Dylan Combres is a former industry worker with experience in oil and gas, potash mining, and construction. With a passion for nutrition, human physiology and helping people, Dylan embarked on his journey to become a nurse 3 years ago making the switch from working for a paycheck, to living a life with flexibility, purpose, and meaning.

I first met Dylan in an underground potash mine 7 years ago, since then I have been gifted a front row seat, as his partner, watching him chase his dreams, live into his potential and allow life’s challenges to become the fertile soil for growth.

In this episode Dylan shares his journey from manual labour and industry to entering university as a mature student. His words echo with truth as he reminds us that people only believe in us to the degree that we believe in ourselves, and that true wealth comes from honouring our bodies and living a life of health. We also talk about the tension between holding a vision and living for today while dispelling the myth of ‘getting there’ and exploring the practice of presence.

I welcome you into our home for morning coffees as I get the pleasure of drawing out the man who inspires me daily to live life for the moment and let go.

Grant Strem is chairman and CEO of Proton Technologies Canada, an industry disruptor focused on producing vast amounts of zero emission hydrogen at a low cost. Born, raised, and educated in the Oil and Gas hub of Calgary Alberta, Grant holds a B.Sc. in Geology and an M.Sc. in Reservoir Characterization. He has spent his career working in the industry as a reserve’s evaluator, Petroleum consultant, research analysis and business owner. In 2015 Grant’s life changed when he co-founded Proton Technologies with Dr. Ian Gates.

In this episode Grant explains the technology while taking us into the future where clean energy is abundant, technology has been unleashed, and human capacity has expanded beyond our planetary boundaries.

As a self-described “person with an opinion” Grant speaks on why carbon taxes are important for motivating change, the missing conversation around air pollution, and what is needed to expedite the development of critical technologies.

Festus Kiplagat is a tree grower and agroforestry professional whose purpose and passion is combining indigenous and scientific knowledge to restore ecosystems, while improving the lives of farmers and creating landscapes resilient to climate change. He is founder and chairman of the Green Planet Initiative 2050, a project that works to reverse land degradation and increase food security by restoring land lost to slash and burn agricultural (aka conventional agriculture) and returning traditional livelihoods by providing a green rural economy.

In this episode we talk about the tragic loss of land to non-sustainable agricultural practices and how walking back to traditional agricultural methods shapes not only the land, but the hearts and minds of those involved in this transformation. Festus reminds us that real change starts with a shift of our minds and that nature speaks in the language of reciprocity, loving us back with abundance every time we care.

Scot Bryson is the epitome of ‘if you don’t like your world then change it’. He is a lifelong problem solver, utilizing existing technologies, including those proven viable in space, to solve our world’s most pressing problems. As a founder of Orbital Farm, Scot is a visionary developing closed loop agriculture for the age of Anthropocene. Closed loop systems are 10,000 times more efficient than traditional agriculture, helping achieve food security and reduce land degradation.

In this episode we talk about how closed loop agriculture is a win for farmers, industry, consumers and the environment alike. We also deep dive into the paradigm shift needed to transition from an easy and cheap linear economy founded on the incorrect assumption of unlimited resources, to a circular one, which operates within ecological boundaries. Scot calls us to action encouraging investors, consumers, and cooperation to take a stance and be the catalyst for change.

ERICA RHINEHART has devoted her life to chasing the Moon. That is, following the holy, moonlit path through the mysterious dimensions of nature and psyche, while guiding others to do the same. She is a nature-based soul guide with Animas Valley Institute, as well as a ceremonialist, writer, chef, and English teacher. As a life-long lover of the transformational, world-shifting power of the written, spoken, and lyrical word, she is passionate about bringing forth the multifaceted voices of the wild and the ancient as they express themselves through those who have re-membered how to listen.

In this episode we talk about her work as a guide to the nature-based descent to soul and how conversing with mystery and touching essences is the work of human making and maturation. She reminds us that awareness and presence is the doorway into touching the mystery and fullness many of us seek, and how this process of individuation helps us be in service to the web of life.

Marilyn Poitras is a Harvard Law School graduate who has studied with traditional knowledge keepers and communities from all over the world. Marilyn sees opportunity everywhere as a lawyer, negotiator, professor, and community builder. She relies on life experience to connect people and ideas through culture, community, music and story. She is a voice for the hidden figures of our society through her work with women’s issues and rights.

In this conversation we talk about the cost of buying into the perceived colonial experiment and what it means to look at our individual privilege. We also talk about the challenges faced by Indigenous women in Canada and why Indigenous women are the ‘canaries in the coal mine’, foreshadowing what’s to come when a society loses empathy. As with any conversation with Marilyn, she opens the door through traditional teachings on how we might begin to move forward both individually and collectively by caring for one another.

This special earth day edition of Conversations with Kim features Mike Toffan and Shannon Simpson of Project Forest. Project Forest is a Canadian re-wilding project that grows forests and reclaims unproductive land through partnership with purpose driven businesses. In this conversation we explore the relation between humans and trees, the concept of ecological reconciliation, and the hope that this work offers for the future of our planet.

Carly Forest is an endorsed Insight Yoga Teacher, an energy medicine practitioner and accredited enneagram teacher. Carly trained at the Spirt Rock Meditation centre in California and has spent almost 20 years deepening her practice in Vipassana and tantric Buddhist traditions. Her work honours the mystery of the natural world while inviting people into dialogue with their lives, and an embodied experience of reality. I met Carly in 2016 while she was leading a silent retreat on Denman Island (Taystay'ich). Since then, Carly has been one of my most formative teachers with her voice often reminding me to stay with my life, and my experience even in moments of discomfort.

In this conversation we explore her journey and how practice has led to a porosity in her soul. We also look at our human tendencies to numb and dissociate from experience, while opening a window to explore the benevolence reality, and the possibility for change through developing a relationship of reciprocity with the more than human sphere.

It’s my pleasure to introduce Vern Bachiu for Episode 1 of Conversations with Kim. Vern is a beloved teacher, friend, and mentor. He has spent his career in Indigenous economic development and recently partnered with the University of Saskatchewan to Indigenize their Business School. In this episode, ‘The Pilgrimage of Life’, Vern and I explore his life journey through the lens of his pilgrimage on the Camino and his processes for facing shadows, letting go, and finding purpose.