Designers of Paradise with Erik Van Lennep

It started with the wisdom of a four-year-old and has led to a quest to support and spawn regenerative communities. In this conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik Van Lennep real estate investor and community designer, Chad Thiessen explains how his relationship with his son directed him on his current path, where he came from, and what he's learning along the way. Chad describes his experiences - good and bad - in real estate development and how he's realized he wants to build regenerative communities, places for healing. He distinguishes his ideas from eco-villages and how to work in other countries yet avoid colonialization. He emphasizes the importance of scaffolding to support learning and money as a tool.

Crann Mór, from Gaelic, means "Big Tree" and Kevin Maher, founder of CrannMor Advisors is thinking big about trees. Partnering with permaculture designer and author Mark Shepard to create CrannMor Advisors, Kevin helps farmers be more successful financially while also improving the ecosystem with an emphasis on agroforestry. In this conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep, Kevin explains how they are looking for early adopters willing to a longer term perspective on "return" that will enable investment in tree crops.

More than 25 years ago, Jeff Goebel started working with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to help improve finances from their timber management program. Over time,

What happens when a couple of plant nerds get together for a chat? This conversation between botanist and author Matt Candeias and Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep. Candeias, author of the recently released book

Changing belief structures, holistic grazing, financial stability, and overcoming community opposition are all topics touched on in the first few minutes

Inspiration, social capital, natural capital, and financial capital are the “4 Returns” that motivate ecosystem restoration in the Commonland framework. Commonland works with local landscape partners for large scale holistic landscape restoration in countries including Spain, South Africa...

As US farmers age, up to 400 million acres of farmland will transfer over the next two decades. How can farmland be held centered in community to assure regenerative agriculture and food production in an equitable and just way? That’s the heart of the conversation between Agrarian Trust’s Ian McSweeney and Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep...

It may surprise nobody, but humans are internally conflicted, parts of our nature pulling in opposite directions: immediate gratification vs. longer term security. Or as Roman Krznaric and others have termed it, “marshmallow brain” vs. “acorn brain”. He describes how our “marshmallow brain” can’t resist eating the marshmallow in front of us even when forbearance would win us a second marshmallow, while our “acorn brain”...

The story gelled on a trip to Norway says author Judith Schwartz. She went there to talk about indigenous knowledge and, in return, learned about reindeer. She explains to Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep these stories guided the themes of earth repair and...

Born into a seafaring family in The Netherlands, Jorne Langelaan was working at sea by the time he was 12. In this conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep, Jorne explains how his love of ships become a love of sailing ships which led him to become...

Amber Smith made her way from a blue collar town in Central Illinois to a 53,000 acre ranch in Montana. She explains that the image of the lonely cowboy is not today's reality where, instead, women are not only managing ranches, but leading civic...

The experience of composting with friends helped Josh Whiton realize that being kind to the planet could lead to a change in consciousness. Josh described to Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep how this realization led him to launch MakeSoil.org, a global...

Sara Wolcott is a healer, minister, artist, and storyteller. She (and a turkey) joined Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep for a conversation that touched on giving and receiving, Reiki, the process of regeneration, healing, and the search for the divine. They...

“It is sticky and attracts particulates” is how Bruce Kania of Floating Island International explains the biofilm that serves as the glue for the floating islands his company produces. Bruce, during his conversation with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep, describes why these recycled-plastic based islands are beneficial and how they work. Kania talks […]

“Imagine how different our planet would look if we were teaching children whole systems”. This is how Kiwi, soil siren, author, and Regenerative Agriculture Coach, Nicole Masters explains transformative thinking in a far-ranging interview with Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep. Nicole is founder of Integrity Soils and author of the book For the […]

It has been about a year since Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep spoke with communication specialist and self-described herbal plant provocateur, Melissa Ruckmick. In this episode they discuss the connection between healing ourselves, healing civilization, and healing the planet. They talk about the potential for herbs and non-hallucinogenic plants to address chronic issues […]

Regenerative community practitioner and eco-architect Duncan Crowley shares a fascinating and inspiring overview of his evolving work as a community facilitator where architecture moves to city planning, then community design, opening the way for community organizing and activism.

Regenerative soil practices are starting to attract more mainstream attention, and hold real promise for restoring the natural capacity for land to moderate water content and quality, store excess carbon and improve local human economies. Progress is being made farm-by-farm, and this is great news. But to match the rate and scale of ecological disruption […]

Compare a pile of flour to a loaf of bread and you will begin to see the difference between dirt and healthy soil. How do you move from flour to bread or dirt to soil? Add microbes. There is plenty of life (including that metaphor) in the conversation between Designers of Paradise host Erik van […]