This is a conversation about the future. About creating a culture that values tomorrow. We reckon a slower, simpler, steadier existence is the first step - one that’s healthier for humans and the planet. We call it Futuresteading. Each week we chat to community builders, ritual makers, food growers, health wizards and environmental wisdom keepers, gathering practical advice and epic solidarity - so we can all nut this thing out together. Join our nitty, gritty, honest and hopeful convo every Monday during our 16 episode seasons. Support the pod by shouting us a cuppa >>> buymeacoffee.com/futuresteading
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Ep 215 Jodi Wilson - Learning to See the Earth with Your Body, Not Just Your Eyes. Summer Days Throwback 2026
Season 13 · Episode 215
Sunday, January 25, 2026 • Duration 56:28
Author of Practicing Simplicity, Jodi Wilson faced a fear of complacently which grew bigger than her fear of change and it prompted her to pack her 4 young chillins into a caravan for a life on the road and the building of a whole new rhythm. Over the coming years, they got comfortable in the discomfort of change, uncertainty and discovered that the ritual of stirring porridge shouldn’t be underestimated, nor should the remarkability of the ordinary. She encourages us all to take small steps and make brave choices. We need to step outside our front doors, go for a walk and chat to our neighbours.
*Recorded pre federal election
Deciding, on a whim to take her 4 children around Australia in a caravan
Letting her intuition dominate her decisions towards a leap of faith
Consciously close mental tabs
Unravelling the sense of obligation to time frames and social norms
If we are privileged enough to make choice, we have a responsibility to make change
Why it’s important we don't get stuck in our bell jar
How a life on the road in a caravan with 6 people helped refine what we really need in our life.
Making conscious decisions
Sustainability as humans - constantly running,
Creating a life she believed in not one she was wedged into
Intuition led - heart and gut. If it doesn't feel right it can’t be continued
Why she cant access her intuition or gut instinct if she is anxious
Spending time in nature, barefoot on sand, in deserts,
Finding a sense of belonging and connection in ancestral landscapes
Making major decisions via a woven path of experiences
The romance of a roadtrip was appealing but the reality was that I had to get dirty
You carry the dirt of your travels are carried in the crevices of your skin
Reminiscent stories of they’re 2.5 years on the road
Settling in Tassie in a 1950’s bungalow
Defining what it is you DO WANT
Creating ritual and time for self while on the road
Looking at the stars and basking in the silence of the night
Creating more time in your life because of the choices we’ve made
Simplicity starts where you are with what you have - simplicity is an attitude and a mindset
Simplicity ebbs and flows with the demands of our lives
Collective heartache and collective exhaustion
We haven't evolved from the primal beings we are but we have been distracted.
Nothing gets done unless you take small steps towards it
Replacing the perfectionist hurdles of ‘shoulda’ with the compassionate reality of “I will when I can”
Feeling like a local when the neighbours stop for a chat and the shop owners know your name
Living with little and raising her kids to see this gives her hope
Ep 214 Billa - The Woman At The Wild School Shares Her Earth Wisdom. Summer Days Throwbacks 2026
Season 13 · Episode 214
Sunday, January 18, 2026 • Duration 58:56
SHOW SUMMARY Join Billa, co founder of the Wild School, as we navigate back into our custodial selves. Where we use head, hands & heart to rebuild the connective processes that help us become deeply connected people to place & each other. This process requires us to not only think but to really feel, 'It needs to be remembered in the body at a cellular level. “In our bones as women we have generations of wisdom & the sisterhood brings this to life” 'We are designed to live in tribal sized groups & to take care of country but we lack the skills so it's time to unlearn & relearn.' The right environment will trigger the hard wired settings to make us what we are designed to be & the process of relearning how to live together will be more than just building houses & spaces or owning land. Billa & her husband Chief have been doing this earth connection & village making work their entire lives & she is measuring her experiences against something in her bones. She is doing this via 5 sacred pathways - these being food as medicine, nature connection, ceremony & ritual, village making & art is medicine. A pedagogy you cannot be schooled on, you need to embody them through experience. The most potent experience of all she says is to have gratitude for the mother. Us two-legged humans form a story - “we are merely the current fruiting mushroom of the ancestral mycelium”. its time to be reminded of this in our modern day story.
