Doomer Optimism

On this episode, Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) discusses doom, prepping and bunkers, and building resilient communities with Dr. Chris Ellis (@Prep4Disasters) and Brad Garrett (@Goblinmerchant). This is a fascinating look at the prepper movement, and surviving the myriad coming crises. About Dr. Chris Ellis Dr. Chris Ellis is a subject matter expert on individual household disaster preparedness in the United States and other developed countries. He focuses on large-scale catastrophic threats, including natural, manmade, and spiritual events. Quantitative work and interests include deep analysis on FEMA’s annual National Household Survey. Qualitative work amalgamates – under the theory of ontological security – a model that matches fears, motivations, and government action (or inaction), with household response levels to assorted threats and potential futures. Chris earned his PhD at Cornell University, has four master’s degrees, and is an active duty Army Colonel with nearly 23 years of service. About Bradley Garrett Bradley Garrett is an American social and cultural geographer at University College Dublin in Ireland and a writer for The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom. He describes his research interests as being at the intersections of cultural geography, archaeology and visual methods and writes that his research is about "finding the hidden in the world". He is the author of five books including Bunker: Building for the End Times, a contemporary account of doomsday preppers around the world, and Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City, an ethnographic account of the activities of the London Consolidation Crew (LCC), a group of urban explorers Garrett calls "place hackers". About Ashley Colby Ashley 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 the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

This episode of Doomer Optimism is co-hosted by Ashley Colby and Jason Snyder, who interview Future Thinkers co-founder, Euvie Ivanova. The episode tackles motherhood, transhumanism, and the nitty-gritty of building community from scratch. About Euvie Ivanova Cohost of Future Thinkers podcast, OG in the 'liminal web', currently building a resilient 'smart village' in BC. About Ashley Colby Ashley 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 the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation. About Jason Snyder Metamodern localist | homesteading, permaculture, bioregional regeneration | meditation, self inquiry, embodied cognition | PhD from Michigan State University, faculty Appalachian State University.

This episode of Doomer Optimism sees Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) and Jason Snyder (@cognazor) have a wide-ranging conversation with Brooke Bowman (@gptbrooke) and Grin (@grin_io) from This Part of Twitter (TPOT) and vibecamp about online communities, embodiment, and where all this is going. About Grin Grin is part of the core team at Vibecamp (vibecamp.xyz). His ingroups include his family, his startups (lbry.com, odysee.com), ultimate frisbee, (parts of) crypto, and friendly ambitious nerds. Find him at https://grin.io. About Brooke Bowman Brooke emerged from hardship a few years ago with ideas about how to thrive as humans that she's since been putting into practice by helping coordinate community building projects small and large. About Ashley Colby Ashley 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 the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation. About Jason Snyder Metamodern localist | homesteading, permaculture, bioregional regeneration | meditation, self inquiry, embodied cognition | PhD from Michigan State University, faculty Appalachian State University.

This episode of Doomer Optimism sees frequent contributor Anarcho-Contrarian (@AnarContrarian)and DO newbie Kara Marshall (@karakara98) sit down with the founder and president of Strong Towns, Charles Marohn (@clmarohn). Naturally, the conversation drifts toward community resilience and building...well...strong towns, as well as the future of community building.  About Charles Marohn Charles Marohn—known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues—is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a professional engineer and a land use planner with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota. Marohn is the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity (Wiley, 2019) and Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town (Wiley 2021). He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns’ web content. He has presented Strong Towns concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. About Kara Marshall Kara Marshall works to promote energy efficiency and, with her husband, takes care of and old house and five acres in Connecticut. About Anarcho-Contrarian Anarcho-contrarian is a nostalgia-poasting Twitter Anon who is passionate about the resiliency of rural places.

