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!

"The greatest damage done by neglect, trauma or emotional loss is not the immediate pain they inflict but the long-term distortions they induce in the way a developing child will continue to interpret the world and her situation in it. All too often these ill-conditioned implicit beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies in our lives. We create meanings from our unconscious interpretation of early events, and then we forge our present experiences from the meaning we’ve created. Unwittingly, we write the story of our future from narratives based on the past."
― Dr. Gabor Maté, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

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.

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.

This solo episode is a comprehensive breakdown of my experiences with barefooting. As a long-time barefooting proponent, I’ve traversed thousands of miles of various terrain with bare feet or minimalist footwear, and I’ve learned quite a bit about the often unknown and under-utilized capabilities of the human foot. I detail my experiences wearing minimalist footwear in challenges like the Tough Mudder and GoRuck, as well as during my recent backcountry hunter course. I break down my favorite minimalist footwear brands, unpack the myth of arch support and share some not often discussed benefits of barefooting that I’ve discovered over the years. Note: This podcast is best enjoyed while walking barefoot on a forest trail.

Radiant sense-visionary Nadine Artemis — creator of Living Libations — is back on ReWIld Yourself podcast! In this interview, Nadine gives us a complete breakdown of how to properly care for our skin with the Stop, Seal and Seed approach. She shares what dietary and self-care practices are proven to produce healthy, glowing skin, as well as what hygiene products and foods are less-than-optimal. You’ll learn why bacteria is your skin’s best friend, the popular skin care product that you most want to avoid, Nadine’s core skin care recommendations and so much more. Consider this an owner’s manual for your largest organ!

My long-time friend Mike Adams aka the Health Ranger joins us on the show to discuss lifestyle tips for the future human in the modern world. Mike is an outspoken consumer health advocate, award-winning investigative journalist, internet activist and science lab director. Mike lives his life with purpose and integrity, and his passion shines through his prolific work.

Mike shares his latest research and findings on some of our modern toxicities like GMOs, glyphosate and radioactivity, and he offers his top lifestyle strategies to maintain resiliency and robust health in our post-industrial world. We cover a lot of ground in this interview, and we do venture into some areas of our current collective reality that are less than savory. Though we don’t go too far down those rabbit holes, these are subjects that, I feel, are vital to bring into our on-going discussion as we learn to navigate and adapt to our ever-changing wild, urban and virtual environments. This conversation is a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy!

Ben Falk joins us to discuss permaculture and the art of regenerating landscapes. Ben is an author and the founder of Whole Systems Design, LLC, a land-based response to biological and cultural extinction and the increasing separation between people and elemental things. He shares about his experiences using permaculture to create edible landscapes and set ecosystems in motion. Ben, a former eco-warrior, has turned his passion for our earth into a beautiful dedication to healing the trauma of the land.

My good friend Luke Storey has spent the past 20 years developing and refining a robust way of life based on the principles of nature and spirituality, while embracing technology and modern convenience. Luke is back on the show for an in-depth conversation on vulnerability and authenticity in our edited modern world.

The health and personal development world tends to be filled with public figures projecting polished positivity and motivation, and while all of that has its place, true change is often inspired in others when you share vulnerabilities and shine light on your own shadows. Luke and I cover a lot of ground in this episode — from mentorship to podcasting to breatharianism to spirituality — but we continue to come back to this topic of authenticity and the rich fulfillment that comes from being true to your authentic self.

Tom Myers — the originator of the Anatomy Trains Myofascial Meridians — joins us on the show to teach us a bit about our anatomy and how the highly complex fascial network works in our bodies. According to Anatomy Trains, fascia is the biological fabric that holds us together; it’s the 3-D spider web of fibrous, gluey, and wet proteins that hold them all together in their proper placement.

I met with Tom up at the Anatomy Trains headquarters in Maine, and in this interview, Tom shares his incredible philosophies on a wide range of topics. Our conversation traverses human domestication, the potentials of integrating movement with virtual reality, how we can train the movement of the next generation, stress and much more. Enjoy!

"To deny that humans are predators is comparable to rejecting that humans are communal organisms."

— Arthur Haines

In a recent podcast episode (Why I'm Not a Vegan - Daniel Vitalis #94), I shared my personal experience with veganism and discussed the core reasons why I think we need to reexamine the Vegan approach. After this show aired, I received an outpouring of feedback from you — thank you to all who listened and took the time to write me! As promised, I invited Arthur Haines — botanist, taxonomist, primitive skill practitioner and regular guest on ReWild Yourself podcast — to join me to discuss some of the refutations I received in response to the Why I’m Not A Vegan episode.

Arthur and I shed light on many popular meat-eating myths and get into some interesting conversation on sustainable eating, speciesism, omnivory, animal husbandry and looking at the big picture. We bring to the discussion our combined academic and experiential perspectives for a comprehensive look at an often polarizing topic. 

If you’ve been following my adventures this summer, you’ll know that I’ve been really into foraging wild protein, particularly fish, from my local landscape. I’ve grown to love the Tenkara fishing — a minimalist fly fishing method that originates in the mountains of Japan. Daniel Galhardo — founder of Tenkara USA, the first company to introduce Tenkara outside of Japan —joins us to share his passion for Tenkara and the world of trout fishing. 

