Big change rarely starts with a plan. More often, it starts with one tree pulled out of the ground, and the willingness to see what grows in its place.

In this episode, Evan Marks, founder of The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, walks through how a forgotten dirt lot and an old farmhouse became a 28-acre regenerative hub that now welcomes 150,000 visitors a year. He shares how he read the land before he ever planted it, why he pulled out hundreds of fruit trees that weren't thriving, and what it took to keep building something that's still evolving, season after season.

This is a conversation about working with nature instead of against it, at whatever scale you have. Evan grows 40 fruit trees on a lot that's just 5,000 square feet. So if you've ever wondered what your backyard, your community, or your own life could become, this episode is a good place to start listening.

Key Timestamps: 

[00:00:00] Introduction

[01:04:00] Meeting at Punta Mona

[03:14:00] The Ecology Center Today

[05:15:00] The Grateful Dead and Farming.

[08:00:00] From Farmhouse to Regenerative Hub

[12:30:00] Designing with Nature

[18:45:00] Growing 40 Fruit Trees

[24:10:00] Starting Over After 200 Apple Trees

[28:30:00] Building Regenerative Communities

[35:20:00] Grow, Eat, Make, Peace

[42:15:00] When Plans Need to Change

[48:00:00] Change Your Own World

[52:30:00] Steven's Costa Rica Food Forest

Memorable Quotes:

"We're modeling creative solutions for thriving on planet earth. It's all of the elements of a healthy settlement, a healthy community, a healthy culture." [00:09:18] – Evan Marks

"We can't change the world. We can change our world. How big is your world? It starts with you and what you show up with every day." [00:52:18] – Evan Marks

If you're ready to take the next step, join the free Garden Club Summit to learn from world-leading experts in gardening, herbalism, growing food, and regeneration. Claim your free pass at: https://www.ecoversity.org/garden-club-summit?utm_source=spotify_for_creators&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=nyagc_podcast&utm_content=ep006_fruit

Connect with Evan Marks:

Website: https://theecologycenter.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theecologycenter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theecologycenter

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.ecoversity.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoversity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoversityOrg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ecoversityorg

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com

When Dr. Lyla June Johnston, an Indigenous musician, author, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (tsay-TSAY-heh-STAH-hess) (Cheyenne), and European lineages, tells people she keeps sheep, they ask what the sheep do for her. Her answer stops the conversation cold: they're her relatives. They're her people.

Blending her Stanford background in Human Ecology, graduate study in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the worldview she grew up with, Dr. Lyla June walks us through the receipts: 3,500-year-old rock walls built by hand, fossilized pollen records, chestnut groves that sustained entire regions, clam gardens engineered as habitat for otters and water birds, Hawaiian kalo fields that doubled as nesting grounds for endangered species. None of it built to maximize human yield. All of it built to feed the whole web.

She's not here to romanticize it, either. We inherited a destructive way of life, she says, and the bill is coming due. But she also offers a way back, not through guilt, but through reciprocity, through fire, through the humbling act of asking: what is my garden doing for the land?

Key Timestamps: 

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:03:52] The sheep question

[00:06:33] We are made of relatives

[00:08:57] Kin-centric vs. anthropocentric food systems

[00:10:36] Chestnut groves: monoculture killed a relative

[00:17:21] Pohuacu clam gardens: a nation of clams

[00:21:45] Ahupua'a: Hawaiian watersheds as districts

[00:26:12] Illinois prairie fire feeds the bison

[00:37:18] Humans as keystone species

[00:39:12] Ecosystems Benefit Assessment flips farming

[00:42:30] Bee baths, bird baths, backyard spirituality

[00:44:15] Land back to indigenous women leaders

Memorable Quotes:

"When you think about life as your relative versus your resource, you start to understand that we're not the masters of the web of life. We're but a strand within it." [00:06:46] – Dr. Lyla June Johnston

"The more we give to the land, the much more wealthy we become. The more we try to take from her, the more broke and sad and bankrupt we become as a species." [00:09:18] – Dr. Lyla June Johnston

“What is my garden doing for the land?” If this question lit something up in you, that's exactly what the Garden Club Summit is for: 72 hours free with the world's top growers, herbalists, and regenerators, teaching you how to actually start answering it. Claim your free pass at: https://www.ecoversity.org/garden-club-summit?utm_source=spotify_for_creators&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=nyagc_podcast&utm_content=ep005_people

Links Mentioned In This Episode:

ReHuman School: https://www.rehuman.earth/

Connect with Dr. Lyla June Johnston:

Website: https://www.lylajune.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lylajune

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lylajune

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.ecoversity.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoversity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoversityOrg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ecoversityorg

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Cancer isn't just a disease to fight. What if it's the body trying to tell us something? After 17 years studying tumors in the lab, Zach Bush began seeing the same patterns in human health unfolding across ecosystems around the world. In this episode, Zach, a physician specializing in internal medicine, endocrinology, and hospice care, shares how his work on the microbiome, human health, and regenerative food systems has reshaped the way he sees healing.

