and last six minutes or so, bridged together, of my very first conversation with Kate Chaney. Kate was to become, just a few months later, the 7th new community independent â and WA's first â elected to Australiaâs parliament at the 2022 election.
Well, on Saturday week, 3 May, Australiaâs next federal election takes place, and Kate is standing again, amongst all able incumbents, and many others. We heard on last weekâs episode of the continued burgeoning community independents movement, along with the escalated personal assaults, generally negative and often false campaigning being waged against them. Kate was mentioned as being particularly targeted.
It made me think of this first time Kate and I spoke, by Galup/Lake Monger in Perth, partly for the start, where she described her gut-churning time deciding whether sheâd step up into this maelstrom in response to the communityâs call. And partly for the end, where I asked about her vision for the country, and if she had a rallying cry of sorts for us. Her answer feels all the more poignant given how many more independents are standing this time. Iâve also never forgotten Kateâs story behind her music choice (I offer my suggestion too).
Hear the full conversation in episode 110, after Kate won in episode 121, and most recently on some of the enormous outcomes during her term in episode 203.
Get involved everywhere via the Community Independents Project.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Originally recorded 22 February 2022.
Music:
Intro by Jeremiah Johnson.
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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In the landscape of Australian politics, something remarkable is brewing from the ground up. The community independents movement has evolved from a rural experiment to a nationwide phenomenon, reinvigorating democracy in my home country. At its heart, this movement isnât about profile candidates, big funding or big media, but communities deciding they deserve better representation, and doing something about it.
The results have been striking. Seven new community independents were elected in 2022, comprising a cross bench of 16 in total (with 3 new Greens elected then too). Incumbent independents increased their margins. Other so-called safe seats around the country became a contest too, as the major party vote continued to decline to around 33% each, now level with minor parties and independents.
Leading into the upcoming election on the 3rd of May, there are now 37 community independent candidates running, in every state and territory. These campaigns are engaging people of all persuasions in a way not seen for generations, if ever.
Just before the last election I spoke with Cathy McGowan, Australiaâs first female independent MP back in 2013. She wrote a book in 2020 about her experience, and it rapidly catalysed a movement. Back then, she talked of the potential to transform politics in this country by 2030. So leading into this 2025 election, I was keen to know how she was seeing things, as the movement continues to rapidly grow, and so too do major party efforts to marginalise it.
Cathy was kind enough to join me for as frank and positive a conversation as ever, and with some surprising takes on things, even risking sounding like a heretic, she says. We start with a brief exchange on what weâre seeing in the US right now.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 7 April 2025.
For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
Indi sings for Cathy, with Sal Kimber.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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A couple of episodes ago, I launched a new series on the podcast, Vignettes from the Source, to feature some of the unforgettable moments my guests have shared over the years. Continuing the series today then, is a passage of 7 or 8 minutes from my conversation with award winning filmmaker and photographer, Nicol Ragland. Longer term listeners might remember, Nicol was behind the very first Farmerâs Footprint film, among many others.
Well, four years since she was on the podcast, we met in person for the first time at her home in Oklahoma City last week. Approaching that visit, the family and I listened to the episode I recorded with Nicol those years ago, and I remembered what a brilliant conversationalist she is. I was reminded of her belief in âthe adjacent possibleâ. And when I asked my final question of Nicol, âwhat elders have been important for her and how?â, her answer was really something. It had to be the next vignette.
If youâre inspired to listen to more, or revisit the rest of this conversation, tune into episode 80.
Chapter markers & transcript.
Recorded 16 March 2021.
Title slide: Nicol Ragland (supplied).
See more photos on the original episode web page linked above, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener via the links below.
Music:
Intro music by Jeremiah Johnson.
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
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Welcome to the fourth and final part of this special on-location recording with the 'land whisperer', Patrick MacManaway, in Burlington, Vermont.
ICYMI, the full episode was played more than most in its early days, but given it was a little over two and a half hours in length, I also wanted to offer it in distinct parts, for those of you who prefer to listen to it that way. There have been plenty of takers too, so I'm glad this suited a bunch of you.
We pick it up here where part 3 ended, at the Farmhouse that replaced McDonald's downtown. Then we head back to Patrick's garden, for some of the punchline, you might say - as he shares some of the most impactful stories from his work around the world. These include a look at the changing face of how academia is treating the work, and how the world at large is opening to it also.
And we close with news of his next collaboration with Australian legend in regenerative agriculture, Terry McCosker. Before Patrick, himself, takes us out with a tune.
Title image by Anthony James. For more behind the scenes, and to help keep the show on the road, become a supporting listener by one or more of the options below.
Thanks for listening.
Music:
The RegenNarration playlist (music chosen by my guests).
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Welcome to part 3 of this special on-location recording with the 'land whisperer', Patrick MacManaway, in Burlington, Vermont.
ICYMI, the full episode was played more than most in its early days, but given it was a little over two and a half hours in length, I also wanted to offer it in distinct parts, for those of you who prefer to listen to it that way. There have been plenty of takers too, so I'm glad this suited a bunch of you.
