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Mind, Body, and Soil

Mind, Body, and Soil

Written by: Kate Kavanaugh
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About this listen

 Welcome to Mind, Body, and Soil. Join me, Kate Kavanaugh, a farmer, entrepreneur, and holistic nutritionist, as I get curious about human nature, health, and consciousness as viewed through the lens of nature. At its heart, this podcast is about finding the threads of what it means to be humans woven into this earth. I'm digging into deep and raw conversations with truly impactful guests that are laying the ground work for themselves and many generations to come. We dive into topics around farming, grief, biohacking, regenerative agriculture, spirituality, nutrition, and beyond. Get curious and get ready with new episodes every Tuesday!Kate Kavanaugh Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Care, Connection, and Death: A Journey Through Our Disintegrations with Cutter Wood

    Care, Connection, and Death: A Journey Through Our Disintegrations with Cutter Wood
    Jun 17 2025

    Episode 117: In this conversation, Kate sits down with Cutter Wood to discuss his new book Earthly Materials: Journeys Through Our Bodies’ Emissions, Excretions, and Disintegrations. It’s a poignant and touching exploration of the often-overlooked aspects of our physical being: our body's "effluvia." From the science of mucus to our last breath, from our tears to our flatulence, Cutter delves into the interconnectedness of bodily materials and how these substances reflect our shared vulnerability, humanity, and care for one another. These substances are sometimes hidden for reasons of sanitation, but also because they remind us of our fragility and mortality, which means—this is also a podcast abut death. Cutter brings humor, depth, and honesty to his exploration of the body’s excretions and emissions, reminding us that these “leaky meat suits” are also what connect us.

    Find Cutter:

    Earthly Materials: Journeys Through Our Bodies’ Emissions, Excretions, and Disintegrations

    Website: Cutterwood.com

    Instagram: @cuttermwood

    X: @cuttermwood

    Related Episodes:

    Episode 51: Heidi Boucher talks about Caring for our Dead at Home

    Episode 90: Rose George on Sh*t, Shipping, and Blood

    Episode 70: Scott Carney on Sleep

    Episode 67: Dan Egan on Phosphorous

    Support Kate:

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    Affiliates:

    REDMOND REAL SALT: Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off at Redmond.life

    FIELD COMPANY CAST IRON: fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaugh

    BAHÉ FOOTWEAR: Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off.

    HOME OF WOOL: 10% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH

    NAMARI ACTIVE WEAR: 10% off using code Kate10
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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • Inherited Narratives: An Intergenerational View of Farming from One Family with John Seabrook

    Inherited Narratives: An Intergenerational View of Farming from One Family with John Seabrook
    Jun 2 2025
    Episode 116: In this conversation, Kate sits down with John Seabrook, author of The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, to explore the intersection of farming, family history and intergenerational trauma, and the evolution of the agricultural industry. John shares insights from his family's farming legacy, discussing the transformation from traditional farming to mechanization and industrialization. The dialogue delves into labor, farming, class, legacy, industrialization, and more—a historical conversation that highlights the complexities and challenges faced by the agricultural sector today.Kate and John also explore the complexities of family dynamics, brand identity, and the expectations placed upon him by his family legacy. He reflects on the blurred lines between the real family and the branded image they created, the impact of generational trauma, and the challenges of reconciling his family's history with the truth. They also touch on the mythologizing of the American dream, ultimately asking what we do with narratives that we’ve inherited, and how to tell new stories for the living. Find John:The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American DynastyWebsiteInstagram: @jmseabrookX: @jmseabrookRelated Episodes:Episode 86: Nicola Twilley and the history of the cold chain and refrigerationEpisode 72: Ben Goldfarb talking about how building roads changed AmericaEpisode 75: Cole Mannix on intergenerational farming Episode 108: Alice Driver on immigrant workers in modern poultry processingEpisode 88: Steven Kurutz on the legacy of American manufacturing Episode 104: Will Bardenwerper on how baseball builds communitiesSupport Kate: PatreonSubstackPayPal-Leave a One Time TipAffiliates:REDMOND REAL SALT: Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off at Redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRON: fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEAR: Use the code ‘Kate10’...
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    2 hrs
  • Humanity and Fire: A History of Relationships with Jordan Thomas

    Humanity and Fire: A History of Relationships with Jordan Thomas
    May 27 2025
    Episode 115: In this episode, Kate sits down with Jordan Thomas to talk about his new book When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World. It might not be the conversation you expect, opening by exploring fire’s centrality to what it is to be human and how relational and contextual fire is. Jordan guides us through the last ten thousand years of fire use by Indigenous communities. Jordan then does a dive into understanding the intertwining of fire and capitalism through the last 300 years, culminating in the last decade or so of megafires, fueled by climate change. Jordan is an anthropologist and former wildland firefighter and while he’s sharing how fire has transformed our world, he also shares how the process of writing this book transformed him, and the joy, grief, trauma, and love he goes through in his search to better understand fire. The conversation winds down talking about prescribed burns and using fire with intention. In the end, Kate and Jordan come back around to relationships and how much they matter in exploring how humanity might once again shift their relationship with fire. Jordan's Book: When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed WorldRelated Episodes:Episode 112: Mariah Blake on PFAS, Chemicals in Firefighting Episode 61:Robbie Krapfel on Fighting FireEpisode 95: Brock Dolman on Fire, Water, and BeaversEpisode 72: Ben Goldfarb on Beavers, Built and Natural Worlds Episode 85: John Vaillant on FireEpisode 93: John Perlin on our Relationship to Wood and ForestsEpisode 113: Marguerite Holloway on Our Relationship to ForestsSupport Kate: PatreonSubstackPayPal-Leave a One Time TipSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALT: Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off at Redmond.lifeAffiliates:FIELD COMPANY CAST IRON: fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEAR: Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off. HOME OF WOOL: 10% off Home of...
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    1 hr and 46 mins
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