Mind, Body, and Soil

On today's special episode, host Kate Kavanaugh shares a talk she gave in Fredericksburg, Texas for the What Good Shall I Do Conference. It is an exploration of the myriad of ways that we are deeply interconnected - pulling threads from soil science, ecology, botany, cellular biology, mysticism and spirituality, and philosophy. At the end, is a message of hope and healing. Kate introduces the episode with an exploration of what it means to be a 'participator' rather than just an 'observer' and recounts some tales from her time in Texas with the armadillos, ants, and the moon.There is also a discussion at the beginning about how the podcast will grow from here and how you can support that growth. Regular programming resumes next week! Support the PodcastSubstack: https://katekavanaugh.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=52045069Leave a one-time Tip: paypal.me/katekavanaughmbsThank you so much!

Andreas Weber has studied marine biology and cultural systems alongside his work with theoretical biologist Francisco Varela. Andreas has worked over the years on the concept of enlivenment and looking at the “biosphere as a meaning-creating and poetic reality”. This episode is about dissolving the boundaries of a mechanistic worldview and finding a new depth of meaning, reciprocity, and service. Becoming edible is the touchstone for the talk as Andreas walks us through ideas of reciprocal transformation of matter, what it might mean to surrender to impermanence and that transformation, and how death links us to the whole of life and aliveness. It is also about how we define language and mentorship in response to everything we take in from the interconnected web of life. Andreas guides us through how Western culture and civilization has strayed from so many of these concepts and the trauma that represents on concentric levels. Our chat is wrapped up by exploring the invisible dimension. This is a wide-ranging and beautiful deep dive into our felt experience of matter, of aliveness, of death, and beyond and is absolutely not to be missed. Find Andreas:Website: https://biologyofwonder.org/Ecology of Love CourseBooks:The Biology of Wonder: Aliveness, Feeling, and the Metamorphoses of ScienceMatter and Desire: an Erotic Ecology Timestamps:00:05:59: Old Salt Festival Shoutout00:10:58: Interview Begins with a line from Rilke and some ruminations on poetry00:21:08: Becoming Edible 00:28:48: The hard to define line between self and other 00:37:13: Reciprocal Transformation00:43:05: Healing rifts of isolation 00:48:49: Surrendering to impermanence and transformation00:58:31: Death links us to the whole01:16:38: Non-meditation and finding mentors 01:36:51: Gift, culture, and trauma 01:46:02: The invisible dimension Books + Resources Mentioned: Tulku UrgyenLetters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Joanna MacyDuino Elegies by Rainer Maria RilkePhilosophy of Baruch de Spinoza Works by NagarjunaOld Salt Festival Current Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

Cate Havstad-Casad is redefining what it means to be a holistic entrepreneur. Using her lens of holism and looking at how to scale businesses while still keeping in mind natural limits of growth, she has built Havstad Hat Co and Range Revolutions and Casad Family Farms in conjunction with her husband, Chris. She is as passionate about soil as she is about her community and as passionate about her community as she is about changing the world. In this episode we talk about her incredible closed loop farm, the revolution she is building in the fashion world with Range Revolution, and her new venture building a co-op in Central Oregon. We also explore water in the West and tease out both bureaucratic and climatic drought and how to build more resilient systems in brittle environments. In this reverse interview, we delve into Cate’s heritage and what makes her tick in the latter half of the show - exploring how we inherit intergenerational strengths and how we can consider passing those along to our kids. Find Cate:Instagram: @rangerevolution, @casadfamilyfarms, @havstadhatco YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@casadfamilyfarmsTimestamps:00:07:10: Cate + Kate Begin: Defining a Revolution00:11:37: Economics of Peace 00:16:33: Closed loop systems and Casad Family Farms00:37:13: Drought 01:03:36: Range Revolution and regenerative leather 01:27:29: Economies of scale 01:39:51: Our heritage is a part of what drives us 01:49:54: Our parents, becoming parentsResourcesSchumacher Center: An Economics of PeaceMegan French of Boundless FarmsteadBooks:Wendell Berry on Building an Economics of PeaceFor the Love of Soil by Nicole MastersListening:Long Promised Road by the Beach BoysCurrent Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimerMind, Body, Soil

