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Recap Hosting Guests, Volunteers, and Students (Season 1 Recap, Part 2)
Welcome to Volume 2 of my Season 1 recap series. In this episode, we’re going to review some of the advice we’ve been given about hosting guests, volunteers, and students. Hosting is a hot topic for many new landowners as welcoming in volunteers is an enticing way to get much-needed help building foundational infrastructure. For many new landowners, it also fulfills a desire for social connection and a sense of community. When done well, hosting guests as volunteers, apprentices, students, tourists, farm-stay guests, or curious neighbors can bring an enriching element of cultural interaction, personal growth, and prosperity to your project. Learn from Guest Hosting Veterans Suzanna Leff, from Finca Amrta, has been hosting volunteers for over 30 years. At first, she was reluctant to host but opened up to it with some experimentation. Suzanna’s personality and love of new experiences have brought her to treasure the interactions that her program has to offer both her...


Recap Enhance Your Project’s Financial Sustainability (Season 1 Recap, Part 1)
Hello, world! Jason Thomas from Regeneration Nation Costa Rica here. I’ve been on one heck of a journey. Over the last 9 months, I’ve dived into permaculture, exploring different ways we can develop sustainable homesteads and communities for a better way of life. We’ve interviewed a whole host of amazing people, all with their own unique experiences and insights to share with the permaculture community. Last month I decided to assemble a recap episode to look back over the show’s highlights and discuss what I’d learned along the way. When I began, I had one goal in mind: To tell the story of my adventure doing these interviews and my personal takeaways from them. As I started putting it all together, I quickly realized that this approach didn’t capture the essence of what I had intended for this episode. Initially, I wanted to do a bit of studying to see if I could compile a list of best practices and use them to create a guide for new and veteran landowners alike....


What I’ve Learned About Permaculture After a Dozen Interviews and Half a Year of Podcasting: Part 1
“Ask yourself who you want to serve, figure out what they need, and find a way to get it to them.” That was the advice that I first received when I first began my adventures into starting an online business. Throughout the contemplations that followed, I looked deeply into my life and considered; if all my responsibilities were stripped away, where would I go, and what would I do? The answer that came was that; I’d find some land project in the tropics and find a way to do my part, in benefit of the whole. What kind of part would I play? One archetype that I’ve always related with is the stay-at-home wizard. In one dream scenario, I’d be one of the local wellness practitioners. I’d offer Thai massage and other wellness services and advice. At the same time, I might find myself at the community round table with other members considering what our next moves might be toward realizing our collective vision. I’d likely take on some additional organizational responsibilities, as...


What I’ve Learned About Permaculture After a Dozen Interviews and Half a Year of Podcasting: Part 2
Welcome to the second part of my 3-part series, recounting what I’ve learned about Permaculture after a dozen interviews and half a year of podcasting. In part one, we visited my first 3 guests and the humility of beginning my learning curve. In this installment, we’re going to visit our trip to the Caribbean coast and some of the players that we met along the way. We picked up tips on: Holistic horse care Pivoting toward our passions Food forest maintenance Establishing cottage industries The ancient roots of cacao and the fine art of chocolate alchemy and more! Before we dive in, though … A Big Thanks to My Sweetheart for Joining Me on this Journey! At this point, I’d like to express a word of gratitude to my partner, Chela Rie, who accompanied me on the adventure. In many of the interviews, you might hear me talking with my guests, making references to “we” and “us.” Chela was at my side through that first round of interviews for a show that didn’t exist. She was my...


What I’ve Learned About Permaculture After a Dozen Interviews and Half a Year of Podcasting: Part 3
This third part of “What I’ve Learned About Permaculture After a Dozen Interviews and Half a Year of Podcasting” recalls a whirlwind of back-to-back interviews along the northern span of the country. Along this stretch of the journey we learned what our guests had to say about: Empowering entrepreneurship amidst your neighbors Using human waste as a fuel and fertilizer Growing green manure Setting up a farm-to-table hospitality business Natural building Community outreach and collaboration And running a worker-owned beach-side homestead If you haven’t already read the first two parts of this story you can find them at: What I’ve Learned... Part 1 What I’ve Learned… Part 2 A Charming Family Inspiring an Entrepreneurial Spirit The next stop on the tour was the Chilamate Rainforest EcoRetreat, in Sarapiqui. Meghan Casey, her husband Davis, and their two daughters were a charming family to be greeted by. Davis was born in Sarapiqui and has a lot of family in the...


