The Regenerative Journey with Charlie Arnott – Details, episodes & analysis

Join us on this enlightening episode as we delve deep into various thought-provoking topics with regenerative farmer and intuitive guide, Kerry Clasby. Set against the backdrop of her Malibu farm, Kerry shares insights on the impact of electromagnetic fields, the importance of intuitive living, the dangers of modern agricultural practices, and the socio-political dynamics influencing our world today. From personal stories of resilience post-Woolsey fires to the exploration of quantum entanglement and consciousness, this conversation offers a rich tapestry of knowledge and inspiration focused on living a transparent and truthful life.

Episode Links: 

• Malibu Fig Ranch - https://malibufigranch.com/

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of The Regenerative Journey is brought to you by the Holistic Management Cooperative. The Co-op offers Ecological monitoring- like a health check for your land- as well as foundational online courses about regenerating land. They will be launching regional impact groups very soon, a group of like-minded people, sharing experiences and learning from each other, so you can convert information and knowledge into action, regenerating your land and business. If you want to subscribe to your Regional Impact Groups ,you can use code charlie10 for a 10% discount. Each regional impact group has a free On-Farm field day coming this October. Take the time to get into the paddock with other like-minded people wanting to get results with regenerating land. You can follow them on socials @holistic management coop or subscribe and find out more on their website https://page.holisticmanagement.au/on-farm-day

Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who've made this show possible. Our host Charlie Arnott and, of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, subscribers and listeners.  https://charliearnott.com.au/podcast/ to support my work.

Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 Welcome to Malibu: Fires and 5G Controversies
• 04:16 Quantum Entanglement and Spiritual Awakening
• 07:01 Meditation and the Power of Intuition
• 45:19 The Illusion of Money and Relationships
• 46:32 Commitment to Truth and Intuition
• 59:31 Political Views and Government Critique
• 01:18:36 Controversial Gain of Function Research
• 01:20:59 Political Figures and Their Impact
• 01:32:02 Sustainable Farming and Biodynamic Practices

For Dan Barber, flavour is not an afterthought—it is the foundation of a regenerative food system. In this episode, Barber dives deep into the connections between seed genetics, soil health, biodiversity, and taste. He tells the story of how conversations with breeders reshaped his understanding of agriculture and led him to co-found Row 7 Seeds. Barber also explores the cultural evolution of cuisine, the rise of niche food identities, and why sustainability requires bold changes rather than incremental fixes. A masterclass in connecting ecology with gastronomy.

Episode Links: 

• Row 7 Seeds - https://www.row7seeds.com/
• Blue Hill Farm - https://www.bluehillfarm.com/
• Stone Barn Centre - https://www.stonebarnscenter.org/
  

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of The Regenerative Journey is brought to you by Nourishing Australia, a not-for-profit on a mission to reconnect soil health with climate and human health.

Join them for the Nourishing Australia Conference on Saturday 1 November 2025 at UTS Sydney — or stream it live from anywhere.

The day will feature leading voices exploring how healthy soils shape resilient ecosystems and communities — plus, all registrants receive recordings of the talks. Walter Jehne, Stuart Andrews, Dr Ron Erlich, Martin Rhoyds, Dr Max Gulhane

Get 20% off with the code CHARLIEARNOTT20 at checkout. Visit nourishingaustralia.org  for details.

Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who've made this show possible. Our host Charlie Arnott and, of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, subscribers and listeners.  https://charliearnott.com.au/podcast/ to support my work.

Episode Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene
• 00:37 The Importance of Culinary Connection to Nature
• 05:44 Dan Barber's Early Life and Influences
• 13:50 The Evolution of Modern Cuisine
• 23:34 The Evolution of Nouv Cuisine
• 25:46 The Future of Food and Agriculture
• 28:44 Center for Food and Agriculture Initiatives
• 31:58 Innovative Farming and Seed Projects

Charlie welcomes Jade Miles to discuss her involvement in the Grounded festival, a sister event to Groundswell, celebrating regenerative farming practices. Jade shares her highlights from the festival, including inspiring talks by Felice Jacker and the Rebanks, and her commitment to rejoining AFSA. The episode also delves into the importance of solidarity among farmers and the extensive planning behind the festival. Jade and Charlie appreciate the hosts, Pig Farm, and look forward to future events that bring the farming community together.

