Mariana Jimenez Moreno - Connected living through travel, natural building, and community (WW 01)

In our first full episode with a guest, I have a connective walk and talk with Mariana Jimenez Moreno, a dear friend, natural building teacher, and community living advocate in the tranquil forested art walk at Holistika in Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Mariana speaks into her unique dual-world upbringing in Mexico & the United States, snippets of travel and living experiences in Mexico, France, India, Dominica, and Nepal that have shaped her perspectives and ways of being. We dive into her early curiosities in school on ecologically-sound building methods, and being disappointed by professors and classes' lack of coverage beyond the conventional. Mariana and I also had a round of shares on some of the dilemmas of isolated modern day living and the contrast to the community living we experienced together through Conscious Impact in Nepal since 2015. She paints a picture as to what the near future could look like for her and her husband Orion, on land and in community, connected with the natural cycles, the elements, and leaning into the skillsets and interests of those around them. This episode was recorded in Feburary 2022 during my memorable visit to the region.

Follow Mariana's natural building journeys via Instagam, @superadobe.delanait (https://instagram.com/superadobe.delanait/).

-

On the next episode - another beautiful walk and talk with Mariana's husband and my long time friend, brother, Orion Haas.

-

Wilderness Within (WW) is made possible due to the ongoing financial support of patreon supporters (https://patreon.com/subtledream). We are big fans of the value-driven, pay-it-forward model, and the reason why you won't hear razor subscriptions or VPN discounts offered is thanks to the supporters who pitch in each month. Besides becoming a patron, some of the best ways to support this podcast is to share this episode or show with a friend, and to rate WW on Spotify, Apple, or your favourite listening platform. Whatever you are able to do, thank you! Follow & engage @wildernesswithinpod on Instagram.

A shoutout to Melissa Carter for her editing & production magic. Special thanks to Scott Hanson & Carlos Militante for the WW soundtrack and logo. Gratitude to the following humans - Paul J., Antoine M., Aiyana B., Deborah C., Rene D., Luke F., Kelly P., Carina F., Kelsea L., Khen R., Kelsey Y., Michael C., Evan S., Kristine S., Lindsay C., Anne G., Yu Shan C., Otis S. Steven T., Steven M., Steph P., Anna W., Camila N., Dana W., Naira d. G., Dora L., Orion H., Michelle K., Steven W., Jackie C. S., Romar S., Peter W., Jacky C., Tsetop S., Frankie L., Jim B. Lisa C., Marek B., Mikey L., Alex A., and more past & present patrons - in making this dream come true!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to the very first episode with a guest. Wow, episode one. Thank you for being here. This is the Wilderness Within Podcast with me, your host, Jonathan aka Kai. We're here today with Mariana Jimenez, a sister from a different mother who I've known since 2015. We met in the lower Himalayas of Nepal through an NGO named Conscious Impact. And this is an organization, for those of you who've known me, that really shifted the course of my life and added a tremendous amount of value, immeasurable value to my life, one of which is Mariana. And this conversation was recorded in her home at the time in Tulum. We actually took a walk outside to nearby yoga center and holistic center called Holistica. And we walked in the gardens behind where the studios and buildings and hotel rooms are. There's an art walk that features many beautiful and expressive and interpretive art pieces, small and large. And for an hour and a half, we just took a walk

(01:22):
as we would as friends. But we very intentionally talked about certain topics that I've been wanting
to do a deep dive with her to A, get to know her better, and B, really bring forth some of the
knowledge and experiences that Mariana has had throughout her life. So it has really served as

(01:42):
a connective piece for us as friends. And yeah, I really hope that some of the topics we covered
are going to be of value and could maybe spark curiosity in community living, in natural buildings,
in the way we see the world, the dynamic of being student and teacher, personal empowerment, and

(02:09):
reflect on what kind of living situation could be ideal for you and those around you.
So let's dive right in. Now, being that this is a conversation that we had over a year and a half
ago, it took me a few times to really sink back to the headspace that I was in, that she was in.