Together, we explore the connection between our bodies, our food, and the natural world. From fertility and biodiversity to permaculture and ecosystem restoration, Zach explains why regeneration starts with changing our relationship with nature, not controlling it. His perspective challenges the idea that we are separate from the world around us and reminds us that we have always been part of it.

Zach also shares what cancer taught him about isolation, why compassion reaches further than empathy, and how healing begins with connection. It's a conversation that challenges the way we think about health, nature, and our place in both, leaving you with a perspective that's hard to unsee.

Key Timestamps: 

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:02:18] From Cancer Research to Soil Systems

[00:03:28] Why Connected Cells Don't Become Cancer

[00:08:34] Why Trees Near Trails Grow Bigger

[00:09:47] Cancer and Ancestral Trauma

[00:12:22] DNA as an Antenna

[00:13:36] The Zinc Flash at Conception

[00:17:05] From Empathy to Compassion

[00:19:21] Emotions vs. Feelings

[00:26:30] The Fertility Crisis

[00:28:16] The Extinction Question

[00:30:38] Earth's Rebirth

[00:35:22] Letting Go of Judgment

[00:38:02] Biosis and the Power of Connection

[00:40:50] The End of Inhumanity

[00:44:43] Brighter Than the Sun

[00:46:35] The Ikaria Story

[00:48:06] Who Did You Eat With?

Memorable Quotes:

"We're at this tipping point in human biology now. We've stored so much trauma inside the human genetics that we can no longer procreate. And so, this is how extinction happens." [00:26:27] – Zach Bush 

"The difference between physics and life is the concentration of light energy." [00:45:06] – Zach Bush 

If this conversation leaves you wanting to reconnect with nature in a practical way, join our Garden Club Summit to learn from world-leading experts in gardening, herbalism, and regeneration, and discover how to grow your own food, medicine, and a healthier future. Watch here:  https://www.ecoversity.org/garden-club-summit?utm_source=spotify_for_creators&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=nyagc_podcast&utm_content=ep004_cells

Connect with Zach Bush:

Website: https://www.instagram.com/zachbushmd/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachbushmd/

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.ecoversity.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoversity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoversityOrg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ecoversityorg

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Zach Galifianakis doesn't live in Hollywood. He works there, and he believes there's an important difference.

Known for The Hangover, Between Two Ferns, and as an Emmy-winning comedian, actor, and writer, Zach is now exploring a different passion through his Netflix series, This Is A Gardening Show, where he combines humor with gardening, sustainability, and the people preserving the art of growing food.

In this episode, Zach shares why he believes a garden might be the simplest remedy for the human condition. He talks about the importance of growing food, preserving elder knowledge, finding hope in small cultural shifts, and why he has more respect for gardeners than actors.

This conversation is a reminder that some of the biggest solutions to modern life might begin with something as simple as getting your hands in the dirt.

Key Timestamps: 

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:01:18] Why Zach visits gardens everywhere

[00:01:57] What the Dust Bowl taught us

[00:05:08] Can gardens change the world?

[00:05:42] Is gardening political?[00:06:23] One seed for a deserted island

[00:07:45] The apocalypse and the cardoon

[00:09:09] Finding peace in the garden

[00:12:13] What "64 harvests" really means

[00:13:32] Why the garden show resonates

[00:14:01] Walmart and the organic shift

[00:15:52] How COVID inspired the show

[00:17:04] Wedding garlic and new beginnings

[00:18:16] Preserving lost gardening wisdom

[00:19:15] Making gardening cool again

[00:20:26] How we've lost touch with nature

Memorable Quotes:

"To me, we can even up the world. We can make a beautiful thing that we're supposed to be doing. But for some reason, humans go in this other negative direction of war." [00:05:21] – Zach Galifianakis

"I hope people from different philosophies can pull a carrot out of the ground and agree that it tastes good. And that's a bonding thing." [00:05:46] – Zach Galifianakis

If this conversation inspired you to reconnect with nature and learn practical skills for growing your own food, flowers, and medicine, join the free Not Your Average Garden Club Summit and learn from world-class gardeners, herbalists, and regenerative living experts: https://www.ecoversity.org/garden-club-summit?utm_source=spotify_for_creators&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=nyagc_podcast&utm_content=ep002_soil

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.ecoversity.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoversity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoversityOrg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ecoversityorg

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Most people think they’re growing plants, but Evan Buckman, a scientist and regenerative systems thinker focused on soil health and food systems, would argue that the real story begins underground. Before anything breaks the surface, a living network beneath the soil is already determining whether your garden will thrive or struggle.