 Episode Links:

• Watch this Ep and others here - https://www.youtube.com/@CharlieArnottRegenJourney/videos 
• Groundswell Festival on 2-3rd July 2025 www.groundswellag.com
• Groundswell YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/groundswell-agriculture
• Grounded 2025 - 19 & 20 September Western Australia - https://groundedaustralia.com.au/
• Grounded YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@GroundedAustralia/videos

Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who've made this show possible. Our host Charlie Arnott and, of course, we are grateful for our supporters, subscribers and listeners.

Episode Chapters:

• 01:09 Welcoming Jade Miles
• 01:39 Highlights from the Event
• 02:55 Future Plans and Gratitude
• 04:29 Closing Remarks

Charlie caught up with Dave Westbrook at Hanaminno for this interview which tracks Dave's journey from cropping farm boy, through to owning his own grazing farm and business, family succession challenges, development of his farm management skills through the Farm Owners Academy, and subsequent training as a farm business coach. Dave has a compelling and enlightening story to tell and does so in a very open and values based way.

Episode Takeaways:

There has always been a big pull towards the Australian nature and landscape for Dave | He grew up on a cropping farm on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia | His father helped him buy a farm on Kangaroo Island (KI) where his wife Becky had grown up and he no experience with livestock | There was a honeymoon period of 2 years until Dave started to really research and set goals and started to hit his KPI's | 'Quirky cooking' cooking resource  helped Dave and Becky address their daughter's eczema skin condition with the GAPS (Gut And Psychology Syndrome) diet | The results of using food and looking at health differently was a catalyst for Dave looking at managing his farm more regeneratively - if we can heal the body can we heal land? Dave and Becky joined up as clients to the Farm Owners Academy (FOA) in 2015 and have been in the Platinum program for 3 years | Greg Johnsson of FOA had been advising Dave on Kangaroo Island prior to joining FOA | FOA is a values focused training program and Dave was able to identify his true values through the program and set a new course in life and farming with these values as the guiding principles | Life is often about finding the balance between time and money, and we spend our lives on the ladders of life, of either the ladder of purpose or ladder of ego | Dave was on the ladder of ego for many years feeling he had to prove himself to his father, himself and his community | Men potentially spend more time on the ego ladder | Dave uses the analogy of shooting an arrow to explain the catalyst for progress is often pain. There is pain in pulling back the arrow however this has to be experienced to move the arrow (life) forward | Dave is now a coach with FOA | Dave lost ownership of his farm on KI back to his father and essentially was made an employee of the business | Personal development and FOA were essential in guiding Dave through this period | He now helps farmers through his coaching with their accountability and achieving their goals. Anger is a symptom of fear | Journaling and affirmations are a big part of Dave's life and for his clients | 'Look good, feel good, play good' is one of Dave's mantras | Win your morning, elevate your life | 20:20:20 - spend the first hour of your day split into 20 minutes sections - 20 workout, 20 meditations and/or journaling and/or affirmations | 20 education, listen to a podcast, read a book | The happy hormone serotonin is released from gut when working out | Robin Sharman's areas of life to focus on - heart set, health set, mind set and soul set | Women are more proactive in change | Farmers who go off on a spiritual journey  are the happiest they have been - their lives flow. More time, more money, their families' are happy. Wayne Dye - "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" | It's exciting to know that there are 1000's of years of knowledge for us to learn | When I slowed down, everything sped up - a hard paradigm to break through | Always live above the line | We don't own our kids | Children need 2 things in life - love & chores!

