
Doomer Optimism
Doomer Optimism is a podcast dedicated to discovering regenerative paths forward, highlighting the people working for a better world, and connecting seekers to doers. Beyond that, it's pretty much a $hitshow. Enjoy!
Latest episodes

Jan 27, 2023 • 1h 3min
DO 112 - Anarchism and Complexity with Daniel Baryon, Glen Ganaway, and Jason Snyder
Daniel Baryon (@anarkyoutube), Glen Ganaway (@glenganaway), and Jason Snyder (@cognazor) discuss modern day anarchism, how it's informed by complexity science, and how it works as a map for local solutions to a planet wide crisis.
About Daniel Baryon
Daniel Baryon is an anarchist theorist and organizer. He co-founded Cooperation Tulsa and is a key member of Scissortail Anarchist Organization. He also runs the YouTube channel Anark, where he produces video essays on anarchism and libertarian socialism.
About Glen Ganaway
Glen considers himself a product of the Military Industrial Complex, The Deep South and the Southern Baptist Church. Today he identifies as an Anarchist. Born in Anchorage, Alaska to a deeply religious family and raised in the gated communities of Navy bases.The 80's found Glen doing sex work and waiting tables to support an injection habit. Glen cleaned up in the 90's and joined the Radical Faeries, a loose knit collection of Pagan Queer Anarchists. He met the love of his life Yolanda, an East Village legendary performance artist in 2004. Glen went on to be ordained an Interfaith Minister and acquire an Integral Mentor Certification and a BS in Healthcare Management, which he uses for UFCW Local 2013. Glen's passions include Advaita-Vedanta, Integral Theory, Anarchism, and Regenerative Agriculture. His next project is a 4.4 Acre Homestead in Vermont.
About Jason Snyder
Metamodern localist | homesteading, permaculture, bioregional regeneration | meditation, self inquiry, embodied cognition | PhD from Michigan State University, faculty Appalachian State University.

Jan 24, 2023 • 1h 46min
Episode 111 - Joe Norman and Scratchy Johnson
On this episode of Doomer Optimism, Twitter favorite Scratchy Johnson (@scratchyjohnson) sits down with the localism and applied complexity guru, Joe Norman (@normonics). Topics include: history, complexity, the role of the state, and localism. This is a real treat for fans of Joe, Scratchy, and localism.
About Scratchy Johnson
God, Family, Country. He's on Twitter. He's not hard to find.
About Joe Norman
Joe is a complex systems scientist researching risk in large-scale systems, pattern formation in biological systems, physiological patterns for improving human health, and military strategy for international and global security.

Jan 22, 2023 • 1h 12min
DO 110 - BridgeSpace Commons with Ioan, Josh, and Rich
Ioan, Josh, and Rich discuss BridgeSpace Commons, and in particular, the challenges of creating a different kind of community space that can be shared by different groups of people with different goals and values
Josh @pdxregencommons is part of Portland Commons Technology Project, a group building commons infrastructure for people and creatures. A budding economic solidarity bloc between arts, mutual aid, and ecology in Portland, OR.
Richard D. Bartlett @RichDecibels is a Director at Enspiral, a network of self-managing, purpose-driven companies. He co-founded Loomio, a worker-owned company that builds collaboration software, and The Hum, helping decentralized organizations thrive. He’s the author of a community building practice called Microsolidarity. He's enthusiastic about co-ownership, self-governance and building relationships of partnership instead of domination to create collaborative workplaces. Read more at richdecibels.com
Ioan Mitrea @awarenesss Founder @SellerEngine, Aspiring animist regenerative custodian of woods, creeks and meadows. Quantum physics and chaos theory. Friendly Bridgespace troll

Jan 18, 2023 • 1h 21min
DO 109 - Homestead Padre Joseph Smith w/ Ashley Colby
Ashley and Padre discuss homesteading in the deep south, working on rented land, making a small space productive, and the coming localist revolution!
The Homestead Padre @padrehomestead Joseph Smith is the husband of the beautiful and amazing Dr. @MRSpadrehmsted. He is a father who focuses on small space homesteading. Follow his newsletter at http://Padre.substack.com
Buy Smith Homestead products at: https://www.smith-homestead.com/
His book Homesteading: Breaking Ground https://jdmanly18.gumroad.com/l/breaking
His book: Beginning the journey to food independence https://jdmanly18.gumroad.com/l/SnpwW
The tweet he mentioned in the episode: https://twitter.com/padrehomestead/status/1613187315979124738

Jan 12, 2023 • 1h 19min
DO 108 - Homeschooling w/ Astrid Wilde, Lindsay Rainey, and Ashley Colby
Ashley, Lindsay and Astrid discuss the doom of industrial schooling and the optimism of homeschooling. Lindsay speaks from the perspective of a homeschooling parent, and Astrid as an adult who was a homeschooled student.
Lindsay @Lindsay_Rainey2 is a certified teacher turned home educator and a mom of two. She has over 8 years of experience as a home educator and several more in the classroom. Believing that interests lead to deeper learning, she endorses a self-directed, project based approach to education. She’s experienced how providing choice in the learning process removes friction between parents and kids. She is an expert in finding resources and crafting open ended projects that free kids to learn in ways that work for them.
Astrid @astridwilde1 is a lifelong learner brought up in a homeschooling household.

