Good Life Revival: Permaculture, Rewilding, Homesteading

By Sam Sycamore

Society & Culture Natural Sciences Science & Medicine Philosophy Social Sciences Religion & Spirituality Spirituality

What's Good Life Revival: Permaculture, Rewilding, Homesteading about?

The Good Life Revival Podcast explores the ways that we can align our core values and our daily habits towards a more sustainable, ecologically conscious way of life. Join host Sam Sycamore in discussion about living intentionally, finding purpose in the modern era, and taking meaningful action to heal the world by healing ourselves.

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Good Life Revival: Permaculture, Rewilding, Homesteading episodes:

08.09.2020
Finale. "The true state of all things is a waterfall"
Listen to Microphones in 2020 by The Microphones (Phil Elverum).
11.22.2019
72. What are you doing with your life? Or; Angels and Demons at Play
What are you doing with your life? What are you trying to accomplish? Where is this all going? Do you even have a goal? Do you have a retirement plan? Do you have a savings account? What happens when you get...
11.19.2019
71. The Art of Inner Tracking with Luke McLaughlin of Holistic Survival School
Luke McLaughlin doesn’t want to teach you wilderness survival skills. He wants to guide you through the process of remembering your ancestral human nature. Make no mistake — though he’ll tell you that the technology typically amounts to little more than...
10.17.2019
70. How and Why to Eat Acorns - A Step-by-Step Foraging Tutorial
The acorn is one of the most common and ubiquitous nuts you’re likely to encounter almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in autumn. Somehow, tragically, the vast majority of people on Earth today think of acorns as little more than “squirrel...
09.24.2019
Wild Food Mentorship - Apply Now for the Winter 2019/20 Session!
By popular demand, my Wild Food Mentorship is returning for its second year, beginning this November! The deadline to apply is October 31, 2019. Don’t delay! Head this way to fill out an application: http://www.thegoodliferevival.com/mentor For this session I will be taking on no...
09.20.2019
69. Climate Change Grief Pt. II - Visions, Wildfires, and the Children of Compost
Whether the status quo is prepared to admit it or not, climate change is not some mysterious future event looming on the horizon — it is already happening, here, now. So: how will you choose to respond? In this episode of the...
09.11.2019
68. Coping With Climate Change Grief - What Comes After Acceptance?
We’ve analyzed the data. We’ve seen the models and the projections. The facts are grim, and the reality on the ground (for some, not all — yet) is even grimmer still: Global anthropogenic climate disruption is leading to social and political...
09.04.2019
67. Uncovering America's Hidden Empire with Historian Daniel Immerwahr
Picture, in your mind’s eye, a map of the United States of America. What do you see? If you’re like most of us, you’re probably picturing an outline of the contiguous United States, the so-called “lower 48.” You might also be...
08.22.2019
66. Explaining Nothing, Defending Nothing - Behind the Scenes with Sam Sycamore
I dream of a quiet man who explains nothing and defends nothing, but only knows where the rarest wildflowers are blooming, and who goes, and finds that he is smiling not by his own will. "I Dream of a Quiet Man" by Wendell Berry, from Given.
08.01.2019
65. Rainwater Harvesting for Adaptive Habitats with Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture
Rob Avis is a petroleum engineer-turned-permaculture designer with many years of boots-on-the-ground experience in developing regenerative living systems. He runs the Canadian design company Verge Permaculture, as well as the consulting firm Adaptive Habitat. For this installment of the show, Rob...
07.17.2019
64. Partnering with Powerful Trees - How and Why with Akiva Silver of Twisted Tree Farm
Akiva Silver is the owner of Twisted Tree Farm in New York, where he raises over 20,000 individual trees annually — no small feat as a sole proprietor! Earlier this year, Akiva published Trees of Power: Ten Essential Arboreal Allies via...
06.18.2019
63. The Collapse is Not Your Fault: Climate Change and Near-Term Human Extinction
