Title: Jim’s Journey

Subtitle: Entrepreneurship, History and the Rise and Fall of Civilisations

Guest: Jim Penman

Recorded: September 2025

What do a lawnmower, a history PhD and the rise and fall of civilisations have in common?

Jim Penman's life is an extraordinary Australian story. Born in England and brought to Australia as a seven-year-old, Jim eventually became a historian and PhD student fascinated by one of the biggest questions in history: why do civilisations rise, flourish and collapse?

Then, while broke and studying for his PhD in the early 1980s, Jim spent $24 on flyers and started mowing lawns.

That small decision eventually became Jim's Group, with thousands of franchises across Australia, New Zealand and Canada. But Jim's approach to business was never simply about building an empire. His emphasis on discipline, customer service, empowering ordinary people and creating opportunities for franchisees became central to the company's success.

Yet alongside his business career, Jim continued pursuing the questions that first drew him to history. His books explore human behaviour, biology, epigenetics, character, achievement and the forces that shape the rise and decline of societies.

In Biohistory: Decline and Fall of the West, he examines the possibility that biological and environmental factors may help explain patterns of civilisational change. His later work extends these ideas into human behaviour, personal development and the relationship between biology and environment.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jim reflects on his childhood and education, his failed first attempt at a PhD, the unlikely origins of Jim's Mowing, the principles that allowed it to become Jim's Group, his Christian faith, raising a large family, and the lessons he believes history can teach us about Australia today.

We also discuss housing affordability, trades and education, government bureaucracy, the legacy of Australia's COVID lockdowns, his call for a Department of Government Efficiency, and his hopes for Australia's future.

At the heart of the conversation is a question that has followed Jim throughout his life: What makes individuals, businesses and civilisations flourish, and what causes them to decline?

Jim Penman's journey offers a fascinating attempt to answer it.

Links and interview references:

https://jimpenman.com.au/

https://biohistory.org/

https://www.epigenes.com.au/

Books:

The Cutting Edge: Jim's Mowing, a Franchise Story (1992)

The Hungry Ape: Biology and the Fall of Civilisations (1992)

Surprised by Success: The Very Australian Story of Jim's Mowing (1998)

Selling by Not Selling: From $24 to a Turnover of $400 Million (2013)

Biohistory: Decline and Fall of the West (2015)

Every Customer a Fan

Epigenetics and Character: The Biology Behind History (2021)

No Other Success: How a Lawn-Mowing Business Transformed Thousands of Lives (2025)

Title: The Great Poisoning

Subtitle: Fire Ants, Pesticides and the Battle for Property Rights

Guest: Trevor Hold

Recorded: September 2025

What happens when the government decides that your land is no longer entirely yours?

Across south-east Queensland, the National Fire Ant Eradication Program is waging an enormous campaign against one of Australia's most destructive invasive species. Fire ants pose serious threats to agriculture, biodiversity, the economy and human health. But in the name of eradication, the Queensland government has also created a system allowing authorities to enter private property and deploy chemical treatments without the consent of landowners.

For those living inside the eradication zone, this is not an abstract policy debate. It is happening in their backyards, on their farms, around their livestock and in their waterways.

My guest is Trevor Hold, a Queensland farmer, counsellor and leading opponent of the program. Trevor has spent years documenting what he believes are its devastating human and environmental consequences. He has organised petitions, distributed thousands of brochures and fence signs, challenged compulsory spraying and advocated a shift from eradication toward suppression and non-toxic alternatives.

Trevor's own organic farm became the site of a confrontation with authorities after he resisted spraying. He describes being assaulted by police and hospitalised while protecting his property. He has also heard from hundreds of landowners who describe anxiety, anger and a profound sense of violation as spraying teams repeatedly enter their properties.

The environmental consequences are equally troubling. Trevor has documented the disappearance of fish, crayfish, mussels and other aquatic life from waterways on his property following chemical treatments. The program uses pesticides including pyriproxyfen, S-methoprene and fipronil, raising serious concerns about their effects on waterways, livestock and non-target species.

