Leafbox Podcast

Randal O'Toole, an American policy analyst, discusses his maverick career, non consensus views on urban planning, transportation, and housing in this interview.  O'Toole runs the Thoreau Institute as well as the popular policy blog,  The Antiplanner . He has written several books and hundreds of policy papers from a free market perspective on urban planning, government policy, housing, rail and ot...

Robert Jefferson is an American broadcast news anchor and Air Force veteran, professor of journalism and has had the majority of his career working in Japan. Jefferson shares an overview of his career and biography, while offering his views on the decline of journalism and the West. He offers advice for those considering life abroad and emphasizes the importance of staying curious, questioning aut...

From Hino, Shiga, Japan, a conversation with biohacker, health advocate, and naturalist, Sachiaki Takamiya. Ancient wisdom echoes through Takamiya-san’s life work, coalescing with the vigor of modern scientific discovery to birth what is known as the Ikigai Bio-Hacking method. Authoring several books and a wide ranging blog, Takamiya-san has significantly contributed to the realm of Bio-Hacking. H...

Author and Thinker Charles Hugh Smith boldly declares: the status quo is unsustainable. Through his writings, Charles pierces beneath the surface, challenging conventional narratives and exposing the deep-seated systemic issues that erode our social and moral fabric." From exploring the moral decay undermining social order to crafting viable solutions, Charles ventures into the depths of values, p...

Interview: Eric Shahan - Shinobu Books Eric Shahan, an American translator based in Japan for the last 20 years, has been independently publishing translations of Japanese texts, many of which are esoteric or obscure with a current focus on martial arts manuals, the esoteric,  irezumi  or tattoo culture, 18th century manga and other works.  In this conversation we discuss his approach to translati...

Transformative insights from Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride - a personal journey at the intersection of medicine, healing nutrition, regenerative farming and making sense of the world. This interview explores the profound journey, revolutionary insights, and current work of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride . Graduating with Honors as a Medical Doctor in 1984 from Bashkir Medical University in Russia, sh...

V. Vale is the editor and founder of Search & Destroy and RE/Search, an influential figure in publishing who aims to produce enduring books that explore uncharted territories. His publications embody a blend of optimism, dark humor, and anthropological objectivity, all while maintaining a distinctiveness that appeals universally. Instead of relying on academic jargon or unnecessary shock value, Va...

Erik Millstone is an Emeritus Professor of Science Policy in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex. He gained a first degree in Physics, followed by three postgraduate degrees in Philosophy. His expertise centers on the role of scientific expertise and evidence in managing technological risks, especially those arising in the food chain. Currently retired but still act...

Aaron Moulton is an American curator based out of Denmark. Formally with Gagosian Galleries, and other international galleries he is interested in secrets of creativity, the evolution of art, perception, and roots his curatorial practice in anthropology, journalism, innovation, folklore etc. I first became interested in Aaron’s work finding his massive, fascinating and riddle like exposure of the...

The Times of the UK called Tao Lin “a daring, urgent voice for a malfunctioning age," I agree. Tao Lin is an exciting original acclaimed voice trying who is trying to make make sense of the personal and external confusion. He’s an American novelist, poet, essayist, short-story writer and artist. He’s published several novels, and works of non fiction. He has published several books, including the...

Environmental Toxicologist who originally worked on acid rain, metal pollution, water quality, air quality and related matters to shift later in her career to focus primarily in electromagnetic radiation, radio frequency radiation, electromagnetic fields, dirty electricity, and work on those who are electrically hypersensitive.  Dr Magda Havas is Associate Professor of Environmental & Resource Stu...

Andrew is a catholic, a writer, and a rural revivalist advocating for a traditional lifestyle. We talked about his online handle shagbark, about his experience living nomadically across the US for 5 years, the collapse of the western civilization, degeneracy and escape, rumspringer , the dark night of the soul, finding optimism in building local communities, rural vs urban life, the Amish, opportu...

Thomas Kloepfer and his wife run Pitchfork Farms, an eco-friendly farm located on Mukaishima in Onomichi, Hiroshima. The farm cultivates seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs on a thriving hillside market garden and orchard overlooking the Seto-Inland sea. As regenerative farmers, the farm aims to maintain natural cycles and reduce the use of off-farm resources by producing their own energy, seed...