There is no debate: our planet’s rapidly changing climate is now a fact of our everyday lives. Unpredictable and extreme weather events are becoming more common and more frequent worldwide, and both their unpredictability and their extreme nature is increasing over...
06.05.2019
62. The Pursuit of Irrelevance and Illegibility with Sam Sycamore
Early on in my journey back to nature, I realized that I was going to have to get creative in order to overcome the unique obstacles in my path. Knowing that I would never work towards a six-figure salary or a...
05.22.2019
61. Bearing Witness to Wounded Landscapes with Trebbe Johnson, author of Radical Joy For Hard Times
How can we create beauty and discover joy in a world so badly wounded by the machinations of our modern culture? This is a question that Trebbe Johnson strives to answer, both philosophically and in practice, through her work with the...
05.04.2019
60. You Do Not Exist
You do not exist. I do not exist. Ask your I: "What are you?" And your I will reply, "I am not."
04.18.2019
59. Home is Where the Truck is Parked with Kelly Moody of the Ground Shots Podcast
If your life came to an end tomorrow — would you feel like you’d made the most of it? For episode 59 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I met up with Kelly Moody, creator of the Ground Shots Podcast and...
04.04.2019
58. Disrupting Racism Using Deep Connection with Aaron Johnson, Porsha Beed and Jennie Pearl of Holistic Resistance
When your neighbor comes to you in a panic and tells you that her house is burning — how will you respond? For episode 58 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I ventured up to Oakland, CA to meet with Aaron...
03.18.2019
57. Sexual Liberation and the Question of Masculinity with Ev'Yan Whitney, Sexuality Doula
When all we’ve ever known is unhealthy, imbalanced examples of sexuality, how can we even begin to step into our power as self-actualized, sexually liberated individuals? For episode 57 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I invited Ev’Yan Whitney of Portland,...
02.27.2019
56. Seaweed Foraging on the California Coast with Heidi Herrmann of Strong Arm Farm
Where ocean meets land: that’s where you’ll find Heidi Herrmann of Strong Arm Farm, who spends the better part of each summer meticulously hand-harvesting wild seaweed along the California coastline. For episode 56 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I traveled...
02.15.2019
55. Reading Your Body, Reading the Land with Adam Haritan of Learn Your Land
Personal health is not just an extension of environmental health — they are one and the same. For episode 55 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I was fortunate enough to speak with Adam Haritan, creator of Learn Your Land....
02.05.2019
54. Ecological Awareness and the Wildlife Web with Thomas J. Elpel
How can we reestablish our fundamental connection with nature, in the context of a culture so thoroughly disconnected from the ecosystems that sustain it? According to Thomas J. Elpel, founder of Green University and the Outdoor Wilderness Living School, it starts...
12.25.2018
53. What is the Good Life? Reflecting on a Decade with Sam Sycamore
“Sam Sycamore, how do you define the good life?” “Well Sam, I’m glad you finally asked me for a change. “For me, the good life is defined by interdependence. To feel needed by a group of likeminded people, and to rely on...
12.10.2018
52. Civilized to Death and Living on the Fringes with Chris Ryan, host of Tangentially Speaking
How do you construct a life worth living when your human animal needs are fundamentally at odds with the dominant culture’s agenda? It’s this sort of questioning that has shaped the sordid path of Dr. Christopher Ryan, host of the Tangentially...
11.26.2018
51. Wildlife Tracking and Coastal Prairie Ranching with Doniga Markegard, author of Dawn Again
Whether tracking wolves across the Pacific Northwest, or shepherding cattle across California’s coastal prairie grasslands, Doniga Markegard aims not just to tend the land but to become one with its inhabitants. Doniga’s 2017 memoir, Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the...
11.13.2018
50. Cannabis Culture in Oregon with Micayla Harland of Hash It Out