If Jordan Hall were a gin and tonic, then this, Jordan's second Doomer Optimism episode, would be a G&T with special elderberry simple syrup. By which I mean, the addition of this episode's hosts, Ashley Colby and Jason Snyder, unearths a few special nuggets about cosmo-localism and a variety of adjacent topics. So, get your lime juice, we're diving in! About Jordan Hall Jordan is the Co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Neurohacker Collective. He is now in his 19th year of building disruptive technology companies. Jordan’s interests in comics, science fiction, computers, and way too much TV led to a deep dive into contemporary philosophy (particularly the works of Gilles Deleuze and Manuel DeLanda), artificial intelligence and complex systems science, and then, as the Internet was exploding into the world, a few years at Harvard Law School where he spent time with Larry Lessig, Jonathan Zittrain and Cornel West examining the coevolution of human civilization and technology. About Jason Snyder Metamodern localist | homesteading, permaculture, bioregional regeneration | meditation, self inquiry, embodied cognition | PhD from Michigan State University, faculty Appalachian State University. About Ashley Colby Ashley 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 the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

On this episode of Doomer Optimism Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) and her husband Patrick Fitzgerald (@RizomaAt) discuss the future of American democracy and the prospects for a new dark ages with author and soothsayer Morris Berman. About Morris Berman Morris Berman is an American historian and social critic. He earned a BA in mathematics at Cornell University in 1966 and a PhD in the history of science at Johns Hopkins University in 1971. Berman is an academic humanist cultural critic who specializes in Western cultural and intellectual history. About Ashley Colby Ashley 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 the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation. About Patrick Fitzgerald Patrick is one half of the power duo Rizoma Field School. He's been a Spanish teacher for over a decade at both the high school and college levels in the United States. He has a BA in Spanish Teaching from the University of Illinois and my MA in Foreign Languages and Cultures from Washington State University. Along with different kinds of language instruction (formal grammar and/or immersion training), he's also taught Spanish language literature and art, and currently teaches AP Spanish Literature through Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. He almost got a hole in one once, and he used to be able to dunk.

On a very special Doomer Optimism we have three Twitter powerhouses on one episode! Chelsey Norman (@quachelsey), Willow Liana (@willlowthewhisp), and Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) mix it up about the modern housewife, RETVRNING, child-rearing, and the future of the home. About Chelsey Norman Chelsey, aka Kitchen Marm, is a mother of two and practitioner of the domestic arts in rural New England. About Willow Liana Willow is a professional social butterfly and mother of a wee babe whom she is raising in the Canadian countryside. About Ashley Colby Ashley 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 the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

This episode of Doomer Optimism sees host Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) chats with writer and philosopher Nina Power. The two discuss gender politics, the meaning of Doomer Optimism, and the definition of the "female" Chad. About Nina Power Nina Power is an English writer and philosopher. Power received her PhD in philosophy from Middlesex University on the topic of humanism and anti-humanism in postwar French philosophy, and also has an MA and BA in philosophy from the University of Warwick. About Ashley Colby Ashley 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 the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

On this, the 29th episode of Doomer Optimism, first time hosts Tara Thieke (@TaraAnnThieke) and Donald Antenen (@riversofeurope) dive into the work and themes of Ivan Illich, the preeminent Roman Catholic priest, theologian, philosopher, and social critic. They're joined for the discussion by writer and broadcaster, David Cayley. About David Cayley David Cayley is a Toronto-based Canadian writer and broadcaster, who is known for documenting philosophy of prominent thinkers of the 20th century - Ivan Illich, Northrop Frye, George Grant, and Rene Girard.   About Tara Thieke Tara Thieke is a homemaker and writer. Her writing can be found at Mere Orthodoxy, Front Porch Republic, The American Mind and many more. About Donald Antenen Donald Antenen lives with his wife and daughters in the Pacific Northwest. He is translating Genesis: https://bibletranslation.substack.com/

On this episode of Doomer Optimism, hosts Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) and Jason Snyder(@cognazor) sit down with none other than the regenerative guru himself, Neal Spackman (@NealSpackman). For the regenerative landscape and farming folks out there, this is a high-powered episode filled with inspiring stories from Neal's work, as well as plenty of practical tips for participating in the regeneration movement. About Neal Spackman Neal Spackman is an internationally recognized pioneer of hyperarid agroforestries. He is now the Cofounder/CEO of Regenerative Resources https://regenerativeresources.co/ He was cofounder and Director of the Al Baydha Project in Saudi Arabia, where he lived and worked with tribes of bedouin to convert deserts into savannahs. He founded the webinar series Sustainable Design Masterclass, and has taught and consulted in the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. About Jason Snyder Metamodern localist | homesteading, permaculture, bioregional regeneration | meditation, self inquiry, embodied cognition | PhD from Michigan State University, faculty Appalachian State University. About Ashley Colby Ashley 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 the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.