In this episode, we explore the soil food web and why soil is not just dirt, but a dynamic, living system. We unpack how modern practices have disrupted that system, and why adding more products often fails to fix the problem. If your garden feels like guesswork or your food lacks flavor, this conversation offers a more grounded way to understand what’s going on.

Evan breaks down the organisms and relationships that drive plant health, along with regenerative principles that help restore balance. When you understand the system, growing food becomes simpler, more consistent, and far more rewarding.

If you have been trying to fix your garden from the surface, this episode will show you where real change begins.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:08:19] Myth #1: Soil microbes don't matter

[00:08:38] The three components of soil

[00:09:57] How long it takes to build organic matter

[00:13:05] Understanding the soil food web

[00:21:24] Extractive vs. regenerative agriculture

[00:26:02] Five benefits of living soil

[00:27:34] How microbes break down toxins

[00:33:35] Tripling cassava root growth

[00:39:12] Soil health and human health

Memorable Quotes:

"The math shows that if we were to adopt this sort of genuine regenerative agriculture principles, we could sequester all of the carbon that humans put up into the atmosphere every year." [00:27:11] – Evan Buckman

"Human health is rooted in soil health, and so is planetary health." [00:32:39] – Evan Buckman

If this conversation inspired you to reconnect with nature and learn practical skills for growing your own food, flowers, and medicine, join the free Not Your Average Garden Club Summit and learn from world-class gardeners, herbalists, and regenerative living experts: https://www.ecoversity.org/garden-club-summit?utm_source=spotify_for_creators&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=nyagc_podcast&utm_content=ep002_soil

Connect with Evan Buckman:

Website: https://soilfoodweb.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-buckman/

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.ecoversity.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoversity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoversityOrg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ecoversityorg

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com

What if happiness isn’t something you think your way into, but something your body already knows?

While lying under the stars on an off-grid permaculture farm in Costa Rica, Alexa Rosenthal felt a quiet, embodied sense of connection, as if the earth itself was meeting her with love. That land had been cared for over 27 years by Stephen Brooks, who built more than a farm. He built a living community rooted in presence, food, and connection.

When COVID forced their in-person launch to collapse, they had three weeks to pivot. They moved online, and what followed was unexpected. 225 people signed up, momentum built quickly, Netflix got involved, and eventually 400,000 people tuned in.

Ecoversity wasn’t built from a traditional plan but emerged from a desire to respond to a system that felt disconnected and to create something more alive.

In this conversation, Alexa shares her three-month commitment rule and her focus on only what feels genuinely fun. Stephen speaks about karmic bank accounts, long-term impact, and creating experiences that shift people so deeply they can’t easily go back to who they were before.

Together, they explore fear, faith, and what it takes to bring something meaningful into existence.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:40:00] Ecoversity began with a question

[01:39:00] Meet Stephen and Alexa

[02:25:00] Alexa's decision to join Ecoversity

[02:58:00] The Punta Mona turning point

[05:51:00] The risk of joining forces

[08:20:00] Stephen's 23-year jungle journey

[10:48:00] Creating truly impactful time

[15:23:00] The COVID pivot: from uncertainty to global impact

[21:29:00] Designing thousands of acres with permaculture

[22:28:00] Healing depression and anxiety

[23:46:00] The power of the three-month rule

[26:29:00] When it became more than an online business

[30:06:00] Remembering how to be well

[31:43:00] Finding your people

[33:35:00] Water it, nurture it, commit

[34:53:00] Trust yourself and take action

Memorable Quotes:

"I was like, oh my God, wait, I finally get it. This is what it feels like when the earth loves you back. I was like, there's actually a reciprocal relationship when you're with land, and you're with the spirit of land that you can feel in your body." [00:04:08] – Alexa Rosenthal

"Avoid the paralysis by analysis. Sometimes we're just overanalyzed, and we don't think we're ready, and we don't think that it's baked enough, the idea. And I'm from the school of thought where like, just do it and improve it along the way." [00:34:53] – Stephen Brooks

If this conversation inspired you to reconnect with nature and learn practical skills for growing your own food, flowers, and medicine, join the free Not Your Average Garden Club Summit and learn from world-class gardeners, herbalists, and regenerative living experts: ⁠https://www.ecoversity.org/garden-club-summit?utm_source=spotify_for_creators&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=nyagc_podcast&utm_content=ep001_founders⁠

Connect with us:

Website: https://www.ecoversity.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoversity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoversityOrg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ecoversityorg

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com