As the digital world looms, this discussion is an exploration of built and natural worlds and how they impact us as a species. Daniel Vitalis, host of WildFed on the Outdoor Channel and formerly host of the podcasts Rewild Yourself and Wild Fed, joins Kate in a conversation that finds humanity at different points in time and with different viewpoints of time itself. It’s an exploration of the environments that shaped our species, from our hunter-gatherer roots, to agriculture, and into our dreams of launching ourselves into space. At this precipice that we find ourselves on, it’s more important than ever to consider how modern thinking has been shaped by our environments - the natural world, the built world, the socio-political world, and beyond. Nested in the conversation is an exploration of death’s role in connecting us to reality and to our food. Towards the end, there is a question around what skills we want future generations to know that we must keep alive today, as it’s not just multiple species that are on the brink of extinction. We also talk about:Living in captivity and the degeneration of humansHow our thoughts and viewpoints might impact something like how we run or swimCyclical time Find Daniel:Instagram: @wild.fed @danielvitalis @surthrival Website: WildFed, Surthrival Podcasts: WildFed, Rewild Yourself Timestamps:00:00:00: Kate introduces Daniel in her intro00:09:16: Built vs Natural world 00:22:48: A Space Race00:32:50: Are we zoo animals?00:43:22: Feeding hunter-gatherers00:50:49: Cataclysmic events change humans01:00:31: How we think influences how we do anything01:07:50: Getting back to cycles: men, women, time, days of the week01:24:20: Death is part of the cycle01:39:52: Saving skills for the next generationOther Great Interviews with Daniel: on the Align PodcastOn Luke Storey(A Few) Favorite Episodes of Wild Fed:Doug Bock ClarkPhilippe Grenade-WillisDan FloresBooks Mentioned:Fahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyIshmael by Daniel Quinn Fourth Turning by Neil Howe + William StraussEnder’s Game by Orson Scott Card Current Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

Katie Forrest, together with her husband Taylor Collins, is the founder of Epic Bar and one of the minds behind Force of Nature Meats and Roam Ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas. Katie herself is a force of nature as a business owner, mother, wife, rancher, and human. Together, we explore the perennial nature of hope and how we can think about modeling businesses after lessons we learn in nature. Spread throughout are messages from the land and from our children about learning to slow down and to listen and an exploration of hope. Towards the end, we cover the importance of ground meat to the food system and the important role of aggregators in the regenerative business ecosystem. This is a beautiful and very inspiring conversation!Find Katie // Instagram: @forceofnaturemeats, @roamranchWhat Good Shall I Do Conference: WGSIDKATE75 (limited supplies)For Katie’s Backstory // Where Hope Grows Podcast: Ranch Stories: The GenesisTimestamps:00:00:00: Intro + the Importance of Aggregators00:06:34: What Good Shall I Do Conference00:11:38: A Gift (?) of Geese00:16:13: Jumping into business00:26:04: Building an ecosystem of businesses00:40:09: Modeling businesses after nature: symbiosis and limits00:44:59: Slowing down to build connection00:55:35: Roam Ranch01:17:15: Seeing through the eyes of your children01:22:31: Hope: leaving our children shade01:32:22: Ground meat is great 01:43:49: Role of the aggregator Books Mentioned:Slow Down and Be Here Now by Laura BrandBiology of Wonder by Andreas WeberCurrent Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