"A rod, line and fly. Line connects to the tip. Easy casting of a fly to spots where the fish are, intuitive landing. That's tenkara in a nutshell," according to Tenkara USA. In this interview, Daniel guides you through the basics of getting started fishing Tenkara. We discuss barriers to entering the world of fishing, fishing ethics, the complex world of Western fly fishing vs the simplicity of Tenkara and so much more. Whether you’re an avid fisherman or completely new to fishing, I hope this interview inspires you to check out this intuitive and minimalist method of fishing! 

What is the best location for a ReWilder to live? I’m asked this question quite often, and in this episode, you’ll learn some important criteria to consider when thinking of where you want to live long-term. Joel Skousen — pioneer in the preparedness movement, author and publisher of the World Affairs Brief — joins us to discuss strategic relocation.

From potential environmental and governmental threats to ReWilding lifestyle requirements, there is much to factor in when strategically relocating. Do you want the freedom to homeschool or practice alternative medicine where you live? Do you want to have access to wild places to forage, fish or hunt? Joel shares grounded insights from his comprehensive work in analyzing some of the best (and worst) places to live in the US for your best chance for long-term, optimal living. He ventures into some conspiracy areas at times, but this interview is primarily focused on providing you with a practical perspective on selecting your ideal ReWilding location. In the introduction to the show, I add some of my own personal criteria for an ideal living situation. As you listen to this show, be thinking of what criteria you would add to Joel’s list to lead a life rich in the culture of the NeoAboriginal!

Jake Steiner — holistic eye guru & natural vision health advocate — learned how to naturally improve his -5D myopia and, in the past decade, has helped thousands of others get their healthy eyes back too. In this episode, Jake is here to give us the lowdown on myopia and how it isn’t actually a disease at all, but instead a contrived illness created by mainstream optometry. The cause of most nearsightedness is (surprise!) staring at screens, small text and the like for extended periods of time. You may be surprised to learn, however — especially those of you with eyesight issues — that myopia can be reversed. This interview is full of insights, tips and strategies on how you can do just that. Tune in to learn Jake’s unique, holistic approach to healing eyesight!

Amanda Archibald is a trailblazer in the field of Culinary Genomics — a unique interface between the culinary arts and genomic medicine — and her work is literally changing how we translate the science of nutrition. Science has proven that our lifestyle and dietary choices shape our epigenetic health. In this interview, Amanda details what lifestyle characteristics and foods can produce beneficial gene expression in your body and potentially help you to live a longer, healthier life. She shares some powerful insights on the topic of Social Genomics and the importance of community for epigenetic health that I think you’ll find particularly interesting. Learning how your daily habits and choices literally shape you on a genetic level is a vital tool to add to your toolkit!

Why aren’t I a Vegan? I get asked this question all the time, and in this solo episode I break down the core reasons why I think we need to reexamine the Vegan approach. I consider myself to be a conscious omnivore and promote a Four Kingdoms approach to diet (eating from the animal, plant, fungal and bacterial kingdoms). In my personal quest for the most natural diet, I was a vegan for about 10 years. In this show, I’ll tell you a bit about my experience as a vegan, why I started eating animal foods again and why long-term veganism is an experiment and maybe not an appropriate diet for a healthy, robust human ape. In the end, I give a strategy for those who still want to see the world go vegan, and explain how they could best achieve that!

Have you ever wondered what your local landscape was like in years past — before sidewalks, stop signs and modern buildings? In this episode, Dan Flores — author of American Serengeti andCoyote America — gives us some context about the history of our North American landscape and ecology. No matter where you are in the world, though, the story he shares is pertinent and relatable. In our very recent past, the Great Plains region of North America was a wild and undomesticated landscape rich with megafauna. Dan shares a bit about how the forces of domestication shaped the ecology of the Great Plains we know today and the promising conservation efforts going into the ReWilding of the American West.

As we often discuss on this show, developing and maintaining a connection to the elements — fire, earth, water, air — is a vital component of a beneficial overall health strategy. Direct, personal connection to your water source is a topic I’m particularly passionate about, and I’ve offered strategies and best practices for procuring your own spring water in a previous episode of the podcast (Why I Forage Wild Water - Daniel Vitalis #80). Gathering your own spring water is not always possible for everyone, for various reasons (location, lack of time, etc), so for all of you on the West Coast, I have an exciting service to share.

Fountain Of Truth Spring Water is sourced from the pristine Opal Springs, which emerges from the earth in the high desert of Central Oregon. Today’s guest, Mukhande Singh, bottles this water in glass jugs at the source and delivers, chilled, right to the doors of spring water drinkers along the West Coast. In this interview, he shares his experience with stewarding a spring and how you West Coasters can take advantage of this wonderful service.

Brian Mackenzie is a human performance and movement specialist, and the innovator of the endurance, strength and conditioning paradigm. Originally, I brought Brian on the show to talk with him about performance breathing (which we do discuss!), but our conversation ends up traversing some fascinating terrain on the topics of harmonizing with the natural world, conditioning your body for adaptation through hormesis, how practicing discipline can actually give you more freedom and why specialization is less than optimal

Ladies, this is the show you have been asking for! I’m so excited to have Jeannine Tidwell — co-Founder and co-Director with her husband, Tim Corcoran of Twin Eagles Wilderness School — join us to discuss women’s rites of passage. We had Tim Corcoran on the podcast a few weeks back to tell us all about men’s rites of passage, and we received numerous requests to have a follow up show with his wife Jeannine. In this interview, Jeannine shares about mentorship, courage, feminine wisdom and so much more. Enjoy!