With cannabis now legal for recreational use in ten states (plus Canada!), and medicinally available in over half of the country, we have reached a pivotal moment for the mainstream acceptance of cannabis in North American culture. And yet, the industry...
10.24.2018
49. Why Do We Farm? with Luke Groce of Groce Family Farm
What motivates ambitious young entrepreneurs to pursue farming as a career, knowing full well that they could end up struggling financially — forever? That’s a question that each of us has to answer for ourselves, ultimately. But if you’ve caught a...
10.10.2018
48. The Mycelium is the Message with Peter McCoy, author of Radical Mycology
Attention: calling all citizen scientists, farmers, homesteaders, and back-to-the-land types — Mother Mycelium wants YOU to join the ranks of the few, the proud, and the brave who’ve taken up the cause of radical mycology! For this week’s installment of the Good...
09.30.2018
47. Making Brooms and Cleaning Up Vacant Lots with Little John Holzwart
If you’re someone with big dreams but limited means, this conversation is for you. For episode 47 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with John Holzwart of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, better known to most simply as...
08.27.2018
46. Coming Out of the Psychedelic Closet: Emotional Self-Improvement & Spiritual Healing
It's time to come clean: I have been self-medicating with psychedelic drugs for over a decade — essentially my entire adult life. It started in college, first just "recreationally" and because I had a strong interest in altered states of consciousness....
08.07.2018
45. Ethical Vegan Homesteading and Beekeeping with Jeff and Ella Kennedy
Have you ever intentionally killed a living, breathing animal? Was it to feed yourself, your family, friends, community? How did it make you feel? For Jeff and Ella Kennedy of Ouiska Run Farm in Milltown, Indiana -- my guests on episode 45...
07.16.2018
44. Invasive Species, Restoration and Ecological Literacy with Tao Orion of Resilience Permaculture
What can so-called “invasive species” teach us about the health and vitality of our ecosystems? Is it possible that these oft-maligned invaders are actually serving functional roles on the land? And if we determine that they need to be managed, how...
07.04.2018
43. Wild Medicinal Plants and Hemp Farming with Daphne Valentine
Do you communicate with the plants on your local landscape? Because they are always trying their hardest to reach you, whether or not you’re able to hear them. My guest for this installment of the Good Life Revival Podcast — no....
06.20.2018
42. Domestication and the Suffocating Void of Modern Civilization with Kevin Tucker of Black & Green Review
What do we find when we take a hard look at our collective suffering in the modern civilized world? Is existence itself a state of suffering, as the Buddhists would have you believe – or is it possible that there...
06.01.2018
41. Homestead Resilience in an Era of Uncertainty with Ben Falk of Whole Systems Design
Why do we choose to swim against the current of modern civilization in this era of rapid change? That’s a question that each of us, individually, will have to answer for ourselves. And that answer is liable to change, perhaps dramatically,...
05.21.2018
40. The View From Here: Love, Partnership and Grief - Catching Up with Sam Sycamore
We changed our names, quit our jobs, and moved to a farm owned by friends, in a new town, in a new state. Then our dog died in a tragic accident. Then my (life) partner left me while we were in...
05.14.2018
39. Appalachian Folk Magic, Foraging & Witchcraft with Rebecca Beyer
How do we navigate the spiritual landscape of our unique bioregions while honoring both our own ancestry and the history of the land and its people? This is a line of questioning that seems to unite all of the passions of...
04.20.2018
38. Tent Life in Maine with Kim Davis, the Realist Nemophilist
How long would you be willing to live in a tent, in order to pursue the lifestyle of your dreams? For the latest installment of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Kim Davis, who's just...
04.09.2018
37. The Privilege and Necessity of Rewilding with Peter Michael Bauer of Rewild Portland