At the centre of the controversy is Queensland's biosecurity legislation, which gives authorised officers extraordinary powers to enter private property and undertake treatments without consent in specified circumstances.

So where does legitimate biosecurity end and government overreach begin?And what happens when a campaign intended to protect Australia's environment begins leaving its own trail of environmental damage, distressed communities and contested property rights?

In this episode, we discuss fire ants, compulsory spraying, pesticides, environmental damage, property rights, biosecurity law, police enforcement, organic farming, regulatory accountability and alternatives to chemical eradication.

Links and interview references:

Australian Advocacy Group - Founded during a campaign to create better outcomes for Queenslanders by stopping the National Fire Ant Eradication Program from causing harm to human health, sensitive eco-systems, wildlife, people’s petsand farming operations through reckless, excessive and irresponsible distribution of toxic chemicals, and mandates to enter private property without consent.https://aagpilot.com/

Pesticide Use in the Imported Fire Ant Program - Environmental Assessment March 2012

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/imported_fireant_ea_march2012.pdf

https://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/NewsDC&ATC.PAY.fall18-web.pdf

NFAE Program Official Website - https://www.fireants.org.au/

‘Wildly toxic’ poison used on fire ants is killing native Australian animals, experts warn Senate inquiry. Guardian editorial - https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/16/fipronil-fire-ant-poison-toxic-senate-inquiry-bans

Malcolm Roberts (One Nation) questioning Minister Chisholm and Acting Secretary of the Department, Ms Justine Saunders, regarding the ongoing mismanagement of the Fire Ant Eradication Program in South East Queensland. - https://youtu.be/5wh5o_OHtHk?si=_Hzoi0HfiUhkBmsr

Title: The Technology of the Sacred

Subtitle: Holotropic Breathwork®, Altered States and the Healing of Trauma

Guest: Kylea Taylor

Recorded: July 2025

Every moment, without thinking about it, we breathe. But hidden inside this seemingly unconscious rhythm may be a doorway into altered states of consciousness, psychological transformation and experiences that can profoundly change how we understand ourselves.

Long before modern psychotherapy, psychedelic medicine and trauma-informed therapy, cultures around the world used breath, rhythm, music and ritual to alter consciousness. From religious ceremonies and rites of passage to meditation and contemplative practice, the breath has long been treated as more than a biological necessity. It has been a way of entering different states of awareness.

In the 1970s, Czech psychiatrist Stanislav Grof began exploring this territory from a different direction. After restrictions on LSD research made psychedelic psychotherapy increasingly difficult, Grof developed Holotropic Breathwork with his wife Christina Grof. Combining accelerated breathing, evocative music, bodywork and focused attention, the practice was designed to facilitate what Grof called non-ordinary states of consciousness.

For Grof, these states could reveal dimensions of the psyche that conventional psychology often struggled to explain. People reported powerful emotional releases, vivid imagery, encounters with symbolic material, experiences of death and rebirth, profound changes in their sense of identity, and experiences of connection that they understood in spiritual or transpersonal terms.

But entering these states raises a deeper question: how should another human being accompany us when the ordinary boundaries of the self begin to dissolve?

Kylea Taylor has spent more than four decades exploring that question. A licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California, Kylea began studying with Stanislav and Christina Grof in 1984 and was certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner in 1990. She subsequently worked alongside Stanislav Grof as a Senior Trainer in Grof Transpersonal Training, facilitating and observing thousands of extraordinary states of consciousness.

Her experience eventually led her beyond breathwork itself and toward a question that is becoming increasingly important as psychedelic therapy and altered-state practices enter the mainstream: what does ethical care look like when the therapist, facilitator or guide is accompanying someone through an experience that can be profoundly vulnerable, unpredictable and transformative?

This led Kylea to develop InnerEthics®, a self-reflective and self-compassionate approach to ethical practice, which she explores in her book The Ethics of Caring.

