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Small Scale Life Podcast

Small Scale Life Podcast

Tom

Welcome to The Small Scale Life Podcast, your weekly journey to connect with Nature and Community. Join us as we explore Homesteading, Wellness, and the bonds that bring us together. Your host, Tom, believes that every individual and every place has a unique story waiting to be discovered and uncovered. Together, we’ll embark on an adventure to discover the road less traveled, forging new paths and connections along this journey called Small Scale Life. Plant Deep Roots and Craft Your Own Small Scale Life. The Location and the Path are entirely yours to choose. Every day is an opportunity to learn, grow, and become a little better. That, my friends, is a good thing (and where the magic is)! You can find more about Small Scale Life at our website https://smallscalelife.com.
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Top 10 Small Scale Life Podcast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Small Scale Life Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Small Scale Life Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Small Scale Life Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

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 into the conversation about half way through the podcast, and we has a great discussion about journaling, meditation, routines and discipline. It is great listening to and learning from Scott since he lost 60-70 pounds right after high school. You can listen to Scott's story about losing weight and getting healthy on the Small Scale Life
Podcast Season 1, Episode 9.

Scott, Drew and I discussed the following topics:
Pre-podcast schenanigans - Drew and I were figuring out how to record the podcast, and I obviously was not listening to and comprehending what he was saying. It is entertaining, even though we both were swearing during this segment. As a word of caution: there is swearing in this podcast (in case you are listening with your kids)
Diet and fitness over the past week and plans for the next week
Lifting weights and supplements
Discipline and routines
Journaling and meditation (the woo woo stuff)
Types of people and their success - Coolers, Closers and Cleaners
Making the bed with throw pillows
What should the Healthy Lifestlye Podcast focus on in future shows
Scott Hebert has a YouTube Channel, and I thought this discussion about starting a farm while working another job applies to losing weight as well. It ties directly into his discussion with us about discipline.
https://youtu.be/eJKBrgZ6vfk

Links

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLElK7tACIk/?taken-by=flavourfulfarms

Drew, Scott and I discussed a few different sites, podcasts and video blogs during this episode. Here is a list of those links:

The Sample Hour – Drew’s blog and podcast page
Failing Forward Podcast Week 30 - The last podcast of Drew and Scott's urban farming season
Half Size Me Podcast 242: Why You Must Let Go Of Perfectionism - Julie found a new podcast and blogger (to us, anyway) that focuses on losing weight and maintaining your weight once you lose it. This is an interesting podcast on perfectionism, and that is something I struggle with occasionally. Check this out!
Rest Faster - Blog post on Robb Wolf's site about rest protocols and routines to improve your rest and recovery
Five Minute Journal – Drew is using the Five Minute Journal to work through issues and develop his mindset
Bullet Journal - Check out this Getting Started page. This looks really interesting!
Headspace - Drew and Scott are using the Headspace application for daily meditation
Ryan Holiday Meditations on Strategy of Life blog
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable - Tim S. Grover
Audible Application - Make the most of your mundane tasks and drive time!
Rate on iTunes
I checked iTunes, and we only have a couple of reviews. I REALLY would like some more ratings from listeners, so please rate and review the Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You don't need to write a book or write anything. Just give a few (preferrably five) for the Podcast.

You can leave a review by following these simple steps:
Click on this link or the image above.
Go to ratings and reviews.
Click on the number stars (five would be awesome)
Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)!

You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated)
You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Disclaimer

Drew and I are not licensed health care or fitness experts. We are not doctors. Please be sure to consult your doctor, dietician or other health care professional about health, fitness or other medical issues. All information shared on the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast and Small Scale Life are for informational and inspirational purposes only.

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Small Scale Life Podcast - Preventing Damping Off Disease – S2E7
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03/29/17 • 25 min

Preventing Damping Off Disease – S2E7

There is nothing like the excitement of seeing your tender seedlings popping through the soil in your indoor garden area! You immediately have visions of future harvest from these beautiful plants. This will be the best year ever in the garden! Then, something starts to happen: fuzzy mold appears on the soil surface, the stems become thin and weak, and the seedlings wilt and die. You add more water to the tender seedlings because they might be drying out. Instead, this seems to have the opposite effect: more seedlings are wilting! Soon, the entire tray looks horrible and is a complete loss. This, my friends, happened to me last year! It is most likely damping off disease, and if you garden indoors, you eventually will have to deal with it. In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I discuss 9 steps for Preventing Damping Off Disease.

