Good Fire Podcast

This episode of Good Fire was recorded in front of a live audience of 300 people at the Fire and Ice Symposium during the 2025 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, on Treaty 7 territory. Host Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson (Métis, Treaty 8) is joined by Alvin First Rider of the Blood Tribe (Blackfoot Confederacy), along with visual storyteller Jordan Melograna from the Indigenous Leadershi...

In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Elizabeth Azzuz and Margo Robbins to talk about restoring cultural fire in their tribal territory and across the world. Quotes 05.06 - 5.27: “Fire has an amazing effect on not just the land and the health of the land and the resources that it produces but it is in fact a way to bring health...

In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Lisa Shepherd and Paul Courtoreille who share personal memories and cultural insights into fire’s role within Métis traditions. From childhood experiences to modern applications, they discuss fire's ability to connect communities, heal the land, and preserve Métis heritage. Quotes 1.07.33 -...

In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Ryan Reed to talk about how the younger generations are leading the way into the future with a move away from fire suppression and into fire generation to protect the environment. Quotes 13.12 - 13.32: “We can't create something without including or… centering around Indigenous communities...

In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Rachael Cavanagh and Melinda Adams to talk about the role of Indigenous fire stewards in managing climate change. Quotes 20.51 - 20.56: “Our law is still in the land and it’s in all of the stories that have been passed down to us by our Elders.” 40.27 - 41.08: “It comes back to our relation...

S‍eason 3 | Episode 4 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Accomplices: Special Episode with Alex Zahara In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Alex Zahara to talk about how a non-Indigenous person can be a good ally and accomplice to Indigenous peoples in Canada. Quotes  17.44 – 17.52: “This is actually the first time in Canadian hi...

S‍eason 3 | Episode 4 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Existence Is Resistance with Tiffany Joseph In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Tiffany Joseph to talk about native Indigenous plants and their ability to heal the ecosystem. Quotes 13.19 - 13.41: “Anytime we are on the land, you have to have good thoughts and feelings, so anyt...

S‍eason 3 | Episode 3 | Good Fire Podcast Title: The Social Dynamics of Fire Management with Vanessa Luna-Celino In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Vanessa Luna-Celino to talk about how community-based fire management is the way to sustaining forests. Quotes 16.20 - 16.23: “Not every person in these peasant communities inter...

S‍eason 3 | Episode 2 | Good Fire Podcast Title: We Are Fire People with Jessica Angel In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, Jessica Angel talks to Amy Cardinal Christianson and Vikki Preston about being an Indigenous trans woman bringing back fire to her Nation.  Quotes 23.30 - 23.33: “The best teacher when it comes to working with fire is fire.”  33.19 – 33.23: “Some good smoke is...

S‍eason 3 | Episode 1 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Healing Trauma Through Burning with Vikki Preston and Monique Wynecoop In this podcast, Vikki and Monique talk about the role of Indigenous women in fire and the path to bringing fire back on the land.  Quotes 42.41 – 42.46: “There is a place for me, and it doesn’t need to be in the system that’s not working.” 50.06 – 50.16: “It’s our journey a...

S‍eason 3 Teaser 2 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Learning Fire with Charity Battise Charity Battise is a young Indigenous Fire Steward learning their craft. Amy and Charity met at the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network Event and they talked about Charity’s work with her Nation. Charity is a part of the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas and part of the Nature Conserva ncies Indigenous Peoples Burning N...

Season 3 Teaser 1 | Good Fire Podcast Join Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff as they give a sneak peek at what to expect in Good Fire’s third season. ‍ Quotes ‍ ‍ 12.20 - 12.35: “We can’t change the weather… and we can’t change the climate at the moment, but there are things that we can do and one of those is changing the fuel that’s available to burn and the vegetation that you can b...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 10 | Good Fire Podcast Title: The Abundance Will Be Forever with Victor Steffensen and Ado Webster In this final episode of Season 2 of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Victor Steffensen and Ado Webster as they reflect on their experiences as Indigenous fire-keepers. Quote 10.52 - 10.56: “We’re not governed by anyone but...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 9 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Celebrating Success with Victor Steffensen and Ado Webster In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Victor Steffensen and Ado Webster talk about cultural burning in Australia and the work Firesticks is doing to promote it. Quote 17.02 - 17.09: “Fear is… one of the biggest problems…...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 8 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Good Fire In Guyana with Kayla de Freitas and Nicolas Cyril In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Kayla de Freitas and Nicholas Cyril to talk about the cultural burning practices in Guyana. Quote 41.54 - 42.04: “So much of that knowledge about fire and fire use and farming, hunti...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 7 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Fire Futures with Indigenous Researchers In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down at the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) Fire & Climate Conference in Pasadena CA, featuring early career researchers who are re-kindling cultural burning. Quote 16.25 - 16.29: “Indigeno...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 6 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Cultural Fire in California with Don Hankins In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Don Hankins, Plains Miwok from the central valley of California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, to talk about new developments around cultural burning in California and his hopes for the future. Qu...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 4 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Cultural Safety with Joe Gilchrist and Natasha Caverley In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Joe Gilchrist and Natasha Caverley to talk about how Indigenous and Western ways of knowing can come together to bring cultural burning back on the land: a study exploring cultural safet...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 3 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Fire and Carbon with Russell Myers Ross and William Nikolakis In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Russell Myers Ross and William Nikolakis to speak about the work of the Gathering Voices Society on revitalizing traditional fire management in Tsilhqot’in Territory and the potent...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 2 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Cultural Fire and Ceremony with Ron Goode In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Ron W. Goode to talk about his journey stewarding the land using fire and the importance of ceremony. Ron is the Tribal Chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe. Ron shares his experiences with Abor...

S‍eason 2 | Episode 1 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Cultural Fire Is Back with Bhiamie Williamson In our first episode of Season 2, Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Bhiamie Williamson to discuss the connection of Indigenous peoples to the land, and how cultural burning is a way to preserve the environment and cultural heritage. Quotes 12.00 - 12.10: “There is so much traum...

S‍eason 2 Teaser 2 and How To | Good Fire Podcast ‍ ‍ Resources Canada Wildfire: https://www.canadawildfire.org/ ‍ ‍ Firesticks Alliance Australia: https://www.firesticks.org.au/ ‍ ‍ Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils: http://www.prescribedfire.net/ ‍ ‍ Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges: https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPractices/FireLandscapes/HabitatProtectionandRestoration/Tr...

S‍eason 2 Teaser 1 | Good Fire Podcast ‍ We are so excited to bring you a second season of Good Fire. It only took us 2 years to figure it out. But now, here it comes. Coming in the first half of 2022, discussions from people around the world about Indigenous cultural burning, getting fire back on the land, social justice, and cultural empowerment. Canada Wildfire ‍ ‍ FIRESMART BOOK: Blazing the T...

S‍eason 1 | Episode 10 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Cultural Fire in Brazil and Venezuela with Jay Mistry The final episode of Season 1 of the Good Fire Podcast is an incredible conversation that helps to try and summarize some of the ideas we have discussed over the last 10 episodes. Jay Mistry has been working with and doing research in South America with Indigenous peoples for years, and she has...

S‍eason 1 | Episode 9 | Good Fire Podcast Title: Aboriginal women and caring for country in NSW, Australia with Vanessa Cavanagh When most people imagine a firefighter they picture a man. Women, it would seem, are still trying to shake the stigma of historical gender roles. Across the colonized world these gender roles have created a mold through which we all perceive and think about our world. Va...