The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

Lady Farmer

Start living more sustainably. The Good Dirt podcast explores all aspects of a sustainable lifestyle with healthy soil as the touchpoint and metaphor for the healing of our relationship with the planet. Mother and daughter team Mary & Emma bring you weekly interviews with farmers, artists, authors, and leaders in the regenerative and sustainable living space.

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313 episodes
Updated July 17

Episodes313

Newest first

Jul 2, 2021 · 1 hr 4 min
49. Beyond the Dream: Legal Resilience and Homesteading Reframed with Eva Moss
Mary and Emma have an enlightening conversation this week with grower and legal educator Eva Moss, discussing an aspect of the homestead dream that is too often overlooked. Knowing farm law and preparing for unexpected issues through healthy communication before they come up creates legal protection for all parties involved. Eva shares with us the story of how a life transition left her and her farm legally vulnerable. With help, she found her way through that experience all the wiser, and now u
Jun 25, 2021 · 1 hr 3 min
48. Curiosity, Creativity, and Community with Eva Kosmas Flores
This week, Mary and Emma have a wonderful conversation with photographer, chef, cookbook author, educator and entrepreneur turned homesteader, Eva Kosmas Flores. Eva shares her journey to the slow living lifestyle, led by an ancestral pull and deep familial ties that have guided her back to a connection with home, the garden, food, family and community. Always leading with curiosity, Eva talks about her new adventures as a homesteader and what she’s learning from the land. Throughout the episo
Jun 19, 2021 · 43 min
Juneteenth: A History and Reflection on Emancipation with Tony Cohen
We have a special BONUS episode for you this week, in celebration of our newest national holiday--Juneteenth! Mary and Emma reunite with author, historian and farmer Tony Cohen for an exploration into the history of Juneteenth and the holiday’s complex folklore and origins. Tony takes us back in time to examine how this monumental declaration of freedom spread in a variety of ways depending on the geographic, economic and social landscape of the time. Mary, Emma and Tony discuss what freedom mea
Jun 18, 2021 · 1 hr 6 min
47. Fashion, Art and Mystical Stitches with Christi Johnson
On today’s episode of The Good Dirt, Mary and Emma have a conversation with artist, teacher and “sorceress of the stitch” Christi Johnson. Christi’s art reflects communion and connection with plants, revealing the hypnotic beauty of botanicals. Her work includes alchemy, herbalism, and images which are stitched slowly and methodically into fabric. Christi is dedicated to rejoining the art of embroidery with its complex and meaningful origins.Throughout the episode, Christi discusses her own hi
Jun 11, 2021 · 48 min
46. A Lady Farmer's Life with Michelle Aronson
In this episode, we talk with Lady Farmer and chef Michelle Aronson, creator of Farmbelly, an educational platform dedicated to sharing the love of growing, cooking, and eating wonderful food. Although Michelle wasn't particularly interested in cooking while growing up in the suburbs of the Midwest, once she moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia for college, she I discovered her love for food and farming. After several summers apprenticing on different small-scale farms, and after manag
Jun 4, 2021 · 52 min
45. Make, Thrift, Mend With Katrina Rodabaugh
On today’s episode of The Good Dirt, Mary and Emma sit down with artist, writer and teacher Katrina Rodabaugh to discuss her slow fashion journey, sustainability as a process, embracing imperfection and mending as healing. Katrina dives into her own outlook on embracing a more sustainable lifestyle, a process that takes place over time and many small steps. The three discuss the importance of accessibility in the movement, and how remembering the values of the past doesn't have to mean giving u
May 28, 2021 · 32 min
44. The Moon and the Emergence with Mary and Emma
On today’s episode, it's Mary and Emma catching up on what’s currently captivating their interest, and the latest happenings on the farm. Mary shares her experience and knowledge gardening by the moon, and reflects on the use of the lunar cycle as a framework for the things we want to cultivate in our lives. The mother and daughter duo discuss the mesmerizing emergence of the seventeen-year cicada, and embrace the nostalgia as well as the celebratory nature of this phenomenon, drawing the para
May 21, 2021 · 58 min
43. Practice or Performance? Artistic Expression, Slow Living, and the Role of Social Media with Marlee Grace
On today’s episode of The Good Dirt, Mary and Emma talk with dancer, writer and quiltmaker Marlee Grace to consider the question, what are we practicing and showing up for in our day to day lives? Throughout the episode, Mary, Emma, and Marlee dig into the concept of “personal practice” as they reimagine art forms as a practice rather than a performance. Marlee shares why she stepped away from social media, questions the role it plays in our lives, and addresses the platform’s inherently perform
May 14, 2021 · 54 min
42. A Passion for Wool: What’s Behind a Sustainable Supply Chain with Lani Estill
In today’s episode, Mary and Emma sit down with Lani Estill, founder of Lani’s Lana ~ Fine Rambouillet Wool; a commercial wool business and small yarn line based in Northern California. Alongside her family, Lani also owns and operates a vertically integrated diversified livestock ranch producing cattle, sheep, alfalfa and grass hay in the Northern California/Northern Nevada region. With the help of partners like Fibershed and the Carbon Cycle Institute, Lani’s family ranch is now running under
May 7, 2021 · 57 min
41. Fermented Foods for Health & Happiness with Kirsten Shockey