Podcast Topics

Damping Off Disease attacking a tomato seedling in 2016

In this podcast, I discuss the following tips for Preventing Damping Off Disease:

  1. Plant seeds in containers, and then place the containers in trays
  2. Water the tray, not directly on the soil (bottom up, not top down)
  3. Sterilize containers, tools and trays for 30 minutes before reusing them
  4. Use warm water to water your seedlings
  5. Do not overwater! Only add enough water to fill 1/4′′ to 1/3′′ high in the tray
  6. Use a heating pad to start seedlings
  7. Use good draining potting mix. Do not use your garden soil or compost!
  8. Do not fertilize your seedlings
  9. Provide 12 to 16 hours of light from your grow lights.
  10. BONUS TIP: keep the lights 1-2′′ from the top of your seedlings when they first germinate
I finish the podcast by giving you what I think are the most critical steps to Preventing Damping Off Disease.

Links

While initially looking healthy, this tray of tomato seedlings is doomed – 2016

I discussed the following links on this podcast:

Friends of Small Scale Life

As I develop friendships and communities online and in real life, I have seen really good people doing great work and will be recognizing these people on Small Scale Life. For some, I will be setting up affiliates and memberships with them as this blog and podcasts grow. In the meantime, please check out the work friends have completed and take advantage of their offers below:

Small Scale Life Podcast - 11 DIY Christmas Gifts

11 DIY Christmas Gifts

Small Scale Life Podcast

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12/19/19 • 38 min

There is nothing like putting together or receiving Do It Yourself (DIY) Christmas Gifts. This is a special gift that someone made with you in mind. At the same time, if you create a DIY gift, you are using your resources (time, skills and materials) to create something special for friends or family. It can be a great experience when it all turns out! Yes, I am not including Pinterest fails here!

If you want to buy something from a company or vendor, time IS running out, friends! If you have been following Small Scale Life, you know I recently posted an article titled Holiday Gift Ideas from the Small Scale Life Community. This was an opportunity to provide links to folks who we have met through Small Scale Life, and it felt good to give folks from our community the exposure.

So what happens if you miss the shipping cutoff (which is around December 18th or so)? Well, wait no longer! It is time to pull out one or more of these 11 DIY Christmas Gifts for family and friends on your list! We also included 4 Bonus DIY Christmas Gifts that would be excellent, but they take some more time, planning and materials that might not be available with 8 days before the big day.

For the show notes, please go to the article titled "11 DIY Christmas Gifts" at Small Scale Life. Please click the text to go to the show notes.

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Small Scale Life Podcast - Start Seeds Indoors for Spring Gardens
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03/27/18 • 34 min

Welcome to Spring 2018! Believe it or not considering it was snowing on the first day of Spring. It is only a matter of time before we can get into the yard and get into the garden. Before you can do that, you need to plant seeds and grow some seedlings! In this post and episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I am going to discuss setting up an indoor gardening area and starting seeds indoors for spring gardens.

Have you planted seeds yet? I did on St. Patrick’s Day, and I have some great news to share with you about that!

Introduction – How to Start Seeds Indoors for Spring Gardens

If you have been following along over the past few weeks, we have been going through the general process for preparing for the 2018 Gardening Season. We have done the following steps so far:

  • Developed a garden plan – Developed a list of plants we want to grow)
  • Ordered your seeds – Selected a reputable seed vendor and purchased seeds for our garden.

While there are many seed vendors out there, I focused on four big vendors that members of the Small Scale Life Facebook Group and MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Group use most often.
Finally! It is the moment of truth! It is time to stop thinking and start doing! I grabbed my seeds and some soil and got ready to get down to business....

Not so fast!

Before I could start planting seeds, I had to some additional planning and prep work.

Setting up the Indoor Growing Area

Part of my planning and preparation work was to select an area in the house to grow seedlings. In our previous house in St. Louis Park, I grew seedlings on two shelves in a cold and dark basement. I discussed how I started seeds and some lessons learned after have some failures over the past few years in the following articles (on smallscalelife.com):

  • How to Garden Indoores
  • 8 Steps to Starting Plants Indoors
  • Lessons Learned from Growing Indoors
  • Four Lessons Learned from Starting Seeds

For the 2018 Gardening Season, I had to find a new space to plant seeds and grow seedlings. While I knew I would be regulated to the basement, it was a much different situation in this house in Minneapolis. The basement is not as warm as the upper level, but it isn’t as brutally cold and dark as the St. Louis Park house. I attribute that to the fact that half of the basement is insulated and finished, and that does help retain the heat! Having more heat retained in the basement should help with germination, and I am hoping that having a warmer basement reduces the potential for damping off disease!

I had to select my indoor growing area, and it really came down to three choices: the built-in near the television, the bar area or the workbench near the furnace. I would not be able to use a shelf in this house simply because we have gear and things on all of our shelves. We just do not have the extra shelf space!

The biggest concern I had as I was evaluating each location was the availability of power (for grow lights, heating pads and a timer) and the impact on other basement users (like my son and wife Julie). Each spot had power, so really it came down to finding a spot that would be out of the way and not bother anyone.