(02:31):
And since then, Mariana's life and my life certainly has shifted quite a lot. She has become
a mother of her firstborn, Camila Rio, with her partner, husband, Orion, who's actually going to
be the next guest for the Bullets Within podcast. So it's only very appropriate that two people that
have been a big part of my life, that have added a lot of value and joy and knowledge into my world,

(02:58):
are the very first guests for this podcast that I'm launching. So thank you for being here. Sit
back. Hope you enjoyed this conversation and love to hear from any of you that's listening on what
you got out of this conversation. In my head, it's been a very, very long time.

(03:37):
In my head, it's very clear and I think it's 100% achievable. There are some things that I just
don't know how to make happen. But when I think of Nepal, I think of Nepal as I know it. You know,
camp, full of people, like still like very engaging with the local community, hosting international
volunteers. That's one element. But for me, and what I love and miss a lot, especially here right

(04:01):
now, it's the community element. The living in a communal space, sharing the load, you know, sharing
chores, sharing lifestyle together and living close to nature as well. I don't think I ever
took it for granted. But now that I'm not there, especially now more than ever, I just like
appreciate it a lot more. And just how easy it was to be connected to yourself just by being in nature.

(04:30):
How easy it is just to be in constant service by living in community and how that sharing that
load just gives you a lot more space individually just to put energy into the things that you want
to do. Whether it's reading a book or writing a song or doing yoga or meditating or going for a
hike, like whatever it is, you name it. And it's okay. I think right now, now that I'm in a space

(04:53):
where I work nine to five, you know, five days a week, I don't have that space. I don't have that
energy. I can't choose my own adventure. Yeah. And it's like, I mean, Ryan's a great partner and
we both cook, we both clean. And I still feel like I do it all the time, you know,
or like he does all the time. Like we just do it all the time, which is like a constant. We are
sharing a load between two, but I know it's counterintuitive, but it's much easier to share

(05:20):
a load between 16, 20, 30 people. I see Nepal and I hope that Nepal stays like that, just like
communal living in community, in nature, still very much like a, you know, service part of what
we do there. And I see Mexico the same. I don't see myself living with Ryan on the land. Like I

(05:44):
still want community living. I still want to be of service to not just our international community,
but to the local community. I want Nepal in Mexico. That's what I would like to create. And I think
that we have the skillsets, we have the people, we have the capacity, we have the knowledge.
We've spent the last six plus years developing the right method or the right way to do it. So

(06:11):
yeah, it's definitely achievable. It's just not as easy to show up to a community and be like,
hi, we want to live here. Hi, we want to be your neighbors. If you were to replicate a lot of these
elements that we have lived by in Nepal the last six years, A, of course, start finding a community
right? Yeah. It's receptive to that kind of interaction, right? You as perhaps someone

(06:35):
that's not from that region to live there and share the space and have some sort of exchange
interaction, right? Yeah. And so that could be a multi-year process. Exactly. And if you involve
other people, let's say friends and maybe even family that you have, whether biological or chosen,
then you'd have to maybe be the pioneers to find a space and find it together. Yeah. Set it up and

(07:02):
formulate some sort of parameter agreement boundaries. Yeah. Right. So it's like, yeah,
you're in it for a long haul. That's for sure. I'm in it, but I know what my skillsets are.
Yes. And I feel really confident in those. But when it comes down to finding the community or
creating those relationships, I know I rely on others. And I think of those people being like

(07:24):
Beth and Orion, where I don't myself feel comfortable or clear vision in that space,
but I trust other people with my life to find that. I think Nepal was very easy because there was a
clear need, the earthquake, you know? So it's a clear need for us to be there. People were really

(07:45):
open because of that. But I think that's one part of the model that we don't want to repeat. We don't
want to go into a community with a clear necessity for us to supply that. Because then I think the
relationship dynamics are a little bit different. You know, we don't want to be perceived since the
beginning as like, oh, they're here to help us because, you know, I don't want them to feel like

(08:05):
the victims are here to risk. That's not... You don't want to save your mentality.
No. And I think we're really good at not doing that in Nepal either, but since the beginning,
just going in as neighbors that will love to help, more than they help just to collaborate
and just do things together versus, oh, we're here to... And that's where a new space in Mexico

