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ReWild Yourself

Welcome to the ReWild Yourself Podcast! I’m Daniel Vitalis, and I’ll be your guide through the world of human ecology and lifestyle design. We’ll explore the strategies that our ancient human bodies and minds need to thrive in a modern world — awakening our instincts and freeing ourselves from the degenerative effects of human domestication.
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Now displaying: May, 2017
May 31, 2017

Thomas J. Elpel is an author, builder, conservationist and a pioneer in experiential education. Inspired by his childhood adventures exploring and foraging the wild lands of Montana with his grandmother, Thomas developed a passion for the natural world at a very young age. He has dedicated his life to igniting this same passion in others and is a living example of the ReWilding lifestyle.

In this episode, Thomas and I discuss the importance of developing a deep and interactive relationship with nature. He elaborates on a concept we often discuss on ReWild Yourself Podcast — conservation through use. In order to be true advocates for conserving ecology, we must participate in it; not just observe it. Thomas shares how we can foster our connection to nature and find our place in the ecosystem through hunting, gathering and learning primitive skills. He also shares a bit about life as a hunter-gatherer in Montana, including a fascinating story about a wild bison harvest in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. I hope this interview inspires you to get out there and connect with YOUR local ecology! Enjoy!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Show Introduction:
    • A note of gratitude
    • Pine pollen sale at Surthrival
    • Hunt + Gather updates: Milkweed, Tenkara fishing & hunting dogs
    • Q&A: A four-element approach to a healthy nomadic lifestyle
  • Introducing Thomas Elpel
  • How Thomas became interested in nature-based living
  • How his book Botany in a Day came to be
  • Nature school immersion and the loss of nature connection
  • Participating in nature to fuel conservation
  • How to procure wild protein at a low cost
  • Mushroom and plant foraging in Montana
  • Balancing modern and primitive
  • Recounting a Yellowstone wild bison harvest
  • Thomas’s prognosis for the future of the human species
May 24, 2017

My dear sister Chloe Parsons joins us on ReWild Yourself Podcast to talk all things motherhood. Chloe blends her unique experience as a nutritional therapist, MovNat trainer and a mother of two to invigorate modern women with renewed perspective on health and happiness. She works with clients and actively shares her learning experiences in health, mothering and life as @wholly.chloe on Instagram.

In this episode, Chloe and I open up about a very intimate subject: our miscarriage stories. We share our own unique experiences with miscarriage, how it affected us and how we processed our reproductive grief. Additionally, Chloe recounts her firsthand experience with pregnancy, childbirth and mothering two children and discusses the philosophies that guide how she mothers. We also get into the topics of breastfeeding, menstruation, the importance of family and how Chloe incorporates movement into day to day life with her two children. If you’re a mother, mother-to-be or aspiring mother, this interview is for you!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Show Introduction:
    • Upcoming Surthrival Sale
    • Recounting a recent trip to Florida
    • Recent Maine foraging adventures
    • Q&A: Podcast & book recommendations for the beginning forager
    • Q&A: Where to forage for wild food
  • Introducing Chloe Parsons
  • On the importance of family
  • Chloe’s guiding mothering philosophies
  • Religious upbringing as a rite of passage
  • On miscarriage, holding space and women reclaiming the birth process
  • Beginning menstruation
  • Chloe describes the differences in her first and second pregnancies
  • Incorporating movement with kids through play
  • Breastfeeding
  • Auto-cannibalizing yourself post-pregnancy
  • Chloe’s postpartum approach to nutrition
  • Advice to aspiring mothers and mothers-to-be
  • Raising future generations and Chloe’s prognosis for the future of the human species
May 19, 2017

In past episodes of ReWild Yourself Podcast, I’ve explained why I’m not a vegan (ReWild Yourself Podcast #94) and, instead, why I’m a conscientious omnivore (ReWild Yourself Podcast #100). In my personal quest for the most natural diet for the human animal, I was a vegan for about 10 years, and The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith was an impactful read for me as I transitioned back to an omnivorous diet.