Episode Links :

Dave Westbook AKA @adventurefarmer  

Evie and the Bushfire - Becky Westbrook (children's book)

Farm Owners Academy (FOA) 

Profitable Farmer - FOA podcast 

Quirky Cooking - Jo Whitton

GAPS (Gut And Psychology Syndrome) 

Robin Sharmar -  leadership expert

Peter Andrews is one of Australia's landscape geniuses, who has been battling to change the stats quo attitude of government, farmers and land managers to hydrology and restoring landscape function for 40 years. Charlie sat with Peter at his farm in the central Tablelands of NSW while he recounted his formative years of desert life, how that informed his lifelong passion to restore the oldest continent in the world, and highlights that the healing of this land is totally within our reach if we reinstate a few simple principles of land management that had kept this landscape the most productive in the world.

Episode Takeaways:

There is a predictable natural sequence within the landscape we just have to recreate and nurture it | Peter's property at Bungonia was bought to be a demonstration site, this region of NSW was a very over exploited area given its location between Sydney and Canberra | Plants are specialists at bringing various components and elements into a landscape | We don't recreate the old landscape, we recreate the processes and function of the landscape | The landscape evolved due to plants managing water | Frequent fire, flood and drought are symptoms of a dysfunctional landscape | Peter grew up at Broken Hill where his experiences of desert storms and floods started him on his journey to rehydrate the landscape of Australia | Pioneering plants are essential to repair the landscapes | The current agricultural system that replies on the removal of specific plants is costing our farmers businesses and the landscapes health | Peter's experience with sheep health in those early years identified the importance of nutrition and how a functioning landscape provides a broad range of plants to provide this nutrition | Over-stocked properties and poor understanding of hydrology has caused the degradation of the landscape | Early experiments on the family property at Broken Hill included ripping along the high water mark of food plains | The Australian landscape had a higher percentage of pines and palms than is currently there | We are generally left with fire recovery desert plants, mostly eucalypts | Water much more influential in the atmosphere than carbon | Hot air produced inland from a lack of transpiring vegetation and moving towards, and being absorbed by, the area over the moist ocean creates damaging weather events | Capillary action and gravity are the fundamental phenomena NSF relies upon to work | Fire flood and drought are opportunities to change the pattern and create plant succession | The Peter's horses performance were results of the management of his land, where a fundamental principle was to let all plants grow | Willows are suckers in the landscape wounds that are creeks and rivers | Peter was able to double the aquatic life in riparian zones in 2 years using willows to heal them | 95mm dew can be accumulated in a year where ground cover is maintained | Restoring deciduous green trees in flow lines reduces fire risk | The eucalypts in the landscape before human management were huge, towering above the canopy and had the role of reducing the escape of moisture from the area | The best management post any fire is to spread seeds of deciduous shrub and tree species | It all gets back to human and environmental health and this is Peter's motivation.

Episode Links:

Tarwyn Park Training 

Australian Story ' Land Regeneration -Peter Andrews' - 2017

TALS Institute - Peter's 'The Australian Landscape Science' Institute

Dr. Jan Pokorny - Scientist 

Charlie caught up with Stuart Andrews, the son of the founder of Natural Sequence Farming (NSF) Peters Andrews, the day after Stuart had completed a 4 day NSF training workshops at Charlie's farm Hanaminno. Stuart is an incredibly open and honest man, and he left few stones unturned in taking Charlie thought the fascinating and often turbulent life as the son of Peter Andrews, the legacy Peter has left, and the continuation of his fathers life work.

Episode Takeaways: 

