Explore every episode of the podcast The RegenNarration
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custodians Beyond Commodities: And the Courage to Imagine More | 10 Mar 2026 | 00:12:03 | |
A room full of farmers, food system and other folk. Elders through to young voices. Wadandi Boodja underfoot. A simple, radical idea on the table: put life at the centre of every act and decision, and watch how agriculture transforms from a driver of degradation into a catalyst for healing land, health, and community. That’s the energy we carry back to Margaret River as we share a short presentation I gave to introduce the Regenerative Agriculture conference in Margaret River WA, back in September 2023. A little dig into the archives this week revealed some hidden gems from that event. I had put out a couple of episodes at the time, featuring all-star panels that were charged with debriefing on each of the two days of that conference. But equally, I’d stored away these other smaller gems, and having come to mind again at the Regenerative Food Systems conference in Perth last year, it still feels like they’re worth dusting off. So let’s head back to Margs, and start at the start - at once an introduction to a conference and, framed by an old favourite film, an appraisal of what I’d been seeing inspire people like nothing else. Recorded 6 September 2023. Title image by Daniela Tommasi. Join us at the next Grounded Festival in April (10% discount for paid subscribers). Music: Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Unsavory Origins: Allan Savory’s Memoir, Holistic Management & A Life Without Blame | 03 Mar 2026 | 01:26:42 | |
A life on the edge can sharpen your senses. That’s the unmistakable feeling of hearing Allan Savory recount the untold stories in and around Unsavory, his new memoir spanning childhood, wildlife, war, political exile, and the birth of Holistic Management - the extraordinary global movement regenerating the world’s grasslands, and by extension, everything else. Allan shares why he resisted writing a memoir and what changed, largely thanks to Jody Butterfield, former journalist wife of over 40 years, and co-founder of the Savory Institute and the Africa Centre for Holistic Management; and Bobby Gill, SI’s Director of Development and Communications, and self-described ‘reformed biomedical engineer turned systems thinker’, prompted by his time as lead scientific reviewer for the US FDA. The conversation weaves personal turning points with systemic insights: exile in the Caymans and a home emptied; the unlikely, letter-born partnership with Jody; field intuition that saved lives; and the hard-won habit of swallowing bitter pills early to hasten a path to wisdom. This story isn’t a promise of a silver bullet, but a way to proceed. We also talk about what it would take for one government to model a statesmanlike pivot that others can follow. There’s levity too - army pranks, 'the red dress', cricket framing life, and death - and we close with a moving reading of Kipling’s If. Now the book is out in the world, I asked Allan, Jody and Bobby, if they would gather with me to talk about it – Allan and Jody from Zimbabwe, and Bobby from Spain. If this conversation moved you, share it with someone who influences land, policy, or capital. Follow for more and leave a review so others can find it. Allan in one of this pod's most popular eps. Allan’s TED talk with 9 million views. Recorded 23 February 2026. Music: Call Me Voodoo, by Mooveka (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Pilgrimage to Rachel Carson’s Edge of the Sea (with some magic about) | 24 Feb 2026 | 00:23:59 | |
Now for something a bit different, and really special. Today we’re off to seaside Maine, in the far north east of the US, to visit Rachel Carson’s summer cottage. Here was where Rachel wrote much of her last few books. It was a place she loved, and where she also soaked up her last days in Maine with best friend Dorothy. It did feel like something of a pilgrimage, visiting the spirit of the woman who is regarded as pivotal in launching the modern environmental movement, with her landmark 1962 book Silent Spring. A response to her dismay and outrage at the impact of pesticides on human and environmental health, it was written, and then defended, under all sorts of ill-considered industry and bureaucratic attacks, while she herself had become ill with cancer. She actually wrote plenty of other world-shaping stuff before that too. Rachel was a marine biologist whose best-selling sea trilogy preceded Silent Spring. But it was the latter that met the moment like few books have, and shaped generations. Still. So it was that after visiting Chloe Maxmin and Bill Pluecker ahead of their wonderful successes in the 2024 elections, we headed off along the Sheepscot River a little south, to the place Rachel built ahead of writing her third sea trilogy book, ‘The Edge of the Sea’. This is where we start. And where we finish? Well, let’s just say there was some magic about that day, back in the Fall of ‘24. Chapter markers (with accompanying images) & transcript. Robert Musil’s piece on Rachel’s cottage. Recorded 9 September 2024. Title image: the magazine cover at the Inn. Join us at Grounded Festival in April (10% discount for paid subscribers). Support the Strathbogie Disaster Relief Fund, set up by podcast supporters. See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| John D Liu & Chris Henggeler on Kachana, China & A Blueprint For Restoring Earth | 17 Feb 2026 | 01:50:02 | |
A line of turbulence marks the edge of a burn scar, and the plane starts to buck. That jolt becomes a metaphor for the entire conversation: when we strip biology, we disrupt wind, heat, and water. Restore it, and everything changes. We link Perth to the wet season Kimberley and a bright winter’s day in Beijing to ask a practical question with planetary stakes: how do we turn knowledge into actual regeneration? Filmmaker and restoration catalyst John D. Liu joins Kachana Station’s Chris Henggeler to map a path from storytelling to soil building. John lays out a simple physics of living systems—grow organic matter, raise canopy height, and infiltrate every drop to repair the lower hydrological cycle and cool the land. Chris brings the Kimberley into focus: lightning seasons, split-second fire calls, and the creation of microclimates through tight management. Together they propose Kachana as a living laboratory and virtual university—open to researchers, engineers, and restoration communities. We update you on the donkey controversy and opportunity still alive, and hear the call for evidence-based policy that aligns regulation with how soft systems self-regulate. We explore the remarkable rise (and unexpected beginning) of Ecosystem Restoration Communities, why peer-to-peer learning scales faster than conferences, and how true wealth should be tied to functional ecosystems and healthy watersheds. From canopy height to hydrological function, from policy design to ethical investment, from daily fieldwork to music and shared meals, this is a blueprint for turning concern into coordinated action. Note: the Australian Story episode on Kachana has now eclipsed 1.5m views. And this episode celebrates the International Year of Rangelands & Pastoralists. Chapter markers & transcript. Join us at Grounded Festival (10% discount for paid subscribers). Join the wait list for the Murray River Confluence. Music: Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. And John on guitar. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Launching the Regenerative Food And Farming Alliance, with Rebecca Gorman at Parliament House | 11 Feb 2026 | 01:03:38 | |
We’re off to Parliament House in Canberra today. But don’t let that put you off. Hot off the press, the Regenerative Food & Farming Alliance (RFFA) has just launched there. The Alliance has been brought together with many a guest on this podcast over the years. Though one woman behind it all – and so much else – is someone I have been looking forward to having on the podcast since we met a few years ago. Rebecca Gorman is a highly respected former journalist turned farmer, philanthropist and company director, and she has been a key figure in convening the new Alliance. We speak about the launch, the Alliance of course, the appetite for it, Rebecca's fascinating back story bringing her to this moment, even some initial reticence to this path, some varied influences, what she's seen work over the decades, how the Alliance will work, what's next, how we can back it in, the extraordinary hidden costs of the current systems, and full circle to how it feels for Rebecca to find herself here in the light of some early heartbreaks in life, and how that has spurred her connections with First Nations peoples. And she sings for us at the end, in honour of some other passions in life. Recorded 11 February 2026. Title image sourced here. Please support the Strathbogie Disaster Relief Fund, hosted by the Australian Communities Foundation. Join us at the next Grounded Festival in April (10% discount on offer for paid subscribers on Patreon or Substack). Join the wait list for the Murray River Confluence journey. See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Honouring Manchán Magan: How Old Stories Guide Us Through An Uncertain Future | 03 Feb 2026 | 00:29:50 | |