So many of us have had the experience of nature, of farming, bringing us back to ourselves. Adrian Grenier’s story isn’t much different - several years ago he found himself disconnected and in a state of constantly numbing. Coming back to the idea of ‘chop wood, carry water’ he came home to a place after changing just about everything. Adrian and I talk about the nature of disconnection and the connection we can find in nature. We start with the idea that everything has to die - even versions of ourselves - in order to nourish our future, where we might even find ourselves in the infinite. One of Adrian’s philosophies is to constantly be increasing sensation and connection - so we dive into just what that might mean on a practical level. Adrian is an apprentice of the land and exploring what it means to live at Earth Speed. Find Adrian:Instagram: @adriangrenier, @earthspeedEarth Speed on YouTubeOther Great Interviews with Adrian: Adrian Grenier on the Meat MafiaTimestamps:00:00:00: Introducing Adrian and how we met 00:10:30: Spring sets some themes of death, rebirth, renewal, transformation00:12:37: Finding future self in the infinite 00:18:30: Death of versions of ourselves 00:20:30: Chop wood, carry water - connecting to nature 00:26:35: Increasing sensation and connection 00:35:00: Connecting to intuition 00:41:00: Being an apprentice to the land00:46:05: Living at the cadence of earth speed 00:55:40: Feeling at home in earth + our current isolation01:07:32: Starting with small solutions Books Mentioned:Matter and Desire: An Erotic EcologyCurrent Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Mind, Body, and SoilFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

Heidi Boucher is a home funeral guide and writer and director of the documentary ‘In the Parlor’ where she follows the intimate journey of three families as they navigate caring for their dead at home. Heidi’s work with death is tender and truly beautiful. In this episode we unpack how funerals moved from the parlors of our homes to funeral parlors in just 150 years including the rise of the funeral industrial complex. We explore the very human emotion of conflating our fear of grief, loss, and ‘abandonment’ with the fear of death and the dead. This is as much an exploration of how to have a funeral in your home and navigating the legalities and practicalities of it as it is a conversation around grief. We talk about forming relationships with our dead loved ones, whether they’ve died recently or in the distant past and forming a relationship with grief, who we walk hand in hand with in this life. This is an unfurling conversation and while it may seem heavy at first blush - I left it with an incredible sense of lightness. We also talk about:Navigating death with children and teensScaling home funerals & so much moreFind Heidi: Film: In the Parlor (intheparlordoc.com)Get in touch with Heidi: heidibouch@comcast.netTimestamps:00:03:20: the Funeral Industry by the Numbers00:08:29: Introducing Heidi and setting intentions00:11:44: How death and funeral care has shifted in 150 years00:21:27: How our views of death have shifted 00:26:57: Fear of death vs fear of grief 00:37:30: Modeling death as parents//for children00:46:03: How media has shifted death 00:52:39: The ‘how tos’ of home funeral care 01:04:52: Nurturing our relationships with the dead 01:15:14: The first 72 hours after death - making room for grief01:30:18: Funeral care is scalable - you can pick and choose what you want to do01:39:20: Bringing death home A List of Books Mentioned:Find the full list HEREMore Resources:Home Funeral Alliance Current Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

Scott Carney’s book ‘the Wedge’ changed my life a little bit, and it has led me down a rabbit hole into his work over the years. From the Enlightenment Trap, to What Doesn’t Kill Us, and into some of his interviews around consciousness. In this episode, we dive deep into death and how our biological programming to fear it can be both a hindrance and a reason to challenge ourselves. We talk about how the wellness industry wants to sell you living forever, and that might not be such a new idea. Ultimately, this is a conversation around our actions and the way we can place what Scott calls “the wedge” between stimulus and response at an individual level, and maybe even at a societal level. It’s also about getting out of our own perspective and imagining what it might be like to be a cat, or the motivations of a cell as much as it’s about learning to change our perspectives. Find Scott:Instagram: @scottcarneyYouTubeI thoroughly recommend Scott’s Audiobooks!The VortexThe WedgeThe Enlightement TrapWhat Doesn’t Kill UsOther Great Interviews with Scott: Scott Carney on Third Eye DropsTimestamps:00:14:22: I finally stop talking and start the episode 00:17:14: How fear of death shapes our biology00:25:26: the wellness industry wants to sell you living forever00:28:32: Ripple effects of our actions 00:39:48: Self and other - being shaped by our environments and microbiome00:48:15: ‘Umwelt’ and empathy 00:51:26: Outsourcing our natural relationships to technology 00:54:24: From a cell’s perspective01:02:00: ‘the Wedge’ at a societal level 01:17:42: Changing our minds01:24:31: Being a generalistBooks Mentioned:The Sandman (Book 1) by Neil GaimanStory of the Human Body by Daniel E LiebermanRange by David EpsteinCurrent Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

