Mind, Body, and Soil

In this special ‘Thanksgiving’ episode, Frank Reese and Jed Greenberg of Good Shepherd Conservancy are talking turkey. Frank gives an incredibly fascinating in depth run down of the history of the poultry industry, from the incredible men and women that defined standardbred poultry in the 1800’s to the rise of industrial poultry in the mid 1900’s and how the industrial model really set the tone for other confinement operations with other species. He discusses how he came about preserving biodiversity in a world that favors animal monoculture and genetics in a time where 1 breed of livestock goes extinct each week and just why biodiversity is so important. We also explore the studies that show that standardbred birds can have a lower omega 3:omega 6 ratio based on genetics alone! In the end, we talk about turkey specifically and the mission at Good Shepherd to bring better raised poultry to everyone!We also talk about: Cooking heritage turkeys& so much moreFind Frank + Jed:Instagram: @good_shepherd_conservancyWebsite: https://goodshepherdconservancy.orgOrder Turkeys: If you’re in Colorado/local to Denver: https://westerndaughters.square.site/product/heritage-turkey/1100, If you’re anywhere else: https://heritagefoods.com/collections/turkey-poultry Resources Mentioned: Chicken People Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran FoerRelated Ground Work Episodes:Building Resilient Communities with Will HarrisDark Matter of Nutrition with Dr. Stephan van VlietMeat is the Medicine with Brett Ender Current Discounts for GW listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15

Molly Haviland is a soil microbial ecologist and self proclaimed soil dork who works in land rehabilitation with her company, Haviland Earth Regeneration (HER). In today’s episode she shares the contents of her microscope, illuminating the beautiful universe beneath our feet, through story. She begins by walking us through ways we can open up a dialogue with the plant realm and form a relationship with nature. We then dive below the Earth’s crust as Molly walks us through a peek into the soil food web and the characters and organisms that exist there. Her reflections on soil naturally evolve into a reflection of society and how the communities below ground might offer us ideas for our communities above ground and our own health and wellness. We talk about reclaiming the feminine in how we connect to earth and ourselves, learning to get in touch with our intuition and sense of embodiment and also dive into what it might mean to compost grief. Molly has a true gift for speaking and this episode will find you wanting to go out and hold the earth and speak to the soil, it is not to be missed. We also talk about: Listening to the land& so much moreFind Molly:Email: Molly.lscl@gmail.comInstagram: @haviland_earth_regenerationWebsite: Microherder’s ManifestoFurther Reading Mentioned: We based some of this conversation off of the work of Maureen Murdoch in the Heroine’s Journey Plant Spirit Medicine Eliot CowanFor the Love of Soil by Nicole MastersRelated Ground Work Episodes:How Soil Shapes the World with David Montgomery and Anne BikléFarming with Intention with Alicia BrownLearning to Come Home to Yourself with Lacey JeanCurrent Discounts for GW listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15Join the Ground Work Collective:Instagram: @groundworkcollective Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.com More: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

Nicolette Hahn Niman is an environmental lawyer, a former vegetarian, an advocate for meat, and also a mother and a cattle rancher. Often times on this podcast with guests that have done many interviews, I will take a more unexplored path - but you can always find other interviews in the links. In this interview, Nicolette and I explore Defending Beef and where meat was in 2014 at the time of its first publication and where it is now 8 years later with the new edition. We briefly touch on Livestock’s Long Shadow and how a figure that was later retracted, launched a thousand vegan campaigns, when really the author of the paper’s aim was to further concentrate animal feeding operations and eliminate grazing. Nicolette elegantly explains carbon, methane, and water cycles in relationship to meat. While meat has its fair share of vilification, this interview really focuses on what it means to BUILD a new system. We dive into not just the obvious benefits of raising meat regeneratively, but also the intangible benefits. Things like raising kids on ranches, building good citizens, strengthening microbiomes, preserving ecosystems from development, and coming home to rural communities. We also talk about husbandry and the contract that we entered into with animals as humans at the dawn of domestication and what it means to uphold those contracts. Nicolette dives into advocacy and policy as a vehicle for changing the landscape of our food system. We also talk about: Witnessing joy and finding mentors in our cattleHow yields and centralization changed the industry& so much moreFind Nicolette:Twitter: @defendingbeefFacebook: Defending BeefBook: Defending Beef: The Ecological and Nutritional Case for Meat (Second Edition) by Nicolette Hahn Niman Further Reading Mentioned: It’s worth noting that Defending Beef leaves a breadcrumb trail of other fantastic authors - so dive into the book for more!Wilding by Isabella TreeResources Mentioned:Walter Jehne’s Water CyclesRelated Ground Work Episodes:Dr. Stephan van Vliet on the science behind regenerative agWill Harris on building rural communities David Montgomery and Anne Bikle on building soil healthOther Podcasts Featuring Nicolette’s Work:Nicolette on Peak Human Nicolette on Mark HymanCurrent Discounts for GW listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15Join the Ground Work Collective:Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comFind Kate: @kate_kavanaughMore: groundworkcollective.com