The best spot was the workbench near the furnace. While losing the workbench for potential projects is not ideal, it is important to remember that I would only need part of the workbench until mid-May. What could possibly go wrong? Besides, if we needed to use the workbench, everything can be moved quickly. Of course, that might mean that the trays go on top of the freezer, but I would only use it temporarily (I promise, Jules).

The workbench is 27 inches wide, and that easily beats the narrow 18-1/2 inches on the St. Louis Park shelves. In case you are wondering: yes, in this case, size does matter! The extra width easily accommodates both seed trays in a side-by-side configuration on the workbench. On the shelves, I had to use scrap pieces of plywood to get over the lip of the shelf to get the trays to sit side-by-side. This is much, much better!

Equipment Needed

Part of getting your equipment might include buying soil and seeds - March 2018
With seeds in my hand and a growing area selected, it was time to get my “equipment” out of storage in order to start seeds indoors. My equipment consistec of the following:

  • Seed trays
  • 9x9 plug flats (or cells, as I like to call them)
  • 5 gallon bucket or kitty litter bin (to hold the soil)
  • Pro-Mix soil
  • Heating pads
  • Grow lights
  • Timer
  • Surge Protector
  • Jumbo popsicle sticks or other labels for your seeds

Most of these materials had been in storage for the winter. I had to rummage around the garage to find what I needed, and then I realized that I had thrown away my 9x9 plug flats last seas...

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Small Scale Life Podcast - Renew You Q2: Introduction to Financial Freedom
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04/03/19 • 51 min

In this 136th voyage of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Julie and I hit the road and record a podcast. We are kicking off the Quarter 2 Renew You: Introction to Financial Freedom!

Money is a tool, and having enough money can help you develop that life you love. Not having that enough money tends to lead to poor decisions, stress and relationship problems with your significant other.

Americans have had a love affair with debt: we take loans for our houses, our cars, our cell phones, and buy lots of stuff using credit cards. We live in a country that borrows from future generations to build and repair roads, pay for benefits, conquer nations and protect the world. It is amazing that our money says "In God We Trust," yet we put all of our trust in banks and credit card companies.

Getting a hold of our finances and debt is a critical first step in taking control of our lives and starting to develop a life we love. This is a huge realization we had this year, especially with a record-setting Government Shutdown.

As Seth Godin says, “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” ― Dave Ramsey, EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches. We completely agree and Julie says this exact words in the podcast (which leads us off the Introduction to Financial Freedom Podcast).

F*or more information on this podcast, check out the article titled "Renew You: Introduction to Financial Freedom."*

Also, sign up for the Small Scale Life Newsletter on the Resources page!

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Small Scale Life Podcast - Living in the Analog with Terrance Layhew
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03/28/19 • 65 min

As a content creator, there are times when we are on a crazy race to put up the next piece of content for our friend, followers and fans. We are in a mad dash to keep the dopamine hits coming and the fans liking our photos, blog posts, podcasts, videos, tweets and pins. At times, we are doing things to just DO things, and we are completely missing out on what is happening around us.

Terrance Layhew from the Intellectual Agrarian Blog and Podcast and I had a chance to sit down and talk about this very subject. Terrance called it "living in the analog," and this whole discussion left me with a lot to think about. In fact, based on this conversation, I re-evaluated some of the things I was posting on Instgram and actually scaled back on some of the content there. I discontinued the Black-and-White Photo Challenge as I thought long and hard about the purpose of this effort and once again thinking about the WHY behind it.

As you will hear in the podcast, Terrance is a fellow people collector, and he has used his networking, communicating and writing skills to become an organic inspector, podcaster, writer and intellectual agrarian. Terrance and I have a great discussion about his journey from inquisitive teenager to organic inspector, living in the analog, some trends happening in the organic farming world and his Intellectual Agrarian Podcast.

Feel free to grab your favorite mug filled with coffee or tea and tune in to Living in the Analog with my friend Terrance Leyhew. As always, for links to the Intellectual Agrarian, head to smallscalelife.com and find all the links and notes for this podcast.

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Small Scale Life Podcast - Growing Easy with GrowOya at Dallas Half Acre Farms
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03/21/19 • 46 min

Welcome to Spring, friends! Hallelujah and pass the Dombucha Kombucha; the snow is melting! We have a great podcast lined up for you today, and we are kicking off Spring right by talking urban farming and gardening. I had a chance to talk with my good friend Michael Bell from Dallas Half Acre Farms about what is happening on the farm. While he has been very busy selling and buying a house, moving, teaching and of course being a dad and husband, things are really busy on the farm as well. Michael has made several improvements to the farm including installing new tunnels, increasing the number of seedlings he needs, improving his seedling growing processes and growing easy with GrowOyas!

You might be asking: what is an GrowOya?