(08:27):
could provide that blank canvas for you to come in there, not as a post disaster unit.
Yes, exactly. But truly as like, hey, we're new here, but here's what we want to create.
Yeah. Yeah. Are you in? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But so speaking into the element of the skillsets that
you can provide and, you know, those around you, maybe that you choose to live with and share time

(08:51):
with can provide. Talk more about that dynamic and like who you might need in a co-living situation
like that you must have around. I want Greg, I want Allison, I want Ben. I want the same crew.
Like I want the people that I've spent the last six years living with to be my family. And like,

(09:13):
if I and when have kids, like I want them to be, you know, the uncles and aunts. And because I think
all of the people that have shared the last, you know, including yourself, obviously, like the way
that you document things and the way that you... It's just, I think all of us bring something very
special to the table. And for me, all of those things are very key. Like I want someone, I'm not
going to be the one in the garden. I'm not like, I can, like, I love getting my hands there, but like,

(09:38):
that's not, I appreciate it. I value it, but I'm not going to be the one overlooking. So I want
someone like, you know, ideally, Greg, to be overlooking and be taking care of that element.
And then, yeah, you have like Beth, like engaged with the community and trying to move projects.
And then myself with like the building, I think that's also one of the values of a living community,
that we all bring something different to the table. And like, that's how it works. Like I cannot be,

(10:03):
or don't want to be doing at all. Yeah, we value the diversity. Yes.
You know, and embracing that. And even if your strength and training is in the engineering,
the building and envisioning of what a physical structure would and could look like,
you still bring a lot more than that to the table. You bring art, you bring songs, you bring drumming,

(10:26):
right? And just strength in so many different manners. I don't perceive myself like that,
but it's true. I know it's true. I know. I'm here to tell you as your past housemate.
Thank you. I do forget about that. I do. I truly forget. But yeah, even, you know, like chanting,
just guiding that space sometimes, holding that space in the morning, the chanting,
like people really value it and appreciate it. But like, I don't see myself as being that pressure,

(10:50):
the drumming. But it's part of being in that space, like right here, not having that support
system, not having that space. I'm not drumming. Yeah. I'm not singing. I'm not like, managing a
fire. You can't even announce like, hey, tomorrow, 7 a.m. chanting. Exactly. Who are you talking that
to? Who's gonna... That is one of the sadder ironies and realities of the way in which a lot of people

(11:15):
live in urban environments where they don't have pre-existing or formulated connections. And so
they feel extremely isolated, ironically, even though they're physically next to thousands and
thousands of people. About 100%. It's so individual. It's very, very much like it's wild. Quote,
engagement rates, right? Like the way people do talk about marketing and social media.

(11:39):
The most ironic thing is, in a city, often engagement level is really low. It's so low.
Well, non-existent. Non-existent in a lot of cases. I mean, some people have cultivated,
our friends in Long Beach, California, they formulated their own kind of circles to have
engagement. But in your case, in Orion's case here, having been in Tulum for four or five months,

(12:04):
you have to basically filter through all the people that come through here, all the transients,
the semi-locals, actual locals, and go, where do we have overlap? And it's like, the end result is
very little because you also have this time commitment that takes you away physically and

(12:24):
energetically from being able to connect with others. You're just drained by what society,
quote unquote, demands from you to live in a space like this. I think also when we are somewhere
in Nepal, all those filters already have it. Just by being in a space that already has chosen
to be in a country like that, that already has chosen to be a volunteer, that already has chosen

(12:47):
to be okay with camping, for example. That's already filtered. So the people that we get to
share our experiences on a daily basis, it's people that we're extremely already like-minded
people. And it's just such a beauty to like, it's very easy to connect with people that come to
the space because you're already vibrating at a very similar, energetically, you're already

(13:12):
very like-minded. And when you're in a space, even though I can be in Guadalajara with like
seven million, but how many out of those seven million people are like-minded or share similar
values to mine? And that's a part of, I don't know, especially it's very hard if I, especially if I go
to a bar already, you know. It's like random darts in the dark. Yeah, exactly. And so that's

(13:34):
where I question, and I'm glad you bring this up, I question, have cities gotten way too big for
their own good? Oh, 100%. You see? There's no doubt. Yeah. So going back to a more, how our ancestors
would have lived, smaller villages, where you actually at least know the names or like, oh,

(13:54):
they belong to that family, or like that's the type of work that they do and they live here.
At least you're acquainted, right, with everybody. And everyone's like, at most, a second degree
connection away. Yeah, I mean, that's socially and psychologically. And for me, the most obvious one
is just like even the physically, like the building part of it, the waste part of it, the food part

(14:19):
of it. Like for me, like cities are definitely not sustainable. I'm not saying they're good or bad.
I'm just saying they're not sustainable. They're not like a circular model that you can follow.
No, not closely at all. Exactly. They're not meant, I mean, we didn't plan this, obviously, you know,
many, many years before. And it's sort of just like happening. But yeah, I don't think they're a

(14:39):
sustainable way of living moving forward. And I think it's a hard topic because a lot of my friends
and my family are still living in that setup. So I always want to be like really just mindful and
kind and not just criticizing like, oh, I'm right, you're wrong. Like it's, everyone's on their own
path. Everyone's on their own journey. And that's fine. Like I also know that not everybody's just

(15:01):
gonna like move to the mountains. Like, that's not for everyone either. But the way that I see it and
the way that I want to hold my values, I don't fit in a city space like anymore. That is invaluable.
The clarity that you have gained and I've gained and Ryan has gained through especially having

(15:21):
lived this way of lifestyle is abundantly clear to us now that this model that many people are
subscribed to or are subscribing to because you're actually leaving their villages to go to cities
and search for opportunities and so forth actually don't work for us. And I can only say it safe for

(15:42):
ourselves. Yeah, no, I agree. And now any future decision or a living situation and who you want
to attract or re-attract in this case, how do we get our old friends sit back in the same spot is
with such better clarity on how, what, why, what and when. Yeah. And speaking of when, there's an

(16:06):
opportunity window coming up, right? Because you guys will finish your lease here. Yes. There's a
plan intention to leave around June. Yes. And so, you know, you have now this like upcoming window
of time to create it and to find it. Yeah. I mean, it also comes with a lot of uncertainty

(16:29):
and just being okay with that. I don't feel COVID has affected me in the way that it has affected
other people, but I mean, maybe it's very similar in some ways and very different in others. But,
you know, I never like planned or thought that I was leaving Nepal for the amount of time that I
left. I left thinking like, oh, I want to be back for the site. Like, I'll see you in a couple of
months. Like that was my mindset. It's been a year and a half. Yeah. And it's been wild to like,

(16:54):
have been calling that space home for so long and then not being there. And then it's like, okay,
it's COVID and it's just, and now not sure what's going to happen. You know, like still today,
it's still like two years, you know, after COVID, like still not knowing what's going to happen.
I think Nepal is always going to be a home and I carry it in my heart. And every time I think about

(17:15):
it, talk about it brings me nothing but joy and also tears because I get very emotional. Yes. But
it's not clear. I came to Tulum because it was a place where I knew I could find a job. It's
developing rapidly and I thought I could find some sustainable building. So it was easy in a lot of
ways, but in a lot of ways it's been very difficult. Like again, like me and Orion had never lived in a

(17:37):
concrete box. We've never had to deal with rent and electricity and wifi and a car. Together,
especially as a married couple. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Like, yeah, I haven't lived in that
kind of like setup for like, you know, seven plus years. So living that, I think we love each other
and we're very comfortable with each other and that's been great, but every other element has

(17:59):
been really challenging just in a way of like, yeah, reflecting. And I knew before that I didn't
want to live this way, but now more than ever I've experienced it, you know, physically, mentally,
I have gone through the process of living this kind of life and you know, like, okay, no, thank you.