Themes: Healing Chronic Illness, Animal-Based Diets, Intersection of Big Food and Big Pharma, Decentralization of Systems, Listening to your GutBrett Ender embarked on a healing journey in 2016 that would see him hospitalized from debilitating ulcerative colitis and taking a 65,000 dollar drug once every 8 weeks to having no signs of inflammation or microinflammation in 2019. What happened in between? In 2018, Brett went full carnivore and within 2 weeks saw a complete abatement of symptoms. His story, these days, isn’t all that rare but where it led Brett, into a deep exploration of health and nutrition, food systems, and regenerative agriculture. Today, he is half of the Meat Mafia duo, where he explores nutrition and food with guests on his podcast. In this episode, we unpack his healing journey and the rise of chronic conditions like ulcerative colitis. Why are these inflammatory autoimmune conditions on the rise? Can they be cured? How do we leverage diet and lifestyle interventions to our benefit? Brett and I also explore what it means to invest in your health and the ROIs you might not have considered when it comes to “giving up” foods you love that might not love you back. We talk about meat as a healing modality and finding the motivation to spark change. We do a deep dive into the history of our current food model and how food and pharmaceuticals have gotten us into this mess and how decentralization can get us out of it. Brett is incredibly inspirational and throughout this journey, he makes catalyzing change feel simple and actionable.We also talk about:How to talk to your doctor and become the CEO of your own healthHow to become your own experimentGut feelings and finding your intuitionThe importance of continuing to have conversations with people who view things differently& so much moreFind Brett:Twitter: @mrsollozzoInstagram: @themeatmafiapodcastWebsite: themeatmafia.substack.comResources Mentioned:The Maker’s Diet by Jordan RubinWhite Oak Pastures on the USDA GrantThe Society for Metabolic Health Practitioners (Find a Doc)The Sunshine Study Related Ground Work Episodes:Dr. Anthony Gustin (for more on decentralizing food systems)Sarah Kleiner (for more on leveraging an animal based diet for health)Ashleigh VanHouten (on cooking Carnivore-ish)Current Discounts for GW listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15Join the Ground Work Collective:Instagram: @groundworkcollectiveFind a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comMore: groundworkcollective.comEpisode Website

In May, Erin Pata and I sat down and talked about ranching, art, raising kids, and climbing mountains. It was also about navigating life as a highly sensitive person, listening to your inner knowing, and consciously creating your path in life. If you didn’t catch this first episode - I highly recommend returning to it before diving in here. Erin is full of as much wisdom as she is humor, a true delight to listen to.At the time of our last episode, she was looking towards the summit of Mt. Rainier. Late this Summer, I sat down with Erin and talked about that journey. Did she make it to the top? What was the process like? Was the summit the high point of the climb? In this mini-episode, Erin shares her journey and it’s one of deep inspiration. It’s about doing the thing you’ve always dreamt of doing, it’s about Type 2 fun, and it’s about it never being too late to learn a skill in life, to climb the mountain.Find stunning pictures of Erin’s climb on the episode webpage!Find Erin:Twitter: @butterbeanstudiosWebsite: butterbeanstudios.comBooks Mentioned:Robert MacFarlane’s Mountains of the MindRelated Ground Work Episodes:The Journey to the Summit with Erin PataCurrent Discounts for GW listeners: 15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15Join the Ground Work Collective:Instagram: @groundworkcollectiveFind a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimerEpisode Webpage

