The Coop

John Bush has spent years teaching people how to move toward greater freedom and autonomy through his work with Live Free Academy and the Exit and Build program.  John’s ‘Exit and Build’ philosophy centers on moving away from systems he describes as centralized, coercive, and corrupt, and building alternatives rooted in decentralization, voluntary participation, and trust. In Episode #32 of The Co...

Rory Groves has spent fourteen years on a southern Minnesota homestead building a practice of resilience. He’s made his mark asking questions like “How do you build a life that still stands if the job, the market, or the news goes sideways?” He and his wife, Becca, homeschool their six children and run Gather & Grow , a homestead and ministry devoted to the family economy. He is the author of...

Episode #30 of The Coop is for anyone standing at the edge of a bigger life … and wondering if they have to leap overnight. Homestead Living Editor-in-Chief Anna Sakawsky sat down with Jason Contreras ( Homestead Living contributor and the voice behind Sow the Land ) to talk about the long road from a standard modern life outside Los Angeles to a working homestead in North Carolina. Jason shares h...

In Episode #29 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Anne Briggs (Anne of All Trades … homesteader, woodworker, teacher, and Homestead Living contributor) for an honest conversation about getting things done when your brain, your time, and the farm all pull in different directions. Anne didn’t grow up on a farm. She grew up “farm adjacent,” lived abroad as a missionary kid, and picked up her first four...

In Episode #28 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Larry Littrell … urban homesteader, specialized real estate agent, and author of Fresh Starts Old Roots . They have an important conversation about one of the biggest decisions many homesteaders face: whether to stay, move, buy, or sell. Larry brings a rare dual perspective. He lives the lifestyle on a third of an acre while helping families find (or...

In this solo episode of The Coop, Homestead Living Editor-in-Chief Anna Sakawsky reflects on more than ten years of living this homesteading life and shares the 10 biggest lessons it has taught her. Rather than focusing only on practical skills, Anna digs into the deeper truths that shape a sustainable, meaningful homesteading journey: why mindset matters more than acreage, why starting before you...

In Episode #26 of The Coop , Anna sits down with Cassidy Cornell (suburban homesteader, backyard farmer, author of The One Acre Homestead , and McMurray Hatchery team member) for a practical, encouraging conversation about raising food (and livestock) on a smaller scale. Cassidy shares her journey into homesteading and how she’s been able to raise chickens, meat birds, ducks, quail, rabbits, and g...

In Episode #25 of The Coop , Anna sits down with Abey Scaglione (a farmer, writer, and the author of Radical Farm: Animals, Food, and Our Future ) for a thoughtful conversation about food, farming, and what truly nourishes both people and the land. Abey shares her journey from becoming a vegetarian at age 13, through trying out veganism and even raw veganism and “fruitarianism,” to embracing a die...

In episode #24 of The Coop, Anna Sakawsky sits down with David The Good to discuss survival gardening: practical, low-input ways to grow abundant, calorie-dense food that truly feeds your family. David shares his journey from a childhood gardener to author, YouTuber, permaculture gardener, and nursery owner in South Alabama. He emphasizes that survival gardening isn’t about panic mode or doomsday...

In Episode #23 of The Coop, Anna Sakawsky sits down with longtime friend and fellow homesteader CeAnne Kosel of Farmhouse Teas to talk about creating delicious, better-for-you drink alternatives at home. CeAnne shares how her journey began with growing calendula flowers and expanded into making teas, salves, and eventually healthier replacements for coffee and soda.  After developing a sugar aller...

Homesteading can feel incredibly rewarding … but it can also feel lonely when you’re the only one in your neighborhood growing food or raising chickens. In Episode #22 of The Coop , host Anna Sakawsky reflects on why true self-sufficiency has always depended on community, and how we can start building stronger local networks today. Drawing from real-life examples (like neighbors helping clear snow...

In a time when grocery prices keep climbing and the world feels increasingly uncertain, many families are asking a simple question: how can we stretch what we have further while building something that lasts ? In Episode #21 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Jessica Spiers (homesteading and homeschooling mother of nine) for a deeply practical conversation about how modern homesteading is stepping i...