In today’s episode, Mary and Emma talk with Kirsten Shockey about her fermentation journey, the science behind fermentation, and how to dive fearlessly into this rich and nutritional practice. Kirsten and her husband began fermenting foods twenty years ago on the 40-acre hillside smallholding in southern Oregon where the were raising their family. Their passion has evolved into an expertise that they teach and share worldwide through experiential workshops and now online at fermentationschool.co
Apr 30, 2021 · 57 min
40. Cultivating The Creative Life with Liz Kimball
Liz Kimball (MFA, CPC) is a creativity catalyst, writer, coach, speaker, and founder of The Collective, a network of women creators and thought leaders dedicated to fostering cultural change through creativity. Her work has been featured at TEDx, Oprah.com, the NBA, The Guggenheim, NYU, and at universities and institutions throughout the country. In today's episode, we talk about the creative process from many angles, how pursuing our dreams might not be the straight path we imagine, how to fos
Apr 23, 2021 · 54 min
39. The Role of Activism in the Fashion Revolution with Elizabeth Cline
Our guest this week is Elizabeth Cline, a New York-based author, journalist, and expert on consumer culture, fast fashion, sustainability and labor rights in the apparel industry. She is the author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, which was published in 2012, and which laid the foundation for the modern global ethical and sustainable fashion movement. Her most recent book, The Conscious Closet, published in 2019, describes how consumers can transform the apparel indus
Apr 16, 2021 · 49 min
38. The Regenerative Role of Local Fibersheds with Rebecca Burgess
On this special live episode of The Good Dirt, Mary and Emma talk with Rebecca Burgess, the founder of Fibershed, a non profit organization that develops regional fiber systems that build soil and protect the health of our biosphere. Fibershed envisions the emergence of regional textile communities that facilitate soil-to-soil textile processes, and create opportunities for localized clothing production and supply. Rebecca speaks about the origins of the organization and its efforts in conn
Apr 9, 2021 · 59 min
37. A Calling to the Land with Songwriter Eliza Blue, the Accidental Rancher
In this episode, Mary and Emma have a wonderful conversation with Eliza Blue, a singer/songwriter who lives and works on a regeneratively-managed ranch raising grass-fed cattle and fiber sheep with her husband and two children. She talks about going from the life of a touring musician to a teaching job in South Dakota, and the pivotal moment when she walked into a friend’s lambing barn at lambing season and knew she had found her calling. Eliza's connection to the land is evident in her stories
Apr 2, 2021 · 56 min
36. Living in Rhythm: Women's Well Being with Sharon Bailey
Today's guest is Sharon Bailey of The Glow Emporium, a woman’s wellness education and empowerment community. As a homesteader, mother, entrepreneur, and educator living in a small mountain town, Sharon espouses a life lived in sync with nature, and helps other women connect with their own feminine rhythms for a happier and healthier lifestyle. Emphasizing the counter- cultural art of slowing down as a fundamental necessity for coping with the many demands on women today, Sharon offers empoweri
Mar 26, 2021 · 54 min
35. A Life of Making with Cynthia Main
Cynthia Main @sunhousecraft is an artisan maker in Berea, Kentucky who has built a thriving business hand making home goods. Inspired by the timeless traditions of Appalachian crafts, her wooden wares are hand made, often hewn with axe and knife. Brooms are hand woven, with a non-electric process, with utmost attention given to the details of each piece. The materials are sourced and harvested from local, sustainable materials. In this conversation, Cynthia discusses her lifelong passion for l
Mar 19, 2021 · 56 min
34. Slow Living, Personal Growth, and the Power of Plants with Alyson Morgan
Alyson Morgan (@alysonsimplygrows) is an environmentalist, gardener, artist and photographer, as well as a slow living advocate and mother. Through this conversation, Alyson gives us a glimpse of conscious living through her lens, the realities of juggling a creative business and motherhood, the desire for activism alongside the need for slowing down and being present, and the power of plants in everyday life. Through her beautiful photography and her writing, along with the flower essences sh
Mar 12, 2021 · 56 min
33. All About Natural Plant Dyes with Kathy Hattori of Botanical Colors
In today's episode, Mary and Emma talk with Kathy Hattori of Botanical Colors about natural plant dyes, and how she created a business from her desire to connect herself and others to the natural world. She talks about a personal wake-up call that led to her decision to quit her corporate job in pursuit of a more creative and personally fulfilling career, despite her fears around the uncertainties of such a move. Though at the time, Kathy couldn't imagine the career potential in the world of
Mar 5, 2021 · 53 min
32. Emma's 30th Birthday Special with Lindsey and Krista of Almost 30!
For this special birthday episode of "The Good Dirt," Emma goes solo as host, talking with Lindsey and Krista from the "Almost 30" podcast. Emma reflects on her twenties and discusses her feelings about this passage in her life. Krista and Lindsey share some of their own journey through their twenties and the transition into their thirties, and give their advice on seeking your own true path. In this episode we talk about how the good dirt of experience is fertile ground for growing your most
Feb 26, 2021 · 1 hr 8 min
31. Preserving the History of the Underground Railroad with Tony Cohen
This week we spoke with historian, nonprofit founder, and author Tony Cohen, who operates Button Farm, Maryland’s only living history center depicting 19th-century slave plantation life and the heroic story of the Underground Railroad. Tony has dedicated his studies and work to preserving the Underground Railroad’s history, historic sites and environments. In this episode, he shares with us stories of his own travels along the Underground Railroad on foot, in an effort to recreate some of the o

