Create with Franz

Can true self-reliance really start on a small apartment balcony—and why does the modern "all-or-nothing" homesteading myth leave so many people overwhelmed?

In this episode, Lindsey Chastain, founder and editor of Waddle & Cluck, reveals how ordinary households can build practical self-sufficiency without buying acres of land or sacrificing their sanity. From managing heavy corporate workloads to finding peace in backyard gardens, Lindsey shares the emotional grit, heartbreak, and daily systems that build genuine autonomy.

In this episode, you'll discover:

🌱🍄 The Acreage Myth: Why you don't need a farm to grow food and take control of your supply chain.

🌱🍄 The 1-Container Rule: How starting with a single patio plant creates a sustainable habit of self-reliance.

🌱🍄 Heartbreak & Resilience: What losing an entire flock taught Lindsey about nature, grounding, and slowing down.

🌱🍄 Aisle-Seven Wisdom: The surprising power of asking simple questions to build community support and learn useful skills.

You can learn more about Lindsey and her digital magazine Waddle & Cluck at https://waddleandcluck.com.

Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/ZGIe4U-p0L8

Topics covered: Suburban homesteading tips, Practical self reliance, Balcony gardening beginner, Waddle and Cluck, Backyard chickens setup, Slow living mindset, Small space food preservation

📚 Recommended books 📚

I will forever be grateful for the skills learned when I read John Seymour's Complete book of self-sufficiency - here is the affiliate link. This is quite a deep book and takes you all the way to 5 acres, weaving, making butter and basketry!

https://amzn.to/3V69xel

Start simple with Back to basics: how to make it through hard times. Written by myself in the UK during the 2008 financial crisis to help my children in the future, it has stood the test of times! This is for you if you have literally NO CLUE about growing food, preserving, financial prudence etc.

It shows how easy it is to sprout seeds and grains and incorporate them into your daily diet, how to use a dehydrator to enrich your food storage, and even how to make your own toiletries at home, plus finance, budgeting and surviving the Christmas holiday madness. Maybe I should write an updated version but the principles have not changed.

https://amzn.to/4hrL0cp

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podchaser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

Why do even trained professionals throw away one-third of the food they buy—and how are home cooks unknowingly repeating the exact same mistake every single week?

In this episode, former 5-star executive chef and Noma fermentation lab alumnus Nicolas Perrin reveals the hidden psychology behind food waste and shows how turning scraps into ferments, powders, and preserves builds both self-reliance and intense flavor.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why professional kitchens (and home cooks) bin perfectly good food.
• The Noma Flavor Toolbox: How salt, time, drying, and vinegar convert single ingredients into four distinct culinary uses.
• How to harness preserved food power at home and save money, unlocking new flavors along the way
• A simple 3-part rule to lock in self-reliance before you even put your groceries away.

Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/xxPrCxfdUSI

My recommendations:

The Noma Guide to Fermentation is a New York Times Bestseller written by René Redzepi, the co-owner of Noma—four times named the world's best restaurant.

Affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4hnvehi

Two great articles to get you started:

https://foodprint.org/blog/reducing-food-waste-with-fermentation/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78kmj2kyklo

Nicolas Perrin, a French chef, is a former executive chef of a five-star hotel in Courchevel, who recently worked at the renowned restaurant Noma.

Today Nicolas runs his own company, doing creative culinary consulting for restaurants and hotels. Sustainability has driven his thinking since the start of his career. Fermented food matters more than ever, both for the environment and for your health.

This interview is part of a series of episodes dedicated to self reliance. Being self reliant starts in the kitchen and can benefit your wallet and your health too!

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podchaser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

How can simple food traditions help us build everyday independence? In this episode, author and nutritionist Zuza Zak (@zuzazakcooks) joins me to explore how fermentation, foraging, and small-scale preserving can transform both our health and our self-reliance.

Zuza shares easy, practical ways to nurture our gut flora, cut down on food waste, and create fun, wholesome recipes using what we already have—from purple sauerkraut to dandelion pesto. We also dive into the gut-brain axis, how to pass these empowering skills down to kids, and why taking care of your gut is one of the most effective ways to build a healthier, happier life today.

Topics covered: gut health, fermented food, gut and brain axis, healthy gut healthy mind, ADHD, gutsy kids, easy fermentation, recipes for gut friendly foods, Polish fermented food, flower medicine, self reliance

Find Zuza here: https://www.instagram.com/zuzazakcooks

Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/329dkAoD0Yc

Learn more with my useful affiliate links:

The Gutsy Kids Cookbook: Over 50 Fun Recipes for Healthy Guts and Strong Kids

https://amzn.to/4yPo2S7

I learned how to ferment food with this book: Real Food Fermentation: Preserving Whole Fresh Food with Live Cultures in Your Home Kitchen

https://amzn.to/4rp7Q7N

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podchaser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

Think you don't have enough space, time, or a green thumb to grow your own food? In this episode, kitchen-garden coach and herbalist Corinne Beirne (founder of The Nourished Garden) joins the show to debunk the myth that self-reliance requires an acre of land.