Is it a privilege to be aware of our domesticated captivity within the walls of civilization? Is it a necessity to act on that privilege? This is a line of questioning that I followed with Peter Michael Bauer, author of Rewild...
03.26.2018
36. Uncaging the Human Body and Mind with Jonathan Mead, Movement Coach
How does it feel to be an inhabitant of your body? What are the stories you tell yourself about the state of your health? jonathan-mead For this installment of The Good Life Revival Podcast (#36) I spoke with Jonathan Mead, a nature-based...
03.05.2018
35. Foraging for the Future with Samuel Thayer, Wild Food Educator
Is it possible to feed our families and our communities from the products of the forest, without harming nature in the process? For episode #35 of The Good Life Revival Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with author Samuel Thayer,...
02.17.2018
34. Thank You, Daniel Quinn, For Convincing Me Not to Save the World
Author Daniel Quinn has passed away at age 82. Join us in revisiting some of the key themes of his life’s work. For those of us seeking an alternative way of life outside the confines of civilization, Daniel Quinn has had...
02.16.2018
33. Diversity and Abundance of Nutritious Movement with Katy Bowman, Biomechanist
Why is it so tough for us modern humans to take good care of ourselves? We created all of this technology to make life easier on our muscles, bones, and joints—so why do these core components of our bodies now seem...
02.10.2018
32. Animal Husbandry After the Collapse with Aaron Fletcher, Homeless Farmhand
Do you believe that we are currently observing the early signs of the collapse of civilization, and that our society could actually quite easily fall apart within our lifetimes, due to any of myriad looming existential threats? If you knew that...
01.28.2018
31. Cereal Grains and Chemical Warfare: A Brief History of the Green Revolution with Sam Sycamore
Agriculture is one of the primary drivers of of overpopulation, deforestation, erosion, pollution of soil, water, and air, habitat loss, biodiversity loss, and global climate disruption. We know this. How did we get here? And has it always been this way?...
01.09.2018
30. Sacred Land Use and the Intuitive Path with Steven Martyn, the Sacred Gardener
Agriculture was once a highly sacred art - a loving communion between human and more-than-human, weaving us into the spiritual fabric of our landscapes and our ancestors who still reside there. For episode #30 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I...
12.26.2017
29. How to Develop Your Own Myths, Rituals, and Culture with Sam Sycamore
We humans are innately spiritual creatures: we are all driven to seek purpose beyond pure survival, and connection beyond the individual body. We want to be a part of something greater than our individual selves—to feel that we are working with...
12.17.2017
28. Your First Year as an Urban Farmer with Greg Zimmerer of Talking Trees Gardens
Urban farming and small-scale market gardening have become very trendy topics in recent years. But how viable are these projects really, from a business perspective? For this episode of The Good Life Revival Podcast (#28), I invited back my friend Greg...
12.10.2017
27. Fourteen Years of Homestead Experiments with Darren and Espri Bender-Beauregard of Brambleberry Farm
When it comes to homesteading and small farm entrepreneurship, Darren and Espri Bender-Beauregard have had their fair share of successes and failures over the last fourteen years running Brambleberry Farm. In this episode of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I sit...
11.25.2017
26. Building a Home Naturally with Michael Beck and Joana Amorim
Michael Beck and Joana Amorim have spent the last several years traveling the world to acquire natural building skills. Now they're tackling their most ambitious build yet. Alongside their good friend Loren Heacock, they're in the process of constructing a traditional...
11.10.2017
25. Why I Am a Proud Meat Eater: Confessions of a Former Vegetarian with Sam Sycamore
Why do I eat meat? Because I revere the universal life force that flows through all living beings. In this episode of the Good Life Revival Podcast (#25), I explore the complicated and often frustrating question of whether humans should eat...