Welcome to the 10th year of the podcast! And thank you. As an entirely listener supported show, it only happens thanks to listeners like you. To start off the year, another form of thanks, and tribute, to a guest from 2023 who was so wonderful, as much for his brilliance as his grace. I’m talking of the late Manchán Magan, acclaimed Irish travel writer, documentary maker, radio producer, theatre performer, builder of the first straw-bale house in Ireland, regenerator of the 10 acre block it stands on, and best-selling author. Manchán died in October last year at an age not too senior to mine, just a couple of months after a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Beautifully, I’ve learned he and long-term partner Aisling married a few weeks before he died. Aisling described how they fell in love too, as she later posthumously accepted the Best Irish-Published Book of the Year award for Manchán's latest work ‘Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun)’. You can find that story here. Manchán and I signed off our podcast chat looking forward to meeting, given the various threads emerging at the time, including tracing more of my roots back to Ireland, and the connections between those roots and Aboriginal cultures and Country here - so a little slice of me cut away with the news too. But what a blessing to have had that yarn. Thanks Manchán for your fleeting but unforgettable presence in my life. And of course, for being so much more for so many more people all over the place. That, no doubt, will continue on. Right now, in fact. For here are the last 25 minutes or so of my conversation with Manchán from a couple of years ago. So much to love in just this small window. To listen to the full episode with Manchán, and find further links, head to episode 173. Recorded with thanks to the Derby Aboriginal Media Corporation, at 6DBY deadly Derby radio in the West Kimberley, on the heels of the Aboriginal Irish festival in Fremantle WA. Title image source. Music: The Blackbird (Irish Song Dance), by Ennis, Morrison and Muller (from Artlist). Thanks again for listening, and for supporting The RegenNarration. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| One final highlight from 2025: A last word from Paul Hawken | 27 Jan 2026 | 00:00:52 | |
Just one final highlight from last year, before we kick off the new series. Well, it was actually from 2024, but an excerpt of it was played last year, when the latest book from 5x New York Times best-selling author and friend, Paul Hawken, was released - Carbon: The Book of Life. That 2024 episode and 2025 excerpt featured Paul doing a world premiere reading of the final passage of the book, in his sun-drenched garden in northern California. Today, the last minute of that reading, for your pure listening pleasure. If you’re inspired to listen to more, or to revisit the rest of our conversation, you’ll find it at episode 204. Title image: Paul in the garden (pic: Olivia Cheng) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! Next up, the new series for 2026 ... The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| I Didn’t Want A Prophecy, But It Found Me Anyway (one more highlight) | 26 Jan 2026 | 00:12:40 | |
Ok, just a couple more bite size highlights from last year. Well, this one was actually from a few years ago, but an excerpt of it was played last year - titled A Laugh, a Cry and a Touchstone Moment, featuring Tyson Yunkaporta. And indeed, this passage in particular might still be the most moving and funny of the entire podcast. Certainly, the opening gambit has continued to come up in conversation ever since. Tyson belongs to the Apalech Clan from Western Cape York in far north Queensland, with community/cultural ties all over Australia. He is the author multiple books, including Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World. He’s also a poet and artist carving traditional tools and weapons, processes that were central to writing the book. If you’d like to hear or revisit our conversation in full, head to episode 70 – ‘Sand Talk: Indigenous thinking, saving the world & living creation’ (there are a bunch of links in those show notes too, and a very special photo from this conversation on that episode website). Title image: Tyson Yunkaporta (supplied) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: Guatemala, Central America | 25 Jan 2026 | 00:03:39 | |
Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode concludes with this incredibly special and personal group of episodes, from the heart of Mayan culture, Guatemala, Central America. This was actually the first series recorded in 2025, but took a lot more time to produce given the episodes released in both Spanish and English. And it was so worth it. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing: 0m - Salta Montes, by Migra (from Artlist) (eps 285-8) 0.21 - Patrik Mucía (ep 285 and in Spanish), at IMAP, by Lago de Atitlán 0.59 - Don Ceferino de Paz González (ep 286 and in Spanish), Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Alta Verapaz 1.24 - Cándido Reyes (ep 287 and in Spanish), La Nueva Libertad 1.40 - Aníbal de Paz (ep 288 and in Spanish), Lago Petén Itzá 2.06 - Regeneration, by Amelia Barden (theme music) 3.25 - Out-take with my translator in Baltimore, Dana Scott Title image: view of the nearby volcano from the tour at IMAP (pic: Olivia Cheng) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: A huge week ends with a bang back in Australia | 24 Jan 2026 | 00:03:02 | |
Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode continues, with some pinnacle moments from the huge week in Western Australia on our return home. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing: 0m - Oral McGuire (ep 279), Noongar leader, with possibly the quote of the Regenerative Food Systems conference, Perth Stadium WA 0.28 - My day's summary at that conference (ep 280), with Barefoot, by Mark Grundhoefer (from Artlist) 1.40 - Heidi Mippy (ep 281), Bridgetown WA (at the 2nd running of the Grounded Festival, and the 1st in WA, bringing home a huge week of events) 2.10 - Ian Haggerty (ep 282), also at Grounded Festival 2.33 - Rowdy, by The Lonely Ramblers (from Artlist) (ep 282) 2.42 - Matthew Evans (ep 283), heralding the final session of Grounded Title image: AJ, Heidi, Di & Ian Haggerty at Grounded (pic: Alan Benson) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation | 23 Jan 2026 | 00:03:21 | |
Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode continues, with the final series recorded in the US, perhaps our most moving visit of all, at Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation, with Long Time Charging Woman, Kim Paul, and colleague Andrew Berger. With an additional episode featuring a couple of filmmakers behind the documentary filmed on Blackfeet Nation, Bring Them Home. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing: 0m - Kim Paul (ep 276), Blackfeet Nation, Montana, with Flight of the Inner Bird, by Yehezkel Raz feat. Sivan Talmor (from Artlist) 0.51 - Andrew Berger (ep 277) 1.36 - Daniel Glick (ep 278), recorded in Denver, Colorado, alongside ... 1.59 - Melissa Grumhaus (ep 278) Title image: Andrew, Kim & AJ at Chief Mountain (pic: Olivia Cheng) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: A huge week begins back in Australia | 22 Jan 2026 | 00:01:49 | |
Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode continues, with a couple of West Australians spread across the state, one very famous, one should be. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing: 0m - Stuart McAlpine (ep 272), award-winning farmer from the WA wheatbelt, with his own track Country Cousin (ahead of a major regenerative food systems conference) 1.28 - Tim Winton (ep 275), regarded as the preeminent Australian writer of his time, in Fremantle for the launch of his new book Ningaloo: Australia's Wild Wonder Title image: Stuart on the farm (supplied) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: Chaco to Wind River & Heading Home | 21 Jan 2026 | 00:03:16 | |
Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode continues, with two of the most extraordinary ancient places and cultures we visited. And last stop with a legend and friend in California. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing: 0m - Dana Scott (ep 264 and 265), Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, with Chauen, by Angel Salazar (from Artlist). 1.38 - Xavier Michael Young (ep 268), Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, Wyoming 2.23 - Jason Baldes (ep 269), Initiative Director 2.59 - Paul Hawken (ep 270), California Title image: Buffalo kin at the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative (pic: Anthony James) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: The Osage Nation Series | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:05:26 | |
Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode continues, with the trinity of episodes (and bonus extra) from the Osage Nation in current day Oklahoma. It was an exceptional opportunity to speak with the Chief, featuring a powerful exchange capped by some funny anecdotes (one of each is in this clip). And Jann's breathtaking music accompanies the lot here, played on the Grand Piano of her ancestors relating back to the time depicted in the blockbuster movie Killers of the Flower Moon. All thanks to local filmmaker and friend, Nicol Ragland. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing: 0m - Nicol Ragland (ep 261), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (introducing the series) 0.46 - Piano piece played by Dr Jann Hayman (from ep 263) 1.32 - Chief Standing Bear (ep 262) 2.26 - Dr Jann Hayman (ep 263), Secretary of Natural Resources for the Osage Nation 3.50 - Dawn Wormington (ep 263 bonus) (with a funny tale from the filming of Killers of the Flower Moon) Title image: Chief Standing Bear (supplied) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: From Tennessee to Texas | 19 Jan 2026 | 00:01:42 | |
Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode continues, with two of the guests with the greatest soundscapes of the year. I just love the sound and spirit of African American elder, Lorenzo Washington, captured in this clip. And the clip from Christopher, with one of the great urban restoration stories, became somewhat of a catch phrase for our American journey - like stepping through a portal. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing: 0m - Lorenzo Washington (ep 259), Nashville, Tennessee, with Jefferson St tribute by Nashville’s Queen of the Blues, Marion James. 1.15 - Christopher Brown (ep 260), East Austin, Texas Title image: Lorenzo outside the Jefferson Street Sound Museum (aka his house!) (pic: Olivia Cheng) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: Looking south with some of the best | 18 Jan 2026 | 00:02:59 | |
Welcome back to our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode. These were a few of the best community-generated stories of the year, strongly among the listener favourites. I love this particular mini-highlight reel - the way the music plays off what these folk have to say, culminating in Jenny treating us to an impromptu rendition of an old Irish hymn. Unforgettable. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing: 0m - Cathy McGowan (ep 254), with Sal Kimber doing a famous cover 0.33 - Dr Blake Scott (ep 256), for The MARSH (Marsh Appreciation and Restoration Society for Happiness) Project, Charleston, South Carolina 1.07 - Galaxy Groove, by Yarin Primak (from Artlist) (ep 256) 1.16 - Joel Caldwell, alongside Blake Scott (ep 256) 1.48 - Jenny Finn (ep 257), Floyd, Virginia 2.13 - Jenny sings an old Irish hymn Title image: Joel Caldwell and Dr Blake Scott on the clean up beat (pic: Anthony James) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: The land whisperer, Patrick MacManaway | 17 Jan 2026 | 00:02:15 | |
Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode continues, with these snippets from ep 252, the most popular episode of the year. 0m - Patrick MacManaway, in Burlington, Vermont 0.41 - Hours, by Patrick Sebag (from Artlist). 1.19 - Patrick MacManaway plays the penny whistle Title image: Patrick on-location in his home town of Burlington, Vermont, USA. To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: Dan Kittredge (in song) | 16 Jan 2026 | 00:01:37 | |
Welcome back to our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode. Today you're hearing Dan Kittredge, in excited revelation, then song, from Michigan. And a little from me celebrating episode 250, down the road in Maryland. Love it when guests take off with the closing tune. Dan Kittredge, exhibit A in 2025. (Should have got him to sing at the end of the year too, on the Grounded Festival episodes.) Title image: Dan Kittredge (supplied) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: We Are The Kids | 15 Jan 2026 | 00:01:56 | |
Welcome back to our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing today: 0m - AJ on the legendary Mongabay Newscast podcast with Mike DiGirolamo (ep 248) 0.35 - Damon Gameau (ep 249), leading into We are the Kids, by Bunny Racket, drawn from a great moment in the film Future Council (also one of my personal favourite curatorial moments in the year's highlights package) Title image: The Future Council with Damon Gameau To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: Debriefing Grounded Festival | 14 Jan 2026 | 00:02:58 | |
Welcome back to our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode. Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing, from ep 247: 0m - Introducing the new year of episodes, from Antigua, Guatemala 0.18 - Matthew Evans, leading into the spectacular 'My Mother, The Mountain', by Claire Anne Taylor 2.31 - Sadie Chrestman. Title image: Matthew and Sadie (supplied) To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bite size highlights from 2025: The Clean State Series | 13 Jan 2026 | 00:03:58 | |
Welcome to 2026, with a curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up. 2025 started with a summer series featuring nine episodes I produced a few years ago for The RegenNarration spin-off podcast Clean State, focused on regenerative transitions in my home state of Western Australia. That series included previously unheard conversations and still has plenty of currency. Here's how I previewed it a year ago in ep 236. And here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing today: 0m - Chantal Caruso (ep 237), with Eden is Lost, by Selfless Orchestra 0.39 - Dr Gary Kendrick (ep 238) 0.50 - Dr Vanessa Rauland (ep 239) 1.10 - Shannon Leigh (ep 240) 1.28 - Dale Tilbrook (ep 241) 1.43 - Stephen King (ep 242) 2.07 - Cindy Stevens (with husband Simon Wallwork) (ep 243) 2.36 - A little Station ID (ep 244), with A Forests Dream, by Cloudjumper (from Free Music Archive), for the ep with Jess Beckerling, now a WA MP 2.55 - Clinton Walker in language (ep 245), of Murujuga in WA (awarded World Heritage status last year) 3.26 - Clinton Walker in English (ep 245), with Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp. To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos), or wherever you get your podcasts. With thanks to our guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. Title image: Clinton Walker at Murujuga (from his website). The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Highlights of 2025: The best from our guests, their places & tunes | 21 Dec 2025 | 00:38:23 | |
What an incredible year. There was certainly dark stuff, but if you were ever in doubt there was plenty to revel in, welcome to the highlights from a unique and far-reaching year on the podcast. You’ll hear highlight selections from our guests throughout 2025, accompanied by some of the music they often played or sung themselves, and the sounds of Country as we travelled across multiple continents, countries and languages. This year featured a record 54 episodes, 4 with bilingual editions, and over a dozen bonus extras and vignettes. Most episodes were conversations, with 5 panels too, 1 documentary style production, 1 fan mail episode and this highlights reel. There were 67 guests, around half Aussie and half international, almost all of them on-location, just under a quarter First Nations, and from all walks of life. Once again listening to it all in one place today has been incredible. I hope you enjoy it too. And I hope you’ve enjoyed the podcast as a whole this year. As another year ends, huge thanks to all you generous subscribers and other supporting listeners, for making it possible. I’ll continue my shout outs, exclusives and other bonus bits next year, and as we enter the podcast’s 10th year, I’ll reach out with a few new things too. Thanks also for your wonderful correspondence this year. And to everyone who sheltered, fed and generally cared for us throughout the year, around Australia, Guatemala and the States, thank you. With enormous thanks also, to all the wonderful musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here. And finally, thanks so much for listening. The track list for this episode, identifying the people, places and tunes, is in the chapter list. Title image: Glacier National Park, on Blackfeet Nation, northern Montana USA (pic: Anthony James). Find more: To access the full catalogue of episodes, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode) or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks again for listening, have a wonderful festive season and see you in 2026! The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Life is Beautiful: Two friends on a lake reflect on Mayan roots at Tikal, war and peace, and the hope we pass to our children | 14 Dec 2025 | 01:36:11 | |
Aníbal de Paz was a young man in Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, when I was a young man living there at the turn of the century. He had been born into war in the 80s, became a runner for the resistance as a boy, was a teenager as peace broke out in the 90s, and in his 20s, when we met and became friends, he was driver and confidant for his father, Don Ceferino de Paz González, my guest in episode 286, when he became Mayor. Aníbal carries a presence of hard-won wisdom, born of a unique life, with a prominent Maya Achí father, and quietly formidable mother. And he speaks with such poetic sensibility, though scarcely literate in the formal sense. All this comes to the fore all the more, as we’ve just spent the day at the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, along with Anibal’s wife, Q’eqchí woman Josefina Choc Tiul, and their wonderful daughters. It was the children’s first visit. At the end of an exhausting day, both our families settled into bed, while we headed out to have one last conversation, plenty of it we’d never talked about, before saying our farewells. They were to head back to Fray before the dawn. You’re about to hear a deeply felt and observed profile of a life, a country, and in many ways, a global dynamic that many of us are feeling more acutely these days. It is raw and real, hopeful and instructive, about power, choices of life and death, and how to navigate generational shifts in times like these. It’s my privilege to have landed in the midst of Aníbal’s story through a couple of narrow windows, yet wide enough to be able to share this with you now. It was still noisy on the street out front, near the town of El Remate in El Petén province. So we soon moved down to the beautiful Lake Petén Itzá, via a now permanently flooded jetty, and found a boat. Thanks again to old mate from those first Guatemala times, Dana ‘Patricio’ Scott, for so generously translating and speaking the Spanish in English. Recorded 18 January 2025. Title image: Aníbal on the jetty the day before (pic: Anthony James). See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Salta Montes, by Migra (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| La Vida Es Hermosa: Dos amigos en un lago reflexionan sobre las raíces Mayas en Tikal, la guerra y la paz, y la esperanza que transmitimos a nuestros hijos | 14 Dec 2025 | 01:36:52 | |
NOTE: This version of this week’s episode is in Spanish. You'll find the English translated version in your podcast feed too. Aníbal de Paz era un joven en Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, cuando yo era joven y vivía allí a principios del siglo. Había nacido en la guerra de los años 80, se convirtió en un mensajero para la resistencia de niño, era adolescente cuando se firmaron los Acuerdos de Paz en 1996, y unos años después, cuando nos conocimos y nos hicimos amigos, fue chófer y confidente de su padre, Don Ceferino de Paz González, mi invitado en el episodio 286, cuando asumió la alcaldía. Aníbal posee una presencia de sabiduría adquirida con esfuerzo, fruto de una vida única, con un prominente padre Maya Achí y una madre discretamente formidable. El habla con una sensibilidad poética también. Todo esto se hace aún más evidente, ya que acabábamos de pasar el día en la antigua ciudad Maya de Tikal, a unos 300 km o 6 horas en coche al noreste de Fray, junto con la esposa de Aníbal, la Q'eqchí Josefina Choc Tiul, y sus maravillosas hijas. Era la primera visita de las niñas. Al final de un día agotador, nuestras familias se acostaron, mientras el y yo salíamos para tener una última conversación antes de despedirnos. Ellos debían regresar a Fray antes del amanecer. Están a punto de escuchar un perfil profundamente sentido y observado de una vida, un país y, en muchos sentidos, una dinámica global que muchos de nosotros estamos sintiendo con mayor intensidad estos días. Es abierto y real, esperanzador e instructivo, sobre el poder, las decisiones de vida o muerte, y cómo afrontar los cambios generacionales en tiempos como estos. Es un privilegio haber sido una parte en la historia de Aníbal, y a compartir esto con ustedes ahora. Grabado al Lago Petén Itzá, el 18 de enero de 2025. Gracias a Dana ‘Patricio’ Scott por traducir esto para la versión en inglés. Foto principal: Aníbal y la lancha en la cual hablábamos. Vea más fotos en la página web del episodio y, para ver más del detrás de cámaras, conviértase en oyente colaborador a continuación. Música: Salta Montes, de Migra (fuente: Artlist). Regeneration, de Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| The New Freedom: How a Refugee Return Became a Thriving Multi-Cultural Community, Cooperative & Education Centre | 07 Dec 2025 | 01:45:40 | |
Welcome back to Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Alta Verapaz, as we continue a special series from Guatemala, Central America. I wish I’d recorded how I came to find today’s guest. In returning to this place that was home for a few years back at the turn of the century, I didn’t know who’d still be around, alive even. I figured that my old friends Cándido Reyes and his wife Maricela, if they were still around, would be in the returned refugee community they helped set up 30 years prior, called la Nueva Libertad (the New Freedom), just a few kilometres out of town. But after so many years, I had no chance of remembering which house was theirs, an old email address didn’t work, and an old office of theirs in town was now a restaurant. So I asked around, and eventually got the tip I’d find them in the current facility of the legendary non-profit they continue to work for called Adelina Caal Maquín (ACM) – working with women, youth, food sovereignty, agro-ecology and, more recently, a residential secondary school in sustainable community development. Anyway, next day, unannounced and with some timidity, I went to find them. Catching up was so wonderful and compelling, later Cándido and I pressed record on a walk around La Nueva. We start at ACM, wander around the gardens, the community, its schools, its innovative cooperative set up, and delve into the extraordinary stories of their lives and this place. Emerging from the horrors of war, we explore Cándido's time as a young resistance organizer, and how he later returned as a leader in the formation of the coop and community. We talk about the coop’s enormous successes and challenges, reconnecting with ancestors, the changing face of Fray and Guatemala, the exciting food processing venture, reflections on a life so far, and his unflinching belief in what’s possible. Cándido is sharp, resilient and very funny. And out here, they’re lighting a beacon for Guate, and in many ways, for us all. Thanks again to Dana ‘Patricio’ Scott for generously translating and speaking the Spanish in English. Let’s head to la Nueva Libertad. Recorded 14 January 2025. See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Salta Montes, by Migra (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| La Nueva Libertad: Cómo Retornados Formaron Una Exitosa Comunidad Multicultural, Cooperativa y Centro Educativo | 07 Dec 2025 | 01:47:17 | |
NOTE: This version of this week’s episode is in Spanish. You'll find the English translated version in your podcast feed too. Bienvenidos de nuevo a Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Alta Verapaz, para continuar con una serie especial desde Guatemala, Centroamérica. Al regresar a este lugar que fue mi hogar durante unos años a principios de siglo, no sabía quién estaría, aún seguiría vivo. Pensé que mis viejos amigos Cándido Reyes y su esposa Maricela, si todavía estaban aquí, seguirían en la comunidad de retornados que ayudaron a fundar 30 años antes, llamada La Nueva Libertad, a solo unos kilómetros del pueblo de Fray. Pero después de tantos años, no tenía forma de recordar cuál era su casa, una vieja dirección de correo electrónico no funcionaba, y una antigua oficina suya en el pueblo ya es un restaurante. Así que pregunté por ahí y al fin recibí la información que los encontraría en las instalaciones actuales de la legendaria ONG para la que siguen trabajando, Adelina Caal Maquín (ACM). Esa trabaja con mujeres, jóvenes, soberanía alimentaria, agroecología y, más recientemente, una escuela secundaria de desarrollo comunitario sostenible. Al día siguiente, sin poder avisar y con cierta timidez, fui a buscarlos. La conversación fue tan maravillosa, que luego Cándido y yo grabamos esta conversación mientras dimos un paseo por La Nueva. Comenzamos en ACM, paseamos por los huertos, la comunidad, sus escuelas, su innovadora cooperativa, y nos adentramos en las extraordinarias historias de sus vidas y de este lugar. Tras los horrores de la guerra, exploramos la época de Cándido como joven organizador de la resistencia, y cómo luego regresó como líder en la formación de la cooperativa y la comunidad. Hablamos de los enormes éxitos y desafíos de la cooperativa, de la reconexión con los ancestros, los cambios de Fray y de Guatemala, de la empresa de procesamiento de alimentos, de reflexiones sobre su vida hasta ahora, y de su irreducible fe en lo posible. Cándido es un tipo muy inteligente y bien chistoso. Y aquí, están iluminando un camino para Guate y, en muchos sentidos, para todos nosotros. Grabado el 14 de enero de 2025. Foto por Olivia Cheng. Vea más fotos en el sitio de web y, para ver más del detrás de cámaras, conviértase en oyente colaborador a continuación. Música: Salta Montes, de Migra (fuente: Artlist). Regeneration, de Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| From Guerrilla to Mayor: A Mayan Leader on Resistance, Peace & Developing the Conditions for Life | 30 Nov 2025 | 01:13:47 | |
Welcome to a series within the series from Guatemala, Central America – three stories from three men I admire most in the world. Each different but related. Each from a different generation. And each navigating the last couple of decades differently since I spent time with them, in the municipality of Fray Bartolome de las Casas, in the central province of Alta Verapaz. This is the story of a place too, in that sense. A place that’s been through the worst of things and some of the best of human endeavours as well. Offering us all some hard-won wisdom on how to transcend the former and tend the latter, even achieve some remarkable outcomes at times, but perhaps above all, how to live well regardless of those outcomes. First up, then, it’s a privilege to share my conversation with Don Ceferino de Paz González. Don Cef was Mayor of Fray when I arrived offering my services, a gringo with, at that stage, no organisational or financial backing. Don Cef had not long been elected, only a few years after the Peace Accords that formally ended a bloody decades-long war. He was then part of the political party that emerged from the guerrilla resistance. A mere boy when he joined that resistance, he’d dodged death, rose through the ranks, and then in peace time, became Mayor not once, but twice. 21 years since I last saw him, we met at his home in Fray. He’d hardly changed, still looking sprightly at age 80. And generously, this proud, articulate, still optimistic Maya Achí elder, was up for a chat – full, frank and open. We sat out on the patio, late morning. The humidity and heat were on the rise amidst the lush green of these traditional Mayan tropical lowlands. And as we go, we drift deeper into personal terrain. And to take us out, he agrees to pick up the guitar. Today’s episode is also tribute to my late mentor, systems thinking pioneer and much-loved figure, Professor Frank Fisher, on the 82nd anniversary of his birth. Thanks again to Dana Scott for so generously translating the Spanish into English. Recorded 14 January 2025. See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Salta Montes, by Migra (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| De Guerrillero a Alcalde: Un líder Maya habla de la resistencia, la paz y desarrollando las condiciones para la vida | 30 Nov 2025 | 01:14:32 | |
NOTE: This version of this week’s episode is in Spanish. You'll find the English translated version in your podcast feed too. (Gracias a Dana ‘Patricio’ Scott por su generosa traducción.) Bienvenidos a una serie dentro de la serie desde Guatemala, Centroamérica: tres historias de tres hombres a los que admiro muchísimo en el mundo. Cada uno diferente, pero relacionado. Cada uno de una generación distinta. Y cada uno navegando las últimas dos décadas de forma distinta desde que pasé tiempo con ellos, en el municipio de Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Alta Verapaz. En ese sentido, esta es también la historia de un lugar. Un lugar que ha pasado por lo peor y también por lo mejor de la humanidad. Nos ofrece sabiduría adquirida con esfuerzo sobre cómo superar lo primero y cuidar lo segundo, incluso lograr resultados notables en ocasiones, pero quizás sobre todo, cómo vivir bien independientemente de esos resultados. Primero que nada, es un privilegio compartir mi conversación con Don Ceferino de Paz González. Don Ceferino es Maya Achí, y era alcalde de Fray cuando llegué a ofrecer mis servicios, un gringo sin, en ese momento, respaldo organizativo ni financiero. Don Cef había sido elegido hacía poco, apenas unos años después de los Acuerdos de Paz que pusieron fin formalmente a una sangrienta guerra de décadas. Por aquel entonces formaba parte del partido político surgido de la resistencia guerrillera. Siendo apenas un niño cuando se unió a esa resistencia, esquivó la muerte, ascendió en la jerarquía y, en tiempos de paz, llegó a ser alcalde no una, sino dos veces. 21 años después de la última vez que lo vi, nos reunimos en su casa de Fray. A sus 80 años, generosamente, este hombre orgulloso, elocuente y aún optimista, estaba dispuesto a charlar con sinceridad y franqueza. Nos sentamos en el patio. La humedad y el calor subían entre el verde de estas tradicionales tierras tropicales mayas. Y a medida que avanzamos, nos adentramos más en terreno personal. Y para terminar, acepta tocar la guitarra. El episodio de hoy también rinde homenaje a mi difunto mentor, pionero del pensamiento sistémico y figura muy querida, el profesor Frank Fisher, en el 82.º aniversario de su nacimiento. Grabado el 14 de enero de 2025. Vea más fotos en la página web del episodio y, para ver más del detrás de cámaras, conviértase en oyente colaborador a continuación. Música: Salta Montes, de Migra (fuente: Artlist). Regeneration, de Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Seeds, Stories & Sovereignty: A Walk Through Mayan Permaculture At Lake Atitlán | 23 Nov 2025 | 01:01:05 | |
Welcome to another very special series of episodes. This time, from my return to an old haunt back at the turn of the century, in beautiful current day Guatemala, Central America. Deep in the heart of Mayan Country and culture. To have the opportunity to share these with you here, is beyond what I ever imagined possible. I couldn’t be more grateful, including to Dana Scott for so generously translating and speaking the Spanish in English, for me to overdub for you here. A version of all four episodes in the series will go out in both Spanish and English. First up, a story I’m so glad to be able to share with you - a visit to the Meso-American Permaculture Institute on the shores of the world wonder called Lago de Atitlan (Lake Atitlan). You may have heard my conversation with Maria Inés Cuj and Rony Lec, current and former directors of the Institute, a few years ago in episode 113, when they won a major global award after 20+ years of trailblazing gutsy work. This time, we were fortunate to be able to visit in person, and be shown around this centre of ceremony, education and regeneration – a literal cross-cultural lifeline for the community, the lake, and beyond. Initially, I’d just had the phone recording going to capture our arrival, but it got interesting straight up, with Inés and her colleague Patrik Mucia so warmly welcoming us in their ceremonial ground (after we’d spent untold hours scrambling to catch 2 boats, 2 tuk tuks, and 1 pickup to get there). After that, Patrik takes us for a walk. This young Mayan man is a great communicator, including about his story - how the Institute prompted his return to Mayan culture and his introduction to permaculture. And while we walk, the gardens sing. Recorded 15 December 2024. Title slide: AJ and Patrik (by Olivia Cheng). See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Salta Montes, by Migra (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Semillas, Historias y Soberanía: Un recorrido por la permacultura Maya al Lago de Atitlán | 23 Nov 2025 | 01:02:35 | |
NOTE: This version of this week’s episode is in Spanish. You'll find the English translated version in your podcast feed too. Hoy lanzamos una nueva serie de episodios muy especiales. Esta vez, desde mi regreso a un lugar donde vivia a principios del siglo, en la hermosa Guatemala, Centroamérica. En pleno corazón de la cultura y tierra Maya. Para empezar, una visita al Instituto Mesoamericano de Permacultura, a orillas de la maravilla del mundo llamada Lago de Atitlán. Quizás recuerden mi conversación con María Inés Cuj y Rony Lec, director actual y anterior del Instituto, hace algunos años en el episodio 113, cuando recibieron un importante premio internacional tras más de 20 años de trabajo pionero y valiente. Esta vez, nos llenó de alegría poder visitar en persona este centro de ceremonias, educación y regeneración, un verdadero salvavidas intercultural para la comunidad, el lago y más allá. Al principio, solo tenía la grabación del teléfono para registrar nuestra llegada, pero la cosa se puso interesante enseguida, cuando Inés y su colega Patrik Mucia nos recibieron con tanta calidez en su espacio ceremonial. Después, Patrik nos lleve a dar un paseo. Este hombre Maya es un gran comunicador, incluso sobre su historia: cómo el Instituto impulsó su regreso a su cultura Maya, y su introducción a la permacultura. Y mientras caminamos, ¡los jardines cantan! Grabado por el 15 de Diciembre 2024. Foto principal: AJ y Patrik (por Olivia Cheng). Puedes ver más fotos en la página web del episodio en inglés y, para obtener más información detrás de escena, conviértete en oyente de apoyo a continuación. Música: Salta Montes, de Migra (fuente: Artlist). Regeneration, por Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Preview: A Return To Mayan Country to Launch Four Stories Of Regeneration | 22 Nov 2025 | 00:02:16 | |
Welcome to a preview of another very special series of episodes to end 2025. This time, from my return to an old haunt back at the turn of the century, in beautiful current day Guatemala, Central America. Deep in the heart of Mayan Country and culture. Among my blessings back then were cherished friendships with some dear people descendent of those ancient roots. And in the months we were back there earlier this year and late last, I had the chance to record four episodes. To have the opportunity to share these with you here, is beyond what I ever imagined possible. All translated by my dear friend in Baltimore who was with me in the latter part of my time in Guate, who you might remember from the recent episodes from Chaco Canyon in New Mexico (eps 264 and 5). With great thanks to Dana, a version of all four episodes will go out in both Spanish and English. It all starts tomorrow. I hope you’ll join us! Title slide: from the tour at IMAP (pic: Olivia Cheng). Music: Salta Montes, by Migra (sourced from Artlist). The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Avance: Un regreso a la tierra Maya para el lanzamiento de cuatro historias de regeneración | 22 Nov 2025 | 00:02:34 | |
Aquí les presento un adelanto del lanzamiento de una serie de episodios muy especial para finales de 2025. Esta vez, viene de mi regreso a un lugar en donde vivía yo a principios del siglo, en la hermosa Guatemala, Centroamérica. En pleno corazón de la cultura y tierra Maya. Entre las bendiciones que tuve entonces se encontraban amistades con personas queridas, descendientes de esas raíces ancestrales. Y durante los meses que pasamos allí a principios de este año y a finales del pasado, tuve la oportunidad de grabar cuatro episodios. Tener la oportunidad de compartir esto con ustedes aquí supera cualquier expectativa. Estoy sumamente agradecido. Y gracias a Dana ‘Patricio’ Scott, se emitirá una versión de los cuatro episodios en español e inglés. Todo empieza mañana. ¡Espero que nos acompañen! Foto: de la visita guiada en IMAP (por Olivia Cheng). Música: Salta Montes, de Migra (fuente: Artlist). The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| A Grounded Sonnet: In the flow of emotions after the festival | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:07:55 | |
One of the most rewarding parts of doing this podcast is hearing from listeners – from you. On this occasion, I heard from a listener who has also been a generous subscriber for a couple of years now. Vicky Winton is a credentialed archaeologist, with her own riveting story to tell. She graciously shared some of that story with me. I relay some of it here, though I’ll leave most of that telling to her some time. Here’s what I’d like to share from our correspondence, before I patch in what Vicki courageously sent me to share with you too. Vicky wrote: ‘Grounded left me feeling sad in ways I can’t put my finger on. Not sure what to make of such a response. Hopefully some kind of galvanising. Seems taboo to mention sadness, like it’s disloyal to the cause of sorting things out for the better. Defeatist.’ This started our exchange, which summed to this - Vicky humbly, reluctantly, generously agreeing to record her reading of a Sonnet she had composed in the wake of the festival. And a bit more besides. Title image: AJ, Heidi Mippy, Di & Ian Haggerty in the session at Grounded that became episode 281 (pic: Alan Benson). Music: Music by Jeremiah Johnson. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| A Superhuman Finale to Grounded Festival WA: The Nutrient Density Conundrum | 16 Nov 2025 | 00:55:39 | |
My host platform's automatic AI title suggestions for this episode were:
