In this episode I link up with my new buddy from a recent Doomer Optimism event in Margaretville NY, Travis Logan. Travis brought an essay to my attention, Techne-Zen and the Spiritual Quality of Global Capitalism, by Yale professor R. John Williams. We decided to call John up to see if he would discuss his work, and where he lands with trying to navigate technology, spirituality and religion. One of my (Ashley’s) favorite conversations yet!! Discussing:...

*finger guns* pew pew! Evan interviews Tacticool Girlfriend: competitive shooter, eyeshadow wearer, content creator, and outspoken defender of firearm rights for marginalized populations. We discuss pluralism, school shootings, meaningful deterrence, political coding of gun rights, and mutual aid. www.youtube.com/@TacticoolGirlfriend https://www.facebook.com/tacticoolgirlfriend instagram.com/tacticoolgf https://bsky.app/profile/tacticoolgf.bsky.social twitter.com/tacticoolgf

Ashley met Michael Sellas as a couple recent Doomer Optimism events and they immediately hit it off. After discussing urban planning’s connection to DO, Michael suggested some writing by his friends Dr. Timothy Patitsas, who not only thinks a lot about cities, but worked with Jane Jacobs! Michael Sellas, M.Div, is the founder of Michael Sellas Photography, and the Audio Producer for the No-Till Growers Podcast Network. Photography: michaelsellasphotography.com Music: Spotify Timothy...

This is an interview Sean Blanda of Sabbatical did with Ashley on her approach to moving to Uruguay for a time when her kids were young. A write-up of the interview is here: https://sabbatical.email/interviews/ashley-colby-how-i-took-a-working-parent-sabbatical

Ashley speaks with Tessa Carman and her uncle Dwight about his journey to Guatemala from a small farming family in the Midwest. We discuss the push and pull of moving abroad, learning ecological farming, where to find home, and more.

In this election day special, Jason talks with Jon Council, candidate for County Commissioner 3 in Watauga County of Western NC (Jason’s home county) and Sarah Davis, his campaign manager, to talk about local issues in the region, including environmental protection, affordable housing for the working class, and mutual aid. In particular they talk about the impacts of Hurricane Helene in the region, how it changed the nature of their campaign into one of disaster relief organizing, and the...

In this episode, Casey Spinks, editor at Front Porch Republic, and Ashley discuss philosophy, theology, and the challenges in contemplative and active lives. Casey Spinks is a contributing editor for Front Porch Republic. He lives with his family in Waco, Texas, where he teaches theology and philosophy at Baylor University. https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/author/caseyspinks/

Small Town Mayor James Decker w/ Ashley and Nate

In this episode, Nate talks with Robert Hirschfeld, the director of water quality at the Illinois Prairie Rivers Network. They discuss the water quality crisis in the midwest, chemical pollution in the water and air, pesticide drift, and why despite the common sense that everyone wants “clean air and clean water” we continue to allow polluters to destroy what should be a healthy commons. They also talk about what can be done and how we can move beyond passive acceptance or theatrical protest.

In this conversation, Jason talks with Rust Belt Kid (@rustbeltkid1 ) about the decline and signs of a potential revival of American manufacturing and agriculture. He talks about his experience growing up in the Midwest, his day job in manufacturing, his aspirations to become a farmer and early successes on his recent 20 acres, and ideas he has about combining the two in new and innovative ways, while also drawing heavily from the knowledge of the old timers and from old photos about how...

Alice, Dylan, and Ashley discuss using government funds for regenerative agriculture, building bioregional food hubs, and their upcoming Heritage Food Festival this November. Alice Melendez- I was born in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains between Clay City and the rolling fields of central Kentucky. I grew up on the farm, went to small-town schools, and learned to drive on winding country roads with lots of blind spots. I went away, like a lot of people, and came back. “Away”...

In this emergency podcast, DO hosts discuss the upcoming US Presidential election as well as plans for yanking Western society back from the precipice of certain total destruction. The conversation doubles as a drinking game. Take a drink any time a host: refers to wokeness (approvingly or disparagingly) mis-pronounces “Kamala” uses a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings metaphor complains about Twitter complains about “neocons” expresses fear of AI and/or transhumanism accuses another...