Stuart believes that we can never bring our landscape back to how it was, but we can rebuild the function it once had | Stuart describes the current Australian landscape like a dishevelled dinosaur skeleton, that we need to piece back together to restore landscape function | Peter's teaching style was challenging | Stuart was growing up on their farm Tarwyn Park under Peter's management, whilst Peter was still figuring out the principles of Natural Sequence Farming | Stuart left school at 15, and it's not so much that he hated school but he loved the farm more | Tarwyn Park was a thoroughbred stud running large herds of horses, a very different management style to conventional studs | With Peter's focus on understanding, experimenting and developing the NSF principles, and not on the horse business, meeting the financial needs of the farm was challenging when Stuart was in his late teens | The horses were his test case, using these sensitive creatures in the landscape to test his theories | The bank repossessed the farm in 1994 for 6 weeks before Peter managed to secure a Research and Development grant which secured the property again from the bank for another couple of years | The bank came knocking on the door again in 1998 and Stuart sort finance to take over the properties and the debt. Peter refused to hand over property, however he finally did release the property and the horse business to Stuart | Stuart agreed with Peter that he could continue to do NSF work on Tarwyn Park | A visit from the then deputy Prime Minister John Anderson validated on a public & national stage the work Peter had been doing | In 2010 coal miners started to take interest in the Bylong Valley area and for 3 years the Andrews family battled with the miners, then eventually chose to sell - as the threat of being surrounded by the mine was greater than any desire to stay, fight and then put up with that situation | There have been many benefits to landscape of miners 'locking up' the country in the Bylong Valley they bought | In 2012 Stuart ran his first NSF training program | His family now live on one of their farms on SE Queensland - Forage Farms, and produce meat chickens, eggs and pork, inspired by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm | Stuart believes we have created a massive drainage system in our landscape, and we must break this paradigm of how to manage water effectively if we are to restore its function and our farms

Episode Links: 

Tarwyn Park Training 

Forage Farms - Stuart Andrew's farm enterprise, Sunshine Coast, Queensland

RCS - Holistic Agribusiness education providers

Australian Story ' Land Regeneration -Peter Andrews' - 2017

Low Stress Stock Handling - Grahame Rees

Polyface Farm - Joel Salatin

This is the Part 2 of Charlie's 2021 'Farming Matters' Conference Special. Charlie continues his collection of interviews with presenters and attendees at the 2021 Land to Market 'Farming Matters' conference. In Part 2 Charlie speaks with Sam Johnson from Boxgum Grazing, legendary mentor and Holistic farmer David Marsh, Courtney McGregor the Sustainability Officer at Harris Farm Markets, and Harry Youngman, farmer and co-founder of Tiverton Agriculture Impact Fund.

Episode Links:

2021 'Farming Matters' Conference organised by Land to Market Australia. Report by Soils to Life.

Interview 1 (0:05:50) | Sam Johnson of Boxgum Grazing, NSW.

Interview 2 (0:23:48) | David Marsh holistic farmer.

Interview 3 (0:45:39) | Courtney McGregor Sustainability Officer Harris Farm Markets.

Interview 4 (1:08:42) | Harry Youngman farmer & co-founder of Tiverton Agriculture Impact Fund.

other links of interest : 

Provenir - Quality meat through highest welfare on farm processing.

https://www.rcsaustralia.com.au/RCS - Holistic Agribusiness and education services,

Alan Savory - holistic farmer, ecologist and founder of the Savory Institute.

Lyn Sykes - Farm Family Facilitator.

Charlie attended the recent 'Farming Matters' conference organised by the awesome crew at Land to Market, and did a series of quick interviews with some of the presenters and attendees. In part one Charlie speaks with Tony Hill, Executive chair of Land to Market, CEO of Maia Grazing Peter Richardson, Brian Wehlburg the prolific Holistic Management educator, and Rachel Ward, Australian actress, producer, director and passionate regenerative farmer and advocate.

Episode Links : 

2021 'Farming Matters' Conference organised by Land to Market Australia. Report by Soils to Life 

Interview 1 (00:05:21) | Tony Hill ( Exec Chair) - Land to Market Australia  

Interview 2 (00:21:21) | Peter Richardson (CEO) - Maia Grazing

Interview 3 (00:32.15) | Brian Wehlburg (Founder) - Inside Outside Management 

Interview 4 (00:50:58) | Rachel Ward - Australian actress/film maker and passionate regenerative farming advocate.  Rachel was interviewed by Charlie for The Regenerative Journey podcast in 2020 (Ep 17)

Charlie's guest this week is Aaron Mckenzie, the movement & lifestyle coach. Aaron Mckenzie has been on a lifelong regenerative journey, and has been committed to supporting others in their own health journeys since the age of 19. Charlie and Aaron delve deep into the catalysts for his change, his quick tips for lifelong wellness and the importance of regenerative agriculture in restoring not just the environment but human health.

