Inside Community Podcast

Sociocracy brings an incredible opportunity to cooperative groups to embody higher levels of inclusivity through their governance.  As a sociocracy trainer and transgender man living in community, Ted Rau has a unique story and perspective on how to make organizations function better and be more supportive to all their members. In this episode we talk both about his trans journey inside community and the ways in which Sociocracy creates networks of support. Ted Rau is a trainer, consultant, and co-founder of the non-profit movement support organization Sociocracy For All.  He grew up in Germany and studied linguistics before earning his Ph.D. in linguistics there in 2010. He moved to the USA and fulfilled a long-held wish to live in an intentional community where he still lives with his five children and 70 neighbors in a cohousing community in Massachusetts. Ted's perspective is influenced by being transgender, by his interest in Nonviolent Communication and social justice, by being part of a global sociocracy organization at work, and a parent at home. Learn more about Ted and his work at www.sociocracyforall.org/community/ and on Instagram @Sociocracy4All Ted’s course “Sociocracy in Community” - in collaboration with Jerry Koch-Gonzalez - is offered through the Foundation for Intentional Community and is now available as a pre-recorded course available anytime. Ted Rau's Books, Who Decides Who Decides? and Many Voices One Song - co-written with Jerry Koch-Gonzalez are available in FIC bookstore. Podcast listeners, use the code INSIDE30  and get 30% off your purchase courses and code INSIDE20 to get 20% off books. Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Facebook and Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast - I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community. If you want to learn more about Sociocracy or any aspect of building community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, an extensive bookstore and lots of free educational materials. You can learn more about the show and access transcripts at ic.org/podcast. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating! Communities Magazine is a primary resource for information, stories, and ideas about intentional communities—including urban co-ops, cohousing groups, ecovillages, and rural communes. Each full-color quarterly issue focuses on a specific theme. Subscriptions are available and more than 400 back-issue articles are posted for free public reading on the website.https://www.gen-us.net/communities/

For many folks interested in more interconnected ways of living, yet not financially or energetically prepared for something like an income sharing community, cohousing provides the benefits of greater sustainability and resource sharing, more social and emotional connection, and that beautiful neighborhood vibe all while allowing members a higher degree of autonomy.  In many ways it can be seen as the best of both community living and the default worlds.  Today we’re going to explore the ins and outs of cohousing with my guest Trish Becker. Trish Becker is the Executive Director of the Cohousing Association of the United States, CohoUS for short, a national nonprofit that seeks to grow the collective housing movement. CohoUS supports forming and existing communities, as well as the professionals who build them through education, trainings, resources and connection. Trish is a founding member of Aria Cohousing and Chase Street Commons, a micro-village built upon the principles of cohousing. Trish also did Tedx talk on cohousing and is a passionate advocate for housing solutions that address our collective crises of loneliness, environmental degradation and housing inaccessibility. For more information on the National Cohousing Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, August 26-28, visit National Cohousing Conference More Links: CohoUS (Cohousing Association of the US) Trish's Tedx talk about cohousing CohoUS’ new IG handle is @cohousingusa. Find trish @trishyloulou If you want to learn more about cohousing or any aspect of community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, and lots of free educational materials. Podccast listeners get 20% off in FIC Bookstore with code INSIDE20 and 30% off FIC courses with code INSIDE30. You can learn more about FIC and access transcripts at ic.org/podcast. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating! Communities Magazine is a primary resource for information, stories, and ideas about intentional communities—including urban co-ops, cohousing groups, ecovillages, and rural communes. Each full-color quarterly issue focuses on a specific theme. Subscriptions are available and more than 400 back-issue articles are posted for free public reading on the website.  https://www.gen-us.net/communities/ Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Facebook and Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast - I’d love to hear from you there!  You can find the show on TikTok @InsideCommunity If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community.

