Jonathan Clay built The Kalos Project to close Houston's local food gap using permaculture design. The same principles guide how he leads his team.

In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with Jonathan and explore how permaculture's closed-loop principles translate to team leadership, what it takes to create a safe container for conflict on a job site, and the platform Jonathan is building to transform Houston's local food economy.

Chapters:

00:00 Start

00:34 Meet Jonathan Clay

04:05 Handling Conflict On Teams

07:37 Boundaries And Timing

10:19 Making Space For Quiet Voices

16:50 Permaculture As Leadership

21:05 Team Goals And KPIs

25:59 Right Fit For The Role

28:14 Ground Zero Resources

29:06 Profitability Not Woo Woo

31:44 Why Kalos Project

33:02 Volunteer Powered Food Hubs

35:16 How To Follow Kalos

35:57 Closing Thoughts

References:

- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

- The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer

Follow Jonathan:

Website: https://kalosproject.earth/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalosproject.earth

Follow Land Language:

Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.