Episodes
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In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with Andrea Palacio, co-founder of Crewless. Andrea walks through how she used AI to rescue her Florida lawn care company from near-collapse, and what she learned when she stepped too far away.
Andrea went from answering 50+ calls a day with a newborn in her arms to building Crewless: an AI implementation consultancy that helps home service businesses get their time back.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:53 What AI Implementation Means
03:13 Crewless Origin Story
05:47 Crisis Sparks Automation
08:16 Quick Wins With AI
11:45 AI for Human Connection
17:39 Leadership Cannot Be Delegated
21:52 Scorecards and Metrics
26:19 Regenerative AI Concerns
33:03 Balancing Innovation and Nature
40:22 Policy and Data Centers
49:10 How to Work With Andrea
54:06 Closing Thoughts
Follow Andrea:
https://www.instagram.com/andreapalacio
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Andrea:
Andrea Palacio is co-founder of Crewless, an AI implementation consultancy helping home service businesses solve operational problems with AI. She and her husband also co-own a Florida lawn care company, where she first built the systems that became Crewless. Before going into business, she spent four years living on a sailboat and sailing the Caribbean.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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In this episode of Land Language, we sit down with Brittney Herrera, CEO of Thunder Egg and GeoTune. With 25 years in interior architecture for Fortune 500 tech companies, Brittney has spent her career designing spaces where people want to be. Over time, she found the layer beneath the built environment that most designers never look at: the energetic condition of the land itself. We discuss geopathic stress, how it shows up in dead trees, struggling businesses, flooding basements, broken equipment, and what ancient practices like copper-rod tuning can do about it.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Start
00:33 Meet Brittany Herrera
01:15 Magnetic Workspaces
01:56 What Is GeoTune
03:09 Origin Story and Proof
05:58 Hotel Case Study
08:35 Tuning Worldwide
10:28 On Site Process
12:07 Flooding Success Story
14:01 Skepticism and ROI
17:10 Trees and Relationship
25:35 Farms and Biodiversity
26:59 Tensor Ring Demo
28:14 How to Work Together
28:59 Closing Thoughts
Follow Brittney:
Website: https://www.brittneyherrera.com/
Geotune on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geotune_energy
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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Missing episodes?
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In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with Angelique Robb, founder of SYNKD, a media platform and event series connecting landscape architects, contractors, designers, and horticulturists. They dig into the communication failures that cost design-build-maintain projects their best outcomes, two materials most US practitioners haven't encountered, and why stormwater management belongs to anyone who calls themselves a landscape professional.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:34 Meet Angelique Robb
01:34 From Petroleum to Landscapes
09:41 Communication Makes Projects
15:20 SYNKD Connecting the Industry
18:10 Living Retaining Wall Innovation
26:33 Stormwater Is Landscaping
31:09 Permeable Paving Options
36:56 SYNKD Events and Community
39:36 Collaboration and Taking Action
43:56 Language Shapes the Land
48:48 Closing Thoughts
Follow Angelique:
Website: https://www.synkd.io/about-us
SYNKD on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synkd_landscpae
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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Jonathan Clay built The Kalos Project to close Houston's local food gap using permaculture design. The same principles guide how he leads his team.
In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with Jonathan and explore how permaculture's closed-loop principles translate to team leadership, what it takes to create a safe container for conflict on a job site, and the platform Jonathan is building to transform Houston's local food economy.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:34 Meet Jonathan Clay
04:05 Handling Conflict On Teams
07:37 Boundaries And Timing
10:19 Making Space For Quiet Voices
16:50 Permaculture As Leadership
21:05 Team Goals And KPIs
25:59 Right Fit For The Role
28:14 Ground Zero Resources
29:06 Profitability Not Woo Woo
31:44 Why Kalos Project
33:02 Volunteer Powered Food Hubs
35:16 How To Follow Kalos
35:57 Closing Thoughts
References:
- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
- The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer
Follow Jonathan:
Website: https://kalosproject.earth/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalosproject.earth
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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$14 trillion in small business assets will change hands in the next decade. If you own a trades business, this conversation is for you.
