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The Quill Nook Experience

The Quill Nook Experience

Written by: Tristan Roberts
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About this listen

 Sporadic, honest conversations with people doing real work in the world—farmers, builders, herbalists, designers, practitioners of all kinds. Host Tristan Roberts -- a farmer, father, and former legislator -- talks with guests willing to think out loud, admit uncertainty, and go deep on what actually works (and what doesn't).

Episodes are released sporadically. If you're looking for life hacks or inspirational success stories, this isn't it. But if you want to hear what honest conversation sounds like between people doing real work—with all the nuance, doubt, and hard-won wisdom that entails—you're in the right place.2026 Biological Sciences Parenting Relationships Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Ep 7: Richo Cech: Herbs to the Rescue

    Ep 7: Richo Cech: Herbs to the Rescue
    Jan 25 2026
    Richo Cech is the owner of Strictly Medicinal Seeds and author of Making Plant Medicine. He's a legendary figure in the herbalism world who has spent decades growing medicinal plants and teaching others to do the same.

    In this conversation, Richo moves seamlessly between scientific observation (seeds erupting under microscopes) and spiritual practice (transmuting desire through incense), between practical farming advice (why he abandoned no-till methods) and philosophical insight (how mandrake teaches you about greed). We discuss:
    • Plant consciousness and what seeds reveal under a microscope
    • The consequences of separation from nature
    • How he's avoided doctors for years using homegrown remedies
    • The trap of avarice that mandrake revealed—and how he countered it by giving freely
    • Why many medicinal herbs (thyme, rosemary, hyssop) actually need bare soil, not mulch
    • His marriage and how opposites attract and complement each other
    • Practical advice: late-season cover crops, herbal teas, parenting without food neurosis
    Richo doesn't romanticize farming or herbalism. He's honest about what works, what doesn't, and why food self-sufficiency is "a chimera" that requires community and trade. This is a conversation about connection—to plants, to earth, to each other—without any new-age fluff. Resources:
    • Strictly Medicinal Seeds: strictlymedicinalseeds.com
    • Books: Making Plant Medicine, Growing Plant Medicine (Volumes 1 & 2)
    • YouTube: Strictly Medicinal LLC


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    Get in touch: tristan@tristanroberts.org

    Website: http://www.tristanroberts.org

    Music: Produced by Turner Andrasz, beat-boxing by Felix Roberts, guitar by Tristan Roberts, drums by Merrill Garbus
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    52 mins
  • Ep 6: Joe McKay: Pick a Fire and Put It Out

    Ep 6: Joe McKay: Pick a Fire and Put It Out
    Apr 27 2024
    Where were you the morning of September 11, 2001?

    Joe McKay was on a Staten Island golf course, but not for long. A New York City firefighter for thirteen years, McKay spent that day, and dozens of days after, filling his lungs with debris, searching shoulder to shoulder with his fellow firefighters. He, and so many others, lost loved ones that day—coworkers and friends. And then, six months later, he started suffering from unidentifiable, debilitating headaches. After a number of appointments and tests, he discovered that he had developed cluster headaches—a condition considered incurable.

    It wasn’t until 2015 that Joe decided to take a risk and pursue psychedelic treatment for his pain and his PTSD. After years of living in the dark, suffering from such debilitating pain, he could go whole days at a time without an outburst.

    Now, McKay works hard to spread the news: plant medicine heals. He hopes that the negative stigma that surrounds the use of psychedelics in healthcare will continue to lessen, and that those whose lives are ruled by pain will feel emboldened to take a chance on a treatment that might save them. “It’s not a red versus blue issue,” McKay told Tristan Roberts. “It’s a red, white, and blue issue.”


    Subscribe to The Quill Nook Experience:
    Apple | Spotify | RSS

    Get in touch: tristan@tristanroberts.org

    Website: http://www.tristanroberts.org

    Music: Produced by Turner Andrasz, beat-boxing by Felix Roberts, guitar by Tristan Roberts, drums by Merrill Garbus
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Ep 5: Daniel Kish - Blindness Does Not Define a Person

    Ep 5: Daniel Kish - Blindness Does Not Define a Person
    Mar 23 2024
    Daniel Kish is an expert in human echolocation. He serves as the President of World Access for the Blind (WAFTB), a California-based nonprofit that he founded in 2000. Through WAFTB, Kish and acquaintances work with unsighted and blind children across the globe--since its establishment in 2000, they have taught 500 kids the art of echolocation as a means of moving through the world. Kish, whose story gained traction after he was featured on an NPR recording, underwent surgery at just 13 months old to remove his eyes, a result of having eye cancer. He holds master's degrees in developmental psychology and special education.

    Tristan was first introduced to Daniel Kish through the soundwaves of an NPR podcast episode. The story of the real-life "Batman" lodged itself in his psyche, imprinting onto his subconscious--his thoughts often turned back to the blind boy mentioned, the one who taught himself echolocation, who maneuvers through the world in a unique and genuine way. Years later, at a meditation retreat in Alberta, Canada, the two met face-to-face. It was a strange coincidence--that a Vermonter and a Californian should find themselves together in Canada, engaging with each other in such a way. Tristan soon realized that his new friend was none other than the blind Batman he'd admired for so long, and invited Daniel to visit his homestead in Brattleboro, where they discussed the ins-and-outs of echolocation, Daniel's work with blind youth, a PhD thesis proposal, and subverting others' expectations of perceived limitations.

    Subscribe to The Quill Nook Experience:
    Apple | Spotify | RSS

    Get in touch: tristan@tristanroberts.org

    Website: http://www.tristanroberts.org

    Music: Produced by Turner Andrasz, beat-boxing by Felix Roberts, guitar by Tristan Roberts, drums by Merrill Garbus
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    1 hr and 1 min
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