UNCIVILIZE is a podcast about rewilding—a movement reconsidering the modern industrialized existence through the longer lens of human history. Episodes include interviews with survivalists, homesteaders, scientists, historians, and adventurers pursuing radically alternative lives in the twenty-first century. Hosted by journalist and author Jennifer Grayson. Theme music: Paul Damian Hogan. Photo by April K / CC BY 2.0. www.jennifergrayson.com
It couldn’t be more perfect that for this last episode of Uncivilize, my guest is the very person who inspired me to start the show: Daniel Vitalis, former host of the immensely popular and provocative Rewild Yourself Podcast. Being interviewed by Daniel for Rewild Yourself (Episode 134) was a revelation, because until that introduction, I hadn’t known that the seemingly disparate areas that had enthralled me since my childhood—exploring the wilderness, environmental conservation, anthropology, ancestral peoples, and a general aching to have lived at an earlier time in our human existence—had a name, let alone had converged into a movement: rewilding.
Much has happened since that epiphany more than two years ago, especially for Daniel, who not only found love and got married but dove deeper into another love: hunting, fishing, foraging and food. From that came WildFed, his new culinary adventure show and podcast that hopes to connect people with their local landscapes—not to mention 3 million years of human history—by opening their eyes to sustainably harvesting, cooking and eating wild food.
Here’s what we talk about:
-Daniel’s recent wild-food wedding
-Finding the balance between the modern and the primitive
-Connection to the landscape through food
-The problem with rugged individualism
-“We’re at risk of losing some very fundamental human technologies”
-Daniel’s non-hunting childhood
-Urban vegans, and making the case for hunting
-Wild turkeys, leeks and fiddleheads: Daniel’s first harvest
-Bear fat!
-Hunting in the United States: What you need to know
-The making of WildFed
-How to find your wild food niche, no matter where you live
Check out the WildFed Podcast (available wherever you get your podcasts) and go here to watch trailers for and order Season 1 of the WildFed show. You can also follow Daniel and all his happenings on his website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
Thank you for listening to and supporting this show over the past two years! You can subscribe on iTunes to catch up on all 35 episodes. (If you’ve enjoyed the show, I always appreciate good ratings and reviews. It will help me with my next project.) The theme music is by Paul Damian Hogan.
5 Dec 2019
The Journalist-Farmer - AC Shilton
This week, I bring you the delightful AC Shilton, the investigative journalist of Netflix’s “The Innocent Man” fame who recently added farmer to her resume: Last year, the self-described city kid and her park ranger husband went all in on their bucolic fantasy, purchasing a 45-acre fixer-upper ranch in rural Tennessee.
Here, AC shares the real story of how she now divides her day between tending chickens and penning pieces for the likes of The New York Times and Outside magazine (spoiler: it’s not easy). She also dishes on learning to farm by the seat of her pants, prepping her farm for climate resilience, and why farming may be the perfect antidote to our modern scourge of arrival fallacy.
Here’s the rundown:
-A day in the life of an investigative journalist–farmer
-What it really costs to start a small farm
-“This has brought me more joy than anything I could have ever imagined”
-Pastured eggs, honey and Dexter cattle
-Planning her farm with climate change in mind
-Learning to farm as city kids
-Arrival fallacy
-Rural loneliness, recent injuries, and advice for wannabe farmers
24 Oct 2019
The Journey to Wild Abundance - Natalie Bogwalker
I had a big birthday on Tuesday, and one of my wishes is to travel to the mountains of Southern Appalachia to take Natalie Bogwalker’s immersive women’s carpentry class (followed by perhaps her tiny house building class). If you haven’t yet heard of Natalie, prepare to be amazed: A trailblazer in all things rewilding, she co-founded Firefly Gathering and is now the founder and director of Wild Abundance, a one-of-a-kind permaculture and homesteading school outside of Asheville, N.C.
There, from her working eco-homestead, she not only builds but forages, gardens, crafts, and raises her young daughter, all while teaching an abounding offering of earth-based living classes with her partner Frank and a community of devoted instructors. I felt honored that Natalie found time last month to step away from it all (including the launch of her groundbreaking online hide tanning course; seriously, check it out) to talk with me about the incredible life she’s created and the Wild Abundance student experience.
Some of what we talk about:
-Laterlife motherhood and the ultimate childcare co-op
-Growing up in the woods of Washington state and the accident that changed her life
-Living in a squat in Barcelona and Wild Roots
-The rewilding movement, 15 years ago
-Firefly Gathering, Wild Abundance and her women’s carpentry classes
-What the future holds
-Her new online hide tanning course
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
66 ratings
Contact Uncivilize
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Uncivilize?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