David Hori has spent his career where people and business overlap. From HR to startup operations to building and exiting pro.com (acquired by Opendoor), he now coaches business owners on how to build, prepare, and thoughtfully pass on what they've created. Brit and Bethany talk with David about what it actually means to build a healthy business, whether you're planning to sell or not.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:34 Meet David
02:48 Why He Buys
06:02 Retention Playbook
11:12 Building To Sell
13:22 Red Flags Green Flags
14:29 First Buyer Call
16:32 What Makes Buyable
18:29 Sustainable Growth
22:29 Local Legacy Mission
24:08 Coaching Owners
26:13 Culture Needs Weeding
26:58 Loyalty Versus Fit
28:22 KPIs With Compassion
32:11 Incentives Beyond Pay
35:01 Stewardship Over Recklessness
38:04 Coaching That Drives Change
41:52 AI Agents For Leads
44:28 Using AI To Free Time
46:36 Closing Thoughts
Brit and Bethany help bring in the regenerative lens. A business with 90% of its revenue in one customer is like a landscape with 90% of one species. One bad season and it's gone. This conversation goes where most business podcasts don't: into what it means to care for what you've built, and leave it better than you found it.
Follow David:
Web: toplineops.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iamdavidhori
Instagram: @thedavidhori
Follow Land Language:
Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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The landscape industry is still building its catalog of case studies for regenerative work. Every project that gets built is an example. Every conversation that shifts a client's understanding is a seed. We're all relearning methods of cultivation that were once just daily life, and we're doing it together.
In this episode:
Why the first question in any deck project isn't about materials, it's about purposeExtruded aluminum framing + juniper decking as the most ecologically sound Pacific Northwest deck choiceThe lifetime cost of cheap composite vs. the permanence of a well-built deckHow to bring a client from lawn loyalty to meadow conviction: root depth, carbon, wildlife, morning routinesA real 2025 Portland front yard: native garden, willow play structure, brass auto-shutoff faucet, reflecting bowl, wildlife habitat directoryDesigning for children from toddlers to teenagers: splash zones, nooks, and getawaysThis is the season wrap. Season 2 is coming soon.
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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In this episode of Land Language, Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Marc Boucher-Colbert, longtime garden educator and urban farming advocate, about how outdoor spaces can nurture curiosity, resilience, and ecological literacy in children.
Marc shares his decades of experience developing school gardens and edible landscapes—from composting and crop rotations to integrated pest management (IPM) and soil health. Together, they explore how to turn kids from consumers into producers, how to adapt regenerative design principles for schools, and how simple gestures like container gardening can spark lifelong relationships with the living world.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:33 Meet Mark Boucher
02:10 From Compost to Farming
04:05 Urban Bounty Origins
04:34 School Garden Career
07:08 Montessori Outdoors
08:46 Cooking and Harvesting
10:50 Roaming and Curiosity
13:27 Science by Age Group
15:03 Experimenting with Soil
17:30 Loose Materials Play
19:23 Designing Kid Spaces
19:53 Tree Fort Favorites
23:13 Forts and Privacy
25:29 Lawns and Maintenance
28:30 Design for Your Child
31:10 Boulders and Water
32:27 Nature for Adults Too
35:54 Public School Challenges
38:15 School Reform Barriers
38:51 Healing Gardens Proof
40:00 Edible Schoolyard Model
40:59 Afterschool Garden Freedom
43:33 Food Equity Reality Check
44:57 Home vs School Cooking
47:38 Micro Community Leadership
49:46 Slow Down With Nature
52:12 Family Food Memories
54:17 IPM Basics Explained
01:05:47 Soil Health Over Inputs
01:07:47 Start Small Grow Something
01:10:27 Books Club And Resources
01:11:59 Design Your Eden Cards
01:17:51 Closing Thoughts
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Follow Marc:
Website: https://www.designyoureden.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designyoureden
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Marc:
Marc Boucher-Colbert is a garden educator, urban farmer, and sustainability advocate with over two decades of experience teaching children to connect with the land. He helped establish Zenger Farm in Portland, founded the rooftop garden at Noble Rot, and currently serves as the gardening specialist at the Franciscan Montessori Earth School, where he integrates science, ecology, and food systems into daily learning. His work blends hands-on experimentation with a deep belief in regenerative, community-driven landscapes.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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Soil health is the backbone of regenerative landscape design. In this episode, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Nick Tomasini, soil consultant, microbiology specialist, and founder of Humankind Oregon, about the real science behind soil structure, compaction, microbial activity, and soil amendments that actually work.
