← The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
1KHO 537: Do You Want Healthy Kids? Take Them Outside | Miriam Eriksson and Amanda Argyle, Argyle Acres
00:59:08
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- [00:00]
Amanda Argyle
Abercrombie Kids is bringing the ultimate first day energy back to school. It all starts with on trend outfits for that front door photo shoot. Plus the coolest tees, shorts and jeans.
- [00:12]
Miriam Erickson
To take them through the rest of the year.
- [00:14]
Amanda Argyle
Get them ready for their close up.
- [00:16]
Jenny Urich
And keep them comfy too.
- [00:18]
Amanda Argyle
Make this grade their best one yet.
- [00:20]
Miriam Erickson
Shop all things back to school in store online and in the app.
- [00:30]
Jenny Urich
Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Jenny Urich. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside and it is podcast debut for Amanda Argyle and Miriam Erickson. Welcome to the both of you.
- [00:41]
Miriam Erickson
Thank you.
- [00:43]
Amanda Argyle
So excited.
- [00:44]
Jenny Urich
You are doing incredible work about teaching families, kids, older people all the ages about regenerative farming practices, getting people back to the earth. So because it's your debut, let's give a little bit of introductions. You can each go, I would love to know a little bit about your story. How did you end up in this spot? Like, I know one of you is like, my husband was a skydiver and you know, I mean, all these really cool things. So individual stories. And then I really would like to know how you two connected.
- [01:13]
Miriam Erickson
Yeah, go first. About.
- [01:15]
Amanda Argyle
Yeah, sure. So we have to back it up just a little bit, I would say. It started I'm a regenerative farmer and I got into that by my own food journey, started by reading labels probably back in 2010 or so and just really started diving into where our food was coming from and didn't love what I found. And you can't unsee it once you see it. So in 2015, my husband and I came across a decrepit farmhouse that we were like, oh, we can afford that. Let's buy it, fix it up and start farming. We'll just grow the food ourselves. So we bought our first farmhouse in 2015 and then found Joel Salatin, which I know you guys both know, and we're huge fans. We dove into all of his books and started his practices on a small scale. And then in 2017, I had my first daughter. And then things really changed for me because then I realized how important it is to connect children to where their food is coming from. And I noticed with other children around me and that there was really a gap in food literacy. So education stuff started being on my mind. And then in 2020, Miriam. Well, my husband actually contacted Miriam.
- [02:32]
Miriam Erickson
Instagram.
- [02:33]
Amanda Argyle
Instagram, yeah. He had some questions, some health questions. And that's where they started communicating. If you want to take it from there.
- [02:41]
Miriam Erickson
Yeah. So like, we, we've shared a lot of stuff online. We've kind of been fascinated, my husband Sterling and I in the health industry for over 20 years and huge into self experimentation and like, really big into, like, oh, that's interesting. Let's try that. Let's see how we respond. What do we react when we, you know, do this or when we start doing this or we stop doing that. So our health journey has been over. We've been married for almost 21 years, and we didn't think we could have children for her first 10 years of marriage. And it was kind of like, okay, well, if it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. And when we got pregnant with our daughter, we were both like, oh, my gosh, we have. We have to learn all the things. We have to read all the things we have to, like, what is this to be a parent? What is health and nutrition? Like? We just took a deep dive into that and really kind of set us on a new journey of bringing back some of the ancestral wisdom that had been lost in our families. And then in 2015, connecting with like, okay, well, yeah, I want to make healthy choices, but what does that really look like? We started contacting farmers, like, all over Utah and Idaho and Montana, and we're like, can we come to your farm? Can we see what you're doing? Can we ask you questions? And people would like, they were kind of hesitant, like, why do you want to come? What are you doing?
- [04:05]
Jenny Urich
So cool.
- [04:06]
Miriam Erickson
I was like, we want to learn about it. We want to share what this is with people. And people would ask, well, do you want your own farm? And I was like, no, not really. I don't really want my own farm. And I was like, but I want to build a community with someone who's teaching and living these practices and connect people with it. Like, I want to highlight what you're doing and be like, these are the. We had so many friends in Salt Lake City, are like, well, where do you source from? Well, how do you know the farm is really doing what they say they're doing? Because marketing's trickety and like, all these buzzwords are tricky. And so I'm like, well, I've been there. I shook our farmer's hand. Like, I shook the rancher's hand. I've seen how they're using these regenerative practices. So in 2015, when we're going to farms and we are just getting so excited about all of these amazing people, and farmers and ranchers aren't great marketers. They're very Busy, and they don't have a lot of time to, like, storytell. So when Chris reached out to us through Instagram, he was asking about some help things. And I was like, wait. I was like, you have a farm just north of us. I was like, can we come to your farm? And he's like, sure, you can come anytime. And from there, it started this relationship of, like, Chris kind of nudging us and being like, hey, I think you guys need to go to the Redacre Center Food and Farm Conference. And they do huge legislative work in the state of Utah and are huge champions of small producers farms. And I was like, but I'm not a farmer. Like, I should go to this conference. I was like, I can't afford that. And he's like, I want a ticket here, you can have the ticket. You should go. And so I'm calling up Sarah and Cymbria Patterson and being like, why? I have one ticket. Can my whole family come? And they were so sweet, and they're like, yeah, come on down. And it just kind of snowballed into this relationship over the years of us kind of back and forth. And then Chris and Amanda came and stayed with us and went to the Reddit here conference. And I was like, guys, I need you adopt our family. Like, I did, like, full on. Like, you just need to adopt us so that we can be, like, living and doing these things with you. And so then this is where kind of Amanda's brainchild was born.