In this episode, we explore the origins of Holotropic Breathwork, the extraordinary legacy of Stanislav and Christina Grof, the relationship between breathwork and psychedelic states, spiritual emergence and spiritual emergency, the role of music and the body in altered states, trauma and integration, and the ethical responsibilities of those who guide people through these experiences.

We also ask a larger question: what might conventional psychology be missing when it reduces consciousness and healing to what can be measured, diagnosed and treated?

What happens when we stop treating consciousness as something to suppress or explain, and instead learn to enter its deeper territories?

Links and interview references:

Kylea Taylor’s Books at Hanfordmead.com - https://hanfordmead.com/product-category/authors/kylea-taylor/

Kylea Taylor’s Books - Amazon

GV Freeman’s Psychedelic Safety Wheel

https://gvfreeman.com/psychedelics-in-st-louis-missouri/

Title: Questioning Neurodiversity

Subtitle: Autism, Scientific Inquiry and the Politics of Diagnosis

Guest: Sofia Karstens

What happens when scientific questions become too politically sensitive to investigate openly?

Few subjects in modern medicine are as emotionally charged as autism. Over the past two decades, diagnoses have risen dramatically while debates over causes, treatments and public health policy have become increasingly polarised. In that environment, asking difficult questions is often interpreted as taking sides rather than pursuing truth.

My guest today is Sofia Karstens, writer, medical freedom advocate and co-founder of the Free Now Foundation. Our conversation centres on her widely discussed essay Neurodiversity Is a Strawman, in which she argues that the language surrounding autism has increasingly shifted from clinical investigation toward cultural and ideological narratives.

Together we explore the changing meaning of neurodiversity, the distinction between neurological difference and neurological injury, the role of anecdotal evidence in generating scientific hypotheses, and the challenges researchers face when investigating controversial medical questions. We also discuss scientific incentives, institutional trust, vaccine safety research, regulatory oversight and the broader culture surrounding public health.

Beyond the specifics of autism, this episode asks a deeper question: how should science respond when large numbers of families report experiences that existing institutions struggle—or refuse—to explain? At what point do patterns become worthy of serious investigation, and how do we preserve rigorous scientific standards while remaining open to new evidence?

Whether you agree with Sofia's conclusions or not, this conversation is ultimately about the health of scientific inquiry itself, and the importance of creating space for difficult questions to be examined honestly, rigorously and without fear.

Sofia Karstens is an activist based in California who worked closely with publisher Tony Lyons and Robert F. Kennedy Jr on several projects, including Kennedy’s extraordinary best-selling book: The Real Anthony Fauci. She collaborates with several organizations in the legal, legislative, medical science, and literary spaces and she is co-founder of Free Now Foundation, a non-profit preserving medical freedom and children’s health.

Links and interview references:

Neurodiversity Is a Strawman by Sofia Karstens - https://brownstone.org/articles/neurodiversity-is-a-strawman/

Diversity & Inclusion Workplace Statistics in 2023

Building a Neuroinclusive Workplace

Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Germ Laboratory - https://www.amazon.com.au/Lab-257-Disturbing-Governments-Laboratory/dp/1665271752

Cause Unknown: The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths in 2021 & 2022 by Ed Dowd - https://www.amazon.com.au/Cause-Epidemic-Sudden-Deaths-2021/dp/1510776397

Title: Still No End in Sight

Subtitle: How the First World War Still Shapes Our World

Guest: Frank Furedi

Did the First World War ever truly end?

Most of us remember the Great War as a devastating military conflict fought between 1914 and 1918. But according to sociologist and author Frank Furedi, its deepest consequences were not confined to the battlefield. They reshaped the moral, cultural and political foundations of the modern West, and those aftershocks are still with us today.

In this episode of The New Orchard, I speak with Professor Frank Furedi about his book First World War: Still No End in Sight and the provocative argument at its heart: that the defining legacy of the First World War was not simply the collapse of empires, but the transformation of how Western societies understand identity, authority, tradition and meaning.