(18:19):
And then, yeah, we said, you know, June, we'll go somewhere else. Where would that somewhere else
will be? I don't think we're quite clear. When we think about Mexico, we think about Oaxaca.
Yes. Mountains. We like mountains. Oaxaca. Yeah. It has a lot to offer and, but we don't know. We
don't know how that connection will happen. And I think we still have a lot of energy and love in

(18:41):
Nepal. So also waiting for when that's a good moment for us to go back. Exactly. June is the
beginning of monsoon. So can't be Nepal quite yet. We're awaiting for signs, but also not just idling,
taking a proactive patient stance on what could be when the opportunity comes, you will,

(19:03):
you can answer to it. Yeah. Yeah. So it's a transition. It's exciting. It's exciting.
We're looking at a mural here where it's a transition period too, it seems like for
all the beings. Well, it's a fun, I think we're talking, I know that you guys can see it, but
maybe Jaylee will share a picture of this, but it's like, you can see it's like a CD sort of

(19:26):
element, the person like wearing a suit and like a face, very snake-like going through. Yeah,
with scales, literally. Yeah. And a tail. Going through like a portal or like a door change with
the universe. And then, yeah, it's so funny because we're talking about this and we're standing in
this mural. It's very fitting. And there's, there's celestial bodies and flowers, another portal.

(19:50):
Time. Feminine and masculine energies. The brain with time tipping on the top. It's a powerful
piece. So speaking of transitions and portals. Yeah. Let's walk through it. Wow. It's only fitting.
Yeah.

(20:14):
So
it seems like we're dealing with the repercussions of deforestation.
Coming to terms with our own DNA and how it's from the cosmos. And on the other side is

(20:40):
a person, I would argue a female figure, poking her head into a gigantic flower. Yeah. And it's a
beautiful hummingbird flying behind her with like a key. Return to, oh, return to source, return to
nature and her creations. Yeah. That's how I interpret it. So Tulum has some things to offer

(21:06):
like this. It's nice to go on a walk. We're both grateful for this nature art walk here. Yeah.
Where it's quiet. Yeah. Because the city's not. I want to dive into the upbringing part because
that part really fascinates me because I see it as, and pun intended, the foundation of a building.

(21:31):
And you are in my eyes, in my opinion, a solid building because you've had a very solid and
diverse background to draw your experiences and knowledge from. And I've learned actually,
only recently. Yeah. Very recently, a few days ago about the US, Mexico, back and forth. And then

(21:56):
that brief stint in France after high school. And then was the time that I did hear about
in London. And so you have had in your first 20 or so years of your life. Oh, you haven't even
heard about Argentina. Yeah. You see what I mean? At least these five different countries, regions

(22:19):
that has shaped you to who you are. So I'm curious to make it, I guess, a bit more brief.
What are some of the, I guess, really outstanding elements, maybe moments of time where you're like,
this was a pivot moment, this is a pivot moment. And so just briefly describe these spots. Like,
for example, you were telling me how to lose, you had this epiphany. You're like, what do you

(22:44):
mean people don't have tortillas and beans every day? Right. And then of course, speaking your
language and where your common language with others was the little French that you knew.
You could not rely on neither Spanish or English. Which you know, you had already gotten good at,
but you're like, oh, this third new language that I have. Maybe you're even thinking like, why did I

(23:06):
choose France? But yeah, what are some of these pivotal moments that really defined your childhood
and teenage years? That's a great question. I mean, I think it's hard to, I'm sure I will forget
a couple of them. Take what we can get. Yeah. And to shape me the person that I am today, I definitely
have to say a lot of it, it's, I don't know if it's genetics, but just my, I come from a lineage,

(23:30):
I think of very strong independent woman. So I was like traveling by myself since a very young age,
like the fact that, you know, like we moved to the States and I was just traveling overnight buses
from Guadalajara to Texas. Dang, that's a long way. Yeah. But I was like 12 years old, but like,
there was no fear around it. I think, well, like my mom and my grandmother, they were just very

(23:51):
supportive, like obviously taking the precautions, coming and there was like comments up to the
chauffeur and be like, she's going by herself all the way, like make sure to keep an eye on her.
But you know, like there was never fear around me being independent. So I think that just like
shaped me, shaped me into just traveling for three months around the U S and Canada,
on a bus, like just my family being nothing but supportive. So I think just like them pushing

(24:15):
me and my grandmother was the same. And she took so much pride of like how much I was like,
like her, because she also just like moved right, left, up, down her as well. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. This is the grandmother in McKellen. Well, she lived her whole life and was from Texas,
live in Chicago, make my grandfather and just the rest of her life in Guadalajara. Only the last
couple of years she was in McKellen, Texas, but she's seen some things that she's seen.

(24:40):
She's seen some travel in her years. Yeah. Yeah. Not like, not outside of Mexico in the U S,
but within her story and her mindset, like that was already pretty much. But that ability, right,
which in her generation was somewhat even more rare, exactly. What's been passed on to your mother.
And then she was a gringa coming to a very small town in Michoacán. Like everybody in Michoacán was

(25:03):
dressing, you know, like dress like skirts, long skirts. She was the only one wearing jeans
and like cats. Like she was like, like she came to a small town in Michoacán when she married
my grandfather. So she went to like a lot of like, I was like shocked. Like for me was, oh, I'm in
Toulouse. There's no tortillas. She went to a place where there was no Walmart and no McDonald's.
She went to like a meat store with like the cowhag and she almost like fainted because she'd never

(25:28):
seen that in her life. I didn't realize she was a gringa from Walmart land. She was, all of her
lineage was Mexican, but she was in Texas when the transition happened. So she was sort of like the
generation that she wasn't allowed to speak Spanish. Like her grandmother only spoke Spanish,
but she wasn't allowed to speak Spanish at school. Like they would just like hit her in the hands.
Oh, shoot. Yeah. She was Mexican because her grandparents and you know,

(25:54):
grandmother and like mom were Mexican, but she was in this transition like transitional phase
in Texas. And then they moved to Chicago. So in Chicago was even like, you know, you're more far away.
Gathering that from them since a very young age is very independent woman, like with traveling
and moving. Traveling was just for me, just the biggest school. It just takes you out of whatever

(26:16):
you think the reality is. It's like, no, it's not. You just get to see other cultures or other
languages or other religions or their building. Like I don't think you're as aware when you're
doing it, but it just keeps breaking these barriers that we have created in our heads
unconsciously, you know, not intentionally. Then all of a sudden you're like, oh, this is another

(26:37):
reality of lifestyle that I had no idea existed. I think growing up in Mexico, we're very sheltered
in the way of everybody's Mexican. Everybody's Catholic. You don't question that. You don't ever,
I didn't even encounter like all the religions. Yeah. You wouldn't know. Everybody goes to
Bautista. It's just, you don't question people's religion or background or anything, not in a

(27:04):
mean way. It's just, it's not, we're all Mexicans. We're all Catholic, you know, and that kind of
like uprising. So I never, diversity was just not something that I even thought about because I
wasn't exposed to it. So you're happy traveling on your own. I was very young when I did that. I think
I was like, you know, we were going to Canada and going to the States, but it was still sort of familiar

(27:24):
in a way. I think, not even Europe, honestly, because Europe was still like, it was pretty much
Catholic. It's like still like churches and stuff. And even though there's different language and
different food and there's no tortillas, I wish I found shocking and no Valentina and no like chili
can, spicy candies. And there was a lot of things that I didn't find, but it was not as radical.
But Asia, that's when it hit me. Which was now in your late teens, early 20s? I was 18. I was 18

(27:52):
when I went to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia. This is a similar time when you went to Toulouse in France.
Yeah, it was on the same trip. I took a one year and a half gap. So it was Toulouse, first time,
first experience living away, like not different continent, different country fully by myself. I
was 18. And that same year, I took a year and a half gap year after high school prior to university.

(28:17):
And that's a trip that I went to Asia. And that was like, blew my mind. Yeah, let's talk about it.
Mind blown experience. You just had your world turned upside down, inside out. Definitely. You
had new sensations, smells, sounds, everything. Yeah, everything. Okay, going back to how shelter
Mexico is, like we eat Mexican food, there's Italian, obviously, and Japanese. Like, I didn't

(28:39):
grow up eating Indian food, pad thai, like that didn't exist on my nothing. So going to Asia was
just Buddhism, like monks, like architecture, like just everything was new. Yeah. Like I, you know,
colors, smells, yeah, everything was just very... Might as well have been a different planet for you.
And the funny thing is that, okay, it was Asia, years later, I traveled in South America. So you

(29:04):
think, you know, you think like, oh, I travel, I know what it's like. And then I went to India.
And it's just like, oh, you think you know, but then no, you're like, you can never create
certain like, I don't know, expectations, I guess. I don't know what's the word I'm looking for.
Or even a preparation. You're always going to be shocked. Like, there's always going to be

(29:24):
different cultures. There's always going to be something that's still new and different.
Even though you think in your head that you know, you don't. And, you know, sometimes you don't have
to go that far away. I know a lot of people that living in the city, even just going to a small
town on the outskirts of the city is such a different lifestyle. Even in one city, you know,
just like one neighborhood versus another, it's completely different worlds and different realities.