- [06:17]
Amanda Argyle
Yeah. Chris is definitely the. Takes the lead on the talking and everything. I was kind of submerged in motherhood, and I had my first start in 2017, and then in 2022, I had my son. But when I met Miriam, she just exuberates passion, and you can't miss it. And I loved it. And she. And when I got to know her more and realized how passionate she was for also connecting children to nature, it felt like there was a symbiotic relationship that could happen there. I wanted to connect kids to food. She wanted to get them outside. And so it was just a marriage waiting to happen, I think.
- [06:56]
Jenny Urich
Wow. The power of community. And now you have this education foundation. It's called Argyle Acres Education Foundation. I'll put all the links in the show notes. So Miriam and Sterling are at the biohacking family, and then Amanda and Chris are at Argyle Underscore Acres. But also Miriam is there too, because you're doing a lot of this together.
- [07:17]
Amanda Argyle
Yeah.
- [07:18]
Jenny Urich
Help us know where to go before we kick into more things.
- [07:21]
Miriam Erickson
So the best for The Argyle Acres Education Foundation. The best thing to go is to the Argyle Acres website, and it has all the links of, you know, where to purchase the beef and the pork and the chicken and the lamb, like, all of the animals that they're raising for their community. And then it has education. And so, like, the website's beautiful and very easy to navigate, and that's where you can connect and get the most information. I love storytelling, and so that's why I'm just like. And I love capturing what we're actually doing in real time and then sharing it. And so I'll share stuff, and then we just collaborate and share it together.
- [08:00]
Jenny Urich
Okay, so lots of things that you can find there, including all sorts of workshops. So there's youth workshops, there's community workshops. Things like make your own drinking water, building shelters, harvesting chickens, nature photography, bats. I mean, this is a really incredible thing to be bringing people in when we're so disconnected from the earth, from nature. Everyone's on their screens. One of the easiest avenues back is to talk about your food and to try and meet farmers and to try and go to their farms and to try and help them. Like, that's what you're doing, Miriam. Try and help tell people stories. I mean, that's what Joel Salatin says. He's like, these people are like, I'm going to be out in a field by myself for eight hours. You know, I don't really care about talking to people. This is the person. You know, it can be a common personality type. They probably are introverted.
- [08:46]
Miriam Erickson
Can I come see your pasture with the cows? Can I come? And it's so funny because to have enthusiasm about this. The reason it's important for me to ask these questions and have this experience is because I see the connection that can happen so beautifully when we get our hands in the soil. And so I'm like, okay, if you can share what you're doing with small children, all the way up to adults who have never experienced anything about regenerative agriculture or maybe are even just a little bit nervous about the outdoors. This can be such a beautiful partnership. And we can. It's not just like our local community. Yeah, one of our camp kids lives right next door to the Argyles, but we've had a camp kid from Zambia, Africa, and I'm like, kate, when you are sharing something, it can be with your local community. It can be with those who are able to make the time and have the means to travel or, you know, can figure that out. But the reason for the Argyle Acre Education foundation is. We want to make it accessible to everybody. We don't want it to be like a private, exclusive thing. We want to share this knowledge and these experiences with everyone. And so that's why the idea for the outreach program began, because I'm like, well, what about the parents who are both working full time and are not able to take their kids? Or what about the people that are like, you know, that's pretty far for me to travel. Okay, how do we make it accessible to them? How do we reach people and share this? And again, we can read. I read all the books, all these amazing. And I even have in my Instagram like a highlight of books. And I'm like, I've read all the books, I've watched all of the videos, I've all the documentaries and things. But there's something magical that happens when you are outdoors, when you are connecting with these natural cycles and when you are building core memories and having experiences. I'm like, you have to just do it. You have to just go outside. So.
- [10:47]
Amanda Argyle
And I would just add to that, that it doesn't have to be fancy. I mean, her and I, it's kind of funny to think back on our first farm camp. We actually had sold the first farm, moved up to a bigger farm because our farm got really busy after Covid and shelves were empty and things like that. So we moved to a 20 acre parcel that had nothing on it. We didn't have power, we didn't have water. We were living in a tiny home. It was crazy. And I was like, let's just do it this year. And she's like, what? Where are we going to go to the bathroom? You know, I was like, I'll get a porta potty. Like, we'll figure it out. And that first year, we popped up a shade tent and just brought kids to this really raw piece of land. And we did it. And they, we had so much fun. We didn't need a lot.
- [11:30]
Miriam Erickson
It really was. It's like, you can't always operate by like, I'll wait till things are perfect or I want to get this all, like, ready, like the paralysis of analysis. Like, don't let that set in. Just do the thing. So Amanda and I are both breastfeeding baby boys, like, carting them around on our hips, on our, you know, in baby carriers. And I'm like, we just, we've got to do it. We've got to make this happen so that people can realize, oh, this is actually what hands on education looks like. Oh, this is what regenerative farming is. Through experiencing it, like that's the best way. And in 2020 for me, I had like a huge life changing experience where my baby and I both almost died. And it was like 2020 was hard for a lot of people in a lot of ways, but it was just so intense. And I kept, every time Mother Nature's arms were just open, every time we went outside, I would, I felt so nourished and healed. And every time I invited people to come with me, okay, let's go up the canyon. And people were nervous, like, oh, it's a group of people. And I was like, ah, it's okay, they won't find us in the woods. I'm like, it's okay, we're allowed outside. And that's the thing is it's like giving people permission to like experience what is healing. Giving them permission to experience what is the ancestral wisdom and how do we heal and how do we grow? We got to do it outside. We got to do it in these natural cycles that have been there since the beginning of time.
