The Tools at Hand with Harrison Gardner

harrisongardner

We live in a complex world. And navigating it as the complex, hopeful, emotional, ambitious human beings that we are takes a very real set of tools. The Tools at Hand is a podcast about people who have done the work of finding and developing those tools. People who saw a problem, or felt one, and instead of waiting for someone else to fix it, started figuring it out for themselves. In their community, their discipline, their craft, or their own inner life. Each episode in conversation with one guest who gives an honest account of what it actually took to build something real. The question underneath every conversation is: what did you have to learn to build this? The Tools at Hand podcast is brought to you by Bord Gáis Energy.  New episodes drop every Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    Ireland's Food Security Illusion, Climate Crisis & Community | Mary Robinson

    Ireland is often described as one of the most food-secure countries in the world. But Mary Robinson thinks that narrative is fooling us. In this conversation, I sit down with Ireland's first female president, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and founding member of The Elders to explore what food security, climate change and community really mean and why the solutions to our biggest global problems might begin much closer to home. We talk about Ireland's dependence on imported food, the importance of reconnecting with the land and the people who grow our food, and why Mary increasingly believes that local communities are where meaningful change happens. Mary shares the story of SEWA, a women's trade union in India with over four million members, showing how communities can build their own resilience to climate change and protect the people most vulnerable to its effects. We also explore a powerful idea from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: that we have duties to our communities, and that giving back can help us become more fully ourselves. And towards the end of our conversation, Mary tells me about sitting alone in Greenland, listening to a glacier break apart. It's an experience that moved her to tears  and led to a realization that brings this whole conversation together. We are nature. And what we do to nature, we do to ourselves. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HarrisonGardner CONNECT WITH ME Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harrisongardnerWebsite: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Buy my new book: Heat Shelter Water Food https://www.harrisongardner.net/bookstore-1 Project Dandelion: https://www.projectdandelion.live/ SEWA – Self Employed Women’s Association: https://www.sewa.org/ Mr. Robinson Documentary: https://www.mrsrobinsonfilm.com

    Ireland's Food Security Illusion, Climate Crisis & Community | Mary Robinson

  2. Oct 22

    The 3 Things Holding Us Back From Change

    A couple of weeks ago, I found myself crying in my car after listening to a podcast about a change to how the Trump administration interprets harm under the Endangered Species Act. It got me thinking about responsibility, unintended consequences, and what it means to cause harm without meaning to. That question led me somewhere unexpected: to a conversation about the things that stop us from making the changes we know are necessary in our lives. I think a lot of it comes down to three things: capacity, capability, and confidence. Do we have the time and emotional space to care? Do we have the skills and knowledge to do something about it? And do we believe that our actions can make a difference? In this solo episode, I explore how those three things connect, why a history of small successes can help us build momentum, and how our attempts to solve problems can sometimes make them worse when we're too afraid to admit we've got something wrong. I also tell a story from my time working with a community in Ahmedabad, India, and a young woman who found somewhere to belong when she had nowhere else to go. It changed the way I think about security, and what it means to have enough to share with someone else. We can't all solve the biggest problems in the world. But we can start by scaling them down to something we can understand, learn from, and act on. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HarrisonGardner CONNECT WITH ME Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harrisongardnerWebsite: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Bookstore: https://www.harrisongardner.net/bookstore-1 00:00 What Stops Us From Taking Action? 01:38 Trump's Endangered Species Rule and Responsibility 05:43 From Anger to Islands of Sanity 10:03 The Three Cs: Capacity, Capability and Confidence 10:51 Capacity: Time, Mental Space and Emotional Bandwidth 19:10 Capability: Learning Practical Skills 21:40 Confidence, Mistakes and Shame 26:27 The Flywheel: From Small Wins to Agency 28:59 How to Scale Big Problems Down 32:45 Community, Security and Belonging 39:56 Climate Carnival and What Comes Next 40:41 A Challenge: Find One Small Thing You Can Do 42:21 Support the Show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The 3 Things Holding Us Back From Change

