Doomer Optimism

Doomer Optimism
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Doomer Optimism is a podcast dedicated to discovering regenerative paths forward, highlighting the people working for a better world, and connecting seekers to doers. Beyond that, it's pretty much a $hitshow. Enjoy!

  1. 17 MAR

    DO 303 - AI, Existential Risk, and the Future of the Human Soul

    AI, Existential Risk, and the Future of the Human Soul

    1 h 31 min

  2. 10 MAR

    DO 302 - Starting a Farm and a Farm Store on Main Street

    Geoffrey Long of Long Story Farms joins Jason to talk about what it actually takes to build a working farmstead part-time, the real challenges of scaling production and finding local markets, and why he thinks a permanent storefront can do what farmers' markets can't. We also get into his philosophy around local economies, community resilience, and why he believes people with skills and agency are better positioned more than most for whatever comes next.Geoffrey Long runs Long Story Farms in Newberry, South Carolina, where he raises Jersey cows, pigs, laying hens, ducks, and turkeys on 130 acres while maintaining a nine-year-old food forest and holding down a full-time corporate job. He's also spent the last three years renovating a historic building on Main Street to open Farms on Main, a local food grocery and zero-waste refillery focused on low food miles and minimal packaging.instagram.com/longstoryfarmscfacebook.com/longstoryfarmsx.com/longstoryfarms

    1 h 7 min

  3. 4 MAR

    DO 301 - Open Source Civilization: Marcin Jakubowski of Open Source Ecology

    When Your Tractor Breaks, Open Source the Whole Civilization Marcin Jakubowski, founder of Open Source Ecology, joins Ashley to talk about his 20-year project to open source the blueprints for civilization, starting with a broken tractor on a Missouri farm and expanding into a full Global Village Construction Set of 50 industrial machines. They get into the abundance vs. scarcity mindset, solar concrete, modular open source housing at $100K build cost, why proprietary design is a bad mental model, and how Marcin is now recruiting 75 people for his Future Builders Academy to finish the whole set by 2028. If you've ever been frustrated by planned obsolescence, right to repair, or the cost of building anything in America, this one's for you. https://www.opensourceecology.org/

    1 h 15 min

  4. 25 FEB

    DO 300 - Celebrating 300 Episodes of Doomer Optimism

    Three hundred episodes in, and we’re still here, still questioning, still laughing, still building. In this special 300th episode, we gather voices from across DO; past guests, hosts, collaborators, and community members, to reflect on what this experiment has meant to us. What began as a space to grapple honestly with economic, ecological, and political unraveling has become something deeper: a living, breathing community grounded in realism and sustained by stubborn hope. We discuss our favorite moments and celebrate what happens when people choose to face hard truths together, and still believe in the possibility of regeneration. If you’ve listened once or a hundred times, joined us at an event, or simply wrestled with these ideas on your own, you’re part of this story. Here’s to the next chapter.

    1 h 18 min

  5. 17 FEB

    DO 299 - Small Scale Production, Henry George, and the Land Value Tax

    Willy Denner of Little Seed Gardens in Chatham, NY, joins Jason and returning co-host Nigel Best for a wide-ranging conversation about 32 years of small-scale organic farming, the economics of direct market production, and the political philosophy of Henry George. Willy shares how he and his wife, Claudia, built their 100-acre vegetable and grass-fed beef operation from scratch — no farming background, just conviction, soil maps, and thousands of miles of driving back roads in search of land. He talks about the decision to scale back production by 75% this year, the grind of farmers' markets, and what it means to farm as a strategy toward a life rather than as an end in itself. They go into a deep, practical discussion of Georgism and the Land Value Tax. Willy, Nigel, and Jason explore why Henry George’s Progress and Poverty — once the best-selling book in English after the Bible — argued that taxing land value (not labor, not production, not transactions) is the only morally coherent and economically efficient basis for taxation. They dig into the difference between land and capital, the concept of economic rent, and why current property and income taxes penalize production while rewarding speculation, and whether any path to a single tax exists short of civilizational crisis. Also covered: no-till vegetable growing, solarization techniques, homemade farm equipment, holistic management as a decision-making framework, and advice for young people trying to find their footing. www.littleseedgardens.com