The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

49. Beyond the Dream: Legal Resilience and Homesteading Reframed with Eva Moss

48. Curiosity, Creativity, and Community with Eva Kosmas Flores

Juneteenth: A History and Reflection on Emancipation with Tony Cohen

47. Fashion, Art and Mystical Stitches with Christi Johnson

46. A Lady Farmer's Life with Michelle Aronson

45. Make, Thrift, Mend With Katrina Rodabaugh

44. The Moon and the Emergence with Mary and Emma

43. Practice or Performance? Artistic Expression, Slow Living, and the Role of Social Media with Marlee Grace

42. A Passion for Wool: What’s Behind a Sustainable Supply Chain with Lani Estill

41. Fermented Foods for Health & Happiness with Kirsten Shockey

40. Cultivating The Creative Life with Liz Kimball

39. The Role of Activism in the Fashion Revolution with Elizabeth Cline

38. The Regenerative Role of Local Fibersheds with Rebecca Burgess

37. A Calling to the Land with Songwriter Eliza Blue, the Accidental Rancher

36. Living in Rhythm: Women's Well Being with Sharon Bailey

35. A Life of Making with Cynthia Main

34. Slow Living, Personal Growth, and the Power of Plants with Alyson Morgan

33. All About Natural Plant Dyes with Kathy Hattori of Botanical Colors

32. Emma's 30th Birthday Special with Lindsey and Krista of Almost 30!

31. Preserving the History of the Underground Railroad with Tony Cohen