Episode Takeaways:

Mind, body & spirit are the pinnacles of Aarons health philosophy, being one of a few 'fitness instructors' who focus as much on food as physicality | He left high school at 13, and spent his time skateboarding | After a period of suffering bad skin and lack of direction a Naturopath and whole food eating turned his life around, and he completed his Higher School Certificate | At age 18-19 Aaron started his current work with clients | Some quick tips to good health - get plenty of sleep, wind down every night before bed, enjoy every mouthful when eating, retain good relationships, stretch daily, keep hydrated, work and focus on your breath and breathing | Aaron ate 1 full cow and 2 lambs over 10 months including their organs | He consumed 800g/day of meat which was approx. 2-2,500 calories a day | Plants have chemical defences to stop them being eaten and the culinary arts are a way to deal with these | Everything a human needs to be healthy is in an animal | Aaron monitored his changes via blood tests and other markers | Sleep helps regulate the hormones that regulate appetite. Less sleep = more cravings and snacking | Aaron advocates daily fasting of 14-16 hrs | Learning to say no and learning to prioritise are the 2 biggest positive steps one can take to reclaiming their life.

Episode Links: 

https://www.originofenergy.com/ - Aaron's website 

Origin of Energy - Aaron's YouTube channel

Fuelled by the Sun - You Tube short doco by Aaron when he visited Hanaminno Nov '19

Charlie was able to grab the very busy Neil Perry for a quick interview at his iconic Sydney restaurant Rockpool Bar and Grill. Neil is a cornerstone of the Australia restaurant industry, with many chefs hats under his belt, a rich history of contribution to the trade and a keen supporter of farmers and artisan producers for many years. Topics covered include his early appreciation of the seasonality of food, development of his unique culinary skills, the impact of Covid-19 on the food industry and the opportunity he sees food playing in the indigenous reconciliation process.

Episode Takeaways:

Neil Perry is best known for his signature Rockpool restaurants | He has been and still is a mentor to many | Whilst now he spends much of his time away from the pans he still loves getting into the kitchen, the smell of open cooking fires and the energy of the kitchen | Neil's Father was a butcher and Neil lived on George's river Near Sydney, NSW where fresh seafood is in abundance | Neil grew up with fresh eggs, chickens, veggies, and was immersed in seasonality and freshness from a young age |'Great chefs of France' cookbook was Neil's first inspiration, including chef Michel Gerard | Neil was the chef at Barrenjoey House at Pittwater, Sydney at the end of 1982 and one of the first chefs to reference the producers on his menu | The best dish starts with best ingredients | His genius is getting best out of people | Reconciliation has gone off the rails in recent years and Covid-19 has over run the climate movement | Australia has a wonderfully diverse culture, and this is represented in its food culture | Rockpool Foundation is Neil's charity that raised the money to fund Hope Delivery which  | Finding staff is the only matter Neil is concerned about right now when opening a new restaurant due to lack of international students, and work visa holders as a consequence of Covid-19 and the restrictions on travel | There is a movement away from importing overseas produce as Australia is growing more of these once hard to find products | Neil uses vegetable or peanut oil when cooking Asian food otherwise he uses olive oil | Copper pots are beautiful to cook with! | His Qantas involvement is increasing as flight restrictions ease and more 'bubble flying' will take place | Neil's new cookbook is due for release in October 2021| Neil reckons Aust. Domestic flights food is some of the best in the world! | If Neil could put a sign on a major highway it would say 'We are one' | Neil is a firm believer in the mantra of 'Community comes first'.

Episode Links:

Neil Perry - Chef

Rockpool Bar & Grill - Neil's restaurant

Margaret - Neil's new restaurant opening soon in Double Bay, Sydney

Neil's Qantas collaboration - Forbes Interview (2018)

'Great Chefs of France' - Book by Anthony Blake

John Susman - An Early Collaborator of Neil's  

Hope Delivery - Part of the Rockpool Foundation. Feeding 5000 people weekly. Served 300,000 meals in 9 months in 2020