My guest today is Tim O'Hara who's the owner and founder of Rancho Mastatal sustainability and education center, one of the premier sustainable living education sites in the world. For more than 15 years Rancho Mastatal has been leading the way in permaculture, natural building, and regenerative living skills such as fermentation, bio gas digestion, soap making, and much more.

Tim started out with a degree in agricultural economics and first began working in corporate agro business before becoming disillusioned with that world and joining the peace corps where he worked for two years in Uraguay and there met his wife. After another short stint working in agro business, Tim was ready for a big change. Through a friend of his from the peace corps Tim then found the land in Mastatal Costa Rica where the dream of the ranch came together.

In this interview, Tim shares invaluable insights on how to integrate with your local community as an outsider, how their demonstration site has had a positive impact on their community at large, and he goes over some of the biggest hurdles he and his team have had to overcome to get to where they are today. This is a great episode for anyone who dreams of starting their own training or educational site one day.