DO 216 - Doomer Optimist Guide to Geopolitics w/ James Pogue, Chris Mott and Ashley

Dr. Chris Ellis, author of "Resilient Citizens," sits down with homesteader and author Roxanne Ahern to explore how sustainable living practices build both personal and community resilience. Ahern, who wrote "Holistic Homesteading" after her own transformation from health struggles to self-sufficiency, breaks down the practical and philosophical aspects of growing your own food, preserving traditional skills, and creating meaningful connections with neighbors.The conversation moves beyond typical homesteading advice to examine deeper questions: How does working with soil and seasons teach us about life's cycles? What role do farmers' markets play in rebuilding local food systems? And why might parenting and gardening share surprising parallels in developing patience and grace?Ahern addresses real concerns about modern agriculture—from chemical dependencies to disconnected food chains—while offering concrete steps listeners can take regardless of their living situation. Whether you're curious about starting a backyard garden or questioning how to prepare for an uncertain future, this episode provides both inspiration and actionable wisdom rooted in years of hands-on experience.

2 Sep 47min

Joe Allen leads us on a journey through the Axial Age's profound wisdom traditions to uncover how ancient civilizations grappled with the same transhumanist dreams that captivate us today. From the bronze automaton Talos guarding Crete to the terrifying Brahmastra weapons of the Mahabharata, we trace humanity's eternal fascination with creating artificial life and wielding god-like power.This episode weaves through the Hindu concept of yugas—those vast cosmic cycles that see humanity descend from golden ages into our current Kali Yuga, the age of iron and spiritual darkness. We examine how the Golem tradition reflects both our creative aspirations and the dangers of "golemizing" sacred wisdom, turning living tradition into a lifeless mechanism.

26 Aug 53min

What if everything we think we know about "natural" ecosystems is wrong?Peter Allen is a restoration ecologist and regenerative farmer, and learn how North America's pre-European landscapes weren't wild at all—they were sophisticated agricultural systems managed by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.Speaking from his 220-acre farm in Wisconsin's unique Driftless region, Peter shares his journey from academic ecology to hands-on farming, revealing how the oak savannas that once stretched coast-to-coast were the most productive ecosystems on the continent. He explains why megafauna like mastodons and giant ground sloths were the original landscape architects, and how their extinction 12,000 years ago began the sixth mass extinction we're still experiencing today.Peter offers a practical roadmap for restoration, from understanding why our food has lost its ability to nourish us (spoiler: it's all about minerals) to how properly managed livestock can rebuild topsoil faster than nature ever could. He tackles controversial topics head-on, challenging the narrative that cows cause climate change and explaining why the war on beef might be about more than just the environment.

20 Aug 56min

Ashley is joined by Grayson Quay, author of 'The Transhumanist Temptation' to explore the philosophical and ethical implications of transhumanism, its historical roots, and its intersection with modern ideologies. They cover the concept of natural law, the role of technology in shaping human identity, and the challenges parents face in a tech-driven world. They also discuss the future of humanity in relation to AI and consciousness, concluding with a call to embrace our humanity in an increasingly transhuman era.

12 Aug 1h 1min

The Shire We Call HomeJason sits down with Tom Ruby and Alan Cornett to explore the profound influence of Wendell Berry on modern agrarianism, the surprising revival of Catholicism in America, and why the future might belong to those willing to get their hands dirty.From the rolling hills of Kentucky, which echo Tolkien's Shire, to the intellectual journey from secular academia to Catholic agrarianism, Tom and Alan share their personal stories of finding meaning through land stewardship and community building. The conversation weaves together themes of localism, the "cultural debris" of forgotten traditions, and the practical wisdom needed to counter our age of disconnection.Whether you're drawn to Berry's vision of place-based living, curious about the Catholic Land Movement, or simply wondering how to build authentic community in fractured times, this conversation offers both philosophical depth and practical hope. As our guests remind us: good people are out there, working the land and building the kind of life that lasts.

5 Aug 1h 31min

In this episode, Ashley asks her two closest collaborators on Doomer Optimism – Jason on the podcast, and James on events – to think through what drew them to the project, lessons from what we’ve done so far, and where we could go from here.

29 Juli 1h 4min

Monopoly Power, New Deal Legacies, and the Fight for Real Economic DemocracyJames and Basel unpack the legacy of the New Deal, the tangled history of regulation, and the roots of today’s anti-monopoly movement. From egg prices and avian flu to Big Tech and corporate control of agriculture, they explore how concentrated power distorts markets, erodes democracy, and shapes both domestic and foreign policy. Grounded in history but focused on the future, the episode explores what real economic democracy might look like—and the role everyday people can play in achieving it.

16 Juli 1h 22min

Paul Kingsnorth and Leighton Woodhouse in conversation for the Third Annual Doomer Optimism Campout at The Wagon Box.

2 Juli 1h 6min