Anne Biklé and Dave Montgomery are a husband and wife team and authors of the newly released What Your Food Ate and the trilogy: Dirt: the Erosion of Civilizations, the Hidden Half of Nature, and Growing a Revolution. Together, with Anne’s lens of biology, and David’s lens of geology, they explore the topics of soil, land, and human health. In this episode, we explore all things soil. Starting with an exploration of how many dynamics between organisms above ground feel combative, but life beneath the soil is truly collaborative. Anne and Dave explore nutrient cycles and how nutrition in the form of minerals is liberated from rocks by microbial and fungal life and recycled through time. We also explore how plants and animals (including humans) get their nutrition. Anne and Dave touch on the state of our soils and what it means to have lost around half of our soil organic matter in a short amount of time and what we can do about it. Touched on are ideas around taking a long view, and how we can do that with our own health and land health and how the history of the treatment of soil might teach us a little bit more about looking into the future. We look at not just regenerative agriculture, but also the impacts of chemical and mechanized agriculture. Ultimately, Anne and Dave guide us towards the future and just how much hope and resiliency nature is capable of.We also talk about:Policy changes informing changes in practiceBoom and bust cycles of agriculture and civilization& so much moreFind Anne + Dave:Twitter: @dig2growWebsite: dig2grow.comAnne + Dave’s Books (in order - but can absolutely be read independently):Dirt: The Erosion of CivilizationsThe Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and HealthGrowing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to LifeWhat Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our HealthRelated Ground Work Episodes:Stephan van Vliet (for more on phytochemicals and the dark matter of nutrition)Brad Marshall (for more on omega 3:omega 6 ratios)Alicia Brown (for more on no till agriculture and growing for nutrients)Current Discounts for GW listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15Join the Ground Work Collective:Instagram: @groundworkcollectiveFind a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimerEpisode Webpage

China Tresemer is at once writer, artist, winemaker, farmer, and something else altogether. Her new website, Still Life with Field Notes, is dedicated to weaving together the threads of her work in collaboration with the earth - from her art, writing, recipes, and beyond. At home in the space where the Hood River meets the Columbia River, between rainforest and desert, China grows plants, animals, and grapes at Hiyu Wine Farm. She opens by talking about how farming is her medium, and in the conversation the theme of medium, in between, and liminal recurs. In this episode, we explore the natural winery she co-founded, Hiyu, and what it means to grow dozens upon dozens of grape varietals under categories such as light phenomena, birds of prey, constellations, and the hedgerow. We get curious about the space where terrestrial bodies meet celestial bodies and where astrology influences people and plants alike. We dive deep into unpacking terroir through the lens of the beautiful intimacy we can find with animal, land, season, and people. China shares her thoughts on recipes, cooking, and how taste invites us to connect to something deeper. Fermentation is at the heart of many of the inner workings of Hiyu and we explore its connection to transformation - whether it’s compost into fertility, grapes into wine, or leaven into bread. This is a wide ranging and beautiful conversation for ushering in the Autumn season.We also talk about:Permaculture, Biodynamic, and ultimately - learning to read the landAutumn and the space betweenFarming and the connection to the spiritual& so much moreFind China:Instagram: @stellagraphia, @hiyuwinefarmChina’s Website Still Life with Field NotesHiyu Wine FarmThe Understory MembershipAll Reading/Books/Etc Mentioned Can Be Found on the Episode Website:Current Discounts for GW listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15Join the Ground Work Collective:Instagram: @groundworkcollective, @kate_kavanaughFind a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comMore: groundworkcollective.comEpisode Website