- [13:04]
Jenny Urich
Yeah, the power of community, the power of leading, the power of doing things when you don't feel totally ready. I was just talking to a friend yesterday. She's like, I think I should start a coaching business. But I don't know, I don't know which way to go with it. And what you have to do is you have to just do it. You have to do something. You pick something. You pick one part. You know, I could do four different things. Pick one and then what's going to happen is you're going to get feedback from your environment, from your own body, from other people who have been a part of your thing. And then you're just going to make small adjustments along the way. So start now. You start now. There's a quote that says, if you're not embarrassed of your first product, you started too late. So be embarrassed. Be embarrassed of the fact that, you know, we weren't quite ready and we're carrying these babies around. But you started. And then what happens is things grow. Even though you make little tweaks and you adjust along the way, it's not exactly the same four years down the road as it was at the beginning. But you started and you got it going. I want to come back to the regenerative farming because I think even that, just to explain what that is, I know there's different principles of that, but before we get there, Miriam, I know people are going to want to know a little Bit more. You said for 10 years in your marriage you thought you couldn't have kids. Can you just go a little bit deeper there?
- [14:09]
Miriam Erickson
Yeah. So my husband and I were married and I was not. I. Neither of us were on any medications. We, we thought we did okay health wise, but both of us coming from. I came from a very undernourished childhood living in poverty, and my husband Sterling just was on a standard American diet. Just pretty normal stuff. Like, both of us thought we were healthy. But infertility, that's a huge sign that your body's not healthy if you're not able to reproduce. We see that in animals too. It's like, oh, well, if that's not working, there's some underlying health issue. We just had decided to make peace with it. For the first 10 years of our marriage, I was helping raise three younger teenage siblings. And I have taught in, like, various organizations, so I didn't feel a lack of children in my life by any means. I have so many kid experiences. But for us, people just kept saying, well, like, you just don't know until you're a parent. Like, you just, you can't understand the depth of, like, what that means. And I was like, you're right, because I'm. I'm not a parent. I don't know that. We had started making different health choices and we. My husband kind of nudged me and talked me into getting into bodybuilding. I was like, what? I'm like, I don't know about that. Like, I'm not competitive in any way. Like, I never really played sports. I'm like, I, when I go outside, I like to be outside for hours and just kind of saunter around and investigate and like, just kind of, you know, like a sloth style. Like, I'm just here to observe. But when we started bodybuilding together, it really kind of changed how my body responded. And all of a sudden I was doing pretty high intensity trainings. I mean, I was, I was leg pressing like £300. I was really kind of careful about what I was eating. And I think my body was letting go of a lot of things, like emotional things that I had experienced in my childhood. And then we went. Some friends, JD And Caitlin Hatley, invited us to Hawaii. They're like, hey, we're renting a house. Come to Hawaii. We're like, I don't know about that. And they're like, you can use our airplane miles. Like, just come on, come with us. And we were like, okay. And we had never taken a trip together because we Were raising teenagers and, like. Like 10 years of marriage. And it's, like, common for, oh, you know, you're single, you're, like, newly married, going on dates, going on trips. And I. No, we don't really do that. So this was our first trip, like, as a couple really together. And we get pregnant in Hawaii. And I didn't even know about it for, like, two or three months because we were so busy working. And I just didn't pay attention to what was going on with my body. And then all of a sudden, I was like, oh, my goodness. I think. And so I was like, there's no way. Like, it hasn't happened for 10. Like, their likelihood of it happening is very rare. And I had decided I wasn't interested in, like, messing with my body or, like, doing IVF or things. I was like, I'm just not comfortable with that. Personally, for me, like, if it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. And I had total peace with that. And we had talked about adopting this little boy that I nannied, and we were taking care of my three younger teenage siblings. And so it's like, we had a lot of kids. And Sterling's like, I'm just comfortable the way it is. But then getting pregnant and the opportunity to become parents was, like, such a sacred, like, calling. Like, it's. It's still, like, the biggest thing in my life, like, getting to be a mom. And like, oh, man, I'm gonna get emotional now. Not just our daughter, who we got pregnant with in Hawaii, but then five years later, we got pregnant with our son. And the whole journey of not just delving into parenthood, but reparenting ourselves and healing our childhood traumas and what we experienced has been the biggest thing in my life and something that is so incredibly special to me, and I think that's why I share so much about it, is because not everybody comes from the most perfect circumstances, and not everybody has the best opportunities in life. However, if you do the best you can in the season that you're in and you're willing to learn and grow, beautiful things are going to happen. And that's what my journey has been, is every time you get completely, like, knocked down and you're like, this is rock bottom, like 2020, where I was, like, fighting to stay alive, it is a beautiful opportunity to try again and say, okay, I am going to learn from this. I'm going to grow. And I think becoming a mother is the most beautiful calling in my life to kind of become the person I needed as a child. Like not just be there for my family, but tell the small version of me, hey, you're loved, you're safe, you can nurture yourself through daily habits. And that's what my own personal journey is, is learning how to be a better version of myself for people I love.
- [19:36]
Jenny Urich
And now you have these two beautiful children that you're taking to the farm are interested in learning more. They can go and find your story because you talk about you had undiagnosed preeclampsia vaginal breach extraction and your son had injuries from the forceps needed to be resuscitated. And I know a lot of people deal with a lot of birth trauma. You talk about brain injury hie and all of these natural things. That's really how I connected to your story. Miriam was watching you do all of these natural things to support your children. And you know, the extended breastfeeding and how that helps with eyesight. All of these things that you might not know. And watching that journey of flourishing that involved a lot of nature and involved, like you said, a lot of ancestral wisdom. You know how passionate I am about a good start to the day, especially when you've got big outdoor adventures planned. And and let's be honest, Good morning. Start the night before. 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So this is the season right now that we're in, in Michigan is strawberry season. And it only lasts for a couple weeks. So, you know, we try and go pick and. And you go, I don't have a strawberry farm, but you know, there's a couple around. And then blueberries are in July. And so you try. And if you don't have your own, you try and connect with the other people. Call it agro tourism. I think it's fantastic. Agritainment. I'm like, listen, if I'm going to pay to go do something outside, at least we're coming home with a snack. You know, it's like, right, we picked it off the bush. So this is great, great, a great, great, great way to get your family outside and to make some impacts long term so they know where their food comes from. But can you talk in particular about regenerative farming? So this is something that people have probably heard of. I've definitely heard of it. And I would think, okay, you know, in my mind it's like, okay, it's regenerating. It's not depleting. That's what Joel Salton talks about, right where it becomes rocks and gullies. What are some of the principles of regenerative farming? It called regenerative agriculture. Is it the same thing or is it.