(29:49):
So you have to go across the world to have the awareness of just different realities. You know,
even there's a lot of indigenous languages in this country that I don't speak and I don't
understand. And, you know, it doesn't have to be sexy Thai Vietnamese. Like, you can just be within
your own country. The theme I keep hearing as I hear you talk about that briefly is just being

(30:15):
a sponge and soaking up the colorfulness and the diversity of the world and being a student to
all there is to learn. Right? What I'm also hearing is that process never really stops.
And you're really enjoying being able to learn from, as you said, even from your youth, like

(30:36):
traveling and just seeing different scenes. But more than ever, as you're able to, as an adult,
travel different places on your own with friends, with now your husband, that process just continues
and continues. Yes. But yet at the same time, what's really fascinating to me is that as you're
accumulating also this like knowledge, right, and you have a degree, and you've now taught workshops,

(31:01):
you're overseeing projects, actually teaching others like you're now in this really fun position
where you're both a student of the world. And also, you're a teacher for others. So I'd like you to
share some thoughts, especially around a time, for example, when we were building our first

(31:23):
dome together with the earth bags, and how you were placed in that position as the primary
instructor on teaching a very international group of people how to build a home. Yeah, how did that
feel? What did you gain from it, even though you were in a position and teacher? And maybe like

(31:44):
some longer term effects from that? I think I was put in a position even before the dome experience.
I think when we started making the bricks, that was the first time that I felt that I was
responsible for something much, much bigger than myself. And actually, there was nobody else to
blame. I was the one bringing the technique, teaching a crew of both Nepalese and international

(32:06):
communities to make these bricks that this whole reconstruction model is based on. So that was the
first time that I was also put in a position with the earthquakes. It was less formal than like the
actual workshop, because there wasn't like a certificate. It was just like an ongoing day to
day teaching. And I was just able I think that everybody can be a great teacher when you when

(32:28):
you know what you're teaching, when you're passionate enough of what you know, then you
don't realize how much knowledge you have gained over the years through passion through studies.
And you forget or I keep even I keep forgetting that people don't know really about sustainable
building or why is there nothing or you know that there's all these other ways of building exists

(32:49):
like in my head is just taken for granted. So when I had to teach people about earth or
how stabilizing earth or how to build like, it's already there. Like I don't have to make this
extra effort. People can just pick on my brain. And that's already it in some ways. Obviously,
obviously, from the engineering part, I like to have organized classes, like when it comes to a

(33:12):
workshop. But yeah, putting myself in that position, not having an option to back out out of it. It was
just a great way to push through it. You know, it's just like, and just confirm that, oh, I can't do
this. I can teach people I can empower people I can transmit the information that I have I am
I'm capable of doing that. Yeah. And when I did the first dome workshop, I think was just like,

(33:36):
again, a confirmation of that. And I just felt nothing but support by the community, having my
back and being able nothing but like accommodating on that space. And then I don't know if all my
workshops are going to be the same. But the students were amazing. It was such a good crew.
It was so fun. It was just so, you know, me, I like efficiency. And I thought it was also very

(33:57):
efficient. What's really interesting to me as I hear your answer is that often, we are the biggest
doubters of our own abilities and knowledge. The theme of community is very important. It takes a
community of people around you to cheer you on to reaffirm that you're capable to put you into a

(34:18):
position where everyone is looking at you for knowledge and guidance. I mean, I think it's
also personality wise. I think some people are just very confident in that space. And like now I
feel very confident, like enough that I can pitch the idea to people like, hey, I want to do this
workshop because I've done it before. But it doesn't come from like a cocky place. I'm like,
oh, I know. It's just like, hey, I have this information. I have this knowledge. I would love