Don’t Envy The Change Makers – Be One!
I’ve laid out a long list of options for how one might choose to apply the Permaculture Principles to their home life, relationships, business, and lifestyle. You may very well be practicing some of these things, already. Congratulations! The Principles, themselves, were formed by an observation of what many might consider “common sense”. The problem, as my 6th-grade history teacher used to often say, is that “Common sense isn’t so common.” Be the Change You Want to See in the World! Take another look at what's been presented here. No matter how revolutionary or straightforward the concepts are, you're sure to find something worthwhile you can utilize. The benefits of doing so will help secure the future health of our planet and our ability to live here comfortably. Still, the solutions born of this type of Principles-based thinking will bring greater efficiency to how you organize and approach the game of life. These methods of observation and interaction have the side-effect of...


Creatively Use and Respond to Change
Change happens. It’s up to us to decide how we’re going to respond to it. To remain firmly fixed, in the face of change, can be difficult and ultimately lead to stress and a breakdown of vitality and effectiveness. To be flexible in life and business is considered wise and helps keep oneself healthfully alert to opportunities. To courageously cultivate and direct the movement of those changes, and put them to work for us, leads to mastery and keeps one thriving. Embrace Change and Thrive Our entire planetary population has undergone an impressive shift in recent months, thanks in part to the Covid-19 pandemic. Businesses that have adapted quickly and moved their focus to online sales, education, and services will be shown to those who have earned greater security, resilience, and dynamic sufficiency. Remember This... When you find yourself about to throw something in the trash, give thought as to whether it could be upcycled for another purpose. Ideas for innovative, reuse of...


Use Edges and Value the Marginal
The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse, and productive elements in the system. As someone who enjoys dreaming up systems composed of systems connected in synergistic ways, this Principle is one of my favorites. The practice of “stacking functions” provides compounded value when we can find multiple uses for each element, creating synergy within our systems. This principle applies to nearly every aspect of life or business but requires an open and creative mind. Everything exists in proximity to something else, either physically or conceptually. The more we observe and contemplate each peripheral component’s needs and values, the more we learn to see where their overlap provides new potentials for innovation and growth. It May Be Small But It Could Be the Game Changer We can apply this to maximize potential between two or more things that are already in proximity to each other, or we can use...


Use and Value Diversity
Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides. Look, we’re all different. Our physical characteristics, preferences, habits, and cultural norms differ, as do our economic resources, language proficiency, fashion sense, temperaments, etc. It is simply how the universe is designed. As nature develops and changes, so do our capacities, skills, and preferences. That is a vital part of our growth and evolution as a planet. Diversity breeds resilience! If one species, technique, or initiative doesn’t work in addressing a problem, another may. The Power of Diversity Designing diversity into our food systems, lifestyles, and businesses is a sure way to increase chances for security, productivity, and wellbeing. Look at it as a type of insurance. We can see the converse in action with modern monocropping practices, which have proven to be incredibly fragile and prone to disease and pests. A diet...
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#015 Cultivating an Impactful Belief System (Season 1 Recap, Part 6)
Cultivating an Impactful Belief System Hey, there impactful believers, What you’re about to read are the transcripts from the last of a 6-part recap series that I did for the Sharing Insights Podcast. When I rebranded the podcast to Regeneration Nation Costa...


Recap Alternative Building Techniques (Season 1 Recap, Part 5)
Sustainable Building Methods Hello, and welcome back to the Sharing Insights Podcast. My name is Jason Thomas, and the adventure continues. If you’ve been following the first year of the podcast, you’ll have noticed that I disappeared for a while. The last couple of...


Recap Land Management (Season 1 Recap, Part 4)
Regenerative Land Management * This blog contains a few links to products on Amazon.com I’ve found useful. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from any purchases you make through these links. It’s a great way to support the show while greening up your lifestyle. Our earned...


Recap Building Resilient Communities (Season 1 Recap, Part 3)
Welcome to the third installment of our Season 1 Recap series, where I’ve been reviewing what we’ve learned from a dozen interviews with veteran landowners throughout Costa Rica. In today’s episode, we’re going to take a dive into the concept of ‘Community’, our...



Recap Hosting Guests, Volunteers, and Students (Season 1 Recap, Part 2)
Welcome to Volume 2 of my Season 1 recap series. In this episode, we’re going to review some of the advice we’ve been given about hosting guests, volunteers, and students. Hosting is a hot topic for many new landowners as welcoming in volunteers is an...