Small Scale Life Podcast

Winter is here with all its fury.  In the past couple weeks, we have gotten over 12 inches of snow and have endured subzero temperatures.  The wind chill in Minnesota has pushed temperatures to -20 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit.  It feels like our typical mid-January freeze!  In these conditions, winter driving can be treacherous.  Since I drive in some remote rural areas, I h...

Winter has arrived in force!  We got our first decent snowfall here in Minnesota on Saturday.  On top of the snow, we are getting slammed by January-like cold.  We will be dealing with -20 degree Fahrenheit temperatures by Saturday here in the Twin Cities.  In fact, as I recorded this podcast, it was -1 degree Fahrenheit (and feels like -15 degrees Fahrenhei...

HELP Episode 8: Mind Games November and Thanksgiving have come and gone!  Can you believe it?  Where did the time go?  We had a lot of stuff going on in November including the election, Thanksgiving and some major life events.  After taking the month of November off, I am back for a "Just Tom" Healthy Lifestyle Podcast.  I have to admit that we all play mind games with the...

Season 1 Episode 19: Happy Birthday, Small Scale Life! Can you believe that the Small Scale Life is over a year old?  Happy birthday, Small Scale Life!  In this episode of the podcast, I talk about why I started blogging, what we have accomplished this year and what is ahead in the next year.  I really want to thank all of you for following Small Scale Life, the Small...

Rebooted Body with Kevin Geary - HELP 7 Have you ever struggled with diet plans?  Do you feel overwhelmed with information from family, friends, media, celebrities, and even popular television shows telling you what you should and shouldn't do to lose weight?  How many times have you started a plan, had some success, and then put that weight back on (or put even more weight on your body)...

Hogtoberfest and Tribe - HELP 6 What in God's name is Hogtoberfest? Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is a the gathering of people at Nature's Image Farm in Ohio for learning the old ways of slaughtering and processing hogs.  As you will find out in this episode of the Healthy Lifestlye Podcast, it was much more than just processing pork.  Hogtoberfest was about lea...

Debt and Real Estate Part 1 - S1E17 If you have been listening to the Small Scale Life Podcast or the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast lately, you have heard me talking about moving out of the city to the country.  Julie and I have decided that this is a critical element in our journey to develop a simpler, more sustainable life.  Why do we want to leave the urban area?  We want...

Tribe, Ritual and Debt - S1E18 October is winding down, and it feels like there is A TON to do.  I have not posted much this week because I have been processing vegetables and herbs like crazy!  I decided to clear the garden beds, and that triggered a mad dash to get preserve the vegetables and herbs before everything rotted.  In the past two weeks, I have made salsa and tomato sauc...

Failing Forward: Losing Weight, Gaining Muscle, Having Discipline - HELP 5 It is October and it is time for the Healthy Lifestlye Podcast!  In this Episode, Drew and I start by discussing losing weight and gaining muscle.  We both have been struggling in our weight loss challenges, and we discussed perfectionism and discipline (or lack thereof).  Drew brought our friend Scott Hebert...

Vertical Gardening with The Plant Charmer Part 2 - S2E16 This is Part 2 of my epic interview with The Plant Charmer.  If you are wondering who The Plant Charmer is, his name is Khaled Majouji, and he is an urban farmer in Canada.  Khaled grows an incredible amount of vegetables in vertical garden systems, and he inspired me to build my vertical garden systems this year.  To lea...

Heathly Lifestyle with Chazington Alloucious - HELP 4 Who in the world is Chazington Alloucious?  What does this person have to say about healthy lifestyles, losing weight, fitness, mindset and clean living?  Well, fine friends and followers, you will have to listen to this podcast to find out. Chazington Alloucious and I have a great, meandering discussion about a lot of different...

HELP Episode 3 - Spinning Salad If this podcast sounds a little different, it is!  I record a brief solo podcast while I am whipping up a salad for a family gathering at William O'Brian State Park on the banks of the St. Croix River.  The salad and company were fantastic as we went to the park and took an almost two mile walk along the river.  If you are in Minnesota, you...

Vertical Gardening with The Plant Charmer Part 1 - S1E15 In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I interviewed The Plant Charmer.  You might be wondering: who is The Plant Charmer?  This is a gentleman named Khaled Majouji, an urban farmer from the Montreal area in Canada who grows an incredible amount of vegetables in vertical gardens!  Khaled inspired me to build my...