We pick it up here where part 2 ended, as we wound up at the public stone circle in Burlington, Vermont, to head to a woodland labyrinth that again Patrick was pivotal in creating.
En route, we hear some of the great story of what's happening on the land on which the labyrinth has been set up. And on arrival, we venture into the woods, exploring the relevance and power of the labyrinth over time, and how else we can restore our internal compass in the world.
Then we head out for one more stop - a surprise venture to the farm-to-table enterprise that replaced McDonald's downtown.
The fourth and final part with Patrick, back in the garden at his place for a grand finale of sorts, will be out in a couple of days.
Title image by Anthony James. For more behind the scenes, and to help keep the show on the road, become a supporting listener by one or more of the options below.
Thanks for listening.
Music:
The RegenNarration playlist (music chosen by my guests).
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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We've forgotten the earth is alive, and it's killing us. That was one of the title prospects my podcast host served up for today's release. Another was 'reimagining our connection to land'. They're fair hints at part 2 of this special on-location recording with the 'land whisperer', Patrick MacManaway.
ICYMI, the full episode was played more than most in its early days, but given it was a little over two and a half hours in length, I also wanted to offer it in distinct parts, for those of you who prefer to listen to it that way. I'm glad to see that, over the last couple of days, many of you were.
So we resume here where part 1 left off, arriving at the public stone circle that Patrick was pivotal in creating, by Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont's most populous city. It's formally called the Burlington Earth Clock. Though you'll hear far beyond the formal presentation here.
We pick it up with Patrick's own ancestral and other connections to this part of the world, going on to clarify the legend of the sanctioning of his father's work by the Pope. Then we delve into the millennia-long story of stone circles, engage with this one together, and hear about some of the changes that have happened since it was created. And we close with the extraordinary experience that shifted Patrick's focus to agriculture, before heading to our next stop. That'll be part 3, out in a couple of days.
Title image by Anthony James. For more behind the scenes, and to help keep the show on the road, become a supporting listener below.
Find more:
To hear about the transformative insight gained at Stonehenge by Lynne Kelly, co-author of Songlines, and my guest on the third most played episode on this podcast, tune into ep.92.
Lynne's co-author and curator of the incredible Songlines exhibition, Aboriginal / Irish woman Margo Neale, was on next for ep.93.
Music:
The RegenNarration playlist (music chosen by my guests).
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Last week's episode featured a special on-location recording with the land whisperer, Patrick MacManaway. It has been played more than most in its first week, but given it was a little over two and a half hours in length, I also wanted to offer it in distinct parts, for those of you who prefer to listen to it that way.
Perhaps 40 minutes or so fits into your usual listening window better, or maybe that length will just give you time to digest the conversation. If you've already listened to the whole thing (thank you!), maybe this will make it easier to revisit certain parts. As always, feel free to let me know.
This is Part 1 then, from my intro through to when we head to the stone circle. We start in Patrick's garden, before jumping in the car. Roadworks sent us in all kinds of directions, so we got some time to talk about how this Scot ended up in Vermont, how he came to be doing what he's doing, and what that is exactly. There are some profound ancestral connections, including the growing legend around his father's healing hands on the battle field. And others that led to us meeting on this day.
For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Hours, by Patrick Sebag (from Artlist).
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
The RegenNarration playlist (music chosen by my guests).
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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Welcome to a very special and unique episode. Previous guest on this podcast, Terry McCosker, co-founded RCS Australia 35 years ago. Fellow Australian legend and podcast guest, Charles Massy, is best-selling author of Call of the Reed Warbler. In that book he wrote, âWhen I look back over the rise of regenerative agriculture in Australia, I see at the forefront Terry and Pam McCosker and their RCS organisation. Today it remains a world leader in the field.â In light of that, I titled the first episode with Terry âBehind the Greatest Regenerative Agriculture Movement in Australiaâ.
Well, as I got to know Terry better over the years, I started to hear more and more about a bloke named Patrick MacManaway, who Terry had been working with since 2010. And Charles later shared with me his âmissing chapterâ from Reed Warbler, the one deemed a little too âedgyâ to include at the time. Patrick features significantly in that chapter, along with some now famous stories of his father.
So as the years went by, I became increasingly interested in learning about the man alongside the man behind the movement. All the more, knowing that Patrickâs extraordinary influence is far from limited to Australia. Born in Scotland to pioneering parents, when Patrick realised he shared his fatherâs gifts, he also shared his medical training, before his calling deepened and spread around the UK, onto North America, and beyond.
I caught up with Patrick at his home near Burlington, Vermont, to wander through life stories, gardens, projects, and new endeavour with Terry.
Title slide by Anthony James.
For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.
Music:
Hours, by Patrick Sebag (from Artlist).
Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp.
Patrick MacManaway.
The RegenNarration playlist.
Find more:
Ep.136 - Terry & wife Pam.
Ep.92 - Songlines.
Ep.210 - Navajo land.
Send us a text
Support the show
The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them.
Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.
Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.
You can also visit The RegenNarration shop. And share, rate and review the podcast.
Thanks for your support!
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