Corinne shares simple, stress-free strategies to help you get your hands in the dirt today—even if you only have a sunny balcony, a patio, or a single container. We explore how starting small with foods you love can save money, calm your nervous system, and build true everyday confidence.

We cover:

• 🪴 The 1-Container Rule: How to build a micro-garden around meals you already eat
• ✂️ Repeat-Harvest Plants: The best greens and herbs for continuous picks
• 🌿 Garden Wellness: How connecting with nature steadies your nervous system and builds resilience

We will also cover how she managed to deal with MCAS when all the doctors had given up on her and herbs came to the rescue

Find Corinne here: www.thenourishedgarden.com

Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/olJkZuE9zO0

Go deeper with my affiliate links to the books I actually read:

Herbs and Healing Plants of Britain & Europe

https://amzn.to/4iCpmTC

Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Fixes (As seen on BBC)

https://amzn.to/4yU7sAM

Grow It, Heal It: Natural and Effective Herbal Remedies from Your Garden or Windowsill

https://amzn.to/3TGSVt6

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podchaser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

Topics covered:

How to grow herbs at home, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome herbs, MCAS, Herbs for nervous system regulation, Herbalism for beginners, Low histamine kitchen garden, Beginner herbalism tutorial, Kitchen garden coach, Growing herbs for MCAS, Container herb gardening, self reliance with gardening, LDS self reliance

Are you a woman in your 40s or 50s losing your words mid-sentence?

Are you struggling to start simple tasks, feeling unexpectedly fragile, or noticing that the organization strategies you relied on for decades have suddenly crumbled? You aren't losing your mind, and you aren't just "getting old"—your biology changed underneath you.

For many women—especially those navigating ADHD—the tools used to manage life up to this point suddenly seem useless. This shift can quietly erode your confidence, independence, and self-reliance, leaving you feeling like you're no longer enough.

In this episode, Dr. Connie McReynolds, PhD, breaks down what actually happens when dropping estrogen levels around menopause take dopamine down with them. Discover how this neurochemical shift unmasks or severely amplifies undiagnosed ADHD and processing differences that were previously hidden by sheer willpower.

We discuss:

• Why declining estrogen directly impacts attention, working memory, and task initiation.
• Why symptoms get written off as normal aging, and why hormone therapy alone doesn't always solve processing issues.
• How pairing symptom-sorting with auditory and visual processing data helps pinpoint what's really going on.
• How a client moved past childhood narratives of being "lazy" or "careless" and built new tools tailored to her brain's current needs.

If you are tired of wondering why things that used to be automatic now feel overwhelming, this episode offers the biological answers—and the practical clarity—you need.

Topics covered: menopause brain fog, menopause adhd symptoms, adhd in midlife women, low estrogen and focus, undiagnosed adhd in women, estrogen and dopamine adhd, midlife memory loss women, executive dysfunction menopause, adhd biofeedback, menopause cognitive decline

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podchaser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. We are not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided.

LINKS

Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/zzJqRFRfPqk

Find Connie here: https://www.conniemcreynolds.com

Buy her book, The ADHD riddle, here: https://amzn.to/4ztAkAR Please note that this is an affiliate Amazon link that make make me earn money at no extra cost to you.

Ever find yourself stress-shopping at midnight or avoiding your bank account? It's not a lack of discipline—maybe your emotions are hijacking your wallet!

In this episode of our Self-Reliance series, licensed financial therapist Kiki Jacobson drops by to teach us how to emotional-proof our finances.

You'll learn:

• How to break the "Money Stress Loop" (and stop panic-buying).
• How to spot your personal financial triggers.
• Why financial self-reliance is ultimately about having the freedom to leave toxic situations and make your own choices.

Stop letting anxiety run your bank account. Click the link to listen now!

Topics covered: Financial therapy, emotional spending, money stress loop, financial self-reliance, money psychology, budgeting for anxiety, financial independence for women, drowning in debt.

LINKS

Find Kiki Jacobson here:

https://www.yourmoneycounselor.com/

Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/s7grrTkt90s

If you want a physical, real-world tool to start tracking where your money and emotions are meeting, I suggest a great option below!

Check out the Clever Fox Budget Planner. Instead of a boring spreadsheet, it is a simple, physical tracker where you can map out your goals, see your habits visually, and actively redesign your financial environment.