Labor Day Reset - HELP 2 September is finally here!  The kids are back in school, and life settles into a routine.  Fall is a fantastic time, however.  Football, crisp mornings, and leaves changing make it my favorite time of year.  For me, Labor Day marks the tipping point from summer to fall (based on my old football days).  It can also be a time to reset and adjust...

Healthy Lifestyle Podcast: Introduction - HELP 1 This is Episode 1 of our new weekly Healthy Lifestyle Podcast.  Drew Sample from the Sample Hour Podcast and I are both a weight loss journey and want to live healthier lifestyles.  We decided that doing a weekly accountability podcast together will be fun and keep us on track with our goals. In this podcast, we discuss the following topic...

Garden Update Podcast - Week of 8/15/16 - S1E14 As I discussed in my most recent Workout Plan Update, I am changing how I am rolling out posts and podcasts for Small Scale Life.  I am going to post Workout Plan Updates at the end of the week (looking forward to the next week) and Garden posts at the front end of the week.  I will post podcasts in the middle of the week.  Other posts...

Charles Hugh Smith - S1E13 In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Charles Hugh Smith.  He is an entrepreneur, author, blogger, podcaster and gardener.  Charles started the Of Two Minds blog in 2005, and his "side project of self-expression" has mushroomed into a 3,500 page website that has generated 20 million page views!  According...

Gardenchat with Bren Haas - S1E12 When I started Small Scale Gardening in 2014, I wandered into the world of Twitter to see what it was all about.  On some Monday night, I found my way onto GardenChat session and discovered a tribe of really fantastic gardeners.  The leader of this tribe was a very interesting woman named Bren Haas.  Over the past year, we have had a lot of fun...

Get Out of Your Rut - S1E11 For the past month, I have been in a rut.  From the outside, people would not really know it since I keep smiling and trying to move forward.  Some things converged together and hit me like a tidal wave.  It came to a head on the week of Memorial Day, and I have been getting out of my rut since.  In this podcast, I talk about what I am doing and what...

Urban Farming and Podcasting with Drew Sample - S1E10 In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I interview Drew Sample about urban farming and podcasting. Initially inspired by Joe Rogan's podcast, Drew Sample started his own podcast called The Sample Hour.  Initially, it was mainly focused on comedy and stand-up comedians.  After becoming interested in permaculture and urba...

Urban Farming with Scott Hebert - S1E9 Scott Hebert starting urban farming in 2015 in Chilliwack, British Columbia.  A year ago, Scott was working at his dad's cabinet shop, and when his dad announced that the shop was closing, Scott knew he had to find a new path forward. After losing 60 pounds on his own weight loss journey, had an interest in growing healthy food.  At that point,...

How to Lose 70 Pounds - S1E8 Part 2 of the Cows and Kettlebells Podcast is focused on how to lose 70 pounds.  As part of Jay's training, he was focused on getting in shape and losing weight.  As you'll find out, it takes commitment, consistency, focus and in Jay's case, a kick in the rear from instructors.  Diet is a key component of weight loss, and Jay discusses his diet and...

Cowbells and Kettlebells Part 1 - S1E7 My friend Jay is back on the Small Scale Life Podcast!  Jay and I recorded a two-part series called "Cowbells and Kettlebells," and in this episode, we discuss Jay's vision of buying and owning rural property.  Specifically, we discuss the following topics: Why purchase rural property? What is your vision for this property? What are you looking...

What is a Sustainable Life? - S1E6 After a bit of a break in March, the Small Scale Life Podcast is back!  Before we posted another episode, I needed to get some infrastructure in place that would allow this podcast to be placed on iTunes.  This is the official reboot of the podcast, and we are looking forward to more episodes in Awesome April.  In this episode, I discuss the elemen...

Season 1, Episode 5: How to Grow Seeds Indoors - Small Scale Life Podcast In an effort to maximize our potential harvest and start planning spring planting, I have started some tomatoes, lettuce, kale and lettuce in the basement. I discuss my techniques for how to grow seeds indoors in Season 1, Episode 5 of the Small Scale Life podcast. Why Start Seeds Now? Spring is right around the corner, ever...