We explore how the conflict accelerated a crisis of civilisation, why many of today's cultural and ideological divisions can be traced back to the early twentieth century, and how the memory of the war continues to shape contemporary politics.

Our conversation also examines propaganda, technological warfare, the rise of mass psychology, the collapse of traditional institutions and the profound disillusionment that followed the trenches. We discuss whether the First World War laid the foundations for the Second World War, why the concept of heroism changed so dramatically, and whether the West has truly come to terms with the conflict's cultural legacy.

This is not simply a conversation about history.

It is a conversation about the origins of the modern world.

Topics discussed:

• The cultural legacy of the First World War

• Frank Furedi's First World War: Still No End in Sight

• The origins of today's culture wars

• Propaganda and psychological warfare

• National identity and the collapse of empires

• The crisis of Western civilisation

• Heroism, masculinity and cultural change

• Memory, history and political narratives

• World War I and the road to World War II

• Lessons for the twenty-first century

Frank Furedi is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent and the author of more than twenty books on culture, politics, education and contemporary society. His work explores how ideas, institutions and historical memory continue to shape public life.

If you enjoy conversations about history, civilisation, culture and the ideas that continue to influence the modern world, subscribe to The New Orchard for more long-form discussions with historians, authors and leading public intellectuals.

Links and interview references:

First World War: Still No End In Sight

https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/first-world-war-9781441117922/

They Shall Not Grow Old

A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7905466/

Title: The Courage to Build

Subtitle: Why the Future of Education Begins with Courage

Guest: Father Stephen David

What does it take to build an institution that might outlive you?

For Father Stephen David, the answer meant leaving a successful legal career, embracing the Orthodox priesthood and taking on one of the most ambitious educational projects imaginable: founding a classical school from the ground up.

In this episode of The New Orchard, we explore the remarkable story behind St John of Kronstadt Academy in Brisbane, a liberal arts school dedicated to cultivating wisdom, virtue and a lifelong love of learning.

Starting a school in Australia is no small undertaking. It requires navigating complex regulations, securing funding, earning accreditation and convincing families to place their trust in an entirely new institution. Yet for Father Stephen, the greatest challenge wasn't administrative. It was answering a deeper question:

What kind of education forms not just intelligent students, but good human beings?

Our conversation explores his journey from commercial lawyer to Orthodox priest, the enduring relevance of classical education, the importance of beauty in shaping the human person and why parents are increasingly searching for alternatives to mainstream schooling.

We also discuss the practical realities of building a school from scratch, the role of faith and tradition in modern education, and the courage required to create institutions that serve future generations rather than immediate cultural trends.

This is more than a conversation about education.

It is a conversation about responsibility, leadership and the willingness to build something that lasts.

Topics discussed:

• Founding a classical school in Australia

• Classical education and the Great Books tradition

• Orthodox Christianity and education

• From commercial lawyer to priest

• Leadership and institution building

• Beauty, architecture and learning environments

• Homeschooling and educational alternatives

• Character formation and virtue

• The future of classical education

• Raising the next generation

Father Stephen David is the founder and Head of St John of Kronstadt Academy in Brisbane, Assistant Priest at Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church and a former senior commercial lawyer. His work is dedicated to renewing education through the classical liberal arts tradition and the formation of wisdom, character and faith.

If you enjoy conversations about education, culture, faith and the people rebuilding enduring institutions, subscribe to The New Orchard for more long-form discussions with educators, founders and thinkers working to shape a flourishing future.

Links and interview references:

St John of Kronstadt Academy Website - www.stjohnacademy.qld.edu.au

FaceBook Page - https://www.facebook.com/classicalschoolbrisbane/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stjohnofkronstadtacademy/

YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@StJohnofKronstadtAcademy/videos

The New Orchard Essay Series

Title: No One Ever Told Me We Value The Material Over The Maternal

Author: Paige Talbot

Today we’re publishing an essay from an emerging thought leader in the realm of motherhood, culture, family life, and how our culture is often getting it wrong. It’s a slightly different format compared to our standard long form episodes but is something you’ll be seeing more of going forward.

