Matt Smith is a fellow yogi from rural Minnesota who makes the rest of us feel like we've been living in bubble wrap our whole lives. He grew up seasonal farm style: spring morel and Chicken of the Woods mushroom foraging, summer Boundary Waters canoeing, winter camping at 38-below (because apparently that's a thing people do for fun), and winter beaver trapping and fur handling. You know, typical Tuesday activities.

But wait, there's more. Matt worked wildland firefighting, became a paramedic, and then decided to build his own log house over eight years without taking out any loans. Just learned as he went, recounting close calls with falling trees and a horse accident that probably should've ended differently.

Oh, and in his spare time? He built a glamping retreat from scratch. Road, platforms, bathhouse, septic—the whole operation. It's earned over 100 five-star reviews because of course it has.

Matt also talks about yoga, self-work, faith, community service, and how he's encouraging his kids to overcome fear and learn actual skills. You know, the kind of skills that matter when the power goes out or you need to, I don't know, survive in the actual world.

This conversation is for anyone who's ever wondered what it looks like to live completely outside society's safety nets and create something entirely from your own hands and knowledge. Because some people really do know how to build a life from the ground up. Literally.

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00:00 Backcountry Beginnings

00:17 Welcome and Boxes

01:27 Meet Matt the Builder

02:45 Farm Life Seasons

03:18 Mushroom Foraging 101

05:15 Chicken of the Woods

07:43 Farming and Work Ethic

08:45 Boundary Waters Adventures

10:04 Wildland Fire to Paramedic

10:40 Building a Log Home

12:09 Close Calls and Mustangs

13:37 Trapping and Fur Craft

16:46 Glamping Retreat Origins

18:22 Zillow Hobby Hunting

18:37 Buying Land For Family

19:08 Building The Glamping Retreat

20:41 Community Know A Guy

22:01 Reviews And Retreat Ideas

22:48 Yoga And Self Work

25:02 Kids Farm Freedom

26:33 Fixing A Calf Leg

29:00 You Are The Project

31:45 Mindset And Failure

33:28 Campfire Cooking Stories

34:50 Documentary And Farewell

Ep 120 - Living Outside the Box with Matt Smith (Because Some People Actually Know How to Do Everything)