Nick explains soil chemistry vs. biology, how to choose the right soil test, what mineral balancing actually means, and why compost extract often outperforms compost tea. He also shares cautionary insight on biochar, how to properly inoculate with mycorrhizae, and why fungal networks are essential for long-term plant health.
Listen if you:• Work with compacted soils or post-construction landscapes
• Want a clear approach to soil testing & diagnostics
• Are trying to reduce herbicide use
• Want practical, regenerative solutions backed by soil science
Chapters:
00:00 Start
01:26 Nick’s Origin Story
02:58 Two Decades of Change
07:00 Clients and Soil Awareness
11:41 Compaction and No Till
13:46 Soil Chemistry Testing
17:18 Carbon and Haney Test
19:38 Microbiology Test Options
24:06 Disturbance and Diversity
26:18 Raised Bed Soil Blends
29:33 Testing Compost Inputs
30:32 Remediation and Biochar
33:28 Charging Biochar Basics
34:39 Surface Area Hype Check
35:42 Micronized Biochar Cautionary Tale
36:20 Trials and Less Is More
37:02 Wood Chips for Remediation
38:44 Heavy Metals Remobilization Risk
42:05 Residential Soil Health Priorities
44:56 Mycorrhizae Endo vs Ecto
46:28 Compost Tea Reality Check
48:53 Compost Extract How To
54:36 Root Dips and Contractor Buy In
58:04 Weed Control Without Herbicides
01:02:05 Pelletized Wool Wild Card
01:04:00 Phytoremediation Rabbit Hole
01:04:45 Closing Thoughts
Follow Nick:
Website: https://www.humankindoregon.com/
Humankind Oregon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humankindoregon/
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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Sustainable landscaping and regenerative landscape design aren’t just about plants and products, they’re about how we relate to the creatures that hold our food systems together. In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Onyx Baird, documentary filmmaker, regenerative beekeeper, and wildlife scientist, about rethinking bees, beekeeping, and pollinator habitat from the ground up.
Onyx traces the story of Apis mellifera from ancient honey hunting and goddess traditions to today’s industrial beekeeping model, where thin-walled hives, chemical mite treatments, and factory-scale queen breeding are driving unprecedented losses. She explains why 2024 marked the deadliest year on record for U.S. commercial honeybee colonies, and why wild bees, given the chance, are still evolving to meet new threats.