At The New Orchard we are always looking for inspiring and original thinkers, doers, and makers to share their experience and knowledge. It’s our endeavour to share ideas that help us live informed, healthy, connected and consequently more meaningful and purposeful lives.

My contributor today does just that. In a spoken essay from her series titled “No one ever told me", Paige writes about the downfall of our society when it comes to the lack of prioritisation of motherhood. It’s something I have seen play out over the last 25-30 years or so, and today, in her essay titled ‘No one ever told me we value the material over the maternal’, Paige brings her firsthand experience and unique voice to a topic we so desperately need to speak more about.

Paige Talbot's No One Ever Told Me Substack - https://nooneevertoldme.substack.com/

Title: Classical Conversations

Subtitle: Why Parents Are Reclaiming Their Children's Education

Guest: Cheree Harvey

classicalconversations.com.au

What if the future of education requires looking back at the past?

For centuries, classical education shaped some of the world's greatest thinkers, leaders and creators. Built around the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and virtue, the classical tradition was designed not simply to prepare students for employment, but to form capable human beings.

In this episode of The New Orchard, I speak with Cheree Harvey, Country Coordinator for Classical Conversations Australia and New Zealand, about a growing movement of families seeking a different approach to education.

As confidence in mainstream schooling declines and more parents question whether current systems are meeting the needs of their children, classical education has experienced renewed interest around the world. But what exactly is classical education, and how does it work in a modern, secular society?

Cheree explains how Classical Conversations supports homeschooling families by equipping parents with curriculum, training and community. We explore the foundations of the classical model, including the Trivium of grammar, logic and rhetoric, and how these principles help students develop not only knowledge, but curiosity, reasoning ability and confidence.

Our conversation explores why many parents are searching for alternatives, the importance of community in education, the role of parents as primary educators and whether ancient educational methods can still prepare children for a world shaped by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change.

Beyond academics, we discuss a deeper question:

What is education actually for?

Is it simply about acquiring skills, or is it about cultivating wisdom, character and the ability to think independently?

Whether you are exploring homeschooling, considering educational alternatives or simply interested in how we prepare the next generation, this conversation offers a fascinating look at one of the fastest-growing movements in modern education.

Topics discussed:

• Classical education and the Trivium

• Homeschooling and parent-led education

• The role of community in learning

• Why families are seeking alternatives to mainstream schooling

• Grammar, logic and rhetoric

• Education and character formation

• Faith and education in a secular society

• Technology and the future of learning

• Preparing children for an uncertain future

• The purpose of education

Cheree Harvey is the Country Coordinator for Classical Conversations Australia and New Zealand, an organisation that equips and supports homeschooling families through classical curriculum, training and local communities.

If you enjoy conversations about education, family, culture and the ideas that shape future generations, subscribe to The New Orchard for more long-form discussions exploring the institutions that sustain a flourishing society.

Title: Breaking the Cycle

Subtitle: How Healing Ourselves Changes the Next Generation

Guest: Sam Jockel

Why does parenting feel so much harder than it should?

Despite having more books, podcasts, experts and parenting advice than any previous generation, many mothers and fathers still find themselves overwhelmed, anxious and struggling to raise emotionally healthy children.

Perhaps the challenge isn't simply learning how to parent.

Perhaps it's learning how to heal.

In this episode of The New Orchard, I sit down with award-winning social entrepreneur and ParentTV founder Sam Jockel to explore one of the most important ideas emerging from modern psychology: that the relationship we have with our children is deeply influenced by the relationship we have with ourselves.

Our conversation is inspired by Sam's documentary Seen, which examines the profound connection between parental wellbeing, childhood experiences and the emotional patterns passed from one generation to the next.