Ep 205 Dalee Ella - Connecting Humanity to the Inward and Outward Energies of Creativity
Season 12 · Episode 206
Sunday, November 2, 2025 • Duration 02:07:49
Jade and Dalee wander through the tender terrain where creativity, womanhood, and everyday life meet. Speaking openly about the way our inner cycles shape what we make and how we show up in the world — and how hard it can be to hold space for both art and livelihood.
Together they explore the slow evolution of Dalee’s creative path, the courage it takes to collaborate, and the quiet emotional work of home-schooling while running a small business. Their chat drifts into community — the messy beauty of shared living in an intentional community, the texture that neurodiversity brings to family life, and the lessons learned from leaning into interdependence.
It’s a conversation about connection — to self, to others, and to place. About boundaries that protect passions, creativity and community so we are reminded of who we each are and what our individual work is to do - within the collective. Today we ask what it means to live a life guided by values — to curate something meaningful, slow, and true.
Ep 115 Kate Ulman - Fox's Lane Encourager of Creativity. Summer days throwback 2023
Season 7 · Episode 7
Sunday, February 12, 2023 • Duration 01:00:15
This heart led Mumma of three has been luring us with images of a dreamy, bloom filled life on her Daylesford apple orchard & words of equal romance via her craft blog for over a decade. She laughs easily, has found balance in being real & makes the simplest of thoughts feel like genuine aha moments. Kate Ulman is wrenchingly honest about the reality of farm life with young children, turning inwards when self care is needed & whether her babies will return to life on the land. Although not at her kitchen table, the intimacy of this conversation feels very personal & will leave your cup full & your heart nourished.
Episode notes
Seeing your home the way others do
Realising she is driven by making, creating & beauty
Taking an ugly foundation & making it ‘beautiful’ slowly & sure
The essence of a creative soul raising more creative beings
Evolving with our children who are becoming the people they are going to be
Creating a ‘place’ for our children
The impact of an early childhood experience on a kibbutz
Learning to farm at 30 & retrospectively being amazed they could do it
Growing things organically was our religion but we actually didn’t know how
Life before social media - 10 years of ‘ugliness’ because we could afford the beautiful
Sharing the raw truth of life on the land with a small family
Expectation vs reality
Seasonal appreciation
“Every season is another chance to get last years mistakes better”
The annual pre Winter crises & assessment of reality
Pre farming life as a crafter & blogger
Acknowledging there's a time & place for everything
Filing your soul with the small &simple things but being realistic about doing whats possible
Being kind about expectations
“Being a martyr & running yourself ragged is NOT the solution but being aware & keeping it joyful means you can do it forever”
Saying “I don't know” comfortably
When we take our actions so seriously that it puts other people including the next generation off ever wanting to participate in something worth doing
Letting go of the little things like baking bread for the sake of the bigger picture
Ep 114 Paul West - his real life River Cottage. Summer Days Throwback 2023
Season 7 · Episode 6
Sunday, February 5, 2023 • Duration 57:54
Strap in for a fast paced chat with this natural born story teller. From the heady heights of top restaurants, starring in his own reality tv program and radio shows to his definition of “enough” - which begins with rude health and healthy kids before settling with sovereignty of time and community belonging.
As practical and grounded as he is charismatic with a touch of aussie larrikin, ‘Westy’ is whip cracking fast making it easy to listen and laugh at his tales - like serving uncooked rice as his first attempt at cooking.
This high energy human wraps up the season for us with insights and stories that are endearing and inspiring in equal measure.
Episode notes
Choosing your island foods
Are you an eater or a foodie ?- Westie grew up as an eater until he was 17 before becoming a foodie
Embalmed cats above the fresh food aisles at the local supermarket
Moving from his first out-of-home cooked meal: Raw rice, frozen peas, ham and soy sauce to cheffing in lofty places
His first wwoofing experience that sowed the seeds for his ‘NOW’ life:
Witnessing the loftiest ideal for human life as life on the land growing food, connecting to community, physical work
His winding but whip fast hospitality adventure
Using the age good food guide as a way to get a job and crash landing into Vu De Monde to cut his teeth
Turning his back on fine dining cuisine to return to the roots of growing food.