Most importantly, this conversation focuses on solutions at the scale of your projects and neighborhoods: bee-centric hive designs that mimic tree cavities, planting strategies that feed both honeybees and native bees, and practical ways to talk with clients and neighbors about pesticides, swarms, and “messy” gardens.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
02:05 Bees Through Deep Time
04:18 Industrial Beekeeping Shift
05:47 Varroa Mites and Colony Losses
08:33 Reimagining Regenerative Beekeeping
09:51 Native Bees vs Honeybees
12:49 Insulated Hives and Forage
14:21 Medicinal Plants for Bees
17:15 Native Bee Nesting Habitat
19:06 Messy Gardens and Spring Cleanup
22:38 Neonicotinoids Hidden in Plants
24:10 Onyx’s Path Into Beekeeping
27:03 From Fear to Reverence
28:59 Low to High Commitment Hives
33:35 Monthly Hive Checkins
35:03 Just Start Beekeeping
36:08 Wild Genetics Over Industry
38:07 No Future For Monoculture
39:34 Local Gardens Hope
42:00 Banana Scent Alarm
43:14 Stings And Calm Energy
45:25 Bee Baths And Healing
47:16 Drones And Mating Flights
49:33 Swarms As Education Portal
51:53 Talking To Neighbors
56:33 Organic Lawn Alternatives
57:41 Women Beekeepers Documentary
58:53 Portugal Hawaii Yucatan
01:04:01 Funding And Release Plan
01:07:12 End
Follow Onyx:
Amrita documentary: https://www.amritadocumentary.com
Feral Honey: https://www.feralhoney.org
Instagram: @thebeeoracle
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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Local, sustainable wood is more than a material choice. It’s a connection to land, community, and story.
In this episode, Land Language hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with Lynn Morgan, Director of Community Engagement at Sustainable Northwest Wood, to explore how regenerative forestry, ethical material sourcing, and cultural stewardship can transform the landscaping and building industries.
We dive into the mission that sets Sustainable Northwest Wood apart: a business founded in 2008 to sell only responsibly harvested, regionally sourced wood—no offsets, no greenwashing, no hidden supply chains. Lynn shares their journey of thoughtful expansion, including a new Seattle distribution center, and why transparency and community trust define every step.
The conversation moves from forest ecology to personal lineage: Appalachian resourcefulness, the emotional weight of forest loss, and the joy of choosing materials with story and meaning. From pests like the emerald ash borer to blue pine salvage, selective harvesting, and the cultural loss of “enough,” Lynn offers a grounded vision for how the landscape and construction industries can shift toward regenerative practice.
What You’ll Learn:
• Why local wood matters for climate, culture, and accountability
• How Sustainable Northwest Wood built a fully regenerative supply model
• The ecological and emotional impact of pests like the ash borer and pine beetle
• Selective harvesting and what a truly healthy working forest looks like
• How to choose materials that nourish ecosystem integrity
• The cultural grief and opportunity inside today’s forest management conversations
• Why “enoughness” is a critical value for regenerative design
• How story-rich materials change the client experience
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:33 Meet Lynn Morgan (Sustainable Northwest Wood)
01:05 Lynn’s Journey: From Interior Design to Sustainable Lumber
03:37 A Lifelong Relationship with Forests (Not Just a Resource)
05:41 Juniper Origin Story: Restoration Wood & Watershed Comeback
08:52 Juniper Durability, Beauty, and Best Uses
11:53 Designing With Juniper: Length Limits, Character, and Install Tips
14:27 Cutting Through Greenwashing: FSC, Chain of Custody, and Vetting
16:36 What Sustainable Harvesting Looks Like on the Ground (vs Clearcuts)
23:00 PDX Airport Remodel: 800,000 Board Feet + Local Forest Collaboration
27:52 Why Traceable Materials Matter
29:39 PDX’s Responsibly Sourced Wood & Restored Watersheds
30:44 Climate Change, Drier Summers & Cedar Decline
31:30 New Species, Long-Term Planning & Zena Forest
33:21 Price, Values & the Power of Wood’s Story
35:40 Tribal Sourcing, Rebates Back to Forests & Buying Local
37:45 Slow Down, Ask Questions, Build Better
39:16 Why This Lumberyard Is Unique & What’s Next
41:09 Appalachia Roots, Stewardship & Caring for the Land
44:18 Sustainability Isn’t Luxury: Limits, Gratitude & A More Rooted Life
46:31 Forest Tour + Broader Forestry Questions: NZ, FSC & Using Beetle-Kill/Ash
52:04 Close
Follow Lynn:
Sustainable Northwest Wood: https://www.snwwood.com/Lynn-Morgan
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram @thelandlanguage or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and landscape architect Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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Sustainable landscape construction isn't just about swapping one product for another, it's about questioning the entire system. In this episode, Land Language hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Jenny Jones, founder of Terremoto, a Los Angeles-based design studio challenging conventional construction practices through material reuse, labor visibility, and conservation-minded design.