In this episode we discuss Chris Smaje’s recent article: Off-grid: further thoughts on the failing renewables transition Chris can be found at chrissmaje.com and on Twitter at @‌csmaje

An excellent conversation on topics of mutual interest. Can be found on Twitter at @‌Hispeedlowdrug: Lightly brain damaged 6ft 2in white trash polymath I've heard all these stories about people with twitter connections meeting IRL and forming beautiful friendships and relationships. I would like that. I'm a mid 40's handyman with a strange bio and a young son in Western MA. Interested in schizo bros and cute single mothers.

Austin and Nate discuss Austin’s recent book Barons, concerning consolidation and corruption in the food system. With a focus on the midwest, Austin and Nate discuss how the rise of industrial agriculture has degraded the heartland, how it was allowed to happen, who has been responsible, and most importantly, how to move forward with a different, more humane agriculture that values the health of people and places. They spoke about the necessity of a two prong approach, one involving building...

Arie and Jason meander through a conversation, loosely inspired by recent podcast topics, exploring various ideas. https://bothand.libsyn.com/20-whats-metamodern-with-linda-ceriello-greg-dember https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4iKUVpwwGA&t=11s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XBfoJx_8mg&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZKrhrb9oao&t=34s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4DmHZJu8UE&t=24s

In this episode, Ashley and Dougald discuss an event they are co-creating in Chicago over the weekend of September 14 and 15. They talk about the various experimentations on the margins they have been a part of over the years, many of the friends they have in common, Ashley’s experience hosting Dougald’s co-conspirator Paul Kingsnorth in Wyoming last year, and their plans for this upcoming retreat in September. Check out the event here: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/dougaldhineretreat

Paul McNiel and Ashley discuss the Wagon Box, their shared event with Paul Kingsnorth last year, and their upcoming event this Labor Day in Wyoming. Ashley asks Paul about his conception of the Wagon Box as a new vision of a campus: a place to not only learn, but enjoy fleeting moments of inspiration with fellow learners. You get the inside scoop on the event with Kingsnorth in this episode and an invite to the upcoming event, to Doomer Optimism listeners only.

Today we sat down with four similar-minded folks to talk about our personal experiences with various Food Hub models. We let the conversation go free-form like we were sitting on the front porch at one of our farms and chatting with friends. It was a great and insightful conversation for all of us and we vowed to record another episode in the future to get updates on our respective projects.  Megan Kinney- Director of Cooperative Distribution-North Coast Growers...

Ashley and Arie broadly discuss Goethean science, loconomy, and doomer optimism. This is part of a series of interviews where new hosts turn the mic on recurring DO hosts, like this one with Donald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOyS9fAtSI8 Arie J. Dallas is a sometimes surrealist painter who wonders about the mystery of life and connection. He currently produces Popcorn Forest, an interview show focusing especially on epistemology, neurodivergence, creativity, systems science, and...

Here’s a link to buy the book (if you use the code ‘CUP20’ you can get 20% off) Here’s a link to the Nature article I mentioned Dana R. Fisher is a dynamic speaker and author who writes about activism, democracy and climate policy. Her most recent book, Saving Ourselves: from Climate Shocks to Climate Action was published in February 2024 by Columbia University Press.  She is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity (CECE) and a Professor in the School of...

Ashley talks with James of Michigan (@michlakeshore ) about his adventure walking along the coast of Lake Michigan from his home all the way up the shore to the top of the state at Mackinac Bridge. They discuss the meaning of pilgrimages, the unexpected lessons, and how the journey reinforced James’ faith.

Cultural Renewal with Donald and Mike In this episode, the roles are reversed, and occasional first-time host Donald is interviewed by friend & DO fan, Mike. They discuss religion & spirituality, education, punk rock, veganism, literature, and Ancient Greek, circling around the question of how to bring about cultural renewal in their own lives. Donald lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and daughters. He writes at the Borges Review of Books. Mike lives in the same town...

In this episode, Jason and Roland Gunn (@rolandgunntn ) talk with C. Sandbatch (@csandbatch ) about his project Ecologica Americana. With a focus on the South but more broadly generalizable to America, they weave in ecology, history, and politics to talk about paradigm change, shifting from rigid ideology to cybernetic mythology, breaking through the cultural ennui, and creating a future worth our time C. Sandbatch’s Substack can be found here: ecoamericana.substack.com