A yearning desire to really understand the rhythms of food
How fatherhood changed him, from self to selfless. Why he never wanted to be a ‘phone in’ dad
Reframing his expectations of fatherhood for him, his kids and his wife.
Creating patterns to set up our kids for the rest of their lives and using food as the central guide for this
Ep 113 Tammi Jonas - Degrowth for perpetuity. Summer days throwback 2023.
Season 7 · Episode 5
Sunday, January 29, 2023 • Duration 01:02:32
Sharing her evolution from academic keyboard warrior to her current reality of being an agroecological pork and beef farmer who's pretty darned handy with the butchers knife and equally as sharp of mind in her contributions to the UN small scale farming policy initiatives.
Tammi Jonas is indeed a force of the natural world, never backwards in coming forwards but mellowing with every decade and sharing her successes and failures for the sake of thousands who are following in her footsteps towards a life of farming democracy.
Episode Summary
We dive right into how she fits it all in
Leadership - her style of leading from the front with doggedness and squared soldiers
Research and UN food systems mobilisation
Credibility that comes out of the dirt
Her commitment to food sovereignty across aaaalllllll the tiers of the movement
The brain breaking need to relate local practices to global policy
Linking good global initiatives to local practices
Applying food sovereignty thinking to general consumption issues
Taking power back one skill at a time
We can’t buy ourselves out of this mess - we literally need to joyfully work competently through the upskilling and sharing of
The illusion of choice when you see thousands of items for sale in a supermarket is not a place to genuinely begin
Why she considers herself an “agroecological” farmer (political, social, Agroecological theory of change is considered a science, social movement and practical - dedicated to circular bio economies rather than a purchasing of inputs. Agroecology rejects capitalism but values labour over yield.
‘Benefaction’ - enabling the farm to do their tasks joyfully
The rich reality of running internship programs - who are welcomed with the knowledge that they are becoming food sovereignty warriors
AFSA - first-peoples-first initiative
Solidarity - garnering unexplained wholeness but remembering we are all here for each other
Why there's value in building a new system rather than creating one from the ashes of the old one.
Why the rise and fall of farms and community orgs is part and parcel of the movement and should be encouraged
Ep 112 Brooke McAlary - going slow & the farce of multitasking Summer Days Throwback 2023
Season 7 · Episode 4
Sunday, January 22, 2023 • Duration 01:02:14
Brooke McAlary has built a life and brand around slow. She's the author of three books, the co-host of The Slow Home podcast and the voice of a movement that says, "Dear Joneses, I'm opting out of the rat race."
But hey, that doesn't mean she's exempt from overwhelm. This convo opens with Brooke and Jade swapping stories of exhaustion. File that under honesty.
So join us on the couch as we define our zone zero, get our inner turmoil sorted before facing the outer chaos, and discuss a potential inner care deficit.
We talk packaged up versions of “balance” “slow” and “simple” and why “tilting” may be more useful; leaning into the most pressing issue of the moment.
Why multi tasking is a farce but barefoot bushwalking creates a heady sense of lightness, wonder and awe that just might hold the answers.
Say no to fast and yes to slow living with Brooke McAlary.
SHOW NOTES
Why her books and pod are basically talking to herself to maintain a slower pace
Being diagnosed with severe postnatal depression
Googling in search of solutions
Letting go of the relentless ‘keep up’ approach to life
Stabilising mental health and finding a deeper sense of contentment
Living life with no buffer
Operating at 70% capacity to ensure there’s room for unplanned
Defining and protecting zone zero
Getting the inner turmoil sorted before facing the outer chaos
Avoiding an inner care deficit
The intrinsic link between inward care and capacity to give
Why the words 'balance', 'simple' and 'slow' are all fraught
The endless wrestle of living counter culturally
Learning to “tilt” rather than “balance”
Ep 111 Damon Gameau - Are you part of the 'Re generation'. Summer days throwback 2023
Season 7 · Episode 3
Sunday, January 15, 2023 • Duration 53:36
Damon Gameau - A call to arms for storytellers!
