Mary and Emma, are back on The Good Dirt after about a six-month break, reflecting on how the project began as a sustainable clothing brand and grew into a community and education platform centered on “sowing seeds of slow living.” They recap past retreats, an online community shift from Mighty Networks to Substack, and their book, The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living, now being revised. They discuss moving away from expert-driven, moralized sustainability talk toward nuance, emotional awareness, and defining “the good life,” acknowledging limits of individual action within larger systems while staying hopeful. Updates include Emma’s toddler and move, Mary’s new season as a grandmother and interest in restorative gardening, and plans to revive their online marketplace with recommended products and remaining Lady Farmer apparel.

00:00 Welcome Back Check In

01:11 Meet Mary And Emma

02:12 Lady Farmer Origin Story

04:16 Slow Living Then And Now

08:17 Beyond Individual Responsibility

10:37 Morality Free Sustainability

13:24 Decluttering And Landfill Guilt

15:34 Meaning Emotions And The Good Life

17:16 Creativity Work And Money

19:52 Grandma Life And Restorative Gardening

21:13 Reopening The Marketplace

25:52 Listener Requests And Wrap Up

In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, Emma and Mary welcome back Janna Hockenjos, founder of We Are Earth Friends, an environmental education organization designed for children ages 3-8. Jana discusses the program’s impact on young learners' understanding of the interconnectedness of all of life on our planet and provides an update on the progress and expansion of the program. She also offers insights from the suburban food forest project. that she and her husband have been cultivating over the last few years.

In addition, Emma and Mary make the announcement that the podcast will take a sabbatical until next year to allow time for rest and the development of new ideas. In the meantime, they will be continuing with articles, ideas and inspiration in The ALMANAC, the online newsletter and community of Lady Farmer. See the Substack link below!

00:00 Reflecting on Slow Living Amidst Chaos

00:30 Embracing the Present Moment

01:35 Nature's Simple Joys

02:27 Recording Together and Taking a Sabbatical

04:10 Podcast Evolution and Future Plans

08:13 Introducing Jana and Earth Friends

12:25 Jana's Journey and Environmental Education

15:19 Earth Friends Curriculum and Impact

32:14 Making Environmental Education Accessible

36:33 Challenges in Implementing Earth Friends in Schools

37:04 Making Earth Friends Accessible to All

38:57 Homeschool Groups and Marketing Strategies

41:22 The Importance of Patience and Letting Go

42:00 Personal Reflections and Yoga Insights

51:23 Suburban Food Forest Project

54:09 The Healing Power of Growing Your Own Food

01:06:03 The Significance of Good Soil

01:10:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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🌻 About Lady Farmer:

• Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community
• Visit Our Website
• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram
• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!

Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Lady Farmer.

The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray