Podcast
Mind, Body, and Soil
Hosted by Kate Kavanaugh · EN
Welcome to Mind, Body, and Soil. Join me, Kate Kavanaugh, a farmer, entrepreneur, and holistic nutritionist, as I get curious about human nature, health, and consciousness as viewed through the lens of nature. At its heart, this podcast is about finding the threads of what it means to be humans woven into this earth. I'm digging into deep and raw conversations with truly impactful guests that are laying the ground work for themselves and many generations to come. We dive into topics around farming, grief, biohacking, regenerative agriculture, spirituality, nutrition, and beyond. Get curious and get ready with new episodes every Tuesday!
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
No More Re-Introductions, Only Humans in Process with Kate Kavanaugh
Jan 17, 202501:02:43Tap to summarizeEpisode 101: In this episode, I reflect on my journey over the past three years of podcasting, It’s about being a human in process. It’s about taking moments to let ourselves be fallow, to stop along the journey, lay out a blanket, and watch the clouds go by. I also discuss a concept I’ve been exploring for myself where “Ease = Effort + Flow” and how a little friction and push in life can give us the active ease we’ve been seeking. Ultimately, it’s about the interconnectedness of existence and what it might mean to embrace aliveness and fun. It’s short and sweet and I honestly have no idea what I’m doing in these sollow episodes. Find Kate: Instagram: @kate_kavanaughLinked InSubstackSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRONUSA made cast iron. Light, thin bottomed, and smooth - just like vintage cast iron. My go to for everything from small skillets to big dutch ovens. fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEARBarefoot, zero-drop, gorgeous running shoes, sandals, and hiking boots that are grounded. Meaning you can reap all the benefits of the electron flow from earth to your body while you’re getting in your steps. Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off.
Transcribe →100 Episodes, 13 Lessons, and a Lot of Gratitude
Jan 8, 202501:11:55Tap to summarize100 episodes. Countless hours (over 220 hours). An immense amount of gratitude for you—dear listener. In this episode, I share 13 lessons from the last 100 episodes and my excitement for the next 100 episodes. Themes across the lessons include curiosity, adaptability, persistence, managing our dreams, enoughness, embracing our multifaceted nature, and how deeply shared this human experience is. It’s a vulnerable episode and while not prescriptive advice, I hope that openly sharing what this journey has taught me has some resonance with you in your journey. Thank you for listening. Looking forward to the next 100 episodes with you. Sponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRONUSA made cast iron. Light, thin bottomed, and smooth - just like vintage cast iron. My go to for everything from small skillets to big dutch ovens. fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEARBarefoot, zero-drop, gorgeous running shoes, sandals, and hiking boots that are grounded. Meaning you can reap all the benefits of the electron flow from earth to your body while you’re getting in your steps. Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off. Support the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →Living Into the Life You Want with Caroline Nelson
Dec 31, 202402:18:51Tap to summarizeCaroline Nelson is living into the life she wants. A lot has happened since we last talked to Caroline a year and a half ago, she opened Little Creek Feed, her meat business got bigger, so did Cowgirl Camp, and somewhere in the midst of all that she became a mother. This is an episode in equal parts the gravity of pausing to ask yourself where you are in your life and how you can live into the life you want and the levity of Caroline and I laughing our way through a conversation that includes a lot of the “real real”. We talk about phone addictions, surrender, finding agency for your health, discipline and willpower. Caroline also candidly shares her journey into matrescence and what the last 6 or so months have been like with businesses and a baby. We also talk about the messiness of building community and the outsize impact it can have if we just surrender. All of that and a lot more can be found in this fun romp with Caroline. Find Caroline: Instagram: @bigskycarolineTikTok: @bigskycarolineLittle CreekFirst Episode with CarolineSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRONUSA made cast iron. Light, thin bottomed, and smooth - just like vintage cast iron. My go to for everything from small skillets to big dutch ovens. fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEARBarefoot, zero-drop, gorgeous running shoes, sandals, and hiking boots that are grounded. Meaning you can reap all the benefits of the electron flow from earth to your body while you’re getting in your steps. Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off. Support the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →Embracing the Darkness as Fertile Ground: An Exploration of Grief and Community with Francis Weller
Dec 19, 202401:51:23Tap to summarizeAs Winter Solstice nears, this conversation is about the transformative power of darkness, about going into our grief, and building community to hold us. In this conversation, Francis Weller joins Kate to explore the profound importance of community and connection in human life. They discuss the pervasive sense of isolation and individualism in modern society, the various forms of grief that arise from that disconnection, and the need for a return to communal practice and love. Francis reminds us that we have forgotten and numbed ourselves – amnesia and anesthesia – but highlighting the healing potential found in nature, the darkness, and one another. Inside is a call to reimagine our relationships with each other and the world around us, advocating for a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness. Francis’ work on grief is seminal and in this, he highlights grief’s alchemical nature. It’s also a conversation about the importance of rituals, the necessity of creating spaces of belonging, and the interconnectedness of grief and joy. Find Francis: The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis WellerCoursesWorkshopsSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRONUSA made cast iron. Light, thin bottomed, and smooth - just like vintage cast iron. My go to for everything from small skillets to big dutch ovens. fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEARBarefoot, zero-drop, gorgeous running shoes, sandals, and hiking boots that are grounded. Meaning you can reap all the benefits of the electron flow from earth to your body while you’re getting in your steps. Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off. Support the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →Power Metal: Recycling, Repair, and Re-Imagining Energy and Beyond with Vince Beiser
Nov 20, 202401:35:47Tap to summarizeIn this episode I sit down with Vince Beiser, whose book Power Metal: The Race for the Resources that Will Shape The Future is an incredible follow up to his book Sand: the World in a Grain. When we last caught up with Vince we plumbed the depths of sand and how, while largely unseen, it is one of the major resources our world is built on. In this conversation, Vince and I explore more unseen resources our world is increasingly dependent on: the critical metals that are powering our energy transition. We talk about how everything has a cost, about how the electro digital age, while feeling post-material, is anything but. We touch a little on the materials used in this energy transition. We have a complex conversation around reshoring mining and exploring if where we might mine next is here at home. And then we talk about recycling, repair, and real tangible solutions to what might happen next. Find Vince: Instagram: @vince.beiserSubstackX: @vincebeiserPower Metal: The Race for the Resources that Will Shape The FutureSand: the World in a GrainResources Mentioned: Washington Post on Data CentersNYT Op-Ed on Reshoring MiningThea Riofrancos on Novara FMFight to Repair NewsletterSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRONUSA made cast iron. Light, thin bottomed, and smooth - just like vintage cast iron. My go to for everything from small skillets to big dutch ovens. fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEARBarefoot, zero-drop, gorgeous running shoes, sandals, and hiking boots that are grounded. Meaning you can reap all the benefits of the electron flow from earth to your body while you’re getting in your steps. Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off. Support the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →The Complexity of Simplicity with Jill Winger
Sep 25, 202402:03:02Tap to summarizeThis is a salty conversation and it’s also the kind of conversation that cracks you wide open. I sit down with Jill Winger - not to discuss her incredible work with Old-Fashioned on Purpose, her courses, her planner, or her book which are all amazing - but to talk about her life philosophies, our shared hot takes, and to lean into our complexity as humans. We explore the complexities of modern communication, the importance of intentional living, and the challenges of building community in a polarized society. We talk about being reflexive contrarians and sometimes needing to go to an extreme to bounce back to some nuance. We discuss the value of discomfort in personal growth as much as we talk about when and how to choose ease, the balance between generalism and specialization, and the necessity of real human connection in an increasingly digital world. We explore choosing when we need to choose discomfort (often!) but also when we need to choose ease. All around, about holding the tension between modern and old-fashioned ways of living, and just holding the tension between so many paradoxical qualities of ourselves and our lives. Find Jill: Instagram: @jill.wingerWebsiteYoutube2025 Old Fashioned On Purpose PlannerMeal CraftOld-Fashioned on Purpose: Cultivating a Slower, More Joyful LifeResources Mentioned: Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age by Sherry Turkle Essentialism by Greg McKeownMolecule of More by Daniel Lieberman, MD and Michael E. Long10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan SullivanHope for Cynics by Jamil ZakiSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeSUNDRIES FARM GARLICHand grown Sundries Farm Garlic is certified disease-free and grown in the volcanic soils of Idaho. With a range of soft and hard-neck varietals the unmatched flavor and big cloves are perfect for both your seed and culinary needs. Pre-order now for shipping in September. sundriesfarm.comBAHÉ FOOTWEARBarefoot, zero-drop, gorgeous running shoes, sandals, and hiking boots that are grounded. Meaning you can reap all the benefits of the electron flow from earth to your body while you’re getting in your steps. Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off. Support the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →Basins of Relations: Water, Fire, Beavers, and Beyond with Brock Dolman
Sep 20, 202402:18:12Tap to summarizeWHOOEE. Brock Dolman, folks, in this episode is weaving together all sorts of things previously explored on the podcast in a new (old) and incredibly articulate way. This podcast is about water cycles, beavers, fire, sand, geology, the oceans, a living earth, and so much more. Brock is a conservation ecologist and a specialized generalist over at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. He’s also, in his own right, a linguist and an incredible waeaver of words. We explore the nouns and verbs of earth as energy flows, matter cycles, and life webs. This episode is a catch all - and at the heart of it, is a message about how to build lasting community. Find Brock Dolman:Occidental Arts and Ecology CenterWater and Fire VideoThe Universe is a Green Dragon: A Cosmic Creation Story by Brian SwimmeBiomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine BenyusCreating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities by Diana Leafe ChristianThe End of Growth By Richard HeinbergThe Ghost Forest by Greg King Eager by Ben GoldfarbBeaver Land by Leila PhilipTree Crops by J. Russell SmithPicture of subsidence san Joaquin valley of telephone pole Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall KimmererThinking in Systems by Donella MeadowsBlessed Unrest by Paul Hawken AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards WarSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeSUNDRIES FARM GARLICHand grown Sundries Farm Garlic is certified disease-free and grown in the volcanic soils of Idaho. With a range of soft and hard-neck varietals the unmatched flavor and big cloves are perfect for both your seed and culinary needs. Pre-order now for shipping in September. sundriesfarm.comBAHÉ FOOTWEARBarefoot, zero-drop, gorgeous running shoes, sandals, and hiking boots that are grounded. Meaning you can reap all the benefits of the electron flow from earth to your body while you’re getting in your steps. Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off. Support the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →An Ecology of Movement with Katy Bowman
Sep 9, 202401:43:41Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Katy Bowman. First, a long on-ramp to the episode where I talk about where some of Katy’s work dovetails with explorations of how we move resources to our bodies (when we used to move our bodies to resources) that we’ve been exploring on the podcast. Katy and I then dive into the ecology of movement, movement diets, finding your movement why, and how you might consider stacking community into movement. Find Katy Bowman:My Perfect Movement Plan: The Move Your DNA All Day WorkbookMovement Matters: Essays on Movement Science, Movement Ecology, and the Nature of MovementInstagram: @nutritiousmovementWebsiteSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeSUNDRIES FARM GARLICHand grown Sundries Farm Garlic is certified disease-free and grown in the volcanic soils of Idaho. With a range of soft and hard-neck varietals the unmatched flavor and big cloves are perfect for both your seed and culinary needs. Pre-order now for shipping in September. sundriesfarm.comSupport the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →The Wood Age: Humans and the Forests That Made Them Human with John Perlin
Aug 30, 202402:07:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the podcast I sit down with John Perlin, whose book A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization explores the history of, well, of us. As you’ll hear in this episode the history of humans is inextricably intertwined, or made possible, with the history of trees and of wood. Wood is our materia prima, the foundational material of both our ecology on earth and the civilizations we have built. We explore the cycles of humanity and their relationship with wood throughout the last million years, touching on the Stone Age (which is really the wood age), Rome and Greece, the American revolution, the Industrial revolution, containerization and the green revolution, and the present. John’s book offers us a mirror to see our activities and how the stories we tell ourselves are ones we’ve been telling ourselves over and over again.Find John Perlin:A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of CivilizationLet It Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar EnergyWebsiteSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeSUNDRIES FARM GARLICHand grown Sundries Farm Garlic is certified disease-free and grown in the volcanic soils of Idaho. With a range of soft and hard-neck varietals the unmatched flavor and big cloves are perfect for both your seed and culinary needs. Pre-order now for shipping in September. sundriesfarm.comSupport the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →NAFTA is in All of Our Bodies: Corn, Policy, and Health with Alyshia Gálvez
Aug 22, 202401:40:18Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with anthropologist Alyshia Gálvez to talk about her book Eating NAFTA. The conversation is from two people who came to economic policy through unlikely means, but as Alyshia explains, economic policy in general, and NAFTA in particular - on its 30 year anniversary, has become a part of all of our bodies whether we’re aware of it or not. Alyshia’s work is incredible at connecting dots that aren’t often seen in economics - its about people, landscapes, and cultures and how they are affected by policy that favors corporations. We explore ideas of efficiency, and how the standard definition is anything but, of consumption, and the paradoxes that arise when looking at people, food, and policy. We look at corn as a material that drives our world through corn products and how landrace corn varietals have been lost to the people that first cultivated them. We also look at the health effects of policy, both here in the US, and in Mexico. Alyshia comes with a big message: if you, like us, feel like you’re a stranger to economic policy or that you can’t change it, perhaps you can and it matters now more than ever. Find Alyshia Gálvez:Eating NAFTA: Trade, Food Policies and the Destruction of MexicoPatient Citizens, Immigrant MothersX: @alyshiagalvezWebsite Sponsored By:SUNDRIES FARM GARLICHand grown Sundries Farm Garlic is certified disease-free and grown in the volcanic soils of Idaho. With a range of soft and hard-neck varietals the unmatched flavor and big cloves are perfect for both your seed and culinary needs. Pre-order now for shipping in September. sundriesfarm.comSupport the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipConnect with Kate:Instagram: @kate_kavanaugh
Transcribe →