Leila Darwish, community organizer and grassroots bioremediation expert, joins me on the podcast to give us an inside look into the promising possibilities of bioremediation to heal our earth’s most damaged landscapes. Bioremediation is the use of biological agents to remove or neutralize contaminants; allying with living systems to detoxify contaminated environments.
Leila has worked as a community organizer in Canada and the US on campaigns such as tar sands, fracking, nuclear energy, coal, climate justice, water protection, and more. Her energy and optimism in the face of these devastating environmental issues is inspiring. In this interview, Leila shares an overview of bioremediation and how it’s successfully being used to recover many toxic landscapes in North America, how she remains positive, governmental outlook on bioremediation and much more. Perhaps most importantly, she shares how we can get involved with bioremediation on an individual level; she certainly left me inspired to do so!
Renowned speaker and bestselling author Dr. Gabor Maté joins me for a powerful conversation on addiction and takes us into the heart of where trauma originates. With years of both scientific research and direct interaction with patients challenged by hard-core drug addiction and mental illness in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Dr. Maté offers a unique and authentic perspective on the topics of addiction, mind-body wellness and ADD.
In this interview, Dr. Maté illuminates how our modern society perpetuates trauma by fostering a culture of disconnection and dissociation. From childhood trauma to trauma passed down to us from the generations that went before us, many of us carry unresolved trauma that often materializes in addiction. Addictive behavior goes beyond hard drug and alcohol addictions; our society is wrought with addictions to things like caffeine, less-than-optimal foods and dissociative behaviors, such as watching TV.
So how can we heal and become the most authentic version of ourselves? Dr. Maté sheds light on some of the traditional healing modalities he has found to be successful through years of wide-ranging experiences. With lots of golden nuggets on topics like death awareness, spiritual-bypassing and authenticity strewn throughout, there is something for everyone in this insightful conversation.
**Please note: During this interview, we experienced some Skype glitches, so you'll hear a bit of echoing with Daniel's voice that was not able to be edited out. We apologize in advance for the audio hiccups, but we think the interview is well worth it (;
Stefano Tripney is a contextual movement coach and MovNat certified trainer who creatively bridges the inner workings of the mind and body with our collective external landscapes in order to explore, learn, experience, and play with the world and our place in it. Earlier this summer, Stefano and I spent a week together hiking through the forests of Maine, gathering wild foods, fishing and foraging wild water.
In between harvesting wild pine pollen and trout fishing, we sat down at the ReWilding headquarters to discuss Stefano's philosophies on being a more capable human. During this fun and wide-ranging conversation, we get into the correlation between movement and cognitive ability, how to stay motivated to train, moving through dynamic and texture-rich environments, unstructured play, forest bathing and much, much more.
"Don't confuse me with being anything else other than proud. Proud to be a hunter. It's time we stop apologizing for how we get our protein. This is who we are. Unless you’re a small time rancher, small time farmer, a hunter or fishermen... you really have no idea where your food comes from. Most people don’t even think about it. Well, we think about it. ” —Donnie Vincent
Donnie Vincent — explorer, biologist, conservationist, and sportsman — explores some of the world’s most remote lands, sharing stories of his expeditions through a variety of films that inspire conservation and a love and respect for wild places. Donnie is here to share some insights on hunting that, for many of you, may be surprising. He sets the record straight on the stereotype of the “typical” hunter, and sheds light on the passion for ecology and conservation that most hunters possess. We also get into some helpful tips for getting started in hunting and the practicality of procuring meat for yourself and family through this avenue. No matter what your views on hunting, I think you’ll enjoy and resonate with Donnie’s message.