Together they explore practical strategies for sourcing recycled materials, the hidden carbon costs of concrete, regional differences in client expectations, and why the most meaningful projects are often the smallest ones where designers maintain ongoing relationships rather than one-and-done builds.
Jenny shares candid insights on working with urbanite, the challenges of being labeled "unprofessional" when questioning industry standards, how tech culture influences landscape aesthetics, and why having a material storage yard transforms sustainable design-build practice.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:36 Introduction: Jenny Jones from Terremoto
01:45 Jenny's Journey into Landscape Architecture
03:36 The Influence of Education and Early Career
05:18 Challenges and Insights in Landscape Architecture
09:13 The Joys of Small Projects and Ecological Restoration
11:52 Materiality and Construction in Landscape Design
20:00 The Role of Technology in Modern Landscape Architecture
26:25 Material Reuse and Sustainable Practices
32:07 Challenges of Small Studio Operations
33:13 Inspiration from France's Reuse Legislation
34:37 Sustainable Practices in the Northwest
35:42 Innovative Materials and Techniques
38:55 The Importance of Repair and Care
42:47 Practical Approaches to Landscape Restoration
47:02 Recycling Green Waste
48:51 Celebrating Material Reuse
51:54 Final Thoughts
Follow Jenny:
Terremoto
Terremoto on Instagram
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website
Follow on Instagram
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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Regenerative landscape design isn’t just about plants — it’s about teaching people to be in right relationship with land. In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya (CEO, Blueprint Earth; stormwater expert) and Bethany Rydmark sit down with New Zealand landscape designer and author Xanthe White to talk about process-driven design, soil and water as living systems, and why restraint is one of the most sustainable design tools we have.
Xanthe has spent decades crafting gardens in Aotearoa/New Zealand, writing about “good dirt,” and leading a studio that treats makers, gardeners, and designers as a single ecology of practice. This conversation is a masterclass in how to practice landscape design that is regenerative, human, and site-honoring.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
04:25 Xanthe's Journey into Landscape Architecture
07:43 The Philosophy of Landscape Design
11:58 Challenges and Innovations in the Field
23:33 Water Management and Design Stories
38:51 Material Choices and Sustainable Practices
46:03 Future Projects and Inspirations
47:13 Closing
Follow Xanthe
Xanthe White Design
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website
Follow on Instagram
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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Growing food isn't about producing bushels of vegetables or becoming self-sufficient—it's about cultivating connection, wonder, and daily rituals that nourish both body and soul. In this episode, Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with garden writer and cookbook author Willi Galloway about integrating edibles into landscapes, discovering overlooked plant parts, and building a breakfast routine centered around garden-fresh vegetables.
Willi shares her unconventional journey from college English major to test garden manager at Organic Gardening Magazine to two-time cookbook author. Along the way, she challenges yield-obsessed gardening culture, celebrates the magic of nasturtium leaves on avocado toast, and explains why growing a single bean plant that reaches eight feet tall in a few months is a profoundly life-affirming act.
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:39 Meet Willie Galloway: From Organic Gardening to Cookbook Author
01:54 Willie's Early Gardening Influences
03:19 Journey to Organic Gardening Magazine
05:21 Discovering the Joy of Growing Food
10:17 Incorporating Edibles into Your Garden
19:13 Companion Planting and Garden Maintenance Tips
22:42 The Psychological Benefits of Gardening
23:27 Mindfulness in the Garden
25:11 The Joy of Growing Your Own Food
26:01 Designing Gardens for Wellness
28:24 Incorporating Food into Ornamental Gardens
29:15 Veggies for Breakfast: A New Perspective
33:08 Creating Rituals with Garden Herbs
37:11 Exploring the Northwest Floral Garden Festival
40:14 Connecting People Through Gardening Stories
44:23 Conclusion
Follow Willi:
Website
Willi Galloway on Instagram
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website
Follow on Instagram
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with nursery owner, author, and plant ecologist Paul Bonine (co-owner of Xera Plants, paleoclimatology background, and longtime horticultural educator). Together, they go deep into the future of regenerative landscaping through native annuals, cover cropping, soil biology, and plant-driven weed management.