  3. Oct 15

    The standard way of building is leading us to a disaster | Robert Bourke

    What if the way we build our homes and cities is part of the problem and the solution is already around us? Architect Robert Bourke joins me to explore how we can rethink the way we build, from the materials we use to the relationship between buildings, nature and the communities around them. With construction contributing significantly to global carbon emissions, Robert questions why concrete, steel and glass have become the default and why we should look at existing buildings before building new ones. But sustainable architecture isn't just about materials. It's about seeing buildings as part of a much bigger system: how water moves through our cities, how our streets affect rivers, and how we can design places that work with nature rather than against it. From a tiny three-square-metre extension that won two national awards to a community rain garden designed to help absorb rainfall and reduce flooding, Robert shows how small, thoughtful interventions can make a difference. What would our towns and cities look like if we stopped treating buildings as isolated objects and started designing for the systems we all depend on? Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HarrisonGardner CONNECT WITH ME Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harrisongardner Website: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Bookstore: https://www.harrisongardner.net/bookstore-1 Pre-order my new book HEAT-SHELTER-WATER-FOOD https://www.harrisongardner.net/heat-shelter-water-food Robert Burke Architects: https://www.rba.ie/ Act Now Collective: https://actnowcollective.org/ Chapters 00:00 — Teaser 00:00:55 — Intro 00:02:41 — Why We Need to Rethink How We Build 00:11:27 — What Traditional Buildings Can Teach Us 00:17:50 — Building with Light, Space and Nature 00:25:55 — The Three-Square-Metre Extension That Won Two Awards 00:31:05 — The Value of Working with an Architect 00:39:05 — Building for Permanence and Longevity 00:46:10 — From Architecture to Landscape Systems 00:50:15 — Learning to Think in Systems 00:55:39 — Restoring Rivers and Working with Water 00:57:00 — The Knocklyon Sponge Scape and Rain Garden 01:03:00 — Moving from Protecting Nature to Restoring It 01:08:05 — Learning from Communities and Farmers 01:12:13 — Advice for Young Architects 01:20:30 — How Small Changes Add Up 01:22:10 — Final Thoughts and Where to Find Robert Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The standard way of building is leading us to a disaster | Robert Bourke

  4. Oct 8

    Why Ireland Once Made Dancing Illegal | Edwina Guckian | The Devil's in the Dance Hall

    In 1935, dancing became illegal in Ireland unless you had a licence. You couldn’t simply organise a dance in a barn. You couldn’t dance at a crossroads. And in rural Ireland, you couldn’t even hold a dance in your own home. The Public Dance Halls Act was part of a much wider attempt to control Irish social life — with the Church and authorities deeply involved in deciding where, how and even whether people could dance. But what happens when a community refuses to accept that control? Edwina Guckian is a dancer, choreographer and community organiser who has spent years exploring Ireland’s lost dance culture and the forces that shaped it. Her work on The Devil's in the Dance Hall brings this history back to life through music, dance and storytelling. The project explores a time when jazz, dancing and new forms of socialising were seen by some as a threat to Irish society — even being described as the work of the devil. We also get into the extraordinary story of Jimmy Gralton, who reopened a community hall in 1932 as a space for dancing, music, education and gathering. The hall quickly attracted people from beyond the local community, but the conflict surrounding it escalated dramatically. Shots were fired at dancers, and on Christmas Eve 1932, the hall was attacked and burned down. Nearly a century later, Edwina is helping bring the story full circle. A campaign is now underway to rebuild Gralton’s Hall on its original site — not simply as a monument to the past, but as a new community space where people can gather, dance and connect across generations. We talk about why Ireland has lost many of its natural spaces for social connection, why people can feel so inhibited about dancing today, and what it takes to create a genuinely safe space where people feel comfortable getting onto the dance floor. Edwina also shares the thinking behind the Rambling Project, her work bringing different generations together, and why she believes that if something is missing from your community, you shouldn’t wait for someone else to create it. Sometimes, you just have to build it yourself. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HarrisonGardner CONNECT WITH ME Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harrisongardner Website: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Bookstore: https://www.harrisongardner.net/bookstore-1 Pre-order my new book HEAT-SHELTER-WATER-FOOD https://www.harrisongardner.net/heat-shelter-water-food Follow Edwina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinaguckian/ Support the Rebuild of Gralton’s Hall: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-graltons-hall The Devil’s in the Dance Hall: https://www.edwinaguckian.com/the-devils-in-the-dance-hall/ 00:00 They Once Made Dancing Illegal in Ireland 02:37 Meet Edwina Guckian 05:01 The Devil in the Dance Hall 06:00 How Dancing Became Illegal in Ireland 12:10 How Women Were Policed and Shamed 16:20 Why We’ve Stopped Dancing 19:28 How to Create a Safe Space to Dance 20:50 Inside The Devil in the Dance Hall 25:00 The Story of Jimmy Gralton 32:45 Gralton Reopens the Hall 34:35 The Hall Is Attacked and Burned Down 37:25 Why Edwina Is Bringing It Back 38:35 Dancing Brings Generations Together 40:20 The Rambling Project 42:43 Why We Need New Social Spaces 46:25 Bringing Generations Together 47:10 Rebuilding Community 50:50 If You See the Gap, Build It 52:00 Rebuilding Gralton’s Hall 57:20 How to Support Edwina’s Work Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Why Ireland Once Made Dancing Illegal | Edwina Guckian | The Devil's in the Dance Hall