- [24:49]
Amanda Argyle
I would say it's the same thing. Yeah. I mean, you're regenerating soil is the principle of that. Right. And so we use, on our farm, we use a multispeciated approach to build soil. So we have cattle, we have chickens, we have pigs, we have sheep, and we follow them along in a certain order that, you know, synergistically plays off of each other and helps rebuild that soil. And you can actually rebuild quite a bit of organic matter pretty quickly using the animals as your tools. But I would say too, for me, one of the biggest principles with regenerative agriculture is we're not exploiting nature. We're not exploiting the people who are working on the farm, and we're not exploiting the animals. You know, those animals are able to. I love what Joel Salatin says. Like the chickens, you know, get to express their chickenness or the pigs get to express their pig ness. And they're living their best lives in the grass and being cared and loved on. And then, you know, they, the life cycle ends and then they nourish our bodies. But yeah, with regenerative agriculture, you're building the soil. That's the number, number one thing. So when you build the soil too, you're going to retain water, you're going to change your cl. Climate in your area, you know, because of the water cycle. It's a really beautiful symbiotic. Symbiotic thing. But building soil is number one.
- [26:14]
Jenny Urich
Yeah. Joel talks about it in his book the Marvelous Pigness of Pigs. It's one of my favorite books I've ever read. And he talks about how there's a glory in every creature and every animal. And when he talks about in particular some of these farm animals like a chicken, and he'll say they'll cut their beaks off in these crowded, you know, indoors, you know, in these little cages so they don't peg each other to death because they're in this awful environment. Or pigs. Pigs are meant to root. And what they do is. And they root up all this stuff and they, they can make you a great garden bed. You know, you talk about no till. I mean, they're going to root it up and then your soil is ready to go. But in these lots, they can't even turn around, let alone root because they're on a slab of cement. It is a life changing book. His books are very philosophical in the fact that they make you think about, you know, your faith, beliefs and how everything is interconnected and you would have never considered it before. And also all of the practicalities of farming. He wrote the forward to my latest book. I'm not sure if you knew that or not, but that was like a joy of my life. Talk about the no till. So for people to sort of, you know, depending on what you have in your home, how much space you have, you can start to incorporate some of these philosophies. No till cropping, so you're not breaking up that soil. So that's kind of opposite of what people think. Like they, you picture in your mind like the farm tractor and it's like ripping up all this stuff. Can you talk about why that's important?
- [27:34]
Amanda Argyle
I mean, you have the soils alive, you have all of these networks in there and when you just go in and rip them up, you're ripping up the foundation of what makes the healthy foundation for animals, plants, humans. And so being gentle with that is super important. Keep keeping a cover crop. That's another one also for the same reason too. You don't want bare soil. You don't want. My husband always. Chris always says, you know, you don't want to catch Mother Nature without her clothes on. You know, Mother Nature always covers up. She's very, you know, she's very modest. There's you. You don't go out in nature and see a bare piece of soil. There's always something that's kind of growing there, and that's also just contributing to that live network that's under there and protecting it.
- [28:22]
Jenny Urich
I watched a nature documentary, gardening, called Back to Eden, and that changed my whole life. Because that's what I mean. That was sort of the main thing about it, was cover the soil. And so we would just get, you know, like a big old truckload of wood chips. And you cover the soil so, like, you got a little mound. You're going to put in your pumpkin seeds, you're going to put in whatever, and then you're going to cover that with a layer of wood chips. And the wood chips hold the water and the moisture, and it keeps the things balanced underneath. And you don't have, you know, keep it. Keeps it so much more protected. And then they showed, like, how the things would grow so much bigger, so much faster. And also they tasted better because they had higher water content. People were coming from all over the, you know, to try their fennel. I was like, I've never even eaten fennel. I wouldn't even be able to tell you what it looks like or what it is. And people are like, this is the best fennel I've ever had. It's because of that covering, which is pretty easy to do.
- [29:15]
Miriam Erickson
It's also because of the microbes. So this is something Amanda and I have talked about and just been like, oh, my gosh. So when a baby is born vaginally, it passes through the vaginal canal, and the microbes from the vaginal mucus seed, the gut microbiome, and that jump starts the immune system. The same thing is happening with the seed when you have healthy soil and those healthy microbes. When that seed germinates and it starts to grow, it has to break through the soil. And that process takes strength. And those microbes are seeding that plant with its immune system, with its function. But it can only happen in a healthy environment. And so I get, like, tinglies. I'm like, oh, my gosh. Mother Nature, like, she does it everywhere. She knows what she's doing. And so when we tell kids, like, hey, you know, Farmer Chris and Farmer Amanda, you might see the animals, they Have. But they're really microbe farmers. And we talk about the health in the soil and how we feed the soil. All of a sudden they're like, oh, what's beneath our feet? What are these microbes? Why is it so beneficial? And little concepts that we can, like, share with people. Okay, humans do this. So do seeds. All of a sudden you're like, oh, this is big. This is amazing.
- [30:37]
Jenny Urich
Yeah, that's so interesting. So I read this book. It's. I'm not gonna be able to think of the name of it. I'm gonna look it up while we're talking. But it's. The author wrote a book called you are what your food ate or something like that. And then he wrote a different book. Oh, it's called the hidden half of nature. And I can't remember what the author's name is, but he was fantastic. And he showed this graph. It wasn't a graph. It was more like a picture of where if you're feeding from the top, so you're feeding, you're giving it whatever. All of these kind of fake things that are around today that you can feed from the top. Synthetics, right? Yeah.
- [31:11]
Miriam Erickson
Okay, good.
- [31:11]
Jenny Urich
All right. Thank you for helping me so much. All right. So he was showed a thing where it's like, the roots don't grow down as deep because they're getting all of the stuff from the top. And that makes me also think then about hydroponics, because people are growing things in just water, and then they're adding things to the water. It's like, oh, it's low on this or low on that. So they add it to the water. But the fact that it actually comes up through the soil matters.
- [31:33]
Miriam Erickson
Those microbes matter more. Understand, like, why we aren't, like, as North Americans, being, like, we got to talk about soil. So when farmer Chris and Amanda are explaining, like, we used to have 12ft of topsoil, and now we're down to, like, 3 inches without topsoil, we don't have food. And so it's like soil. And soil health should be the number one topic for people. It's like, if we can't feed ourselves, that you can't make food is for everyone. Everyone on Earth. And everyone on Earth has the ability to thrive in their ecosystem with regenerative practices. I mean, you brought up hydroponics, and it's like, yeah, if you were in a wetland area where things grew in the water, those microbes are still going to be there. But when you start practicing outside of your local Environment and Mother Nature. That's when you disrupt or you don't have access to those healthy microbe.
- [32:28]
Jenny Urich
Yeah, you could do it in a lab, but. But that's the thing. It's not helping with the soil. You wrote roots support the soil microbes and bind the soil together, providing a shield against erosion. So having those roots down in the soil matters more than just that specific plant that you're getting. And Joel does talk about that. He talks about if you have a pond, you can make some sort of a thing, some sort of a contraption, and you could have things growing out in the water. But to me, I guess I don't know if that's what hydroponics is. I don't know if that's also called hydroponics, but I'm thinking about the ones where they're just doing in a lab and they're just like tinkering with the amount of chemical, I guess, makeup of the water that those things are growing in. It's not out in a pond. It's not very natural, I guess. And no one, yeah, like you said, no one's really talking about the soil ramifications of things like that.
- [33:16]
Miriam Erickson
Well, and like, okay, having them in plastic dishes and tried a controlled environment, they're not getting microbes from the air, they're not getting microbes from the soil. They're not getting sunshine. They're not having the different weather elements to make those plants strong. And it's the same as kids. You want healthy kids, take them outside. Like, your food needs to be grown outside in a natural environment for it to be. Everything is an energy exchange. Amanda and I have this amazing friend, Sammy, and she talks about, like, everything is an energy exchange. So when we're talking about the microbes in the soil and growing healthy plants to feed the animals, to have healthy animals, that energy exchange is all the way up through the food chain. So if at any point it's not being respected or nourished properly, you're going to have a disruption. It's not going to be as optimal as it could be. So it's like, well, what does that look like? How do we feed the soil? How do we have healthy, strong plants? How do we cultivate and raise healthy, strong animals to feed our communities? You can't subtract Mother Nature from that equation. She is the one who's responsible for carrying it out. Like, as a regenerative farmer, you work with the cycles of nature.
- [34:33]
Amanda Argyle
Well, and you see, when we do extract it from nature and you monoculture or Mono speciate certain things. I mean, those. Those pigs in those houses, I mean, you can't really see. I think almost everybody can unite on the fact that they're horrific and, you know, and that those pigs are stressed out, they are not living a fulfilled life. And that energy exchange, when you then eat that pig, I really believe it matters.
- [35:02]
Jenny Urich
And then there's all these just parallels between. I mean, I remember reading one of Joel's books about homesteading. It's called Homestead Tsunami now. I was like, basically all of this is similar to parenting. It's similar to raising children, and it all goes hand in hand. And that's that book. The Hidden Half of Nature is by David Montgomery. And he has great books.
- [35:20]
Miriam Erickson
And.
- [35:20]
Jenny Urich
But that book was phenomenal because he basically is paralleling what's going on in the soil with what's going on with our internal workings of our own bodies. And that this is really cool because a hundred years ago, nobody knew any of this stuff. They couldn't see. They didn't have the microscopes or whatever they needed to actually really see what was going on. And now that we do, to see those parallels, it just helps you to know what's going on. It helps you to understand your own body. It helps you to understand the soil. It's just like learning. And you just get more and more of it because they relate well.
- [35:51]
Miriam Erickson
We have the technology, like, yeah, prove the ancestral wisdom. And I think that's kind of funny that we feel like we need to prove it because, you know, 200 years ago, there was light therapy. Like, you need. You're. Oh, you're sick. You have this. You know, you need light, you need to be outdoors, you need to be forest bathing. You, you know, all the go to hot springs. Those were things that people were prescribed by healers, by doctors all over the world. But now we can prove it with technology. Well, I can. I can. Oh, I have my aura ring. I can tell you that my HRV and, you know, and my circadian rhythm and my body temperature and my cycle are right on. I can prove those things. And it's like, well, before we had the ability of technology to prove it, we worked with natural cycles and humans were able to thrive and be healthy. And so that's why I think it's kind of like me having an Instagram account called the Biohacking Family was kind of like a humorous thing when it started, because my husband was listening to all these podcasts about biohacking, and I was like, what? I was like, we're biohacking I'm like, we're going outside, we're getting all the microbes in nature. I'm like, we eat healthy foods, we get quality sleep, we're breastfeeding. I'm like, biohacking is like having ancestral practices in your daily life and respecting Mother nature. It's so cohesive. I mean, people want to label it or market it or call it one thing or another, but that's, to me, to help my baby heal. The last five years have felt like 500 years.
- [37:22]
Jenny Urich
Yeah.
- [37:23]
Miriam Erickson
But that's what brought me, like, kept bringing me back to know the healing happens in nature and with nature. But now I can tell you the facts behind it, and now I can quantify it with technology. But that's where it is. And that's the thing, is to find the healthiest food. So I was looking for the healthiest eggs, the healthiest chickens in Utah. So I'm asking all the questions, I'm talking to farmers, and I'm like, you know, I'm not going to say, like, oh, yeah, I don't think that's really how you should be doing things with your chickens, or that's not the best way. But it kept, like, tracking down people and asking if we could come see. And when I found Chris and Amanda, I was like, these are the healthiest eggs. These are the healthiest chickens in Utah. And I've had people come and see Chris's pastures and be like, this is blowing my mind. Like, your chicken tractors that you moved created, like, healed the soil. The pigs dug up the soil, created literally this forest. The kids were playing like, our kids were playing hide and seek in the grass. It was that tall.
- [38:29]
Amanda Argyle
You couldn't find them.
- [38:30]
Miriam Erickson
And Utah's a desert. I mean, it's not, like, a really wet part of the country in some places. And so for it to be like that here through regenerative practice, I'm like, that's where you find health. That's why you find healing is in the soil and in the healthy cycles.
- [38:47]
Jenny Urich
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- [40:05]
Miriam Erickson
Choose to bundle home and auto bundling.
- [40:08]
Jenny Urich
Just another way to save with a personal price plan. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer, availability, amount of discounts, and savings and eligibility vary by state. On WhatsApp, no one can see or.
- [40:24]
Miriam Erickson
Hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this.
- [40:33]
Jenny Urich
So whether you're sharing the streaming password.
- [40:35]
Miriam Erickson
In the family chat or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast, your personal messages stay.
- [40:43]
Jenny Urich
Between you, your friends and your family.
- [40:45]
Miriam Erickson
No one else, not even us. WhatsApp message privately with everyone.
- [40:51]
Amanda Argyle
And I, I just want to touch on that. I really believe there's an inner knowing of that. You know, when you're out in nature, if you can get quiet and sit still for a minute and just observe, there really is something that kind of ignites in you where you're like, there is an inner knowing that I know that this is good for me and I can see that my kids are thriving and I can feel that I'm thriving. And you know, I love that we can prove things with science now and I love that we can, we can do all of that. But I also think we get blinded by all the experts and we lose our voice, our inner voice that tells us, no, this is what's right for me and this is what feels good. And I know that this is going to be healthy for me.
- [41:36]
Miriam Erickson
Well, I think asking for permission, like so many people, oh, what is.
- [41:41]
Amanda Argyle
What do the experts say?
- [41:42]
Miriam Erickson
What do the doctors say? What do the Teachers say, and in 2020 you were one of my experts. I'm like, ginny says we can go outside. I'm like, Jenny, Jenny says you just need to go out. Like, yeah, if things are tricky, go outside, it's gonna be okay. And that's the thing is like just feeding into that confirmation of, oh, this is a place in a space that is healing and is open, always there with open arms. And when you help other people connect with that, that's where magic happens. That's where you change lives. We had a camper last year that came for the first time, 10 year old boy and he was so excited about regenerative agriculture. Well then he starts asking Chris and Amanda like, okay, well I need to learn more. Well, they gave him a book of Joe Solitance. Then he's on YouTube and he's looking up videos and he's building things and he's doing things. And it's literally. His parents have said this has changed Jackson's life and the trajectory of his life. Having this experience, I mean it was, and it was a four day experience.
- [42:45]
Amanda Argyle
And even like too, you get kids that just, it's so new for them. They don't, but they maybe don't get out very much. And I actually personally kind of love those cases because I love helping them work through hard things. I mean my Chris and I, we always are telling our kids, you can do hard things, you can walk up this hill, you can carry this bucket like you, you have the capacity to do this. And that's one of my favorite things with those kids that feel like they can't do it or they've never done it and so they're just unsure and then, and then they do it and they are so proud of themselves and you can just see the confidence build with just one little experience of pushing them a little bit beyond what they thought was possible and giving them that opportunity. That's what the camps are about for me too. I love that.
- [43:31]
Miriam Erickson
Well that's like we did, we had chicken processing one day and we met, I had sent out an email. The parents know, you know, the mobile butcher is going to be coming and they're not required to see this, but this is the opportunity they have. So we spoke to them and we said, hey, you know the chickens, it's time for them to end their life cycle to become our food and this is how we're going to do it if you would like to see it. And some of them were like, well and I'm like, you don't have to. It is your choice. We can go to another area. Like, totally respectful. They all chose to come and see it. And we. I mean, for some of them, that was the first time seeing witnessing death. And we talked them through it. We're like, you know this. And I feel really sad about this. Or like, the chicken has to die. And I was like, to be your food. Yes. That's how the life cycle goes. And they were asking questions. Well, I feel really sad about it. I said, that's a feeling you need to keep in your heart. It is so important to respect death and the end of a cycle. And I said, but also that chicken is going to make it possible for something else to live. It's going to be food. And in order for there to be life, there has to be death. And the huge disconnect in our modern society. So the blood goes back into the soil to feed it because of its high iron content. And the butcher is like, well, who likes chicken sandwiches? Who likes chicken nuggets? And he's cutting off and showing the pieces. And the kids are asking questions. Well, then the dogs come up and they start licking the blood around the barrels. And why are they doing that? We walked away from that. I'm not kidding you. 30 seconds later. And the kids were like, can we have chicken for snack? It was not like, I'm scared, I'm grossed out. I'm weirded, like, because we invited them to gently approach this, and it was very quiet, and we answered questions and then walked away from that of, oh, this is what it means when an animal ends its life cycle. Like, parents were more nervous than the kids.
- [45:23]
Amanda Argyle
The parents were very nervous. I had to talk to a few and kind of talk through and reiterate. They're not going to be forced to. To do anything. But I do think that sometimes we have the tendency to think that children may not be able to handle certain things. And the farm camps have proved that they can handle much more than we think they can. I mean, even my own, in my own parenthood, I've noticed that with raising my kids on the farm, you know, I really just have to get out of their way, because if I don't, I'm just holding them back, to be honest.
- [45:51]
Jenny Urich
I mean, this woman named Jessica, Joelle Alexander, she talks a little bit about how even in other cultures, the fairy tales are different because life is not this pretty thing with a bow. And so she was talking about how the Little Mermaid, which, like, I mean, I grew up with a little mermaid.
- [46:07]
Miriam Erickson
My grandparents Denmark?
- [46:08]
Amanda Argyle
Yeah.
- [46:09]
Jenny Urich
She gets the prince, Eric, and, you know, she gets her voice back. And she said that in Den. In. Yeah, in Denmark.
- [46:16]
Miriam Erickson
Denmark. That is not how the story goes.
- [46:18]
Jenny Urich
No, she says that she doesn't get the prince and she turns into seafoam.
- [46:24]
Miriam Erickson
Life is hard.
- [46:25]
Amanda Argyle
Life is brutal.
- [46:26]
Miriam Erickson
And this like the anapro. What is that word? Where you give animals human characteristics. And I feel like, unfortunately, Disney has, like, promoted that to no end. And for a polymorphism, that's what it is.
- [46:42]
Jenny Urich
Yeah, that's it.
- [46:42]
Miriam Erickson
And I'm like, hold on, hold on. We need to be connecting children with natural cycles and real life things so they can have that emotional resiliency and they can process life. I mean, the amount of, like, mental health issues, anxiety and depression and neurological issues that children are facing now are unprecedented. And there's tons of factors, but one of the most obvious is our disconnect from nature and natural cycles. And it's like if we brought that back, like, you're seeing natural cycles and you process that at such a young age that you're able to navigate larger things as they come. Like, you don't give a kid all the information at once. Like, you know, taking on a tsunami. It's like you build layer upon layer. And that's why it's so important to get them in nature and for them to see things. Predator versus prey, or, you know, these. If. If a, you know, mother fox doesn't have find enough food for her babies, then they might not all survive. Like, these are factual, natural concepts, but witnessing them prepares you better for life.
- [47:53]
Jenny Urich
There's a woman I had on named Suzanne o'. Brien. She's a doula, a death doula. And it's interesting because I would imagine even people that are listening are. There would be some that would think, oh, my goodness, I would never have my child go to a chicken processing day. I mean, how traumatic would that be? But when you said that this was for some of them, and probably for many of them, their first experience with death, this Suzanne o' Brien was talking about how death really served as a powerful reminder to live a good life. Like she said, actually, death can be one of our greatest teachers ever about the life that we want to live. And so to have these small exposures, that would be historically normal, right? Ancestral wisdom is that people knew where their food came from. And so starting at really young ages, they have these exposures to hunting or to processing animals for the sake of eating them. And. And farm animals are fun and you do connect with them. I think that's a really unique part of it. And that's something that I never understood. You know, the first time I got chickens, you sort of look at them as industrial or, you know, it's just like, oh, they're just going to be there. You picture it maybe like how you would. Maybe you've seen them in a food lot or something like that. But when they come and they live on your property, oh, they, they got little personalities and, you know, you might name them and you enjoy them. Some of them you can hold and some of them, you know, are a little meaner or whatever the situation is. But there, that is a, a connection point with death that could happen on a somewhat regular basis. And when we are connected with death, it does help us to live a better life.
- [49:19]
Amanda Argyle
Yeah, I mean, when we first got pigs, I didn't grow up farming. And when we got our first pigs in 2016, I made like a 10 minute tribute video of my pigs before they went off to butcher. I mean, I laid in the pasture with them and cried. I mean, Chris was like, you have lost your mind. And I. But I loved those pigs, you know, I mean, I took care of them. They had their own little personalities. You definitely, there is a connection there. But I will tell you what, I wasted nothing. I wasted nothing. Every part of that animal was used. And don't even think that those leftovers went to waste. You know what I mean? You look at it so differently.
- [49:59]
Jenny Urich
Well, I think the connection is the point. It's almost like as a society we would value the, the lack of connection more. We value. We don't want to know what's going on. We don't want to know what's going on with our food and, and that's hard and it'll make us sad. But the fact that there is connection and that you do love these animals and you had them as piglets and, and they showed up and they are, you know, they're unique in their own ways. It is like it's giving you all of these opportunities to remember about the life cycle like you talked about Miriam, and remember that you. Everyone has a life cycle. I do, My kids do, my parents do, my grandparents do. Everyone has a life cycle. So you're reminded of the brevity of life on a regular basis.
