I am making a podcast. Something I never thought I’d ever write, let alone actually do. But it’s true.
Late this summer I made the uncharacteristically quick decision to join a podcast accelerator through Lead Podcasting, a boutique podcast production company known for their work with the Globe and Mail, The Walrus, UNHCR, and other big-names. It’s a heady thing to be among those illustrious clients.
The accelerator has allowed me to do something I never could have/would have on my own. They develop the artwork, the music, and provide the editing, not to mention the expert advice and guidance from Amanda and her team.
So, what’s my podcast about? Well, it’s about gardening. Sort of.
In 2019, I learned about native plants at a workshop provided by my local conservation authority. And it all kind of snowballed from there. I hired a master gardener with expertise in native plants to help me design my front and back gardens. With her help, and the help of google and some great books like Lorraine Johnson’s essential 100 Easy-To-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens, I have learned so much in the past few years.
The garden, as you probably know, is a place of questions, of contemplation and learning. Even the most seasoned master gardeners I know will tell you that they are always learning something new.
That space for learning and contemplation has had a huge impact on my life. It’s helped me learn to approach almost everything from a learning posture more so than a success/failure posture.
For example, sometimes I’ll plant something in my garden, and it doesn’t thrive. Instead of feeling like I failed at gardening, I can approach it as a learning experience. I learned that this plant needs something different to thrive, so I move it, or I rehome it, and I try something else.
The garden has also led me to more philosophical questions about things like climate change and decolonization. Questions like:
How can my garden work with nature instead of against it?
How can my garden be part of climate change adaptation and/or mitigation?
How can my garden be part of decolonizing our landscape and conciliation with the Indigenous Peoples of this land we call Canada?
And so many more.
So that is what my podcast is about. I will have the immense privilege of speaking with leading experts in Canada working on these very questions, and who will empower us to ask more and deeper questions. And they’ll help us take it to the next level to act for climate justice and conciliation in our backyards and in our communities.
So keep an eye out for The Unsettled Garden: a podcast about the politics of gardening in Canada, wherever you listen to podcasts.
