The RegenNarration

Text or Voicemail the Show (inc. if you're happy for it to be shared on the pod) Walden Pond looks like the postcard version of New England, though the first thing I notice is the sound. A semi-trailer growls past, a train snaps by the lake, and a plane cuts the sky. That friction is exactly why I wanted to record this 300th-episode pilgrimage from one of the most iconic places in conservation history, where Henry David Thoreau lived for two years and turned detailed journals into Walden, the renowned masterpiece of nature writing, and cultural and self-examination. I walk the shoreline, having started at the Walden Center, and follow the trail toward the replica cabin and on to its original site. Along the way I sit with what’s been restored and what’s still under pressure: crystal-clear water filtered through sands and soils, protected land surrounded by encroaching development, and the ongoing question of whether our technologies deliver more than they take. Standing at the stones and reading Thoreau’s “live deliberately” passage where it actually happened makes the idea feel a lot more visceral. Thoreau’s civil disobedience writing also echoes through Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. And we learn the surprising history of Walden Pond’s stewardship, including an old amusement park that once sprung up alongside these waters. I end up alone at dusk, with night falling and moon rising. In celebration of the 300th episode, recorded the day after visiting Rachel Carson’s place in what became ep293. I've so looked forward to sharing this with you. The spirit of this place is really something. I hope you enjoy it. With huge thanks for listening and supporting the podcast through its first 300 episodes! Chapter markers & transcript. Recorded 10 September 2024. Our visit to Aldo Leopold’s shack for ep218. See some 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). Support the show 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!

Text or Voicemail the Show (inc. if you're happy for it to be shared on the pod) Three West Australian farmers sit down for a sharp, honest Q&A that cuts through the glossy version of “regenerative agriculture” and gets into the real work: what happens when your new practice fails, your numbers get tight, and the supply chain refuses to reward better outcomes. Jake Ryan, Tom Mitchell, and Rod O’Bree share the mindset shifts that keep them moving, from treating mistakes as learnings to building the skill of self-diagnosis when there isn’t a standard playbook to follow. Today we dust off one last gem from the Regenerative Agriculture Conference in Margaret River in late 2023. Jake Ryan is a global award-winning vegetable and livestock farmer from Three Ryans farm in Manjimup; Tom Mitchell is an award-winning market gardener from Worrolong Produce near Gin Gin; and Rod O’Bree is the bloke described to me as taking Natural Sequence Farming to the next level (to say nothing of his supply web work with distribution and retail companies) from Yanget farm just inland of Geraldton. They’d each given a 15 minute presentation, then came together on stage for this terrific Q&A. For more from the conference: Ep 298 – the first panel. Ep 295 – the story I told to kick off the conference. Ep 188 – the final panel. Ep 187 – the last panel on day 1. Ep 180 – the opening night’s film Q&A. Chapter markers & transcript. Recorded 6 September 2023. Title image: Tom, Rod, Jake & AJ (by Daniela Tommasi). Come to Grounded Festival on 22-23 April 2026 (10% discount for paid subscribers). Music: Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. Support the show 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 barley grower sees his farm logo on a beer can prototype and gets emotional, not because it looks cool, but because it represents a long journey to a certified sustainable, low-emissions supply web that holds up under scrutiny. From the stage at the Regenerative Agriculture Conference in Margaret River back in 2023, we trace how this story runs from soil to sip and why “walk the walk” matters more than a pretty label. I recently dug into the archives and found some hidden gems from this conference. So episode 295 became the story I told as MC, to kick it off. And today, its first panel, featuring a couple of outstanding stories, and how they came to intertwine. Before the panel, Senior WA Departmental Economist, Brad Plunkett, presented his research on Tolga farm in Kulin, in WA’s wheatbelt – its dryland production system, business set up, and significant ‘accidental’ carbon related outcomes. Fourth-generation farmer there, Brendon Savage, with his wife Gab, began changing the way they farm 20 years ago, having realised they needed to find ways to become sustainable. Then we heard from Mel Holland, who co-founded Rocky Ridge Brewing Co in 2017 with her partner Hamish, as a diversification of their fifth-generation family dairy farm in Jindong WA (near Busselton). I’m informed Mel was dubbed Rocky Ridge’s ‘Captain Planet’. Rocky Ridge’s aim? To make incredible beer using the best local produce, farmed in the best way, with the least environmental impact. Rocky Ridge is Australia’s first Certified Sustainable and Carbon Neutral Brewery. Here, Mel and Brendan take a seat on stage to answer audience questions, and share the story of how they came to combine forces, to achieve these significant and emotional outcomes together. If you like what you hear, subscribe, share this with a mate who loves good beer or good farming, and leave a review so more people can find the work behind the can. Chapter markers & transcript. Recorded 6 September 2023. Title image: Brad, Mel, Brendan & AJ (by Daniela Tommasi). See more photos on the episode web page. Join us at Grounded Festival on 22-23 April 2026 (10% discount for paid subscribers). Music: Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. Send us Fan Mail Support the show 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!

