PODCAST EPISODE 29: Ian Steppler, co-owner of Steppler Farms and founder of 'A Canadian Beekeeper's Blog’ YouTube channel, Canada

In the past year, I have grown to appreciate the internet as a tool of knowledge, of skill sharing, of learning and fun. During Melbourne’s strict lockdown, this infinite ether of information became completely vital to the community – a place where we worked, learnt, and caught up with the people we love. Of all the online platforms, YouTube has the power to captivate and educate viewers step-by-step, in pretty much any skill or activity your heart desires! And we all know that blissful feeling of falling into a deep YouTube hole of your favourite (bee) videos, as the hours roll on by…

One man who is not going to help you out of that YouTube addiction is Canadian beekeeper and farm owner Ian Steppler. His insanely popular channel 'A Canadian Beekeeper's Blog’ has over 50,000 subscribers and there is a very good reason why. Ian shows his viewers how to look after and manage their bee colonies throughout four very distinct seasons – this kind of education is invaluable; before the internet, it would have been incredibly difficult to get this depth of knowledge from a professional like Ian, and now it’s available to us all at the click of a button.

Interestingly, Ian came to be the bee-loving YouTube star that he is due to a personal dilemma. You see, he was asked to speak at a large beekeeping club; however, he had a real fear of public speaking. He tried to resist doing the talk entirely, but the club really wanted him to share his knowledge, so with some pressure he agreed to do it. In order to train himself for the event, he started videoing himself speaking about bees, practicing over and over, video after video. Soon, not only did his public speaking improve but he started to feel at home behind the camera! Now Ian runs this very successful YouTube channel with people watching and learning from it across the globe, including me! For that reason, I am thrilled to welcome Ian to the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast. Tune in to hear us chat about overcoming your fears to reach your goals, extreme Canadian weather and its effect on beekeeping practices, and how himself and his three brothers work together to keep their farm running smoothly.

http://www.stepplerfarms.com/