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The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

By: Lady Farmer
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 Start living more sustainably. The Good Dirt podcast explores all aspects of a sustainable lifestyle with healthy soil as the touchpoint and metaphor for the healing of our relationship with the planet. Mother and daughter team Mary & Emma bring you weekly interviews with farmers, artists, authors, and leaders in the regenerative and sustainable living space.Copyright 2019 - 2022 Lady Farmer Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 235. The Cost of Slow Living: How to Align Your Values Without Burning Out

    235. The Cost of Slow Living: How to Align Your Values Without Burning Out
    Apr 3 2026
    What happens when a listener writes in with the exact question your community is wrestling with? You invite her on the show.Emily Hillman reached out to Mary & Emma after spending 14 years in the fashion industry — from the artisan workrooms of Midtown Manhattan to the fast fashion corporate world — and found herself at a crossroads. After purchasing a 19th-century farmhouse in rural New Jersey and becoming a mother, her priorities had quietly, profoundly shifted. She wasn't looking for a neat answer. She was looking for a conversation. And that's exactly what this episode is.This is The Good Dirt's first episode back after a hiatus, and what a way to return — with a grounded, honest, and deeply relatable conversation about the real tension so many of us feel: I want to live more simply, more slowly, more intentionally — but how do I actually do that in the life I'm already living?If you've ever felt the push and pull between the values you hold and the demands of the world you live in, this episode was made for you.In this episode, we cover:Emily's journey from Vermont roots to New York City fashion workrooms — and what she learned firsthand about the difference between artisan craftsmanship and fast fashion productionThe "painful catch-22" of slow living: wanting a simpler life that costs money, while earning less because you're stepping back from the corporate grindWhy removing moral judgment from your daily purchasing decisions can actually free you to make more sustainable choicesPractical, accessible approaches to buying secondhand clothing for kids (and why our audience is already well ahead of the curve)The economics of slow food: buying in bulk, finding local sources, joining a CSA, and why embracing constraints actually sparks creativityComposting as one of the most powerful individual acts for the planet — and tips for making it work even in bear countryHow small, cumulative changes add up — and why you're probably further along than you thinkBook recommendations: Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, and Jen Sincero's You Are a Badass seriesThe concept of "blue sky thinking" — letting yourself imagine the life you want before the budget anxiety kicks inReconnecting with nature and the seasons as a compass for finding your authentic callingBooks & Resources Mentioned:Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes — [listen to our interview with Shannon here]The Artist's Way by Julia CameronYou Are a Badass and You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen SinceroFibershed — a network for regional fiber systems and slow fashionLocal Harvest (for finding CSAs near you): localharvest.orgWant to chat with us? If Emily's story resonates with you — if you're somewhere in the middle of this same journey — we'd love to hear from you. Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 443-459-1950.And if you're interested in joining our free, casual Slow Living Through the Seasons cohort, reach out to mary@ladyfarmer.com for the signup link.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & CommunityVisit Our WebsiteFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramEmail 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 GrayAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    1 hr
  • Mary & Emma: Rethinking Slow Living

    Mary & Emma: Rethinking Slow Living
    Mar 20 2026

    Mary and Emma return to the podcast after over a six-month hiatus, reflecting on the evolution of Lady Farmer as a brand and their own experiences within it. They discuss how the cultural context around sustainability has shifted, how they don't want to present themselves as experts or frame sustainability in moral terms, and how systemic forces limit individual impact even as daily habits still matter. They aim to focus more on finding meaning, creativity, and defining “the good life". They share personal updates (babies! work! gardening!) and discuss plans for how they want to continue to unfold into The Good Dirt and the Lady Farmer project.

    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



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    28 mins
  • A Conversation with Janna Hockenjos of Earth Friends —and an Announcement!

    A Conversation with Janna Hockenjos of Earth Friends —and an Announcement!
    Aug 22 2025

    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


    ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


    🌻 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



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 14 mins
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loved listening to this episode, I felt like I was sat around the table with a hot coffee and good friends, talking about such fascinating subject matters. thank you!

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