Dear reader,

It has been some time! In fact, it has been exactly 165 days since I wrote to you last. I was reminded of this absence recently when my dad called me to ask if he should renew his Substack subscription to my blog. He wondered if I planned on posting again any time soon. I don’t blame him. However, I told him he should absolutely renew his subscription. We’re just getting started!

At the beginning of this year, I wrote on this blog that I had a big announcement. I said that I was starting a podcast called The Seeds Will Grow – named after this very Substack. My theory was that by announcing it in a public forum, I would have no choice but to commit to it. Well…it worked. Over the last couple of months I have had the privilege to sit down and record 10 long-form video interviews. These are the people who have shaped my perspective on regeneration, community, food, farming and nature. They are thought leaders, activists, authors, poets and scientists, who I believe have a critically important perspective on the times we’re living and the future ahead.

I don’t know about you, but I think we desperately need a more optimistic vision of the future. I don’t want to take a one way trip to Mars. I don’t want to strap a VR headset on my face to escape reality, while the world burns around us. I believe another world is possible, and it starts with remembering some pretty elemental truths that we seem to have forgotten.

In this podcast, we’re teasing out ways of being in the world that offer real optimism for the future. We explore indigenous wisdom, spirituality, community living, localism, regenerative farming and finding our way back to nature. The intention, which is implied in the title, is to plant powerful ideas as seeds in the darkness and nourish them towards their full potential. We don’t have all the answers, and we don’t pretend to, but I think the solutions to problems we face start with a new cultural narrative. We need to write a new story together, in order to shift our relationship to ourselves and the world around us.

The first episode goes live next week with the legendary Satish Kumar. You can watch the trailer below. Please make sure you’re subscribed to follow the show, so you know when each episode comes out.

I’ll be sharing every Wednesday here on Substack and on all the usual places you listen to your podcasts: Apple, Spotify & YouTube.

I hope that in these conversations there is something that resonates deeply with you. I believe you will find a spark of optimism that inspires you in your own journey as we navigate the times ahead.

As always, thank you for being here.

Finn

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