GrowOyas are a method for watering your gardens using a clay pot that looks like a gourd. The water seeps into your soil and the plants get what they need. It is another method to water your garden without timers, hoses, drip tape or other methods. Michael is lining a tunnel with GrowOyas and experimenting with tomatoes this season, and it is another self-watering system that could be used on any size garden!

To find out more about GrowOyas, check out the links at smallscalelife.com! When you buy some, tell them Michael Bell from Dallas sent you!

For more information, check out the article titled "Growing Easy with GrowOya at Dallas Half Acre Farms" at smallscalelife.com

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Small Scale Life Podcast - Health and Fitness Renew You with Karen Mangieri
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03/07/19 • 54 min

For this 133rd Small Scale Life podcast, Julie and I talked about the Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart with Karen Mangieri. Karen is Julie's sister living in Georgia. For those of you not in the Small Scale Life Facebook Group, Karen was our most active member during the Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart. In fact, Karen had the title of "Uncrustable Queen" prior to the kickstart, and she has made considerable progress on planning her meals, prepping food and staying consistent using the 24 Hour Plans!

We have talked about Karen on previous Small Scale Life Podcasts, so in this podcast, we decided to interview her. We talked about the Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart, what she learned, what she is doing and give us some feedback about the Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart.

For more on this topic, go to the article titled "Health and Fitness Renew You with Karen Mangieri" at smallscalelife.com!

To join the Small Scale Life Health and Fitness Renew You in 2019 Kickstart, head over to the dedicated page and sign up today! The Kickstart is free!

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Small Scale Life Podcast - Tipping Points with Nicole Sauce

Tipping Points with Nicole Sauce

Small Scale Life Podcast

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02/27/19 • 74 min

In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, we are talking about Tipping Points with Nicole Sauce. I had an opportunity to catch up with Nicole and talk about her journey from leaving the city in the Pacific Northwest to rural living.

At the same time, we talk about breaking free of the corporate cube world to starting small businesses and becoming self-sufficient. What were the tipping points that triggered those journeys and what lessons were learned along the way?

For more information, check out the article titled "Tipping Points with Nicole Sauce" on Small Scale Life.

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Small Scale Life Podcast - Planning a Healthy Lifestyle - S2E20

Planning a Healthy Lifestyle - S2E20

Small Scale Life Podcast

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09/15/17 • 37 min

This is Season 2, Episode 20 of the Small Scale Life Podcast, and today I am fresh out of the pool and dusting off the microphone to record a healthy lifestyle podcast! (EDIT: This should have been posted last night, but the hotel internet was not cooperating with me. Oh well! Here we go!) It has been awhile since the last episode where I talked about my journey towards losing weight, getting fit and developing long lasting, healthy habits. I have intentionally not talked about this for various reasons, but it is time to lift the cone of silence and reboot, refresh and get things rolling again!
Topics Discussed for Planning a Healthy Lifestyle

During this episode, I discussed the following topics:

  1. Failure to Restart My Engine
  2. Potential for Success
  3. Focus Areas and The Plan
  4. Going Forward
  5. What's Next? Links for Planning a Healthy Lifestyle

During the podcast, I discussed the following links:
Restarting My Engine - HELP 9
Rebooted Body with Kevin Geary - HELP 7
Rebooted Body Website
14-Day Walk Challenge on the Rebooted Body Site
Friends of Small Scale Life

Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests. Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Group today!

Aaron Clarey's Poor Richard's Retirement: Retirement for Everyday Americans

Special thanks to Austin Quinn from Vlog Vibes for the closing music on the podcast. If you are looking for music for your video blog or podcast, check out Vlog Vibes on YouTube!

Ways to Listen

We have several options for you to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast. You may listen in the following locations:
iTunes
Stitcher
YouTube
Player FM
Subscribe and Rate on iTunes

Please subscribe to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel! If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback.

To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps:
Click on this link or the image above.
Go to ratings and reviews.
Click on the number stars (five would be awesome)
Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)!
You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated).

You can also write a longer review, though it is not necessary. Again, thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving your review!

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FAQ

How many episodes does Small Scale Life Podcast have?

Small Scale Life Podcast currently has 235 episodes available.

What topics does Small Scale Life Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Leisure, Home & Garden, Community, Wellness, Nature, Podcasts, Self-Improvement, Education and Homesteading.

What is the most popular episode on Small Scale Life Podcast?

The episode title 'Starting an Urban Farm from Scratch with Michael Bell' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Small Scale Life Podcast?

The average episode length on Small Scale Life Podcast is 41 minutes.

How often are episodes of Small Scale Life Podcast released?

Episodes of Small Scale Life Podcast are typically released every 7 days, 19 hours.

When was the first episode of Small Scale Life Podcast?

The first episode of Small Scale Life Podcast was released on Jan 2, 2016.

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