Brandi Stanley is a walking and talking paradox and you are, too. This episode is a long-form podcast between two people that don’t know how to be bite-sized. Often discussed through the lens of paradox where paradox is the answer and not the problem, and pleasure is found in the pursuit of all the questions. In it, Brandi discusses finding purpose in her life as a generalist for whom curiosity is always burning. We talk about aliveness as a North Star for purpose in that, according to Brandi, “whatever wakes up aliveness is your purpose.” We talk about connection - both connecting disparate ideas and also what happens when we become disconnected and it manifests as illness in our bodies, divisiveness in our culture, and breakdowns in our ecology. Brandi shares about the role of religion in her life and her exploration of the intentional split between matter and the sacred, and how she is reintegrating them in her life. We explore the idea of ‘living in the gift’ and how we can share our gifts with the world and how we can receive the gifts of others.We also talk about:The intersection of eroticism + alivenessLearning to stop cutting off pieces of yourself to belongHolding complexityFinding purpose in illnessFind BrandiInstagram: @thisplusthatpodWebsite: thisplusthat.com For a full list of books, essays, and other resources mentioned please see Episode WebsiteCurrent Discounts for GW listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15Join the Ground Work Collective:Instagram: @groundworkcollectiveFind a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comMore: groundworkcollective.comPodcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer

Dr. Anthony Gustin is a man leveraging his curiosity to find opportunities in the problems of our modern age. He started as a chiropractor working with elite level athletes and saw the need for education around nutrition. That first crossover led him into founding Perfect Keto, Equip Foods, and helping put together Zero Acre Farms. He’s as much of a disruptor as he is a dreamer - and lately, he’s been getting into farming on his small farm, Joyfield Farms, outside of Austin, Texas. In this conversation, we explore modeling life after Wendell Berry and having a balance between intellectual and more physical and farm-related pursuits. We talk about the natural state of humans and whether or not we can get back to it, and if we can’t, what might come next and how in order to build it we have to start trying to solve some problems of progress. Anthony shares how to get people engaged with everything from eating real food to buying directly from farms and how some of his companies have served as stepping stones in that space. We dive into the scale of agriculture currently and what it’s going to take to get smaller farms in financial shape to begin to provide a viable alternative to the corporate organism. Anthony also shares some of his big questions about farming, as a self-professed novice, and how people have reacted to his viewpoints. This conversation asks big questions but also posits big solutions.We also talk about:Americans consumption of over 70 billion pounds of polyunsaturated fatty acids per year - can animal fats compete?Finding a spiritual practice coming from an atheist backgroundThe importance of community& so much more.Find Dr. Anthony GustinTwitter: @dranthonygustin Instagram: @dranthonygustin Sign Up for His NewsletterWebsiteThe Natural State PodcastEquip FoodsZero Acre FarmsFurther Reading:Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist by Paul KingsnorthThe More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible by Charles EisensteinThe Cross and the Machine (Essay) by Paul KingsnorthKeto Answers by Dr. Anthony GustinRelated Ground Work Episodes:Chewing the Fat with Brad MarshallDark Matter of Nutrition with Dr. Stephan van VlietOther podcasts featuring Anthony:The Meat MafiaBanklessMore on the Episode Website

This is an episode you won’t want to miss, chock full of conversations around rightness, death, farming, and preservation - not just of food - but of ways of life. Caught in the heat of August and the peak of harvest, we talk about what it means to preserve something beyond just what is going into our freezers, cans, and solar dehydrators. We talk about preserving a different way of life. In it, we unpack the ways that death invites us to experience the full range of our humanity and connectedness. Tara dives into farming in Canada and beyond and what regulations might mean for the future freedom of our food system. There is an honest and in depth conversation on marriage, the highs and the lows, and how we can show up in service to our spouse. Within that, we cover what bulls and men have in common and how thoroughly both should be celebrated. We explore service over purpose and why chasing happiness isn’t the answer. Throughout the conversation, we talk about raising animals, eating delicious food, celebration of small farms, and freedom.We also talk about:Going beyond what is comfortable and safeNutrition& so much more!Find TaraInstagram: @slowdownfarmsteadSubstack: Slowdown FarmsteadRelated Ground Work Episodes:Lacey JeanShele JesseeCurrent Discounts for GW listeners:15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15Join the Ground Work Collective:Instagram: @groundworkcollectiveFind a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.comMore: groundworkcollective.comEpisode Website