I’m thrilled to have Lierre Keith — former vegan, best-selling author and environmentalist — join us to share about her experience with veganism. Lierre spent 20 years eating a vegan diet, and in that time, she did significant damage to her body. Only when she began to introduce animal foods back into her diet — eating a more balanced, omnivorous diet — was her body able to heal and regenerate. Lierre also explains the destructive history of agriculture and why veganism is not the answer for ecological restoration of our devastated prairies and forests. This is an important conversation for all of us interested in eating the optimal human diet while living with a light ecological footprint on this planet!

**Please note: The audio quality of this interview is not excellent because we recorded over Skype. We apologize in advance for the audio quality, but we think the content makes up for it!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Show introduction:
    • Poison ivy, nettle stings and tick bites
    • Harvesting Hopniss, Apios americana
    • Upcoming Florida hunt + gather trip
    • Subscribe to my newsletter
    • Q&A: Thoughts on gardening vs wild food foraging
  • Introducing Lierre Keith
  • How Lierre came to write The Vegetarian Myth
  • The damage veganism can do to the human body
  • The results of Lierre’s 20 years of veganism
  • What led Lierre to ecological restoration
  • Why are vegans so angry?
  • Agriculture and our hierarchical civilization
  • Is organic farming a way forward?
  • Restoring the prairie grasslands
  • The future of Lierre’s work
  • What keeps Lierre motivated in her work
  • Lierre’s prognosis for the future of the human species
  • How to find Lierre’s work
May 17, 2017

Dr. Jack Wolfson “The Paleo Cardiologist” joins us on ReWild Yourself Podcast for a lively conversation on everything from natural heart health to vaccines to geoengineering. Dr. Wolfson is a board-certified cardiologist who believes bad nutrition and toxins create heart health problems. At his practice, Wolfson Integrative Cardiology, he uses in-depth testing and targeted nutrition to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease — treating the whole person, getting to the cause of the issue, instead of treating only the symptoms. 

Dr. Wolfson is bold, honest and passionate about awakening the world to wellness and a holistic approach to healthcare. In this episode, he breaks down the landscape of holistic cardiology and how he works with patients who are transitioning from conventional cardiology to a more natural approach. Our interview also takes us into some taboo areas — the vaccine debate and geoengineering, in particular — and Dr. Wolfson and I share our personal beliefs surrounding these topics. Please listen with an open mind, and as always, do your own research and use your intuition to come to your own personal conclusions. Enjoy!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Show Introduction:
    • I’d Rather Hunt + Gather T-Shirts
    • Leek harvest
    • Preserving your harvest
    • Post season scouting for new wild food spots
    • Subscribe to my newsletter
    • Q&A: Practical gear recommendations  
    • Q&A: Thoughts on wasted harvest
  • Introducing Dr. Jack Wolfson
  • The landscape of the conventional cardiology world
  • How Jack got into holistic cardiology
  • Transitioning a patient from conventional to holistic cardiology
  • Explaining quantifying blood tests
  • Breaking down Leaky Gut
  • Thoughts on environmental toxins and heavy metal toxicity in seafood
  • The vaccine debate
  • Attachment parenting
  • Is our modern-day condition by design or by accident?
  • Geoengineering
  • Jack’s prognosis for the future of the human species
May 10, 2017

Dr. Nicole Apelian joins us to share about her experience living with Lions and the San Bushmen in southern Africa. Nicole is a scientist, mother, educator, researcher, expeditionary leader, safari guide, herbalist and traditional skills instructor. Nicole’s background is as diverse as it is impressive. She has worked as a game warden with the US Peace Corps, spent time tracking and researching lions in southern Africa and she’s developed strong relationships with the San Bushmen tribe through years of living and working with them. A passionate educator, she currently leads yearly tracking & bird language expeditions through the Kalahari alongside the Naro Bushmen. Nicole continues her work with the San Bushmen to help them find strategies to preserve their traditions and is currently cataloging indigenous plant uses with a community of Naro Bushmen who regard her as family.