Grab the affiliate link below to start tracking your financial wins:

https://amzn.to/4z6S1pO If you buy through the link, I get a tiny commission at zero extra cost to you. It is a completely free way to support the show and keep these episodes coming! Thank you so much!

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podchaser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

If you feel constantly exhausted and like life is spinning out of control, you are not failing—your system could simply be overloaded.

Our guest Oscar Trelles knows this battle firsthand. After spending over twenty years leading global teams in high-pressure tech and advertising industries, he hit a wall of severe, life-altering burnout.

Determined to recover, Oscar spent years studying human physiology and nervous system regulation to rebuild his own health from the ground up. He went on to found Breathing Flame, create the 'Reverse aging challenge', and write the human OS manual.

In this episode, Oscar shares his journey and explains why trying harder with willpower never works when your biological environment is working against you. Learn how to stop outsourcing your decisions, regulate your stress, and rebuild true self-reliance so you can reclaim your personal agency

Topics covered: human operating system, recovery of agency, beating burnout, nervous system regulation, habits without willpower, behavior design, co-regulation, the human os manual, sustainable energy, stress management, building resilience

Watch this interview here: https://youtu.be/etbZU3F3MY4

Oscar Trelles is the founder of Breathing Flame, creator of the Reverse Aging Challenge, and author of The Human OS Manual, a forthcoming book about how energy, clarity, behavior, recovery, adaptation, and health span function as one connected operating system. His work helps professionals and entrepreneurs redesign the conditions underneath sustainable performance, resilience, and long-term health span.

Find Oscar Trelles here:

Kindle preorder

https://amzn.to/4pNElvt

The Human OS Manual

https://thehumanosmanual.com/

Oscar Trelles, author and media profile

https://oscartrelles.com/

Breathing Flame

https://breathingflame.com/

LINKS

If you are ready to stop fighting your own willpower and want some highly practical, hands-on tools to change your daily setup, I'll share two great options!

First, check out the Forbidden Island Board Game. It is a family friendly game where you can actually practice collaborative decision-making and team problem-solving under pressure—without any of the stress. https://amzn.to/4fJeUqv

Second, check out the Bloom daily planner habit tracking calendar. Instead of trying to force a mindset shift, this visual wall calendar is a simple, physical tool to help you redesign your environment so healthy choices become your automatic daily defaults. https://amzn.to/3T7vrg7

Grab the links below to start physically tweaking your daily routines! Remember that self reliance is not a big one day event but a life time journey.

As usual these are Amazon affiliate links from which I earn a tiny amount at no extra cost to you.

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podchaser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

You can store years of food and repair your own roof. But if you hand your body over to a pharmacy, that is not self-reliance, says Axay Shah. That is a well-stocked dependency.

At age 50, exhausted and pre-diabetic, Axay decided his diagnosis was not his verdict. Today, at 67, he is on zero medications, has zero chronic disease, and has participated in eight marathons.

Tune in to learn how to stop outsourcing your health and build the most neglected form of preparedness: physical independence.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why physical health is the most neglected form of self-reliance.
• How to completely shift your mindset when a doctor hands you a chronic illness diagnosis.
• Axay's 16-year journey of healing through 100% plant-based raw foods.
• Why age 50 is not too late to reverse course, beat exhaustion, and even run your first marathon.

Unconvinced? Everything Axay said is backed by 21 years of published medical records. https://rawfoodiest.com/medical-proof/

Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. We are not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided.

Watch the interview here: https://youtu.be/YaxKK_4DJrQ

Topics covered:

health self reliance, raw food diet, reversing pre-diabetes, plant based lifestyle, Axay Shah, in nature we trust, natural healing, refusing medical verdicts, running marathons after fifty, curing exhaustion, holistic health independence, healing chronic illness naturally

SUGGESTIONS

If you love sweet foods but want to keep lean, keep reading! (Especially in preparation for the holiday season, right? It's only 4 months away!)

You do not have to live on cardboard to stay healthy. Here are the exact books to help you enjoy delicious meals and sweet treats while keeping your blood sugar under lock and key.

(Heads up: I am of course affiliated with these links!)

Forks over knives: - the cookbook: over 300 recipes for plant-based. This is the ultimate companion to the landmark documentary. It contains over 300 recipes built completely around whole grains, legumes, and vegetables without using added oils. It is a fantastic tool for anyone trying to lower their cholesterol, lose weight, and reclaim their physical health.

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/4ypTqXS

Medicinal cookery: I actually own this amazing book by Dale Pinnock. It offers delicious recipes that target digestive problems, heart and circulation conditions, issues concerning the immune and nervous systems and skin disorders.

