Badwater: Discover Your Drive

Self-Discovery Through Grand Theft: In this episode, Dom from Badwater discusses the concept of 'stealing' versus 'copying' in the pursuit of self-discovery, expanding on themes from his article, 'Self-Discovery Through Grand Theft.' Dom illustrates how copying often leads to adopting someone else's facade, while stealing involves selectively taking elements that resonate personally, enhancing sel...

Hi all! I was inspired to write a short story about a traveler discovering something greater about herself, and coming full circle in life. I’ll be sending out these types of audio stories every once in a while, so I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for following Badwater! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other s...

Duty, Ego, and the Cultural Challenges of Wildland Firefighting Dom shares his observations on the confusion of duty among wildland firefighters. He discusses the sources of pride and respect in firefighting, the psychological and professional challenges of the off-season, and the impact of a lack of support from the federal government. Dom reflects on his personal experiences in the field, noting...

The Growing Thoughts video and podcast series is fully under way. In this episode, I discuss the need for intention-setting and positive action while taking Lion’s Mane—and all other supplements in your life. Some Housekeeping: To support Badwater, consider using this link to purchase from our affiliate partner, North Spore. From liquid cultures to custom jar lids, they have provided me nearly all...

In life, choices can lead to incredible experiences or leave us wondering “what if?” My journey has been filled with missed opportunities due to self-imposed limitations. Every missed chance reflects and leads to personal growth. I often avoided stepping outside my comfort zone, unaware of its limits. In middle and high school, I avoided running but discovered my athleticism through walking and bi...

The Growing Thoughts video and podcast series is fully under way. In this episode, I clarify the benefits of Lion’s Mane, as this topic was only in the background of last week’s Lion's Mane Research Is a Mess . Now, I wanted to be direct with what Lion’s Mane can do for the body. Some Housekeeping: To support Badwater, consider using this link to purchase from our affiliate partner, North Spore. F...

In this episode, we explore the trap of expectation—how it shapes our behaviors, fuels disappointment, and distorts reality. I share personal stories of how expectation caused frustration, lost friendships, and low self-worth. We’ll also discuss detachment as a way to break free from these cycles and live more present, intuitively, and open to experience. 🎧 Tune in and explore how letting go of e...

Some Housekeeping: To support Badwater, consider using this link to purchase from our affiliate partner, North Spore. From liquid cultures to custom jar lids, they have provided me nearly all the tools I still use for growing mushrooms. They’re great quality, have super customer support (they’ve had a no-questions-asked policy whenever I have a random issue), and I think they are perfect for anyon...

Here’s a break from cultivating mushrooms. This is a new series where I contemplate and discuss our shadows and our gifts, and how we accept and embrace each side of ourselves to create a more resilient and fulfilling life for ourselves. Thanks for reading Badwater! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other s...

Thank you to North Spore for allowing us to be an affiliate partner. You can purchase super easy to grow substrate bags of Lion’s Mane, Shiitake, Oyster mushrooms , so on. This was how I first learned mushroom growing. Don’t cut the top of the bag off like I did! You’d think that if you’ve grown one mushroom, you’ve grown them all. I was very lucky starting out because I pretty much fell into some...

Below, I include an affiliate link to the Excalibur 9-Try Dehydrator . Purchasing through this link helps support Badwater and this type of content! The mushroom dehydrating process is a constant but low stakes discussion for mushroom cultivators because there have been no good conclusions for the subject. For psilocybin mushroom growers, there are a couple groups of thought. This is a public epis...

I include an affiliate link to North Spore’s Grain Spawn bags . Purchasing through this link helps support Badwater and this type of content! Mushroom growing tips: use grain spawn for speed, liquid cultures for growth, agar for quality. Grain spawn offers quick results but requires careful sterile technique and has higher contamination risks through opening the lid. Liquid cultures enable more se...

Buy the North Spore BoomRoom II Martha Tent with this link to help support Badwater’s commitment to cultivating high quality Lion’s Mane extract and writing about our journey as a small-scale functional mushroom cultivator. After using North Spore’s BoomRoom II over the last couple months, I have some thoughts on the design. To spoil it now, I really love this tent, and it’s much, much better than...

My Take on Grain Bags vs. Grain Jars This episode is unscripted, and a little rough! But here’s a general outline of what I speak about, and you can find the transcription for the podcast episode. Shop North Spore's custom wide mouth lids with this link to support Badwater! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bad...

The beauty of gardening lies in the inevitability of… death. The changing seasons make me appreciate what I accomplished in this brief 3- to 6-month span, before the cold weather sets in again and I bury what’s left of my veggies, flowers, and plants in the ground to prepare for next spring. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus e...

I introduce the Law of Contamination, and the idea that all cultivators are racing against time to grow mushrooms. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit badwatergroup.substack.com

Grain spawn has limitations due to contamination and mycelium senescence. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit badwatergroup.substack.com

The first part of Batch #7 is almost complete! We’ve got eight substrate bags that’ll be ready in the next few days. A quick summary: This is our seventh batch of Lion's Mane mushrooms since moving to Reno! With eight bags currently fruiting, eight colonizing, and eight more being prepared today, I'm pushing to complete 24 substrate bags by the end of December before our vacation. The North Spore...