  5. Oct 1

    The Young Irish Farmer Revolutionising Farming | Sophie Bell

    What does the future of farming in Ireland look like? Sophie Bell is a young farmer from County Cavan who took on the running of her family farm at just 17, while finishing her Leaving Cert. Today, she’s balancing farming with a career in social media, speaking about agriculture across Ireland and Europe, and rethinking what it means to build a sustainable life from the land. We talk about the pressure on farmers to have a second income, why farming can feel more like a culture than a career, and the barriers facing the next generation. Sophie also shares what she learned from researching the impact of bovine TB on farmers, what it's like being a young woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry, and how social media has opened doors she never expected. And then we get into what she's changing on the farm — moving away from commodity pricing and towards a model where she has more control over what the farm earns, how it operates, and where it goes next. A conversation about farming, money, gender, social media, and what happens when you stop accepting that things have to be done the way they've always been done. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HarrisonGardner CONNECT WITH ME Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harrisongardner Website: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Bookstore: https://www.harrisongardner.net/bookstore-1 Pre-order my new book HEAT-SHELTER-WATER-FOOD https://www.harrisongardner.net/heat-shelter-water-food Follow Sophie: https://www.instagram.com/sophie_bell__?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&stkn=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== 00:00 – Teaser 00:55 – Introduction 02:47 – Sophie’s 56-Acre Farm in County Cavan 05:25 – Why Do Farmers Need a Second Income? 07:50 – The Next Generation of Farmers 10:10 – Passing the Farm to the Next Generation 13:15 – Who Gets Taught to Be a Farmer? 18:35 – Is Farming a Career or a Culture? 23:25 – How Social Media Changed Sophie’s Farm 26:35 – The Hidden Cost of Bovine TB 33:10 – “I Thought I Wasn’t Allowed to Be a Farmer” 35:47 – Taking Over the Farm at 17 38:42 – Being Taken Seriously as a Young Woman 45:37 – Advice for Young Women in Farming 48:08 – Why Farming Needs More Alternative Ideas 56:30 – Sophie’s Work With the EU and UN 01:03:19 – A Different Way to Make Farming Pay 01:06:10 – For the First Time, the Farm Isn’t Struggling 01:08:35 – The Future of Wool in Ireland 01:12:30 – Taking Back Control 01:14:10 – What Sustainable Farming Should Look Like 01:15:11 – Outro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Young Irish Farmer Revolutionising Farming | Sophie Bell

  6. Sep 24

    Irish Fiddle Player Clare Sands on Bringing Politics Into Folk Music

    What can music do when the world feels divided? For Clare Sands, it can be a way of bringing people together. Clare is a sixth-generation fiddle player, singer and composer from Ireland. In this conversation, we talk about Irish culture, activism, Palestine, and the role music can play in starting difficult conversations. Clare shares the story of swimming across the Bosphorus from Asia to Europe and raising around €12,000 for two Palestinian organisations with her sister. We talk about the pushback she has experienced when sharing Palestinian folk songs, and why she continues to use music to connect people across cultures and traditions. We also explore the story behind the flag on Clare’s album artwork, her relationship with Irish history and folklore, and the importance of reclaiming symbols that can become divisive. Along the way, we get into a bigger question: how do you get people to engage with difficult ideas in a way that feels welcoming? Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HarrisonGardner CONNECT WITH ME Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harrisongardner Website: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Bookstore: https://www.harrisongardner.net/bookstore-1 Pre-order my new book HEAT-SHELTER-WATER-FOOD https://www.harrisongardner.net/heat-shelter-water-food Clare SandsWebsite: claresands.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claresandsceol/?hl=en Substack: https://claresandsceol.substack.com/ 00:00 Teaser — Why Was a Folk Song Too Much? 00:41 Introduction 03:00 Irish Music, Culture & Clare Sands’ Roots 07:20 Climate Change & Adapting to a Changing World 09:10 Irish Traditional Music & Creative Independence 12:35 Music, Activism & Palestinian Folk Songs 14:45 Irish Identity, Folklore & Siding With the Underdog 21:10 Swimming, Community & Connection 25:20 Swimming From Asia to Europe for Palestine 33:05 Using Music to Open Difficult Conversations 38:10 Irish Flags, Irish History & Reclaiming Identity 41:05 Music, Community & Connecting Across Borders 46:15 Bringing Music to Rural Communities 47:35 Small Audiences, Community & Connection 52:05 Clare Sands’ Music, New Album & Song of a Gael Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Irish Fiddle Player Clare Sands on Bringing Politics Into Folk Music

  7. Sep 17

    I Traded Photography for Food & Shelter to Travel the World | The Pixel Trade | Shantanu Starick

    What happens when you decide to travel to all seven continents without spending any money? That was the challenge Shantanu Starick set himself after stepping away from a career in architecture. Trading nothing but his photography skills for food, shelter and transport, he created The Pixel Trade — a three-and-a-half-year journey built entirely around exchange, trust and the people he met along the way. But living without money comes with its own challenges. What does it actually cost to rely on other people? And what happens when the journey ends and you have to reintegrate into a world that still runs on money, responsibility and bills? In this conversation, we explore the value of trade, the relationships that grow from it, and why the best exchanges are the ones where both people feel they’ve come away with the better end of the deal. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HarrisonGardner CONNECT WITH ME Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harrisongardnerWebsite: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Bookstore: https://www.harrisongardner.net/bookstore-1  Pre-order my new book HEAT-SHELTER-WATER-FOOD https://www.harrisongardner.net/heat-shelter-water-food Explore the Pixel Trade Project and discover the trades that made this journey possible:  http://thepixeltrade.com/trades Chapters00:00 — Teaser & Introduction  02:22 — The Pixel Trade: Trading Photography for Food, Shelter & Transport  19:33 — The Squarespace Hosting Trade  20:40 — New York, Tumblr & Inter-Trading  29:12 — What Makes a Great Trade?  40:40 — Burnout & Reaching Antarctica  41:41 — How He Got to Antarctica  48:40 — The Pixel Trade as a Life Apprenticeship  50:00 — What He Learned About Money 51:40 — Returning to a World That Runs on Money  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    I Traded Photography for Food & Shelter to Travel the World | The Pixel Trade | Shantanu Starick

  8. Sep 10

    From Sailing to Antarctica to Becoming a Polar Bear Guard | Sarah Schwimmer

    Sarah Schwimmer is a naturalist, ecologist and polar expedition leader who has spent the last decade guiding more than 125 expeditions around the world. In this conversation, Sarah talks about her upcoming expedition to Svalbard aboard a first-of-its-kind solar-powered polar expedition vessel, how she dropped out of university to sail across the Atlantic at 19, and how following her curiosity shaped the life she built. We also talk about Antarctica, the realities of working in the polar regions, the experience of coming out later in life, creating safer and more inclusive spaces in expedition travel, and what it means to become a polar bear guard. Sarah's approach to life comes back to a simple idea: you don't need to know exactly how to do something before you start. Sometimes you have to trust that you'll figure it out along the way. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HarrisonGardner Connect with Harrison: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harrisongardner Website: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Books: https://www.harrisongardner.net/bookstore-1 Pre-order my new book HEAT-SHELTER-WATER-FOOD https://www.harrisongardner.net/heat-shelter-water-food Find Sarah and learn more about her expeditions:  https://www.instagram.com/the_vagabondist/ https://www.the-vagabondist.com/pages/about Chapters00:00 — Teaser & Introduction 04:00 — Solar-Powered Ship to Svalbard & the North Pole 18:00 — Sustainable Travel & the Future of Exploration 24:00 — Childhood, Nature & the Dream of Exploration 30:00 — Dropping Out of University to Sail Across the Atlantic 43:00 — Dyslexia, Dyscalculia & Learning to Trust Yourself 56:50 — Becoming a Polar Expedition Leader 58:50 — Antarctica, Sailing & the Drake Passage 01:08:00 — Coming Out, LGBTQ+ Inclusion & Expedition Travel 01:18:40 — Freedom, Wilderness & Being Yourself 01:20:00 — What Does a Polar Bear Guard Do? 01:26:20 — Talking to Bears & Sarah's Next Adventure Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    From Sailing to Antarctica to Becoming a Polar Bear Guard | Sarah Schwimmer
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

We live in a complex world. And navigating it as the complex, hopeful, emotional, ambitious human beings that we are takes a very real set of tools. The Tools at Hand is a podcast about people who have done the work of finding and developing those tools. People who saw a problem, or felt one, and instead of waiting for someone else to fix it, started figuring it out for themselves. In their community, their discipline, their craft, or their own inner life. Each episode in conversation with one guest who gives an honest account of what it actually took to build something real. The question underneath every conversation is: what did you have to learn to build this? The Tools at Hand podcast is brought to you by Bord Gáis Energy.  New episodes drop every Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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