    1 h 47 min

  6. 11 FEB

    DO 298 - The Wool Empire, Faith, and Local Business

    Jason is joined by Greg Cello to discuss his plan to build a regional wool industry in New England, starting with sheep on his Rhode Island homestead. This isn't just about producing sweaters; Greg sees sheep farming as a way to revive the cooperative spirit that once defined rural communities, where families worked together and traded their goods through local granges. The conversation touches on how Greg went from military officer to homesteader, why he pulled his kids out of school and daycare to raise them at home, and how his Catholic faith became central to everything he does. He talks about the difference between environmentalism and true conservationism, his daily podcast where he works through ideas in real time, and the Globalism Slayer account he created to highlight small American family businesses as a counterweight to globalism. Greg is candid about the challenges of building roots in an expensive real estate market, the tension between using modern platforms like X and Substack to promote a vision of local self-sufficiency, and what it would actually look like to create generational stability for his family and community. The episode explores subsidiarity, discipline, dissidence, and what moves people to reject the default modern life and try something harder but more meaningful. You can find Greg at Kinward on Substack and @dissidntdad on X

    1 h 15 min

  7. 3 FEB

    DO 297: Mulberries in the Rain: Permaculture, Crisis, and Building Food Systems for the Future

    How patient design and ideological diversity are reshaping food production Ashley sits down with Ryan Blosser and Trevor Piersol, co-founders of Shenandoah Permaculture Institute and authors of Mulberries in the Rain, to explore permaculture beyond the stereotype of backyard herb spirals. We discuss what sets permaculture apart from regenerative agriculture, the evolving demographics of people drawn to food production, and how ideological diversity from left-wing environmentalists to conservative land stewards strengthens the movement. We dive into the practicalities of perennial systems, why comfrey matters more than you might think, and the often-overlooked messiness of annual vegetable farming. Ryan and Trevor challenge permaculture dogma around native plants and invasive species, sharing our own experiences with bamboo and autumn olive. We also discuss Ryan's innovative farm-based education program that integrates Virginia's K-12 curriculum standards with food production and how it's showing promising results for student achievement while producing thousands of pounds of organic food for the community. As the discussion turns philosophical, we explore what "doomer optimism" really means: preparing for an uncertain future not out of fear, but because building local food systems, land relationships, and community resilience are inherently fulfilling. We examine land access challenges, the psychology of sustainable living, and why relationships, especially those forged across ideological lines, may be our most valuable resource as we face systemic change. Perfect for anyone interested in permaculture, regenerative agriculture, education, and building meaningful alternatives to industrial food systems. The Shenandoah Permaculture Institute teaches practical, hands-on permaculture with a focus on building healthy, resilient communities. Co-founded by Ryan Blosser and Trevor Piersol, along with Dr. Ted Butchart and Emilie Gooch Tweardy, SPI offers Permaculture Design Courses and workshops that blend ecological knowledge with human-centered design. Their mission is to equip communities with the tools and strategies for health and resilience, from soil to self. @shenandoahpermaculture https://www.shenandoahpermaculture.com/

    1 h 12 min

  8. 20 ENE

    DO 296: Building Community in Fragmented Times

    Ashley Fitzgerald sits down with Elizabeth Oldfield to explore how we can foster genuine connection across ideological and cultural divides and why it matters more than ever. Drawing on Elizabeth’s experience leading the Theos think tank, hosting the acclaimed podcast The Sacred, and living in an intentional community, they discuss the power of combining rigorous research with compelling storytelling to actually shift culture and change minds. They dig into why demanding ideological purity fractures movements and how to build real coalitions across genuine disagreement instead. Elizabeth shares her hard-won insights into the neurobiology of listening, understanding our fight-or-flight responses and the human tendency toward homophily, and how this knowledge can help us create spaces where people can actually hear each other. The conversation takes a deeper turn as they wrestle with the surprising case for institutions. Even imperfect ones like churches, schools, and intentional communities are essential scaffolding for human flourishing. Elizabeth shares her own journey from childhood cultural Christianity through atheism and back to a grounded, mysterious faith, and reflects on the spiritual hunger she’s been witnessing emerge over the past several years, even among those who thought they’d moved beyond religion. Throughout, they keep returning to the unglamorous, essential work of showing up locally: sitting on school boards, knowing your neighbors, breaking bread together. In a time of fragmentation and uncertainty, they suggest this might be the most radical and necessary act of all.

    1 h 5 min
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Información

Doomer Optimism is a podcast dedicated to discovering regenerative paths forward, highlighting the people working for a better world, and connecting seekers to doers. Beyond that, it's pretty much a $hitshow. Enjoy!

Ficha técnica

  • Creado por
    Doomer Optimism
  • Años en activo
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodios
    303
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Derechos de autor
    © Doomer Optimism
  • Sitio web del podcast
    Doomer Optimism

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