It's time to shine the spotlight on our story tellers; the creatives, film makers, artists, poets, chefs, writers and musicians. "If our storytellers cannot find a way then the way cannot be found". Join Jade & Damon in this conversation about defying the attention economy, ways to avoid being numbed but the inertia of the system (which is not actually our friend - despite it being dressed up that way) and why rites of passage could be the answer to rebuilding our culture . Finally, we ask the big question - how do you define ENOUGH. If you've loved Damon's films 2040 & That Sugar Film you're in for one exceptionally powerful convo with this captivating & clever creative.
Episode Summary
People are seeking leadership that doesn’t use language without humanisation So much of the story we are told now is dictated by extraction, competition, rivalry, The shift from humans with animus beliefs to industrialised beliefs Defining our collective stories through the feedback from our creative & soul stirring storytellers Defying the attention economy by stepping away from the barraging information torrent to allow for conscious decisions Finding your place in action Choosing to understand rather than polarising Slowing our judgement despite the push for pace - let a slowly defined opinion be yours Acknowledging we agree on a desire for community, healthy children, access to food….and we are not actually divided Taking responsibility of our own individual actions and teach our children to listen & to understand Why its NOT human nature to be greedy & selfish, because we've evolved through a deeply cooperative, symbiotic spirit. Rewrite our culture away from competitive nature & highlight our dependency on each other Finding your path of individualism within the collective Deradicalising the truth of what we need to do Considering context when storytelling to shift the needle Building a less fragile system Why it’s not a nationalist sentiment if you want sovereignty of independenceShifting from being a consumer to being a citizenBuilding wings that will allow us to fly high and thrive with our culture providing the windManifesting creativity and ingenuity by working with our kidsShaping, creating and changing culture through coexistence, lateral thinking and practical skills - starting with the education of our childrenThe dance between peril and possibility Turning emerging science into magical stories to captivate kids imaginations Prison inmates in the States spend more time outdoors than our childrenThe ongoing process of unlearning as flawed humans Deciding what’s enough. Do you keep working beyond your enough to go slower or do you keep going to give to others. Rites of passage as a pathway to regenerationAyahuasca ceremonies, breath workTaking a glimpse into the “other” to fill the gap left by a crises of meaning
Ep 110 Annie Raser-Rowland on a life of less work & more (frugal) hedonism. Summer days throwback 2023
If you don't know this marvellous lass, that's probably because she keeps a pretty low profile online, preferring to spend her days in a state of sensuous connection with the world, pursuing everything money can't buy. And she has some excellent tips for helping you do the same.
Annie and Catie cover a lot of ground in this convo, from hitchhiking adventures and weed foraging to chronic conditions, choosing life over career and controversial acts in the face of climate change. We know we say this every time... but this one's a goodie!
SHOW NOTES
Single parent family taught her to be independent, responsible, frugal.
Epic hitchhiking journeys around Australia.
Discovering different ways of having fun that don’t cost money.
When hitchhiking becomes a form of talk therapy.
Attention as a practise.
What to do when Monkey Mind takes over and you stop seeing the beauty in the everyday.
Humans as story-addicted creatures.
Solistalgia — when you’re nostalgic for where you are.
The rate of change in modern society and how that disrupts a sense of place, belonging.
How to plant yourself in new places.
The sensory pleasure of the weather.
Weather makes landscape and landscape makes culture.
The origins of her love of weeds.
Plant-filtering laser eyeballs that seek out food.
There’s food you can eat that has zero environmental impact, beyond homegrown veggies.
Writing a novel in celebration of non-utilitarian, fruity, hyper-abundant language.
How a cancelled hike led to a quirky storyline.
How to orchestrate a life in which time and adventures are plentiful.