In November 2022, Marek Lehocky and his swimming partner Dr. Steven Minaglia completed a challenging, staged circumnavigation swim around the island of Oahu. This impressive accomplishment marks the first unassisted circumnavigation of the island on record. Marek Lehocky, originally from Slovakia and now residing in Honolulu, is the CEO of Kreston ProWorks, a business support services company base...

Interview: Arturo Tafoya Maybe you’ve heard of Cicada 3301. If not its a mysterious and highly secretive organization that emerged in 2012 and over several years posted on various internet forums and websites, puzzled that induced steganography, cryptography and other forms of esoteric knowledge. Some believed it to be a recruitment tool for highly skilled linguists, computer programmers, cryto-gr...

Aaron Fletcher is a nomadic farmhand and subsistence dairy shepherd who lives currently in the Pacific Northwest. He lives a "home-free" lifestyle that involves connecting with local food sources and working towards local food sustainability. As a voluntarily "home-free" activist, Aaron focuses on local solutions to world problems. In Aaron's words, being "home-free" is not the same as being homel...

Yannick Dauby is a French sound artist and field recorder based in Taiwan. He also works in sound designs for film. He also produces audio documentary as well as electroacoustic music compositions. Dauby’s works are inspired by ethnography, amphibian conservation, stories from the forests & mountains and marine biology. He collaborates with communities and individuals in Hakka villages and Indigen...

Dr Jose L. Domingo is the Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) of Toxicology and Environmental Health at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, School of Medicine. We spoke in detail about his interest and history in toxicology, regulation, concerns regarding the lack of study into the potential side effects of COVID 19 vaccines, regulatory frameworks, the peer review process, and more. Dr Domingo's rese...

Dr Cook is a board certified psychiatrist in private practice. He is the founding director of Beyond Mental Health , a Honolulu, Hawaii practice combining traditional psychiatry with alternative care models using nutritional supplements, nootropics, TMS therapy, medical cannabis, ketamine, to empower patients. Dr Cook is also and advisor to the Clarity Project , a lobbying effort to improve medica...

Remedial Literacy Specialist, Author, and Waldorf Literacy Curriculum Advisor While at first the following interview might appear only to be of interest and highly specific to the world of Waldorf educators, parents and students - rest assured that I can recommend it to a broader community. Valuable lessons and questions arise from the conversation with Jennifer Milizer-Kopperal including but not...

For this week’s conversation I had the pleasure of learning from Brian Patterson, a Cayman Islands based, Bermudian corporate offshoring expert, crypto council and lawyer.  With the entire FTX implosion currently occurring I thought it would be prudent to speak with someone at the heart of the nexus between crypto, the Caribbean, international offshoring, regulation and international banking.  For...

Rob Auten is a video game writer whose writing credits include Gears of War: Judgment (cowritten with Tom Bissell) as well as titles like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six. He is also the CEO and co-founder of  Hexagram , an immersive “ambient experience” studio focused on immersive game experiences that blend reality and fiction in innovative ways. I caught up with Rob after a trip home to Dubai where he...

Seneca Scott was so generous to give me an hour of his time to walk through his background, his philosophical framework, his vision for Oakland and give me what he call’s the “Green Pill”. He’s running as an independent for Mayor of Oakland, California in 2022. Full transcript @ www.leafbox.com/interview-seneca-scott/ Connect with Seneca Scott @ Seneca4Mayor Get full access to Leafbox at leafbox.s...

Gail Fuller practices no-till crop farming and cattle grazing in Eastern Kansas. He also runs with his wife Lynette Miller, the Fuller Field School , a near decade long effort to connect and educate farmers, ranchers, researchers and community leaders to share ideas, innovate and build relationships in a holistic way. I was lucky to connect with Gail to discuss his past, holistic improvement, rege...

Zachary Smith is an ordained Zen priest based out of San  Francisco. We connected over a discussion politics,  life, Zen, parenting, psychadelics and more. Full Transcription @ https://www.leafbox.com/interview-zachary-smith/ Connect  with  Zach @ http://stupahead.com/ Get full access to Leafbox at leafbox.substack.com/subscribe