Here it is: https://amzn.to/4yurum2

Bakerita: This bestseller is packed with over 100 gorgeous recipes for the modern baker. Every single dessert is gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, utilizing natural sweeteners like date syrup, maple syrup, and fruit to keep your sweet tooth satisfied without spiking your insulin levels.

Get it here! https://amzn.to/4wKS74i

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podchaser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

When we talk about self-reliance, we often focus on physical survival skills or financial security—but what happens when the biggest obstacle to our independence is our own lack of self-trust? How important is it to know yourself before you even begin to tackle self reliance?

In this episode, I have a great conversation with TEDx speaker, coach, and author Christine Samuel to explore the deep psychological roots of self-reliance. Drawing from her transition from a 20-year corporate tech career to counseling psychology, Christine breaks down why so many of us struggle to trust our own judgment.

We discover how childhood environments shape our adult behaviors, leaving us either doubting every decision or trapped in a state of rigid hyper-independence where we refuse to ask for help.

Christine introduces us to the concept of Inner Sovereignty—the practice of gathering our scattered attention, understanding our true nature (using a beautiful sunflower analogy), and building the self-knowledge required to make choices that are genuinely our own.

What you'll learn in this episode:

- The difference between sheer willpower and the deeper "will" to act on what matters.

- How to find the healthy middle ground between dependence and hyper-independence.

- Why asking for help is actually a sign of self-aware, healthy self-reliance.

- Practical steps to start building self-trust today by simply keeping promises to yourself.

Topics covered: inner sovereignty, the heart space, how to build self trust, healing hyper independence, emotional self reliance, personal growth podcast, deep listening, codependency vs independence, psychological self reliance

QUOTE

'Self reliance is self knowledge and self trust put together in action.'

LINKS

A huge thank you to Christine Samuel for joining us today. If you want to dive deeper into her work on self-trust and inner sovereignty, check out her fantastic book, The Heart Space: Living with Grace and Ease in an Era of Uncertainty, available on Amazon. You can also connect with her and find her Deep Listening circles at christinesamuel.ca.

If you wish to check out her book, my *affiliate link* will take you straight there:

https://amzn.to/4yotbRL

Watch this episode on Youtube! https://youtu.be/TmXqnrbpCy8

🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too.

🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution.

✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes, Spotify or Podcahser to help others find true wellness. This is a zero cost way to spread our message even further. Here is the direct link: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/create-with-franz-1659195

❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

At 36 years old, Judy Armstrong was a Registered Nurse, a Director of Nursing, and a busy mom of two. Then, her body slowly shut down. Eventually diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus—an incurable autoimmune disease—Judy went from a strong, physically capable caregiver to a patient who couldn't even open a jar of juice for her children.

But Judy refused to let her diagnosis define her.

In this episode, Judy shares her incredible 10-year journey of "active waiting." Instead of putting her life on pause, she kept her nursing license active, invested in personal growth, and embraced the unexpected blessing of being fully present with her young children. She opens up about the miraculous moment of prayer that led to her complete remission, and the unexpected phone call that invited her back to work—not just as a nurse, but as the CEO of the very surgery center she had been forced to leave.

If you are currently facing a storm, feeling sidelined by life, or waiting for your next chapter to begin, Judy's story is a powerful reminder that today's setback is simply preparation for tomorrow's opportunity.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to cope when chronic illness strips away your physical capability and professional identity.
• Why keeping your credentials and mind sharp during a dark season is crucial for your future.
• Finding peace, embracing unexpected blessings, and trusting God's timing when you can't see the finish line.
• How Judy went from a 10-year career gap straight into the CEO chair.

Topics covered: self reliance, active waiting, spiritual self reliance, active preparation, career resilience, overcoming setbacks, faith in trials, coping with illness, taking the next step, identity in storms, emotional self reliance, personal responsibility, overcoming adversity, healing and faith, preparing for opportunity, finding purpose

Find Judy here: https://judyb-armstrong.com/

Her Ebook Title is: Faith Through Storms

Watch the interview here: https://youtu.be/AeF0S-Kp0G8

If you want to dive deeper into the same growth mindset Judy shared today—turning your biggest setbacks into preparation for what's next—here are two fantastic books I highly recommend checking out. Remember that these are Amazon *affiliate* links and as such I earn a tiny percentage if you buy them.

1. The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday

This is the ultimate handbook on grit. Holiday uses ancient Stoic wisdom to show how the very things holding us back—like a sudden diagnosis or a career setback—can actually be used as fuel to make us stronger, tougher, and more resilient.

https://amzn.to/4w699tO

2. Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

When Plan A is completely off the table, how do you rebuild? This book combines deeply personal stories with practical, scientific advice on how to build your resilience muscle, face adversity, and reclaim your purpose when life takes an unexpected turn.

https://amzn.to/4gEwmhW