Ep 109 Artists As Family. How brave are you? - Summer days throwback 2023
Season 7 · Episode 1
Sunday, January 1, 2023 • Duration 01:15:37
This family of four live a largely non-monetary existence on a quarter-acre permaculture plot on Djaara peoples' country/Daylesford. They describe themselves as neopeasants, defined by the gardens & forests they tend, the resources they glean & grow, the community they're part of and the technologies they both use & refuse.
They practice permapoesis, which simply means permanent making or regenerative living -an antidote to disposable culture - & show us what's possible when creativity, reverence & reciprocity is placed at the heart of human existence.
SHOW NOTES
A frugal background + time on a kibbutz
Early skills in propagation and a deep desire to grow things
An attraction to counter culture & eternal questioning of injustices
Finding peace by the Mittagong creek
Working as a couple to overcome grief over the dominant culture
Growing a new story out of the old story -- about community, not just one idea
The holistic awakening of permaculture
Moving from clock time to ecological time
Daily connection to the natural world; chanting, observing, meditating
Creating an art practice that is not separate from everyday life
Avoiding monotonous and tedious work through neopeasantry
Why Covid has helped us register our collective exhaustion
Giving up cars and moving at an ecological pace
Being cash poor yet time rich in frugal abundance
Time offline allows a songful, interconnected, wildness that is about observation and interaction
The importance of rites of passage -- how do we bring them back?
Recognising the value of the child-to-adult process and parent/child separation
Grief circles -- “for crying out loud”. Sharing, howling, laughing, storytelling and bearing witness to each other.
Giving back to the forest via humanure, menstrual blood, tears
How fire has held our stories since the beginning of time
Daily gratitude ritual of naming the inputs needed for each meal
Growing layers and building gifts to share with our community by accepting ourselves
Getting the dance right between consciousness and overwhelm
Show Notes: Moving towards a life that moves in circles rather than being square & rigid - finding the sisterhood, herbal medicine, permaculture. Women need women but we specifically need sisterhood where we share wisdom & DO together - craft, learn, share, DIY-ing her own home at 24 Intentional communities - are they a study in failure or can we really do this? Permaculture has been foundational alongside womens wisdom Being alive ‘in village’ Finding our way back through the cultural repair journey via the 8 shields movement & the 64 cultural elements Connecting to country to continue as a species Reconciling our history is foundational to rebuilding culture You can’t ground community without the land but you can’t just buy land & assume the community will come - the truth of the land needs to be reconciled. What we eat is our relationship to the earth mother - it plugs us back in Rebuilding deep connection requires all five sacred pathways to be present Are we existing in captivity Decolonising our body through food Building next level connection with our ancestors We’ve stopped knowing our bodies What else comes with your DNA? More than height or eyes colour The humble shall inherit the earth Check in with what your ‘baseline’ is - very high in western culture Taking care of the baseline & being able to appreciate it is freeing because you can let go of the noisy material things which takes up all the space & consume you. White privilege blinkers - question what was taken in order for us to have this
The virtues of tapping into the primal human nature.
Transitioning from kitchen to farm grew his understanding of long standing ecological needs.
River Cottage - the inside scoop on the steep learning curves and truth behind producing a reality TV program. The juggle of actually living a 365 day farm life but needing to fit in the production of a stage production alongside.
The hard work of farming! Far from white clothed lunches under a tree
The repetition needed for growing
Now living a life that's the amalgamation of his previous lives
Creating a life of belonging in a village across generations
The perfect combo of small-house big block.
Building ritual around food markers, what the gardens providing, when the crayfish and oysters are harvesting,
Making an effort to observe the natural spectacles and building ritual around it
Being comfortable to share the successes AND the failures as a gift for the greater good
Building a de-growth mentality to avoid the ruthless capitalist system
Creating small scale farming businesses that are FUN rather than slaves to growth
Keeping her eye on the end game dilutes her need to be binary and rage filled
Why the States are not actually similar to the Australian culture - they are wedded to a growth mentality that we don't have so we have an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
Why it’s ok to scale back from the initial vision
Framing ‘enough’ as being disentangled from the capitalist system - seeing the sky, feeding her community and others and being ok to go slow when needed.
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