What's Good Life Revival: Permaculture, Rewilding, Homesteading about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Good Life Revival: Permaculture, Rewilding, Homesteading episodes:

Finale. "The true state of all things is a waterfall"

72. What are you doing with your life? Or; Angels and Demons at Play

71. The Art of Inner Tracking with Luke McLaughlin of Holistic Survival School

70. How and Why to Eat Acorns - A Step-by-Step Foraging Tutorial

Wild Food Mentorship - Apply Now for the Winter 2019/20 Session!

69. Climate Change Grief Pt. II - Visions, Wildfires, and the Children of Compost

68. Coping With Climate Change Grief - What Comes After Acceptance?

67. Uncovering America's Hidden Empire with Historian Daniel Immerwahr

66. Explaining Nothing, Defending Nothing - Behind the Scenes with Sam Sycamore

65. Rainwater Harvesting for Adaptive Habitats with Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture

64. Partnering with Powerful Trees - How and Why with Akiva Silver of Twisted Tree Farm

63. The Collapse is Not Your Fault: Climate Change and Near-Term Human Extinction

62. The Pursuit of Irrelevance and Illegibility with Sam Sycamore

61. Bearing Witness to Wounded Landscapes with Trebbe Johnson, author of Radical Joy For Hard Times

60. You Do Not Exist

59. Home is Where the Truck is Parked with Kelly Moody of the Ground Shots Podcast

58. Disrupting Racism Using Deep Connection with Aaron Johnson, Porsha Beed and Jennie Pearl of Holistic Resistance

57. Sexual Liberation and the Question of Masculinity with Ev'Yan Whitney, Sexuality Doula

56. Seaweed Foraging on the California Coast with Heidi Herrmann of Strong Arm Farm

55. Reading Your Body, Reading the Land with Adam Haritan of Learn Your Land

54. Ecological Awareness and the Wildlife Web with Thomas J. Elpel

53. What is the Good Life? Reflecting on a Decade with Sam Sycamore

52. Civilized to Death and Living on the Fringes with Chris Ryan, host of Tangentially Speaking

51. Wildlife Tracking and Coastal Prairie Ranching with Doniga Markegard, author of Dawn Again

50. Cannabis Culture in Oregon with Micayla Harland of Hash It Out

49. Why Do We Farm? with Luke Groce of Groce Family Farm

48. The Mycelium is the Message with Peter McCoy, author of Radical Mycology

47. Making Brooms and Cleaning Up Vacant Lots with Little John Holzwart

46. Coming Out of the Psychedelic Closet: Emotional Self-Improvement & Spiritual Healing

45. Ethical Vegan Homesteading and Beekeeping with Jeff and Ella Kennedy

44. Invasive Species, Restoration and Ecological Literacy with Tao Orion of Resilience Permaculture

43. Wild Medicinal Plants and Hemp Farming with Daphne Valentine

42. Domestication and the Suffocating Void of Modern Civilization with Kevin Tucker of Black & Green Review

41. Homestead Resilience in an Era of Uncertainty with Ben Falk of Whole Systems Design

40. The View From Here: Love, Partnership and Grief - Catching Up with Sam Sycamore

39. Appalachian Folk Magic, Foraging & Witchcraft with Rebecca Beyer

38. Tent Life in Maine with Kim Davis, the Realist Nemophilist

37. The Privilege and Necessity of Rewilding with Peter Michael Bauer of Rewild Portland

36. Uncaging the Human Body and Mind with Jonathan Mead, Movement Coach

35. Foraging for the Future with Samuel Thayer, Wild Food Educator

34. Thank You, Daniel Quinn, For Convincing Me Not to Save the World

33. Diversity and Abundance of Nutritious Movement with Katy Bowman, Biomechanist

32. Animal Husbandry After the Collapse with Aaron Fletcher, Homeless Farmhand

31. Cereal Grains and Chemical Warfare: A Brief History of the Green Revolution with Sam Sycamore

30. Sacred Land Use and the Intuitive Path with Steven Martyn, the Sacred Gardener

29. How to Develop Your Own Myths, Rituals, and Culture with Sam Sycamore

28. Your First Year as an Urban Farmer with Greg Zimmerer of Talking Trees Gardens

27. Fourteen Years of Homestead Experiments with Darren and Espri Bender-Beauregard of Brambleberry Farm

26. Building a Home Naturally with Michael Beck and Joana Amorim

25. Why I Am a Proud Meat Eater: Confessions of a Former Vegetarian with Sam Sycamore