Conflict in life is inevitable. Today's guest Alyson Ewald talks about how to have a good fight, how to transform harm into connection, and the importance of creating conflict systems that are personal and effective for your community. Alyson Ewald works with individuals and groups to design systems and practices that support learning, connection, creative conflict engagement, and collaborative decision making. She also facilitates the social dimension of Gaia Education's online course in sustainable design.  Alyson has spent thirty years leading environmental and educational programs both within the US and abroad. She has received training and experience in English teaching, Permaculture, Alternatives to Violence, Nonviolent Communication, and Restorative Circles. She has also served as a Board member for Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, Scotland County Farmers' Market, and the Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC). She is a Missouri certified teacher, a certified Permaculture designer, and an avid student of governance, conflict, and justice. In 2005 she co-founded Red Earth Farms, a homesteading community in northeast Missouri, U.S., where she continues to practice permaculture and social transformation.  Learn more about Alyson and her work at www.AlysonEwald.com. Alyson also mentioned the work of Dominic Barter and you can learn more about him and Restorative Circles at www.restorativecircles.org If you want to learn more about facilitation or any aspect of building community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, an extensive bookstore and lots of free educational materials. Podcast listeners use code INSIDE30 for 30% off FIC courses and INSIDE20 for 20% off FIC Bookstore books. You can learn more about FIC and access transcripts at ic.org/podcast. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating! Communities Magazine is a primary resource for information, stories, and ideas about intentional communities—including urban co-ops, cohousing groups, ecovillages, and rural communes. Each full-color quarterly issue focuses on a specific theme. Subscriptions are available and more than 400 back-issue articles are posted for free public reading on the website.  https://www.gen-us.net/communities/ Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Facebook and Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast - I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community.

Moving groups through tough decisions can be tricky, if not impossible, without a skilled and well-trained facilitator to hold folks through the process. Laird Schaub joins us today to talk about the how’s and why’s of excellent facilitation. You'll learn from his 40+ years of lived community experience and training in facilitation, and leave with practices you can use in your community conversations. Read Laird's incredible bio in our show notes at ic.org/podcast. Laird often leads 5-week-long courses through The Foundation for Intentional Community covering a number of topics, including: * Participation and Work in Community * Membership Processes * Aging Gracefully in Community * Working with Conflict * Facilitation, and more! Podcast listeners, use this code INSIDE30 and get 30% off FIC courses. Use code INSIDE20 for 20% off on the FIC bookstore. Laird leads a two-year facilitation training program where students meet eight times for intensive 3-day weekends. In addition to classroom time where he teaches the elements of skilled facilitation, half the time is spent preparing for, delivering, and debriefing live facilitation, where the students run the meetings and the trainers are a safety net. For more info email laird@ic.org If you want to learn more about facilitation or any aspect of building community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, an extensive bookstore and lots of free educational materials. You can learn more about FIC and access transcripts at ic.org/podcast. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating! Communities Magazine is a primary resource for information, stories, and ideas about intentional communities—including urban co-ops, cohousing groups, ecovillages, and rural communes. Each full-color quarterly issue focuses on a specific theme. Subscriptions are available and more than 400 back-issue articles are posted for free public reading on the website. https://www.gen-us.net/communities/ Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Facebook and Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast - I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community.

In this episode, I'm joined by Sky Blue to discuss income sharing and innovating economic models by living in community. We examine some of the ways communities and collaborative culture endeavors are reimagining the way they design and live into their economies using the Twin Oaks Community, of which Sky is a former member, as a jumping off point. Our discussion begins with income sharing as a model, but we also investigate the culture creation required to shift out of traditional and capitalist mindsets. Sky Blue (they/them) has spent 22 years living, working, and organizing in intentional communities, cooperatives, and community organizations. Their parents met in Twin Oaks Community in the late 70’s, where Sky moved as an adult and raised a child. Sky has visited over 130 different communities, worked with the Federation of Egalitarian Communities and Global Ecovillage Network of North America, co-organized numerous communities conferences, has founded and managed several cooperative and community businesses, and has served as Executive Director and on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Intentional Community. Sky is currently working with a group of people to start a new community. They are also available as a community consultant. They take a whole systems approach to helping groups uncover and address underlying issues and dynamics, develop shared understanding, and find ways to move forward together. You can can contact them at sky@ic.org or visit their website www.nextbigstep.org/sky If you want to learn more about the various economic models used in community or any aspect of building community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, an extensive bookstore and lots of free educational materials. Podcast listeners receive 30% off courses with code INSIDE30 and 20% off in the Bookstore with code INSIDE20. You can learn more about the show and access transcripts at ic.org/podcast. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating through our website while you are there. Communities Magazine is a primary resource for information, stories, and ideas about intentional communities—including urban co-ops, cohousing groups, ecovillages, and rural communes. Each full-color quarterly issue focuses on a specific theme. Subscriptions are available and more than 400 back-issue articles are posted for free public reading on the website. www.gen-us.net/communities/ Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast - I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community.