Quick Note: A technical glitch in new recording software meant that my audio was recorded not on my microphone. My deepest apologies for the decline in audio quality! It’s still great, just a little tinny, won't happen again!Caroline is a rancher, cow girl, an entrepreneur, and a newly minted podcast host of Chews Wisely. In this marathon episode, we cover a lot of ground, but central to the conversation is an exploration of the stories we’re telling ourselves as individuals, as farmers and ranchers, and as a society and what it would mean to change them. Caroline shares about the stories she heard growing up and how she chose to tell herself a new story - a story that would lead her through a career in music, to masonry, to ranching in Montana. We meander through what it means to build a regenerative business, looking at your return on investment on time, and building the scaffolding for a new business led with femininity. We explore what it means to cultivate aggressive joy and how we can use choice as a lever in that process. We also talk about the way food is marketed, greenwashing, and how waste management might actually be the climate solution we’re looking for (jk, there are no panaceas, but it might help!). We Also Talk About: Building grit + tenacity Trusting ourselvesFinding steadinessImposter syndrome Find Caroline:Instagram: @bigskycarolineMeat: Little Creek MontanaPodcast: @chewswisely      Cowgirl Camp  Timestamps:00:06:47: Special announcement for Stella Maria Baer’s Earth Oil Pigment Workshop00:14:04: Caroline enters the chat and we complain about our husbands00:18:24: Accountability to your future self00:30:58: No quick fixes, big or small00:39:49: Caroline’s backstory01:01:52: Building a Business and the Trust Muscle01:26:39: Including our Labor; ROI on Work01:44:30: Cultivating aggressive joy01:54:36: A new story for ranching02:16:24: Embracing the feminine in business and beyond02:37:14: Our relationship with food02:44:58: Chews WiselyIn the Intro:Stella Maria Baer’s Oil Pigment Paints Workshop Resources Mentioned:The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdoch Current Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

Dr. Bill Schindler is an experimental archaeologist, anthropologist, restauranteur, hunter, butcher, father, husband…. And Renaissance man when it comes to early man. Author of ‘Eat Like a Human’, Bill and I dive right into a conversation about the origins of homo sapiens and how technology and morphology shaped our modern form. We talk about hunting and the consumption of meat vs animal and how butchery evolves alongside humans. Bill owns a restaurant, Modern Stoneage Kitchen, and we take a sidebar conversation to explore entrepreneurship, food safety, and more in relation to getting healthy food to people. This naturally dovetails into a conversation about all things fermented and the microbiome of ruminants, fowl, humans, and beyond. We close up with a conversation about the consumption of clays, geophagy, and ultimately the importance of sharing food with the people we love. Please note if you want more of the foundations of 'Eat Like a Human' and Bill's work - I've linked to a couple of interviews of his that I enjoyed on other podcasts. We Also Talk About: Geophagy Entrepreneurship& so much more Other Great Interviews with Bill: Bill on Peak Human pt 1Bill on Peak Human pt 2Bill on WildFedFind Bill: Eat Like a Human by Dr. Bill SchindlerBill’s Instagram: @drbillschindler Modern Stoneage Kitchen Instagram: @modernstoneagekitchenEastern Shore Food Lab Instagram: @esfoodlabBill’s WebsiteTimestamps:00:05:33: Bill Introduces Himself00:09:53: Origins of Modern Homo Sapien00:18:05: Kate has a bone to pick about Thumbs00:24:32: Other factors potentially driving evolution and culture00:31:37: How hunting changes the game 00:34:48: Meat vs animal; butchery now and then 00:43:05: A brief history of food safety and exploration of modern food entrepreneurship00:54:12: Fermentation and microbiomes in humans, rumens, crops, and beyond01:11:11: Geophagy 01:21:21: the cultural importance of food is… maybe the most important part01:29:59: Processed food Resources Mentioned: St. Catherines: An Island in Time by David Hurst ThomasThe Art of Natural Cheesemaking by David AsherCharcutier, Slumiere, Wurstmeister Francois VecchioHow to Eat Clay Current Discounts for MBS listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV1520% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH for 10% off15% off Bon Charge blue light blocking gear using code: MINDBODYSOIL15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer