Times are tough. I talked with a recruiter friend the other day and there are >40 people in my field in our local job market that he knows that are looking for work. And those are just the ones that he knows. Build something for yourself. It’s basic prepping. Build your side hustle. Multiple streams of income. In this episode I will share tips on h…

Andy Hickman (shagbark_hick on Twitter) shares his new adventures. Andy was on on Ep. 83 - You're Gonna Make it. His video "You're Gonna Make it" is still the most encouraging video I have ever seen, and still puts a smile on my face. Andy has a big Summer planned: He is getting married to Keturah in June, with a wedding in the woods of upstate NY,…

New health challenges require Homestead Padre to rethink and redesign his garden to adapt to those changes. After some health issues, Homestead Padre and his wife are adopting the Mediterranean Diet. Padre shares about IBS and Crohn's Disease. Unlike American Italian Food, the Mediterranean Diet is heavy emphasis on vegetables, seafood, lean meats,…

Try to go without your phone for a few hours, or even the whole day. Like most people, I reach for my phone when there is any break in the conversation, when a commercial comes on TV, or when I am even slightly bored. This episode will empower you with some tips to reduce your screen use - and reclaim your life. Phone Settings to Fight Screen Addic…

Scott the Little Pine Farmer on Twitter is back with me and we are talking about his bakery and how he favors "Why don't you come down to this market or deliver to the boutique in the city? We want to feed our neighborhood first." Scott the Little Pine Farmer It's all about the goal: "The overarching goal is to stay home, produce value, and have pe…

Grow Food, Not Lawns How to Create a new garden bed with Milpa How you create a new garden bed depends on what time of the year it is. Most people sheet mulch by covering an area with cardboard, then layers of compost and woodchips. This works well, but only if you do it in the Fall AND you get lots of rain in the Winter to break down the cardboard…

You don't hear this permaculture message very often: Start Simple. Usually people are watching videos of Geoff Lawton and planning swales and dams and grafting, and... Cormac Harkin of Vine Permaculture starts his consults with basic questions: What do you like to eat? What kind of time do you have during the week to devote to a garden. (if you spe…

Joseph Lofthouse is the author of Landrace Gardening: Food Security through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination. Landrace gardening is adapting crops to your land and climate, and then saving seeds, while also selecting for the best flavor, color, and pest and disease resistance. Joseph lives in the high mountains of Utah - a mountain valley w…

A lot of people are talking about Civil War lately. There is even a big budget movie coming out in April 2024 that depicts CW2. In the movie trailer a guy in camo points a rifle at the main characters, journalists, and says, "What kind of American are you?" That clip from the movie trailer has become a meme online, especially on Twitter. "What kind…

Positive Solutions in a Tough Labor Market You are in a social gathering, like church or some other social function, and the question comes up: "What do you do?" (for a living). How do you respond? Most people answer: "I am (this role) at XYZ company". But what is that really saying? You have boxed yourself into a role. And you (perhaps inadvertent…

In this episode, John McCoy and I discuss creating content and building your own brand. John McCoy is a freelance blogger and owner of JustEnoughSEO.com. John was on Ep. 75 - How to Reinvent Yourself as Freelancer. "Time is the most precious asset that I have. And I decided that my time needed to go into building my own brand, not their brand. Nume…

You're looking for a side hustle. What if you could buy a mini business that already has a website created for you? Flippa is an auction site to buy websites. It is similar to eBay - everything is an auction. There are two types of sites on Flippa: Startup site: This site does not have any traffic, or very little. It does not have any significant i…

Tips on Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet and other ways to deal with Hashimoto's - from our own personal experiences. Ryan Mitchel Brown joins me to talk about Hashimotos Autoimmune Disease, AIP Diet. I have Hashimoto's Autoimmune Disease - where the body attacks the thyroid. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune thyroid disease leading to progres…

How to develop skills while doing your side hustle. Toolman Tim and I talk about how to develop skills while doing your side hustle. Lots of side hustle tips in this episode! It was -46 in Canada in mid-January. What it is like living in a mobile home in -46. Note that Celsius and Fahrenheit merge at -40. Skills Over Stuff Practice with your equipm…

Clint from FAFO Farms shares how he started regenerative farming a little over a year ago using the Joel Salatin method, by rotationally grazing cows, chickens, and goats. They have a farmshare, providing raw milk to their members. When they were looking for land, their criteria was at least 20 acres, access to water or a creek, and fertile land fo…

Tips on How to Handle Imposter Syndrome...and January. It's the doldrums of January. Christmas has passed. Deer season is over and I didn't get a deer Although I love the snow. I can't do anything when it's zero degrees outside and 25 mph wind like it is today. After shoveling 2 foot snow drifts on 60 feet of driveway, it has now drifted over again…

With Brendan from Posterity Ciderworks Brendan from Posterity Ciderworks tells stories of how he finds neglected heirloom apple trees on long forgotten homesteads in California and uses them in his cider. His adventures are like watching an apple treasure hunt reality show. Quince - the Homesteaders Secret - Did you know that heritage homesteads ha…

Homestead Padre and Grant Payne join me and we share our Christmas memories and traditions. Our memories are at times bittersweet. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. For Homestead Padre and his family, their holiday season starts when eggnog becomes available in the store. They put their tree up in October. They also celebrate Hannukah. In …

Why would a tattooed atheist Texas firefighter become an Orthodox Christian? Buck Johnson from the Counter Flow Podcast joins me as we share our stories. Why are so many of the people that we know becoming Orthodox? Is there some connection between libertarianism and Orthodox Christianity? Some (jokingly?) call it the "libertarian to Orthodox pipel…

"My father in law has a saying: 'you can do anything you want, but you can't do everything you want. There's always an opportunity cost and tradeoff for the things that you do or don't do.'" John Sutton from Sutton Homestead joins me and shares about their homesteading on 7 acres in Eastern idaho. "Homesteading is a lifestyle we love to live, food …

Sometimes it takes a Holler Neighborhood. Nicole Sauce from Living Free In Tennessee and NicoleSauce.com shares that people that knew Nicole from workshops, her podcast, and online community moved into the holler neighborhood. They established a neighborhood culture where they share a common vision and goals and do projects together and watch out a…

Matt from FarmHopLife Podcast (FarmHopLife.com) joins me as we talk about developing patience. Figuring out the pace of others. It requires putting in the reps. Be patient so you don't have to do it twice. Become financially patient. Being patient is being risk adverse. Do you do a lot of little things all at once? Learn when to go 100% on one thin…

How would you Thrive in WW2-style rationing of food and fuel? Christopher de Vidal from SecureCoop.com joins me to discuss. First, we discuss his homesteading in Florida. Check out the website for pics of Christopher's homestead. Then at 17:00 we dive into the topic: We are inarguably in wars that could become a world war. And our leaders regularly…

This is Part 2 of the conversation with Grant on How to Build a Nursery Side Hustle. This episode has tips that you can also use on your homestead to save and propagate trees and plants, with enough abundance to sell the extras. Propagation - from cuttings - elderberry, mulberry, figs, berries, and discarded trims from nursery plants. Did you know …

How to propagate your own trees, plants, and flowers for free, and sell the extras as a side hustle. Learn skills while using your abundance. This is a Master Class on how to build a Nursery Side Hustle, with trees, plants, and flowers. It has tips that you can also use on your homestead to save and propagate trees and plants. Propagation - from se…

Kerry Brown from StrongRootsResources.com joins me to talk about his move from urban homesteading to his family's land and how he setup a permaculture consulting business. Moving from a mindset where your land and home is a source of production instead of just consumption. "Building resilience from the ground up." He has done everything from swales…

Crisis is a Decision Point. Did you Just Fail the Test? On Oct-4-2023, there was a national test of the Emergency Broadcast System, on phones and on TV. Shouldn't be a big deal. But on Twitter and even on some homesteading groups that I follow, they were abuzz with fears that "this is going to activate something" through 5G. Even the people who are…

My friend Eric walks through his thought process as he re-evaluates his side hustle at the 1 year mark. After 1 year, if the side hustle is not generating revenue, all those entry level fees (hosting, etc.) go up. So that is a decision point whether you are going to exit or change things up. Eric was last on Ep. 55 - How to Recession proof Your Job…

Stay Positive by Designing an Intentional LifeShudra, Homestead Padre, and Grant Payne join me on the Thriving Community Call this month to talk about their tips for staying positive in a negative world: Shudra: "Just get goats. You'll never be unhappy again. You'll be angry, you'll be frustrated, you'll be vengeful, but you'll never be unhappy aga…

Tips on Crafting Apple Cider, Apple Propagation, and Apple Grafting. More detail than most books! How did the Sept. Regional Catholic Land Movement Conference go? We deep dive on Mike's apple cider steps: He ferments English bittersweet apples in oak barrels with natural yeast. Barrel prep with a cold water rinse and cold water swell. Fill the barr…

Shudra is back and we discuss the solution to the recent "emergencies":New virus? Plant trees Cultivate gardens Tend livestock Bank limiting your cash withdrawals? Plant trees Cultivate gardens Tend livestock Aliens in the news? Plant trees Cultivate gardens Tend livestock We also discuss aquaponics and his recent article on Thriver.News: Homestead…

Do You Feel Like Quitting? It's Sept. It's still hot. My Fall garden lettuce and greens will not germinate in this heat. I may run out of growing time before the first frost. For my wife, Feb and March are the worst times. The horses are covered in mud and it seems like it will never end. Tips for when you feel like quitting - how to come back? Fai…

After two years and almost 100 episodes, we discuss how our views of community have changed. In Ep. 1 of the podcast Perpend and I discussed what is necessary for successful community: Worldview Skin in the game/Proof of Work Proximity Common purpose Common culture Are you doing community or just networking? Networking can be transactional and extr…

The Catholic Land Movement is a colloquial network of Catholic homesteaders who are looking to support one another educationally through fellowship and mutual aid with focusing on Catholic liturgical life as the center of those homesteading activities. They are a network of chapters in Catholic parishes nation wide, who host workshops, coordinate w…