Jan 10, 2023 • 1h 36min
DO 107 - The Last Farm and Gregory Landua w/ Jason Snyder
A debate between an ecosocialist and a Refi OG on the path towards ecological civilization
Gregory Landua is the Co-founder of Regen Network. He dwells humbly at the intersection of ecology, economics and technology.
The Last Farm is an eco-socialist homesteader focused on the intersection of permaculture, luxurious subsistence, & politics

Jan 5, 2023 • 1h 42min
DO 106 - Hylo and Bioregional Organizing
Discussion about bioregional organizing and the @hylo project. Guest host @vincefhorn with @cognazor Guests: @clarebear8080 and @gabbymcnabb
Learn more about Hylo and how to onboard your community here: https://hylozoic.gitbook.io/hylo/
Join Hylo and discover groups near you: http://hylo.com
Tom Watson
- Working with Terran Collective, engineering Hylo
- Dancer, cartographer, novice land steward
- Former youth rites of passage facilitator, former intelligence analyst, former Ultimate frisbee player
- Interested in: Cultural regeneration, food-systems, right-relationship to land/water, bioregionalism
Clare is a core steward of Terran Collective, where she focuses on bioregional organizing and creating technology for a regenerative future. She is a co-creator of http://Hylo.com, the prosocial coordination platform for a thriving planet. Clare lives on a homestead in Washington, where she supports Salmon Nation bioregion in organizing The Edge Prize (http://edgeprize.org).
Vince Fakhoury Horn is part of a new generation of teachers & translators exploring dharma in the age of the network. A computer engineering dropout turned full-time contemplative, he spent his 20s co-founding the ground-breaking Buddhist Geeks Podcast, while simultaneously doing a full year, in total, of silent retreat practice. Vince began teaching in 2010 having been authorized in both the Pragmatic Dharma lineage of Kenneth Folk, and by Trudy Goodman, guiding teacher of InsightLA, in the Insight Meditation tradition. Vince has been called a “power player of the mindfulness movement” by Wired magazine and was featured in Wired UK’s “Smart List: 50 people who will change the world.” He currently lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina with his partner Emily Horn and their son Zander.

Dec 29, 2022 • 1h 31min
DO 105 - PNW Crew
Jason has a conversation with Ioan @awarenesss, Jesse, Denzolo and Andy @coperthwaite about the Doomer Optimism PNW meetup and workshop, the evolution of friendship and collaboration, and bioregionalism.

Dec 26, 2022 • 1h 29min
DO 104 - Microsolidary w/ Rich Bartlett, Steph Soussloff, Roscoe and Ashley Colby
Rich, Steph, Roscoe and Ashley discuss their experience at the Microsolidarity Retreat in Denver in October 2022. Tune in to find out if Ashley did battle with the hippies or became one!
Steph Soussloff @stephsoussloff is an animal-lover, artist, gardener, cook, daughter & friend passionate about co-creating cultures of care, authenticity & embodied creativity. A design strategist & org development consultant by training, she loves to support clients in unfolding their shared capacity for collaboration, strong relationships and brave communication. She is a catalyst of a community project called Starter Cultures where she hosts a writing circle and a peer-coaching space.
Roscoe is a 58-year-old white guy living in Boston, Massachusetts, working as a counselor. An artist and synthesizer by wiring and practice, he cares about using the meta as a tool for advancing the ordinary good.
Richard D. Bartlett @RichDecibels is a Director at Enspiral, a network of self-managing, purpose-driven companies. He co-founded Loomio, a worker-owned company that builds collaboration software, and The Hum, helping decentralized organizations thrive. He’s the author of a community building practice called Microsolidarity. He's enthusiastic about co-ownership, self-governance and building relationships of partnership instead of domination to create collaborative workplaces.
read more at richdecibels.com

Dec 20, 2022 • 1h 8min
DO 103 - Mary Harrington w/ Ashley Colby
Ashley and Mary discuss her forthcoming book: Feminism Against Progress. Ashley pushes Mary to especially explore the optimism in her book, as well as the ecological underpinnings of reactionary feminism. Pre-order Mary's book now!
https://www.amazon.com/Feminism-Against-Progress-Mary-Harrington-ebook/dp/B0B5Z4YT5Y
Mary Harrington @moveincircles is a reactionary feminist, contributing editor at @unherd, and Author of Feminism Against Progress.
Ashley Colby @rizomaschool is an Environmental Sociologist who studied at Washington State University, the department that founded the subdiscipline. She's interested in and passionate about the myriad creative ways in which people are forming new social worlds in resistance to collapse. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School in Colonia Uruguay.