Together we explore how unresolved trauma shapes parenting, why self-awareness is one of the greatest gifts we can offer our children, and what it means to "reparent" ourselves rather than unconsciously repeating inherited behaviours.

Beyond parenting, we discuss the broader cultural forces placing unprecedented pressure on modern families. From the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to changing expectations of parenthood, the explosion of parenting advice and the growing importance of mental health, we ask what families need most in an increasingly complex world.

Whether you're raising young children, preparing to become a parent or simply seeking to better understand your own upbringing, this conversation offers a compassionate and thought-provoking exploration of healing, resilience and the power of breaking generational cycles.

Topics discussed:

• Conscious parenting

• Childhood trauma and emotional healing

• Breaking generational patterns

• Mental health and family wellbeing

• The science of child development

• Neuroscience and parenting

• Reparenting and self-awareness

• The making of the documentary Seen

• Parenting after COVID-19

• Building healthier families for future generations

Sam Jockel is an award-winning social entrepreneur, founder of ParentTV and executive producer of the documentary Seen. Through her work, she helps parents, educators and communities better understand the relationship between emotional wellbeing and child development.

If you enjoy conversations about parenting, psychology, family, education and human flourishing, subscribe to The New Orchard for more long-form interviews exploring the ideas that shape individuals, families and society.

Links and interview references:

Seen The Film - https://seenthefilm.com

Parent TV - https://parenttv.com

Dr. Gabor Maté - https://drgabormate.com/

Emerging Minds - Parental mental health and parenting: How are they related?

https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/parental-mental-health-and-parenting-how-are-they-related/

Title: A Farmer’s Story

Subtitle: Regenerative Farming, Community and the Good Life

Guest: Matt Wong

What makes someone walk away from a successful career to become a farmer?

For entrepreneur and media founder Matt Wong, the answer wasn't simply about growing food. It was about discovering a different way of living.

In this episode of The New Orchard, Matt shares the remarkable story of leaving the fast-paced world of media and entrepreneurship to pursue regenerative agriculture, community and a life more closely connected to the rhythms of nature.

Inspired in part by the writings of Wendell Berry, our conversation explores what happens when success is measured not by growth, scale or financial achievement, but by stewardship, resilience and meaningful work.

Matt reflects on the realities of establishing a regenerative farming enterprise, the unexpected challenges of working with the land, and the lessons that only nature can teach. We discuss patience, humility, ecological restoration, food sovereignty and why more Australians are beginning to question whether modern life has become disconnected from the very things that sustain us.

Beyond farming, this is a conversation about reclaiming agency.

Can growing food change the way we think? What happens when we exchange convenience for responsibility? Why are local communities becoming increasingly important in an age of global uncertainty? And what does it mean to leave the land healthier than we found it?

Whether you're dreaming of starting a farm, growing your own food or simply searching for a more grounded way of living, this episode offers an honest and inspiring look at what it means to build a life rooted in purpose rather than convenience.

Topics discussed:

• Regenerative agriculture and soil health

• Leaving corporate and media careers for farming

• Wendell Berry and The Unsettling of America

• Stewardship and caring for the land

• Community-supported farming and shared ownership

• Food sovereignty and local resilience

• The psychology of working with nature

• Simplicity, patience and meaningful work

• Building local communities

• The future of regenerative farming in Australia

Matt Wong is the founder of Discernable and a regenerative farmer dedicated to restoring both land and community. Through his farming project and consulting work, he is helping others establish resilient agricultural systems while demonstrating that a different model of success is possible.

If you enjoy conversations about regenerative agriculture, rural life, stewardship, food systems and cultural renewal, subscribe to The New Orchard for more long-form discussions with farmers, thinkers and builders shaping a more resilient future.

Links and interview references:

Discernable Official Website: discernable.io

Discernable on X: https://x.com/discernableco

Explore Wendell Berry’s writings: wendellberrybooks.com