When it comes to deciding who gets to make decisions and how decisions get made, the communities movement has done a lot to innovate more equitable and transparent strategies. In today's conversation with Diana Leafe Christian, we talk about the importance of solid governance models and decision making structures, how these structures and a lack thereof can impact everything from relationships to the ability to get things done, and specifically about Sociocracy, her preferred governance model. Diana Leafe Christian is the author of Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities, and Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community. An Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) trainer for Gaia Education and editor of Communities magazine for 14 years, Diana has contributed chapters to three Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and Gaia Education books: Beyond You and Me, Gaian Economics, and Ecovillage: 1001 Ways to Heal the Planet. She is a Board Member of GEN-US. In 2017, she received the Foundation for Intentional Community’s Kozeny Communitarian Award, a lifetime achievement award for contributions to the US communities movement. She speaks at ecovillage and cohousing conferences, offers consultations, and leads workshops in person and online internationally. With the ability to make things simple and clear, and drawing on a deep and broad understanding of community dynamics, Diana encourages effective and harmonious ways for groups to become healthy and thriving, and resolve the typical interpersonal challenges that can arise in any community. She has an upcoming six-week online Sociocracy course starting on April 30th and will be offering an Introduction to Sociocracy for Co-housers course on August 25th, ahead of the National Cohousing Conference in Madison, Wisconsin where she will also be speaking on her recent Communities magazine series Working Effectively with Especially Challenging Behaviors. You can find out more about these courses, trainings, and services by reaching out to her directly at Diana@IC.org Podcast listeners receive 30% off courses with code INSIDE30 and 20% off in the⁠ FIC Bookstore⁠ with code INSIDE20. If you want to learn more about how to find and purchase community property or any aspect of building community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, an extensive bookstore and lots of free educational materials. You can learn more about the show and access transcripts at ic.org/podcast. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating through our website while you are there. Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast - I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community.

Sometimes the community dream only starts to "feel real" when the time finally comes for forming groups to purchase land.  Putting down a large sum of money and taking that responsibility on with other people often brings up a load of fear and hesitation in addition to excitement.  The process may feel daunting, but today's guest, Jonah Mesritz, has helped numerous communities buy land and has helpful insights to support you into stewardship of community property. You'll learn how we started our first community in San Diego and what was learned from that process. Jonah shares everything from discovering what aspects are most important to you in a property search, to financing and purchasing arrangements that are vital to understand. Tune in for his great advice and our fun conversation on finding your land... and then what. Jonah Mesritz is a cofounder of the Emerald Village, a thriving ecovillage in San Diego, California and a cofounder of the newly forming Terra Lumen Community in Southern Oregon.  He is a firefighter with the Orange County Fire Authority, a former Navy SEAL sniper and a licensed California REALTOR. Bringing to bear his experience investing in both businesses and real estate, owning and managing rental properties and “flipping” houses, Jonah has helped many new intentional communities to find and successfully finance community land without traditional bank loans.  He is passionate about supporting the communities movement and his Activated Villages Facebook page is a forum for discussions about creative financing solutions and sharing unique properties that are perfect for intentional community. If you want to learn more about how to find and purchase community property or any aspect of building community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, an extensive bookstore and lots of free educational materials. Podcast listeners can get 30% of courses with code INSIDE30 and 20% off books in the bookstore with code INSIDE20 You can learn more about this show and access transripts at ic.org/podcast. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating through our website while you are there. Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast - I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community.