In this episode, Nicole gives us a peek inside the world of the San Bushmen tribe. We learn who they are, how they structure their tribe, how the relationships between men and women work and how they raise their babies. She also shares some of the horrific obstacles they’ve faced over the years and how they’re recovering today. 

Our conversation traverses a myriad of fascinating topics. We discuss what it’s like living with a predator, cultural appropriation and the romanticizing of the hunter-gatherer lifeway, Nicole’s time spent surviving alone in the wilderness, the future of modern day indigenous tribes living in their traditional lifeway and much, much more. 

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Show Introduction:
    • Hunt + Gather T-Shirt Pre-order Update
    • How Reishi mushroom impacts your health
    • Pine pollen harvesting
    • Recounting spring turkey hunting in Maine and New Hampshire
    • The Eagle Huntress
    • Arthur Haines’ Spring Foraging Workshop
    • Landscape analysis
    • Ecologically conscious foraging and regulating foraging
    • Continuing the conversation on invasive species vs planetary plant citizenship
    • Q&A: Thoughts on forming communities online vs in-person
    • Subscribe to newsletter for exclusive content
  • Introducing Dr. Nicole Apelian
  • Nicole’s story
  • What it’s like living with predators
  • Living with African Lions vs living with Mountain Lions
  • Who are the San Bushmen?
  • The status of the San Bushmen botanical knowledge
  • The obstacles the San Bushmen have faced over the years and how they are recovering
  • Cultural appropriation and romanticizing the hunter-gatherer lifeway
  • Alone in the wilderness vs community living
  • Egalitarianism & the relationship between men and women in the San Bushmen community
  • Raising babies, love and marriage in the San Bushmen community
  • The gift of timelessness
  • How Nicole fed herself during her time alone in the wilderness
  • Role of wild food and medicine in the future
  • The future of indigenous peoples living in their traditional lifeway
  • Nicole’s prognosis for the future of the human species
  • Importance of prepping
  • How to connect with Nicole
May 3, 2017

Our feet are so much more capable than many of us are aware, and innovative podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan is here to share how we can attain strong, flexible, proprioceptive and resilient feet that engage their world meaningfully.

In his 18 years as a podiatrist, Dr. Ray has learned that most foot problems can be corrected by restoring natural foot function. His practice, Northwest Foot & Ankle in Portland, Oregon, allows him to care for those who find their highest joy when in motion. He is also the inventor of Correct Toes, silicone toe spacers designed to place each toe in the correct anatomical position in relationship to each other and to the ground.

In this episode, Dr. Ray shares the history of wearings casts (aka shoes) on our feet and the foot ailments that are caused by modern footwear and lifestyle. He breaks down our basic foot anatomy and the vast capabilities of the human foot when allowed to function in its natural form. He also gives an overview of what the journey to robust foot health looks like and the steps we can take to achieve this. Tune in for an in-depth discussion on this foundational piece of our overall health and wellness strategy!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Show introduction:
    • Pine Pollen harvesting season
    • Recounting this week’s turkey hunt
    • Birch syrup season
    • Spring green foraging
    • Discussion on invasive species
  • Introducing Dr. Ray McClanahan
  • Why did we start wearing casts on our feet?
  • What foot ailments are caused by footwear and lifestyle?
  • Breaking down foot anatomy
  • How Dr. Ray got into natural podiatry & the podiatry industry
  • The four primary negative features of athletic footwear
  • Capabilities of the human foot
  • The story of William Rossi and Phil Hoffman
  • Fashion footwear
  • The truth about arch support
  • What does the journey to foot health look like?
  • Dr. Ray’s prognosis for the future of the human species
  • How to connect with Dr. Ray
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