Paul brings decades of experience observing Pacific Northwest ecosystems up close—from clay soils that turn to concrete in summer, to the evolutionary role of native annuals, to the quiet intelligence of succession plants like ceanothus, clover, meadowfoam, and clinopodium. This episode reframes how designers and contractors think about weeds, soil, irrigation, and the plants we choose as tools — not just ornament.
This is a foundational conversation for any practitioner seeking to reduce carbon-heavy construction habits, increase biodiversity, and work with the land’s ecological timing instead of fighting it.
Chapters
00:00 Start
01:41 Using Plants as Green Mulch and Weed Management
03:07 Meadowfoam: A Natural Solution for Turf Grass
05:01 Cover Crops and Soil Health
09:47 Prairies vs. Micro Forests for Carbon Sequestration
12:51 Paul Bonine's Background and Early Influences
14:01 Soil Management and Mulching Practices
16:25 Cover Crops for Construction Sites
18:54 The Role of Ceanothus in Soil Health
21:01 Succession Planting and Soil Building
24:14 Challenges in the Nursery Industry
27:22 Native Vines for Shady Areas
29:05 The Dilemma of Using Roundup
30:08 Alternatives to Pulling Weeds
30:35 The Importance of Soil Health
33:20 Mulching and Leaf Management
38:19 Native vs. Non-Native Plants
39:23 Adapting Gardening Practices to Climate
42:48 Client Preferences and Garden Aesthetics
45:21 Climate Change and Gardening
51:14 Integrated Pest Management
52:06 End
Follow Paul:
Website: https://xeraplants.com/
Xera Plants on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xeraplants
Follow Land Language:
Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/
Connect with Us:
Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.
About Land Language:
Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.
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What if the future of landscaping starts with a conversation?
Welcome to Land Language,the podcast where landscape contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and landscape architect Bethany Rydmark bring you the real, unfiltered conversations about building regenerative landscapes. No fluff. No greenwashing. Just practical tools, expert insights, and honest talk about transforming the industry from the ground up.
In this introductory episode, Brit and Bethany share their origin story: how they went from mutual Instagram fangirling to launching a podcast with a mission. They saw the same frustrating cycle everywhere: clients wanting sustainability, contractors building what they were taught, vendors producing what sells, and no one taking the first step toward change.
We cover:
The blame cycle: why clients, contractors, and vendors all point fingersCollective power: how groups like WISE and Oregon Regenerative Alliance shift supply chainsSoil as foundation: what we're losing when we ignore soil healthClimate reality: why old methods don't work anymore (and what to do instead)Education gaps: most contractors were handed a shovel, not a degree in soil scienceThe investment question: does regenerative practice have to cost more?Building courage through community: how incremental steps create industry-wide changeListen if you:
Want to build healthier, more resilient landscapesFeel stuck between what you know is right and what's available/affordableWonder if anyone else is asking the same questions you areNeed practical steps, not just idealsCare about the planet and want to align your work with your valuesThis isn't a prescriptive "do it this way" show. Brit and Bethany are learning alongside you, bringing in scientists, vendors, and practitioners to share what's working, what's not, and what's next.
Every episode ends with clear action steps. Because if we don't help you implement what you've learned, this is just information that sits in the back of your brain. We're here to help you make change happen.
New episodes drop every other Thursday. Subscribe now and join the community building better landscapes, one project at a time.
Follow us on Instagram: @landlanguagepodcast
Find the show notes on our website: landlanguage.org