Do legal structures and documents make your head spin? Fear not! In this episode we're diving into the financial and legal issues all communities face (but many dread looking at) with two expert guides. Solid agreements are essential for creating a sense of safety for community members. My guests Clifford Paulin and Jonah Mesritz are going to not only demystify the basics, but also drop some practical advice and philosophy that just might change the way you think about red tape. Clifford Paulin provides a full suite of legal, facilitation, and mediation services to individuals, businesses, communities, non-profits, and government entities. His extensive background in serving these organizations as well as being part of them provides him with a unique understanding of their needs and desires.  He also has extensive experience in mediation in both individual and group settings.  He has facilitated strategic planning and other processes for groups in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Paulin is also a co-founder of The Oak Granary, a land-based environmental education non-profit in Potter Valley, California. www.cliffordpaulin.com/ Here's a 30% off Discount Code that you can use for the 5-week course Legal Basics for Forming Communities and any FIC courses: INSIDE30  Get 20% off in the FIC BOOKSTORE with code INSIDE20 Jonah Mesritz is a cofounder of the Emerald Village, a thriving ecovillage in San Diego, California and a cofounder of the newly forming Terra Lumen Community in Southern Oregon.  He is a firefighter with the Orange County Fire Authority, a former Navy SEAL sniper and a licensed California REALTOR. Bringing to bear his experience investing in both businesses and real estate, owning and managing rental properties and “flipping” houses, Jonah has helped many new intentional communities to find and successfully finance community land without traditional bank loans.  He is passionate about supporting the communities movement and his Activated Villages Facebook page is a forum for discussions about creative financing solutions and sharing unique properties that are perfect for intentional community. If you want to learn more about Legal Issues in community or any aspect of building community, check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community. FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, an extensive bookstore and lots of free educational materials. You can learn more about FIC and access show notes at ic.org/podcast. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating through our website while you are there. Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Instagram @InsideCommunityPodcast - I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community.

There was so much richness in these two parts of my conversation with Yana Ludwig, I just had to share them with you.  Enjoy! Thinking of starting an intentional community? The first step is finding “your people” ⁠— the fellow founders you will join with to build community. This is no easy task! Timing, personality, finances, vision, and values are but a few of the considerations. How are you supposed to find and come together with the like-minded visionaries that will be your co-founders?  Here to share her insights on this topic is Yana Ludwig. Yana Ludwig is cooperative culture pioneer, group process trainer, and consultant and anti-opression activist who has lived in community for 25 years. She is the former Executive Director of both the Center for Sustainable and Cooperative Culture at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, and Commonomics USA, an economic justice organization, and currently serves as the Executive Director  of Leadership Eastside in Washington. Yana is a dynamic, compassionate and thoughtful speaker and teacher, committed to creating a world that supports the well-being and vibrancy of all beings. Her writing includes ⁠Together Resilient: Building Community in the Age of Climate Disruption⁠ (published under the name Maikwe Ludwig) , ⁠The Cooperative Culture Handbook⁠ (co-authored with Karen Gimnig), and numerous articles in Communities magazine. She has spoken on Tedx and hosted the Solidarity house podcast which centers on policy, culture and law. She was also a candidate for US Senate in 2020, ultimately placing 2nd in a crowded Democratic primary field. You can learn more about Yana's work at  ⁠www.yanaludwig.net⁠. Podcast listeners get 20% of Yana's books and other ⁠FIC bookstore ⁠purchases with code  INSIDE20 Yana’s online course, ⁠Starting an Intentional Community⁠, has been made into an on-demand course ideal for people just getting started with a community project or dreaming of starting one. Podcast listeners get 30% off FIC courses with code INSIDE30 If you want to learn more about finding YOUR people or any aspect of building community check out the Inside Community Podcast sponsor, The Foundation for Intentional Community.   FIC is an incredible resource center with weekly events, online courses, classified advertisements, an extensive bookstore and lots of free educational materials. You can learn more about FIC and access show notes at ⁠ic.org/podcast⁠. Your financial support of Inside Community helps us to continue to create meaningful and exciting content and I hope you’ll consider donating through our website while you are there. Follow the show and see inspiring images and videos of community life on Instagram ⁠@InsideCommunityPodcast⁠ - I’d love to hear from you there!  If this content has been meaningful or useful to you, please subscribe, rate and review, and share with your friends and folks you know who are curious about living Inside Community.

Yana Ludwig, cooperative culture pioneer and group process trainer, discusses the challenges and importance of finding trustworthy co-founders for intentional communities. She shares experiences from Dancing Rabbit Eco Village and Solidarity House. The podcast explores lessons for building sustainable communities, the ideal size and skills needed for a successful community, and the benefits of joining existing communities with shared values. It also discusses dismantling toxic culture, understanding social dynamics, and fostering cooperative culture within communities.