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re allowed to keep chickens, sell eggs from your backyard, build a shed, or start a small homestead business … this episode is essential listening. In Episode #20 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Jacob Lauser (lawyer, homesteader, and founder of Homesteaders. Legal) for a practical, no-nonsense conversation about the legal realities every homesteader should unde...

If you’ve ever dreamed of stepping outside and picking fresh, juicy fruit straight from your own trees (but felt intimidated by pruning, rootstocks, pollination, or where to even begin) this episode is for you . In Episode #19 of The Coop , Anna sits down with Susan Poizner, orchardist, author, educator, and founder of OrchardPeople.com , for a warm, practical conversation that takes the mystery o...

In this solo episode of The Coop, Homestead Living Editor-in-Chief Anna Sakawsky shares her personal story for the first time. From growing up as a city kid in Vancouver with almost no exposure to homesteading, to the stressful travel-agent days that sparked her desire for a slower, more connected life, Anna opens up about the path that led her here. She talks about how her travels abroad unexpect...

Eve Kilcher is no stranger to homesteading life.  As a former star on Discovery Channel’s Alaska: The Last Frontier and a dedicated homesteader herself, she’s lived the reality of trying to balance it all: growing food, raising animals, and managing a homestead while also juggling the demands of modern life. In this honest conversation, Eve and host Anna Sakawsky talk about the gap between the rom...

For nearly forty years Suzanne Tabert has been teaching people to look out their back door instead of reaching for a bottle. As a little girl in suburban Chicago she was already under the fir trees harvesting violets and baking tiny potatoes in a pit she dug herself. That same thread never broke.  Today she runs Cedar Mountain Herb School in North Idaho, writes books, and shows everyday families h...

Don Tipping has been at the seed starting game a long time.  He’s farmed and stewarded seeds at Seven Seeds Farm since 1997, founded Siskiyou Seeds in 2009, and now grows over 700 open-pollinated varieties, breeding for bio-regional strength in Southwest Oregon’s variable climate. He’s seen the industrial seed game up close: big companies sourcing globally, pushing flashy hybrids while workhorse o...

Lisa Steele returned to her fifth-generation roots after Wall Street, launching Fresh Eggs Daily in 2009 to share natural, herb-based poultry care the old-timer way. Her book Gardening with Chickens showed that flocks and gardens can thrive together: chickens debug, fertilize, and till; gardens supply greens, bugs, and scraps.  Ten years on, the updated 10th anniversary edition ( https://homestead...

Thirty years ago, Sally Fallon Morell dared to challenge the low-fat gospel. Her book Nourishing Traditions wasn’t born from theory. It came from a mother’s quiet rebellion against the “virtuous” diet being sold to families. She discovered Dr. Weston A. Price’s photographs of indigenous peoples with broad jaws, straight teeth, and robust health, then watched modern guidelines push the opposite:  m...

In this episode, Anna and Jill discussed: Why true balance is a myth How homesteading keeps us human Seasonal productivity vs. daily perfection Managing big goals with real-life constraints Brain-dumping, prioritizing, and building momentum Using a planner that reflects actual homestead life And much more …

In this episode of The Coop, you’ll learn: How Shaye defines homesteading (you’ll love this) Letting your definition evolve as seasons change: kids, business, capacity, and real life The overlap and differences between homesteading and homemaking What it actually means to “cultivate the beautiful life” in an ordinary week Using the five senses … music, scent, texture, light, and taste … to transfo...

In this episode of The Coop , you’ll learn: Why homesteading is mental first, physical second How to start where you are (sprouts > sourdough > chickens) Dirt, movement, sunshine: the real health stack Self-worth through meaningful tasks (and raising needed kids) How growing half your food changes budget and health Building community without the algorithm (gifts, trades, help) Duplication &g...

In this episode of The Coop, you’ll learn: Carolyn’s incredible freeze-drying story Why YOU should be freeze-drying at home The seven simple steps to freeze-drying How to preserve everything from fruits to full meals with ease How to choose the right freeze dryer Save time and avoid mistakes with practical tutorials and checklists What other equipment you really need (or don’t) Creating healthy, s...