It started with the wisdom of a four-year-old and has led to a quest to support and spawn regenerative communities. In this conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik Van Lennep real estate investor and community designer, Chad Thiessen explains how his relationship with his son directed him on his current path, where he came from, and what …

Crann Mór, from Gaelic, means "Big Tree" and Kevin Maher, founder of CrannMor Advisors is thinking big about trees. Partnering with permaculture designer and author Mark Shepard to create CrannMor Advisors, Kevin helps farmers be more successful financially while also improving the ecosystem with an emphasis on agroforestry. In this conversation wi…

More than 25 years ago, Jeff Goebel started working with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to help improve finances from their timber management program. Over time,Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

What happens when a couple of plant nerds get together for a chat? This conversation between botanist and author Matt Candeias and Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep. Candeias, author of the recently released bookDesigners of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Changing belief structures, holistic grazing, financial stability, and overcoming community opposition are all topics touched on in the first few minutesDesigners of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Inspiration, social capital, natural capital, and financial capital are the “4 Returns” that motivate ecosystem restoration in the Commonland framework. Commonland works with local landscape partners for large scale holistic landscape restoration in countries including Spain, South Africa...Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

As US farmers age, up to 400 million acres of farmland will transfer over the next two decades. How can farmland be held centered in community to assure regenerative agriculture and food production in an equitable and just way? That’s the heart of the conversation between Agrarian Trust’s Ian McSweeney and Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep…

It may surprise nobody, but humans are internally conflicted, parts of our nature pulling in opposite directions: immediate gratification vs. longer term security. Or as Roman Krznaric and others have termed it, “marshmallow brain” vs. “acorn brain”. He describes how our “marshmallow brain” can’t resist eating the marshmallow in front of us even wh…

The story gelled on a trip to Norway says author Judith Schwartz. She went there to talk about indigenous knowledge and, in return, learned about reindeer. She explains to Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep these stories guided the themes of earth repair and...Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Born into a seafaring family in The Netherlands, Jorne Langelaan was working at sea by the time he was 12. In this conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep, Jorne explains how his love of ships become a love of sailing ships which led him to become...Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Amber Smith made her way from a blue collar town in Central Illinois to a 53,000 acre ranch in Montana. She explains that the image of the lonely cowboy is not today's reality where, instead, women are not only managing ranches, but leading civic...Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

The experience of composting with friends helped Josh Whiton realize that being kind to the planet could lead to a change in consciousness. Josh described to Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep how this realization led him to launch MakeSoil.org, a global...Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Sara Wolcott is a healer, minister, artist, and storyteller. She (and a turkey) joined Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep for a conversation that touched on giving and receiving, Reiki, the process of regeneration, healing, and the search for the divine. They...Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

“Imagine how different our planet would look if we were teaching children whole systems”. This is how Kiwi, soil siren, author, and Regenerative Agriculture Coach, Nicole Masters explains transformative thinking in a far-ranging interview with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep. Nicole is founder of Integrity Soils and author of the book Fo…

Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

“They showed up with a truck full of what looked like the remains of a campfire. It even smelled like a campfire.” During a series of field trials Peltz realized that carbonized wood can help revitalize dramatically degraded land. “Stuff would grow on mine sites where nothing had grown for 100 years.” Christopher Peltz tells […]…

H.O.P.E. – “Helping Other People Eat”. The vision came while Julie’s husband Rich was a homeless teenager, wondering why it was so hard to find food. He kept thinking if people knew how to grow their own food, there would be so much less hunger. Many years later a work related concussion required a home […]…

People know something is going on. “Global Weirding” : all the snow, the tornadoes in strange places, bigger hurricanes, disappearing salmon … With so much evidence, so much urgency, why do we stay in ‘avoidance’ mode? What can we do about it? That was the topic when Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep spoke […]…