- [50:40]
Miriam Erickson
Well, and then it's, it's such like an interconnected cycle even. So these animals that the kids are helping, I mean, baby chicks come and we're feeding them and watering them and then we're putting them out on pasture and we're moving the tractors. Well, then the sudden what happens when skunks and raccoons and foxes and hawks. What about when the predators come and, and they have this emotional connection? I'm like, well, we have to protect your flock. We have on the farm right now a decom, like decomposing pile of foxes and a skunk that were predators to the chickens. And so talking, like, going and looking, hey, these predators, we had to protect our farm. But even their bodies will decompose and feed the soil. So everybody wants to kind of like, not just not talk about it, but not see it. Like, we just want to like, wash away all of like the realness of life. And it's like, you know, if we invited people to talk about it more, it wouldn't be a taboo subject. And adults would be better prepared to handle the questions of children. Because when we have parents say, well, my dog died, my parents just lied to me and, oh, it went to go live on a farm somewhere. And I'm like, okay, but if your parent was equipped with the knowledge to explain the process and the cycle of life and that all cycles will end and they were comfortable to hold your emotions, whatever they might be, for as long as you needed. And so while we are doing and promoting regenerative farming, it really is connecting with all the cycles. And there's a huge emotional awareness and intelligence that comes from doing these things on the farm. I mean, something can be immensely hard for somebody to navigate and we're there for as long as they need it and to help process through that situation.
- [52:33]
Jenny Urich
And you could kind of see how that would be a long term detriment. If you're like, the dog just went to another farm. It's like, well, what happens when grandma dies?
- [52:42]
Miriam Erickson
People don't know how to process it.
- [52:44]
Jenny Urich
They don't know how to process it. Yeah, it's like, that's what I've always thought about animals, pets in particular, like cats and dogs. And you're like, well, why is their life cycle 12 years? Why couldn't have been 80? And then no one ever has to deal with the pain of losing a pet. But it gives children practice, you know, for when it's a loved one of theirs that happened. You know, this is inevitable part of life. And it reminds you like this. The woman in the Good Death, she said it helps you to live a better life when you have, I mean, it's, it's not how we live here in America, but when you have death in front of you to a degree and you're not thinking that you're immortal. It helps with all of your daily decisions. So all of these things matter. People can learn so much more. And this education foundation that you have is a nonprofit, so people can donate to that. It's dedicated to hands on farm based education routes and regenerative agriculture, ancestral wisdom and a deep connection to the land with a mission of planting seeds of knowledge, curiosity and stewardship in the next generation. You're running school, field trips, seasonal workshops, gifts, community outreach, A space for children and families to experience the rhythms of the farm, the life of the story, the life of the soil, and the stories held in all of the seeds. So I'll make sure I'll put all the links in there because what you're doing is fantastic. And your story is there too, Amanda, about how you went from being skydivers and working on skin, I guess, skin care specialists, to being these regenerative farmers. And that it was hard and you're dealing with all of these different things, but you did it anyway. So. What an incredible story. Learned how to live with less. We realized we were okay without fancy coffee and weekly Amazon deliveries and paying for the endless amounts of activities to entertain or distract us. We didn't need Netflix or Hulu or frivolous apps on our phone. We canceled everything. We simplified. And then you started making your own bread and buns and tortillas and pizza crust. And you changed your whole life. You changed your whole life. Hung up the skydiving gear and here you are doing these incredible community based things that will have a generational impact. So this has been such an honor, your podcast debut. I would say you nailed it. I mean, it was fantastic. We always end our show with the same question. The question is, what's a favorite memory from your own childhood that was outside.
- [54:56]
Amanda Argyle
A water fight on one of my. It might have been my sixth or seventh birthday and my whole family was involved. I mean, we had the hose and I mean, we were running inside to get shelter and my mom started to spring through the screen into the house. Yeah, it was fun.
- [55:14]
Jenny Urich
It's so simple. So simple, so simple. It's water. I love that.
- [55:21]
Miriam Erickson
I think probably, I mean, not just my favorite memories, but my core memories would be hiking with my Danish grandparents in southern Utah or gardening with them. Just, I mean, the most simple things have had the biggest impact on my life. And all of my happy memories, not just from childhood, but for my teenage years, were outside. Like, that is where I felt the safest, the most joy, the most connected and so that's where I'm continually drawn is just go back outside.
- [55:58]
Jenny Urich
I love it. And when you talk about biohacking, it's like you're hacking your biology. But because everyone is just feeling awful, it's just because of technology. So it's just about going back to natural rhythms, natural things. Water fight, hikes, being in the garden. I mean, these are. I think if you can just incorporate a few simple things, you're going to change your own life for your family, but also for your kids and your grandkids and those who are to come. Miriam and Amanda, what an honor. This has been fantastic. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for what you're doing. People can definitely connect because you do all of these workshops. I mean, people are going to love them. On the farm pat night. I mean, just so many different things. Build your own scarecrow. Come on. Wilderness, first aid, mud kitchen madness. All of this to help invest into children and families. Thank you so much for being here.
- [56:44]
Amanda Argyle
Thank you. Such an honor.
- [56:47]
Miriam Erickson
Just been following you for so long and, like, I just want to squeeze you and hug you and tell you, like, what a huge impact you've made on my life and, like, how I raise my children and my families. Like, it is so big and, like, what you share with others is spreading so much love. And so I was like, oh, my gosh, we're going to talk to Jenny.
- [57:11]
Jenny Urich
That's so sweet. And is that, you know, honestly, it's like, I'm always like, I don't think. I'm hardly doing anything.
- [57:17]
Miriam Erickson
Oh, you go outside. No, no, no. Changing and healing lives. Like, I love you so much. And how you gently invite others. Whatever this looks like for you, whatever this looks like for your family or whatever stage you were in. And I'm like, you are the biggest champion of, like, sharing what is most important. And I'm like, oh, I love Jenny so much.
- [57:42]
Jenny Urich
Thank you for saying that.
- [57:44]
Miriam Erickson
And then when I get to see you in person, I will just bear hug you.
- [57:48]
Jenny Urich
I'm ready for it. We love Utah. Well, thank you to the both of you.
- [57:52]
Miriam Erickson
Thank you for having us today.