Doomer Optimism

Lenore Skenazy, columnist, author of Free-Range Kids, and founder of Let Grow, champions childhood independence. She recalls letting her nine-year-old ride the New York subway alone and explores how fear, surveillance tech, and micromanagement have shrunk kids’ freedom. They discuss neighborhood bike adventures, school initiatives, and why self-directed play builds confidence, responsibility, and community.

Michael Thomas, executive director of the Catholic Land Movement and former orchard operator, explores distributism, Catholic social teaching, and dignified work with Jason Snyder. They discuss Nazareth as a model for family and local life, agriculture as a school of virtue, the power of embodied fellowship, and moving beyond online ideals through practical service, works of mercy, and productive use of land.

Ecologist and land steward Peter Allen joins botanist and Southeastern Grasslands Institute co-founder Dwayne Estes for a lively tour of eastern America’s forgotten prairies, savannas, and open ecosystems. They explore the dramatic loss of grasslands, restoring biodiversity with fire and grazing, buried seed banks, farm economics, mine-land reclamation, industrial sites as habitat, and bold visions involving bison and elk.

Stephen Adubato is a writer, educator, and theologian behind Cracks in Postmodernity. He explores postmodernism’s turn toward religion, suburban disenchantment, and the difference between living tradition and online traditionalism. The conversation ranges from Staten Island saint feasts and immigrant integration to humor, civic life, subsidiarity, Catholic Worker communities, and why in-person relationships matter more than culture-war battles.

A lively retrospective on Wendell Berry’s influence, from agricultural collapse and industrial food systems to Port William’s fading rural culture. The discussion explores marriage, shared work, gender roles, stewardship, humane technology, and Berry’s populist critique of institutions. It closes with his enduring legacy of joy, fidelity, community, and hope amid decline.

Every once in a while someone comes into the DO world and it is so clear how well they fit in it’s amazing you hadn’t found them yet! This is true of Mike, Chicagoan, Northsider (boo!), who has a vision for how to make good things in the world and is working to do so. Right now that looks like a manufacturing business he started, but Mike talks through his whole trajectory from fancy universities, working in politics, Chicago river ship boat captain, to trying to revitalize middle side American cities (with the help of Nick Offerman).You can support Mike’s work here: www.wilmot-productions.com

This episode explores how Josh and Hannah Centers built Chapter House, a publishing project designed to restore beautiful, culturally literate children’s books to homeschool families. From Homer and Shakespeare to Beowulf, Greek myth, and Our Island Story, they explain why classic literature still matters for forming attention, imagination, and virtue in a distracted age.They also share the homeschooling experiences that shaped their philosophy, including Hannah’s background as a public school teacher, their journey with a dyslexic child, and why Charlotte Mason’s ideas about habit training and whole-person education continue to guide their work. Josh makes the case that the liberal arts are even more important in the age of AI, while Hannah describes how the right book can open a reluctant reader’s world.If you care about education, great books, or raising kids with depth and resilience, this conversation offers a thoughtful and hopeful vision for what learning can be.

"But at Least They're Human: Face-to-Face Living -- With Joy and Without Illusions"From the conference: Another Life is Possible co-organized by the Woodcrest Bruderhof community, Doomer Optimism and Savage Collective, July 2026https://doomeroptimism.substack.com/p/do-308-bill-kauffman

Tom and Jason talk to Lenny Wells - pecan farmer and extension agent - about growing pecans in Georgia, the cultural and ecological factors.Along the way we also discuss:-how he got into pecans -his book on pecans-consulting with a pecan farmer in Spain-his love for Wendell Berry, and -fly-fishing in MontanaEnjoy!

In this episode Ashley and Jacob discuss the concept of microcolleges, and examples of alternative educational models writ large. Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Exploring education, community, and sustainability02:27 - How a class on sustainable development shifted a life trajectory04:02 - Higher education as transformative yet bureaucratic: a nuanced view06:20 - The role of micro-colleges as laboratories for alternative education models08:20 - Microcollege principles: human scale, place-based focus, holistic curriculum10:12 - Experiential learning in agriculture and sustainability in Uruguay13:19 - Moving to Uruguay: motivation, land, community, and self-sufficiency16:26 - The influence of environmental sociology and fieldwork on education18:13 - Rizoma and regenerative agriculture: connecting resources across bioregions23:21 - Adapting the Uruguay model to local high schools and legislative advocacy26:13 - The challenges of bureaucratic hurdles in US-based experiential programs27:27 - The origins and evolution of Thoreau College in Wisconsin28:05 - Deep roots in the Driftless region, organic farming, and educational experimentation29:04 - Waldorf pedagogy, family-centered schooling, and youth leadership31:51 - Deep Springs College: history, pillars, and self-governance34:40 - The influence of Nicola Tesla and pioneering education in remote settings36:27 - The unique, small scale, and community-centered design of Deep Springs and inspired schools40:34 - Gender, environment, and community: reflections on co-ed versus single-sex models41:26 - The importance of family and nurturing environments in education communities43:11 - The role of place-based knowledge and historical understanding in cultivating belonging45:27 - The holistic curriculum: arts, nature, and expedition-based experiential learning48:45 - The ethics and profundity of slaughtering animals as a ritual of reverence50:05 - Broadening perspectives: practical engagement over superficial debates54:35 - The significance of embodied work, such as farming and outdoor survival skills55:55 - Building agency through collective effort and sharing tangible skills62:45 - The impact of experiential and community-based learning on resilience65:05 - Ideals of subsidiarity and bioregional identity as anchors for local culture66:39 - The cultural and environmental richness of bioregions like the Driftless70:47 - The importance of place-based storytelling, native histories, and ecological literacy75:34 - The power of local, tangible practices versus abstract ideologies77:26 - The role of shared projects in dissolving superficial divisions85:12 - Cultivating inner resilience and emotional strength through holistic education87:11 - Moving from global scale despair to local scale action and empowerment89:04 - The importance of facing difficulties together and growing through challenge90:46 - The value of community hubs and bioregional identity in creating hope and agency