Gives you an idea. Today we conclude our series from the Grounded Festival here in Australia, with a grand finale of a different flavour. Festival founder, curator, farmer, writer, broadcaster, Matthew Evans, had offered the slot to Dan Kittredge, also a farmer, and globally renowned advocate for nutrient density (you may have heard him on the podcast for episode 250 while we were still in his native US). Dan subsequently suggested to Matthew they do something different – that Matthew join Dan on stage, to challenge him a little. Matthew then turned to me to see if I’d round out the unholy trinity, in case Dan got out of hand (not really … well, maybe). Anyway, what everyone who was there that day all agreed on, was that this turned out to be a riot – a grounded, cosmic, hysterical end to a wonderful festival. And no one was spared. Let’s head back to Galloway Springs Farm near Bridgetown WA, one more time. Recorded 20 September 2025. Title image: AJ, Matthew & Dan on stage (pic: Alan Benson). See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Early bird tix for Grounded 2026 are out now, with a 10% discount for podcast subscribers, with thanks again to the festival team (I’ve sent the code to you on Patreon and Substack). Music: Rowdy, by The Lonely Ramblers (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Big Things Are Changing: West Australians of the Year at Grounded 2025 | 09 Nov 2025 | 00:58:28 | |
Continuing our series today from Grounded Festival here in Australia, a conversation with West Australians of the Year, pioneers of Natural Intelligence Farming, and so much more beyond the farm, Dianne and Ian Haggerty. We talk about what it’s been like being West Aussies of the Year, and farmers. And go from there, once again, into some emotional and hilarious exchanges, on what’s emerging from the year, how different things feel now, and the call to all parties to rally now towards some bigger visions. Weaved into all that, we also further explore the incredible week that was here in WA, including their three big events: from the launch of a new Alliance at Government House, to a tour on-farm ahead of the Regenerating Food Systems conference (featured on the podcast in recent weeks), through to their first enormous community showcase event. As it happens, the new Alliance you’ll hear about has its first development workshop today – so more on that soon. There was so much to talk about. Let’s head back to the sun-drenched green of Galloway Springs farm. Recorded 20 September 2025. Title image: AJ, Di and Ian on stage (pic: Alan Benson). See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Rowdy, by The Lonely Ramblers (sourced from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Where Knowledge Systems Meet, Country Heals: A Panel at Grounded Festival WA | 02 Nov 2025 | 01:00:10 | |
Straight after the Regenerating Food Systems conference you’ve been hearing from in recent weeks, we headed south for the Grounded Festival. It was my privilege to host proceedings there on the last day, in one of the two marquees by the lake, on the wonderful Galloway Springs Farm near Bridgetown. There were three panel conversations there that the team at Grounded has generously allowed me to share here. Those panels happened to be such emotional, substantial and funny pinnacles of what had been an extraordinary week as a whole here in WA – from Government House, through the conference at the city Stadium, to this festival in the field. These panel conversations offer something of a debrief on the week, some significant early outcomes and resolutions, and the spirit that had summed along the way. First up, then, the morning panel, still reverberating for many, featuring three people who had been at the three major events – and some others - through the week:
On the topic of First Nations Integration into the Food System. And how this yarn builds. Recorded 20 September 2025. Title image: AJ, Heidi, Di and Ian on stage (pic: Alan Benson). See more photos on the episode web page, including the illustration by Brenna Quinlan, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. If you’d like to see that image of the Wagyl on Heidi’s first visit to the Haggerty farm, head to episode 143. Music: Barefoot, by Mark Grundhoefer (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| It Doesn't Matter What You Call Yourself: Closing the day at the Regenerative Food Systems Conference | 26 Oct 2025 | 00:13:22 | |
Last week’s episode and bonus extra featured the first panel conversation and my MC's introduction, respectively, to the Regenerative Food Systems conference hosted by RegenWA last month at Perth Stadium. Today, a final brief instalment from that event – a summary of all that happened during day one. With a little experiment. I was relieved and grateful when a bunch of people came up to me afterwards to say how much they appreciated that experiment. One person I respect even asked if they could access a recording of it. Well, there was a recording, and you’re listening to a podcaster after all, so maybe it could be podcast fodder. Could be a good way to share a taste of what went down with you. It sure was an outstanding day. So I gave it a listen back (thanks to RegenWA), and on balance, it got the green light. As always, you’ll let me know if it shouldn’t have. But here it is. My ten-minute close to day one of the Regenerative Food Systems Conference. Here’s the conference program if you feel like tracing who I’m referencing throughout. For more from both days, you can read RegenWA’s written debrief, standby for their release of other recordings, and of course listen to last week’s episodes. Recorded 17 September 2025. Title image by Alex Hawkins from Simple Ben Stories. For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Beat Blitz by Sunny Fruit (sourced from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| When the Unthinkable Becomes Possible: A Short Story | 23 Oct 2025 | 00:07:48 | |
Welcome to this brief bonus extra to episode 279, which featured a very special panel conversation from the recent Regenerating Food Systems conference. Now you might ask, why would anyone who wasn’t at the conference want to hear my MC’s introduction to it? Well, if you’re interested in some of the story of the conference, the movement in Western Australia generally, RegenWA in particular, including its moving roots, some of the rest of what became an incredible week of events in WA, from Government House, through the conference, to Grounded Festival and more - and maybe even some of the story of how I came to be connected to all this at about the same time RegenWA started – then here’s the short version for you. All of six or seven minutes. With the Governor of WA and his wife, former Ministers, current MPs, and 300 others filling the room at Perth Stadium last month. Recorded 17 September 2025. Title slide: Introducing the conference, with the Governor of WA in the front row (from the film by Alex Hawkins of Simple Ben Stories). See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Music by Jeremiah Johnson. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Soil To Soul: The first panel from the Regenerating Food Systems conference | 21 Oct 2025 | 00:46:03 | |
Ever since the extraordinary week of events here in Western Australia last month, from a reception at Government House for former podcast guests and current West Australians of the Year, Di and Ian Haggerty, through to the 2-day Regenerating Food Systems conference at Perth Stadium, and on to the 2-day Grounded Festival down south near Bridgetown, and plenty more besides, I’ve been wondering what might hold up to share with you here on the podcast. In short, I’ve got a few things you might enjoy hearing. Starting today, with the very first panel of the Regenerating Food Systems conference (with thanks to the team at RegenWA). It features five special guests: prominent writer, broadcaster, chef turned farmer, and founder of Grounded Festival Matthew Evans, globally renowned plant and soil health educator and consultant Joel Williams, nationally recognised Indigenous leader and regenerative land manager Oral McGuire, award-winning farmer and RegenWA Chair Stuart McAlpine, and soil and gut microbiome researcher Dr Craig Liddicoat (yes, mighty men's business - mighty women's business closed the day). I start by asking each of our guests for fire starters, and it takes off from there. Recorded 17 September 2025. Title image: AJ, Matthew, Joel, Oral, Stuart and Craig (pic: Paolo Sulit). See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Find more: RegenWA’s written debrief on the conference. The WA Governor's introduction of the conference. Oral McGuire's appearance on SBS News. Music: Citadel by Ardie Son (sourced from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Bring Them Home: A film screening sparks a raw, heartfelt Q&A at a Denver premiere | 16 Oct 2025 | 00:28:08 | |
Welcome to one final special offering for you to round out the series recorded at Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation, in current day northern Montana. When the documentary film that culminated at Chief Mountain, Bring Them Home, was screened at the Regenerate Conference in Denver last year, while on its award-winning international film festival circuit, co-director Daniel Glick and producer Melissa Grumhaus from Thunderheart Films were there. The film charts the decades-long story leading to the return of buffalo to the wild for the first time in over a century. And it’s narrated by Oscar-nominated Blackfeet woman, Lily Gladstone. So in the emotion of the moment, I recorded the 25 minute Q&A with Daniel and Melissa on my phone, just for myself, and asked them afterwards if they’d be up for doing a podcast on this. Thankfully they were. But when I listened back to the Q&A, it was all there. Succinct, in the moment, and profound – talking about the film’s story, and their own. I was able to ask a couple of the questions too, that more or less bookend it. So I checked with Melissa if she’d be happy if we just ran this, and thankfully she was. Recorded 6 November 2024. See photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Find more: Film trailer, screenings & streaming. The 18-minute short film directed by Daniel in 2016 that led to the feature film (which was also co-directed by Blackfeet filmmakers Ivan & Ivy MacDonald). For more of the story, head to the 2-part podcast series produced on Blackfeet Country, episodes 276, Culture as Medicine, and 277, Chief Mountain. Music: Bring Them Home, by Foreshadow feat. Ksk'staak'iinna (Official Music Video). Home Journey, by Semo, Ian Post (sourced on Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Chief Mountain: A Great Coming Home, with Andrew Berger & Kim Paul | 13 Oct 2025 | 01:25:01 | |
Last week featured a very special on-location episode with Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet elder, and founder of the Piikani Lodge Health Institute, Long Time Charging Woman Kim Paul. That was our first day together, visiting some of the places Kim holds most dear on spectacular Blackfeet Country in current day northern Montana, all while sharing some breathtaking stories about her life and work. We left off that episode hearing the story of how Piikani Lodge came to be, and the support that started to serendipitously kick in. Back at the house that night, Andrew Berger turned up. He’s the Director of Agriculture and Climate Adaptation Programs at Piikani Lodge. Based in Baltimore, he’s a landscape architect who cut his teeth in New Mexico on water rights and planning, which fortuidously led him to Piikani Lodge in its relatively early days. And he’s found himself pivotal to the big vision Kim talked about last time, on their latest reacquired land, while he also works with that increasing number (almost half of them so far) of the landholders and farmers improving their land management and production. So the next day, Kim and Andrew kindly offered to take us out to the sacred sentinel that is Chief Mountain. Which was also where the closing scenes to the new award-winning documentary I talked about last week, Bring Them Home, were filmed, as buffalo were returned to the wild for the first time in over a century. So join me as I climb in with Andrew to hear how he’s seeing this country, the work of Piikani Lodge, and his role in it all. We’re to meet up with Kim at Chief Mountain. And the day goes on to culminate with an unforgettable wild encounter, while it starts with an heroic story, and more breaking news, straight out of the gate. Recorded 11 July 2025. Title image: Andrew, Kim & AJ by the Medicine Wheel (pic: Olivia Cheng). See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes become a supporting listener below. Btw, at the last location in this ep, it was Pearl Jam’s bassist. Music: Flight of the Inner Bird, by Yehezkel Raz feat. Sivan Talmor (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| The Piikani Lodge Story (Part 2 with Kim Paul): Founding Piikani Lodge, big shifts & an invitation | 08 Oct 2025 | 01:21:18 | |
Last week's episode featured a special on-location recording with Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet elder, and founder of the Piikani Lodge Health Institute, Long Time Charging Woman Kim Paul. Again, given it was two and a half hours in length, I also wanted to offer it in distinct parts, for those of you who prefer to listen to it that way. In this case, two parts presented themselves neatly. Part one was released earlier this week. And part two here extends from the big shifts Kim sees happening, through to the serendipitous and unlikely story of how Piikani Lodge came to be, along with an invitation to all. Weaved through all that is a brilliant new program for youth, the place of animals, hunting meat in their culture, the huge Powwow, hopes for co-management of Glacier National Park, recovering Piikani names, more transformational tales, including a pivotal workshop with Robin Wall Kimmerer, the drive for the next infrastructure to leverage positive change, culture as (preventative) medicine, and visits to some of the places Kim holds most dear, here on spectacular Blackfeet Country in current day northern Montana. If you’d prefer to listen to the whole episode straight, head to ‘Culture as Medicine: Long Time Charging Woman Kim Paul at Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation’. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this. And thanks for listening. Recorded 10 July 2025. See some photos on the full episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. More on the campaign Mika Matters. Music: Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Receiving Thunder (Part 1 with Kim Paul): Reclaiming land, health & culture | 05 Oct 2025 | 01:09:59 | |
Last week's episode featured a special on-location recording with Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet elder, and founder of the Piikani Lodge Health Institute, Long Time Charging Woman Kim Paul. Again, given it was two and a half hours in length, I also wanted to offer it in distinct parts, for those of you who prefer to listen to it that way. In this case, two parts presented themselves neatly. In fact, when producing the full episode, I had to stop after an hour and a bit to absorb all that had been shared to that point, especially the last 15 minutes of gripping story there (from which the title to part one here is drawn). So, part one here extends from my intro (with music Into Thin Air by Hans Johnson), through to that story. Including breaking news of their latest reacquired land and the big vision unfolding there, the extraordinary regenerative agriculture resurgence across the Nation (including the return of the buffalo), broader food sovereignty and enterprise moves, compelling traditional diet research, Kim’s personal stories of her tribal naming and mysterious encounters, a bigger lens to bring to the troubles of today, and of course along the way, we were treated to the spectacular vistas and stories of this breathtaking part of the world in current day northern Montana. If you’d prefer to listen to the whole episode straight, head to ‘Culture as Medicine: Long Time Charging Woman Kim Paul at Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation’. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this, and stay tuned in a few days for part two. Recorded 10 July 2025. Title image: Kim sharing the gripping story towards the end of part one that gives it its title (pic: Olivia Cheng). (Yes, this was all so impromptu, the phone was the unintended recorder - though I did have my wireless lapel mic's to plug in when outside in the wind thankfully.) See more photos on the full episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. More on the campaign Mika Matters. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Culture as Medicine: Long Time Charging Woman Kim Paul at Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation | 30 Sep 2025 | 02:31:18 | |
Today, an extremely special episode. After we left the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative in Wyoming, but before we reached Paul Hawken back in California, there was one more stop we had to make. Or so we thought. For having made it to the Old Salt Festival (podcast about back in Montana last year), we met a special guest speaker there, Miisami Sapai yi Aki / Long Time Charging Woman, Kim Paul, an elder of Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation. Kim is founder and ED of Piikani Lodge Health Institute. I already knew about some of its brilliant work, having read Liz Carlisle’s profound book Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming. And then I’d seen the impressive Latrice Tatsey (who featured in Liz’s book) present at the Regenerate Conference in Denver last November, which was also where the extraordinary documentary film Bring Them Home, on the Blackfeet buffalo restoration, was screened. Those resurgent Blackfeet stories had felt like they were constant accompaniment on our journey. So I’d lightly wondered if we might end up visiting them and their spectacular country in the far north of Montana (historically and essentially still including current day Glacier National Park). Alas, it looked like it wasn’t going to happen. But then, Kim - this high school drop-out, now with multiple degrees, who carries the Siyeh Ksisk Staki creation bundle and pipes, and was transferred the rights to wear the traditional stand up warbonnet. We met after her presentation at the festival, and she warmly invited us to visit as they approached their Powwow in July. We pick up our time together with Kim at the Nation’s latest reacquired land, where Piikani Lodge has a big dream unfolding. Recorded 10 July 2025. For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Into Thin Air, by Hans Johnson (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Tim Winton: With Ningaloo’s first kids book (& other big news) | 24 Sep 2025 | 00:35:16 | |
Tim Winton is regarded by many as the preeminent Australian writer of his generation. His awards could almost fill a book themselves now. And he’s come to Boorloo / Perth today to launch his first picture book in more than 20 years, and the first non-fiction picture book for children about Ningaloo reef, the world heritage treasure a thousand kilometres and some north of us here. It’s called Ningaloo: Australia’s Wild Wonder, spectacularly illustrated by award-winning Perth local Cindy Lane. And as it happens, it launches at the best and worst of times up at the reef. Join me at the legendary local independent publisher Fremantle Press, for a chat with Tim about it all. And if you happen to be in Perth ... ‘Ningaloo: Australia’s Wild Wonder’ will be launched in Perth tonight with the founder of the Telethon Kids Institute, former Australian of the Year, and Australian Living Treasure, epidemiologist Professor Fiona Stanley. The book can be pre-ordered now, and will be in stores from the first week of October. And if you happen to feel like hearing more of Tim and I in conversation, head to episode 162 on the extraordinary documentary about Ningaloo that Tim spearheaded a couple of years ago, and maybe even episode 17, way back in the beginning, just after the launch of the feature film adapted from his book Breath. Recorded 24 September 2025. Title image: the book cover (supplied). For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Tyson Yunkaporta: A laugh, a cry & a touchstone | 16 Sep 2025 | 00:17:30 | |
This still feels like the funniest story told on the podcast over its eight and some years now. And right up there among the most moving too. I still laugh out loud when I think about the end of my yarn with Tyson Yunkaporta back in episode 70, when I asked him about his music story. And the emotions that surged in a touchstone moment just prior to that have been the subject of many a chat since. Funnily enough, I couldn’t actually remember that one followed the other. So here’s the last 15 minutes or so of my time with Tyson for episode 70 back in 2020. Welcome to the 9th instalment of Vignettes from the Source, the new short form series featuring some of the unforgettable, transformative and often inexplicable moments my guests have shared over the years. Indeed, this one hits all three of those marks, and was front of mind when deciding to create this series. Tyson belongs to the Apalech Clan from Western Cape York in far north Queensland, with community/cultural ties all over Australia. He is the author multiple books, including Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World. He’s also a poet and artist carving traditional tools and weapons, processes that were central to writing the book. If you’d like to hear or revisit this conversation in full, head to episode 70 – ‘Sand Talk: Indigenous thinking, saving the world & living creation’ (there are a bunch of links in those show notes too, and a very special photo from this conversation on that episode website). Right now, we’re in the thick of the unprecedented series of international events that have gravitated together between Perth, the wheatbelt and Bridgetown here in WA. I’ll look forward to sharing some of what happens with you all afterwards, especially for those who can’t get here. For now, I hope you enjoy revisiting this one with Tyson. Originally recorded 13 August 2020, and released 14 September 2025. Title image supplied. For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener via the links below. Music: Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| He Could Have His Ridiculous Festival: A Grounded vignette with Matthew Evans & Sadie Chrestman | 09 Sep 2025 | 00:20:59 | |
We’re just days away now from what’s been loosely dubbed ‘Regen Week’ over here in WA, an unprecedented series of international events that have gravitated together between Perth, the wheatbelt and Bridgetown. I’ll look forward to sharing some of what happens with you all afterwards, especially for those who can’t get here. Right now, though, on the back of last week’s episode focused on the centrepiece of the week, RegenWA’s major conference at Perth Stadium, it felt irresistible to release this excerpt in anticipation of the climax to the week – the first Grounded Festival in WA. Welcome to the 8th instalment of Vignettes from the Source, the new short form series featuring some of the unforgettable, transformative and often inexplicable moments my guests have shared over the years. This vignette is drawn from the conversation I had with farmer, author and founder of Grounded, Matthew Evans, and his partner, farmer and teacher, Sadie Chrestman, just after the very first Grounded had been staged at their place, Fat Pig Farm, in Tasmania last December. We pick it up with Matthew a little over ten minutes in, before Sadie joins us five minutes later. It was raw, fun, and so endearingly candid. Unforgettable, really. So, on the cusp of the next edition of the festival, here’s 15 minutes with Matthew and Sadie – followed by five minutes of extraordinary music alongside a story about how it played out at that first festival. If you’d like to hear or revisit this conversation in full, head to episode 247 – ‘Celebrating Grounded Festival: Behind the scenes’ (there are a bunch of links in those show notes too, and a very special photo from this conversation on that episode website). Originally recorded 18 December 2024, and released 5 February 2025. Title image sourced here. For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener via the links below. Music: My Mother, The Mountain, by Claire Anne Taylor. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Instigating an International Convergence in WA: With RegenWA Chair, Stuart McAlpine | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:36:11 | |
It’s fitting that my first Aussie guest back home would be this bloke. Stuart McAlpine is a multiple award winning wheatbelt farmer over here in WA, who’s just been named as a finalist in the prestigious national Bob Hawke LandCare Award. I’ve long looked forward to having him on the podcast, having met him as part of the group that organised the first major RegenWA conference staged at Perth Stadium back in 2019 (it was my honour to be MC for that group of people). Six years on, we’re on the cusp of RegenWA’s second major conference (Regenerating Food Systems), back at Perth Stadium, and I couldn’t have said ‘yes, I’ll be home for this’ quick enough, when invited to be MC again. This time around, the conference will feature two days not one, and a full week of satellite events have spontaneously gravitated to its orbit. And this time, RegenWA is running its conference having become an independent not for profit organisation, with Stuart as its inaugural Chair. He’s also been a paid subscriber of this podcast for nearly four years, so you can imagine how humbling that is. Ideally, of course, we’d be at the farm. But given we’ve just got home from a big journey with the pod, and given the conference, satellite events and award announcement are just a couple of weeks away now, we thought we’d jump online for a quick yarn to help gear up for this potentially pivotal moment in time. Recorded 2 September 2025. Title image from RegenWA's website. For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: Against All Odds, by Tiko Tiko (sourced from Artlist). Country Cousins, by Stuart McAlpine. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| Murujuga Achieves World Heritage Status: And a Complex Celebration | 26 Aug 2025 | 00:18:10 | |
After years of work led by traditional custodians, Murujuga on the north-west coast of Australia became a World Heritage listed site last month, with its ancient rock art recognised as a ‘masterpiece of human creative genius’. You might remember our visit there, in the heat of December 2021, when I spoke with Clinton Walker, Ngarluma/Yindjibarndi man, Traditional Custodian of Murujuga, and CEO and Founder of the award-winning Ngurrangga Tours. I was actually only able to release the conversation in full for the first time in January this year. And while more than one million petroglyphs, some dating back about 40,000 years, should have meant the judgement was as near a shoe-in as possible, industry expansion plans were creating tension. In the end, the Australian government managed to negotiate to have its cake and eat it too, achieving both World Heritage and industry expansion for the area. It’s a moment of undeniable and deserved celebration, and yet the tensions remain about the limits of protection World Heritage might afford. Welcome to the 7th instalment of Vignettes from the Source, the short form series featuring some of the unforgettable, transformative and often inexplicable moments my guests have shared over the years. We pick up this 15 minute slice of the conversation with Clinton about seven minutes into the full episode. It forms a powerful snap shot of the place, why it is now World Heritage listed, what it means to the people there, and the uncertainly that remains. If you’d like to hear or revisit this conversation in full, including Clinton’s brilliant story, head to episode 245 – ‘Cultural Economies at the Greatest Rock Art Gallery in the World’ (links in the show notes, and photos on the website of the original partial release for episode 109). Recorded at Murujuga, 13 December 2021. Title image: Clinton at Hearson’s Cove (pic: Anthony James). Music: Stones & Bones, by Owls of the Swamp. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||
| The Seed that Needs Fire: Paul Hawken on Why the Climate Movement Failed & What Now | 19 Aug 2025 | 01:16:27 | |
Back on Earth Day in April 2024, we started our journey of the Americas with friend of the podcast, legendary best-selling author, Paul Hawken. It was just ahead of the release of his latest book, Carbon: The Book of Life. So we recorded a podcast in his incredible garden about it (along with some other life story stuff). Later we thought it could be good to record a pod just walking and talking around the steeply sloped streets of his local neighbourhood, among the redwoods - see what this tallest of tree species had to say too. Alas, with both our travels at the time, we didn’t get to it. But having managed to return to northern California a few weeks ago, ahead of flying back to Australia, we did. And as it happens, Paul’s next book is in full flow. Working title? 'Upstream: Why the climate movement failed and where to from here'. Given this is by the bloke who compiled best-selling volumes Drawdown and Regeneration, this seemed as good a place to start as any - after the redwoods introduce themselves. And after arriving at a powerful analogy for our times, we converge at the end on, well, the wisdom of Dolly Parton. Recorded 26 July 2025. Title slide photo by Olivia Cheng. For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. Music: The River, by Peter Cavallo (sourced on Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests. The RegenNarration is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep the show on the road, and gain access to a great community and some exclusive benefits - on Patreon or Substack (where you'll also find my writing). You can also donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal. I hope to see you at an event, and even The RegenNarration shop. And thanks for sharing! | |||