Ryan Mitchel Brown from Decentralized Radio Podcast shares about his health journey through autoimmune disease. We talk about Low-T, coming back from an eating disorder with the Carnivore diet, the importance of light therapy, limiting blue light to get the best sleep. Disclaimer: This relates a personal health journey and is not specific medical a…

Will Horvath from PermacultureApprentice.com joins to discuss Permaculture Type 1 Errors - in your design and implementation that you regret. Type 1 errors cost you money, time, and decreased return or increased effort. Some of the Type 1 errors that we discuss: Install a pond in the wrong location. Using the STUN method on grafted apple trees and …

Andrew Funk, the host of the Royal Path Podcast, joins Perpend and I to talk about Thriving in the Ordinary and Mundane. First a definition: mun·dane 1. lacking interest or excitement; dull. 2. of this earthly world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one. "the boundaries of the mundane world" "Are you for real or are you going through the motions?…

Homestead Chat Pt. 2. - Grant Payne joins Homestead Padre and I as we share stories of abundance, and chat about piglets, Grant's plans for his nursery, building his side hustle by growing plants from discarded cuttings at the local nursery. Episode website: https://thrivingthefuture.com/homestead-chat2 If you like this unique topic, shoot us a tip…

This week is a homestead chat with Homestead Padre. We talk about the challenges of gardening in the summer in Mississippi, adventures in the farmer's market, foraging, Grant Payne joins us next week for Pt. 2 of the Homestead Chat. Episode website: https://thrivingthefuture.com/homestead-chat1 If you like this unique topic, shoot us a tip on Venmo…

We had a question for Perpend from the Cosmology vs. Worldview episode on "how do you handle not knowing?" (Perpend is on a monastic path, to be a monk, and doesn't know what the future holds or where he will end up). Not knowing is more relevant to your situation than you may realize because each SHTF situation is not knowing - lost job, health ch…

Are you a "Yes" Man? Are you always over-extended? Do you have difficulty saying "No" to family, friends, and at work? Learn the Skill of saying "No". Set boundaries or all of your time will be taken by others. Speak the language of the person that you are talking to. Everything is a negotiation. Are you interested but the timing is not right? Shou…

This is part 2 of the discussion with Perpend on Cosmology and Worldview. We discuss Ep. 74 – Crisis is a Decision Point – with Cyprian and Perpend takes Cyprian’s #BuildtheArk- 1 step farther to #BeAnArkBuilder. We talk about life and death, celebration of life ceremonies, and funerals from an Orthodox perspective. It is a deep conversation, and i…

Perpend shares about his monastic journey, life, death, & homesteading. What is your cosmology and eschaton, and how does that define (and is different from) your worldview? We discuss Ep. 74 - "Crisis is a Decision Point - with Cyprian" ThrivingtheFuture.com/crisis and Perpend takes Cyprian's #BuildtheArk - 1 step farther. This is part 1 of what w…

Geoffrey Long from Long Story Farms joins me to discuss raising pigs, and selling pork at the farmer's market - even being known as "the Sausage Man". His food forest and lessons learned running chickens tractors through his food forest and the resulting effect on weed succession. The challenges as a small meat producer at the farmer's market. Buil…

At the core, thriving is often more about mindset than about homesteading and gardening. If you don't have the appropriate mindset then the rest doesn't fall into place. Randy from the Adirondacks in Upstate NY joins me to talk about his video on Twitter: "You're Gonna Make it". https://twitter.com/shagbark_hick/status/1636460753061306368?s=20 I fo…

It's mid-May. I've already planted 90 plus plants. I've already had some transplanted grafted trees fail - cedar, apple, rust gets them, even if the book says that this variety should be resistant, (I guess the tree didn't read the book). So this year I started to convert some of my garden, the peripheral parts, into perennials, with annuals in the…

Homesteaders have their share of trials: Garden/Crop failure, predator attacks, sick animals, not enough rain, too much rain, hail that beats your crop to the ground, stuff that worked last year doesn't work this year.Homestead Padre makes a significant amount of his income from selling his produce and baking and selling bread at the farmer's marke…

Roman from FoxTwinHollow.com and @FoxTwinHollow on Twitter joins Thriving the Future to discuss empowering youth with the survival skills needed to navigate our world.We jumped off of the engagement and conversation on this FoxTwinHollow tweet:"I am planning my upcoming class on how to help children navigate 'climate anxiety' - a trend that is skyr…

Ashley Colby from Rizoma School and Doomer Optimism joins Thriving the Future to discuss her tweet on Rediscovering Tradition:"A big question for me is - if a majority of your tradition has been lost, at least a generation or two back, what is the best way to rebuild?" Expat life in Uruguay If a majority of your tradition has been lost, at least a …

Tristan Scott, bitcoinand_beef on Twitter and author of Bitcoin and Beef on Amazon, joins Thriving the Future to talk about taking control of your health and wealth through decentralization. Post concussion syndrome and health changes through diet Regenerative ag Crypto and Bitcoin Getting connected with the food system Bison meat Grow your own foo…