Many might think the hardest part of community conflict is finding the “right” solution. What if it’s often something deeper: listening well enough that a solution can even appear? We’re fresh off the Murray River / Dungala here in Robinvale, Victoria, as our first Confluence journey winds up. And a bloke who came up a bit during a transformative week of paddling, firesides and other yarns was Jeff Goebel. So while we gently come back to machines, here’s the last 20 minutes or so of my first conversation with Jeff, online, ahead of meeting and witnessing his alchemical facilitation processes in person over in New Mexico. It drifts from the nature of his work, to a pivotal encounter with a glacier, on to how this work is spreading, how the uncanny tends to follow it, and perhaps even how it can help with this and other Rivers. Welcome to the 10th 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. Indeed, again, this one hits all three of those marks, and has come up often since the episode was aired. This was part of the introduction to that episode: ‘Jeff Goebel became a Holistic Management trainer with Allan Savory in the mid-80s. But pretty soon felt it was missing something, as did Allan. Then a series of uncanny events and outstanding successes in Jeff’s life, including a pivotal experience with First Nations, set him on a path of what he calls community consensus work. He is now globally renowned for developing a highly effective program of respectful listening, visioning, and planning that attains 100% consensus - and commitment - of all parties, in all sorts of contexts. And often where human conflict and land degradation are at their worst.’ If you’d like to hear or revisit the conversation in full, head to episode 185 – "Achieving Consensus and Commitment to do the ‘Impossible’". If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone navigating a hard conflict, and leave us a review with the biggest “impossible” challenge you want to tackle next. Chapter markers & transcript. Originally recorded 8 December and released 12 December 2023. Title image supplied. Music: Outro music by Jeremiah Johnson. Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. Send us Fan Mail Support the show 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!

Last week’s very special guest was legendary rancher from Chihuahua, Mexico, Alejandro Carrillo. The episode was titled Re-Greening the Largest Hot Desert in North America with Donkeys, Love & Water. In doing that, Alejandro says donkeys have been a ‘secret weapon’. Sound familiar? That’s what Chris Henggeler at Kachana Station has been arguing is the backbone of the extraordinary regeneration he’s managed in the Kimberley region of Western Australia – similarly from dust and rock, to rehydrated soils and grasslands; and similarly, still getting better year on year. Indeed, Alejandro visited Kachana on his Australian tour recently, and was blown away. But the WA government still intends to have Kachana’s donkeys shot by August. Tellingly, Alejandro, too, used to kill donkeys as pests, then realised the grave mistake, and lost opportunity, especially with so many landscape, climate and biodiversity challenges right now. This excerpt from last week’s episode felt worth highlighting as a release on its own this week, given the urgency and importance of what's playing out at Kachana, and given the opportunity this presents further afield. It starts with Alejandro’s Kachana visit, leading to a fascinating exchange featuring some of the latest research and his successes in landscape regeneration, improved livestock outcomes, and wildfire suppression (growing more grass, not less!) - all with donkeys at the heart of things. And it sums with Alejandro’s proposal for the WA government right now. If you care about holistic management, soil health, fire risk, and practical regeneration, hit play, subscribe, share the show, and leave a review so more people can find these ideas. And if you've not yet heard the conversation in full, you can head to episode 296 here (with some photos) or wherever you listen to podcasts. Chapter markers & transcript. Recorded 9 March 2026. Title slide: pride of place on Alejandro’s Christmas card last year. Music: Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist). Send us Fan Mail Support the show 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 Chihuahuan desert could sound like a place you endure, not a place you regenerate, yet Alejandro Carrillo has seen grasslands, birds and beauty take the place of erosion and rocks on the family’s Las Damas Ranch. Conservation organisations now seek this ranch out. And the broader region is now regarded as a regenerative hotspot. Here we unpack how livestock management, a lineage of too-little-known Mexican legends going back to the beginning of holistic management in the Americas, and a repaired water cycle have “rewatered” country that averages about 230ml of rain and has no rivers, streams or springs. Along the way, we compare lessons from Mexico, the western US, and Australia, including what Alejandro noticed on his visit to Kachana Station and why a helicopter view made management differences impossible to ignore. And speaking of Kachana, Alejandro calls donkeys a 'secret weapon', and has a suggestion for the WA government as another alternative to its donkey shoot order. And, of course, we talk about Alejandro’s journey. Far from smooth sailing, we explore the many transformations, stumbles and reasons for his story to never to have happened this way – starting with his father encouraging him to study whatever he wanted, so long as it wasn’t ranching. Alejandro is loaded with fascinating insights, and also elaborates here on why he still feels optimistic. Though there is more he'd like to see happen. I hope you enjoy the listen. Chapter markers & transcript. Recorded 9 March 2026. Title image: the quintessential shot of Alejandro on horseback (inset: as a 7 year old). See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below. 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. Send a text Support the show 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 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. Chapter markers & transcript. 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. Send a text Support the show 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 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. Chapter markers & transcript. Recorded 23 February 2026. Music: Call Me Voodoo, by Mooveka (from Artlist). Regeneration, by Amelia Barden. Send a text TWO PLACES HAVE OPENED UP - Apply now to join us for Confluence 2026, a canoe journey on the spectacular Murray River, Australia, 21-29 March. Pre-roll music: Heartland Rebel, by Steven Beddall (from Artlist). Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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. Rachel Carson Council. 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. Send a text Support the show 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 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. Recorded 12 February 2026. 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. Send a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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. Chapter markers & transcript. 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. Send a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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. Chapters and transcripts. Music: The Blackbird (Irish Song Dance), by Ennis, Morrison and Muller (from Artlist). Thanks again for listening, and for supporting The RegenNarration. Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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 ... Chapter markers Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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! Chapter markers Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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! Chapter markers Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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! Chapter markers Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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! Chapter markers Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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! Chapter markers Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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! Chapter markers Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!

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! Chapter markers Send us a text Support the show 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 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 with friends!