(34:41):
to share it. I would love to share this skill set. And for me, it is a lot about embracing
and empowering people to build with their own hands. Just for them to know that they're capable,
whether they're going to go ahead and do it or not, whether they're going to buy land and do it or
not. It's just like, you can do this. You have the capacity to do it yourself. And for me,
just like sharing that, it has a lot of value. Also, maybe speaking from my own history of,

(35:06):
I went into university thinking, hoping, wishing, dreaming that I was going to be
all about sustainable building. And that wasn't the case. I had one class in five years about
sustainable building, one class. And we touched base on Adobe for like 45 minutes. They didn't
know how to search for these workshops or how it's like, where can I learn? When can somebody

(35:27):
teach me how to do this alternative ways of, you know, I didn't have access to that. So the value
you have as constantly a student of the world, because you're always soaking up more knowledge,
but also now as a teacher instructor is you can be that person that's showing, hey, these kind of
techniques are available. Most able-bodied people are capable of doing it. And you're really just a

(35:54):
conduit, a catalyst of empowerment so that more people can pick it up. Because you're not sharing
your knowledge, as you said, I like the way you chose the wording there. You're sharing the
knowledge not from a place of like ecotistical, like stroking yourself, like, hey, like I'm the
know-it-all, but you're just like, dude, y'all can build too. Like, let's like rub these sleeves and

(36:16):
do it. Just do it. And you know, if people have the time and the physical labor hours, then houses
could be erected and built with much safer materials, much lower cost, and a much lower
negative impact on our environment and our bodies. I mean, these questions, I think a lot of people

(36:39):
can argue opposite because they're, it's so labor intensive. But again, for me, I think this is also
a way of filtering interest. For example, like if you're in a big city and you want to build like a
10-story building, then no, like super Adobe is not the way to go. No. Or, you know, like, but why?

(37:00):
It's not because that possible doesn't work. It's because it's that 10-story building. In my opinion,
it's not sustainable. Yeah. Yeah. Like that's not a way that we should be building. You question
it. You question its existence. Yeah. Like, to be there. Yeah. That's what I have to, what's the
purpose? Like, oh, in the least amount of space, I can put the most amount of people. And just
thinking like, okay, that's 10 stories. That's 10 families. That's 10 cars. That's 10 bathrooms.

(37:24):
You know, for me, it's like, no, I'd rather just like, if I'm going to build. And for me, that's why
also another huge, just going back to that question, like moment of realizing what I wanted to do
is when I volunteer over the summer in the coast of Nayarit. So I was volunteering for three months
and we're visiting all these rural communities. And for me, like, that's, that's, you know, you

(37:46):
don't need to be building like stories. Like you'd be just building housing, just simple houses for
simple families. Like even there, like you can have a huge impact. I've always have this number in my
head, but people maybe don't know, but pollution of the world overall, it's about 40% into the
construction industry. 40%. It's a lot. So we're saying nearly half. And that is something that

(38:13):
most of us don't even think about. Cause people think about household, maybe manufacturing, cars,
airplanes, boats, maybe. Which is also, I mean, I'm sure it's also has a big number. 40% comes from
construction because none of them see it. Cause once you live in a house. You don't think about it.
No. I mean, you might, if you're traveling Europe, you see all these cranes, you know, they're just

(38:34):
giant ones and they're always there. But like, if you just look at amount of, if you just pay attention,
if you're ever on the road, I don't know about the U S but at least in Mexico is very common,
or even Nepal. I mean, the amount of trucks that you see that moving cement and steel.
Yeah. It's like on a daily basis, you see trucks moving with this material. That example you gave
me yesterday, or maybe two days ago of like the project you're working on right now in town.

(38:57):
Oh yeah. Of, it's a three story building with 10 guest rooms. It's a hotel being renovated. And
the amount I remember is you have already moved away seven, eight truckloads of garbage and it's
only a renovation project. It's only a renovation project and we actually did two more today. So we
already had nine truckloads of just trash. Yeah. Stuff that is going to end up in a landfill.

(39:23):
Yes. That's going to maybe pollute water. Well, sadly here in Tulum, it's actually just
goes into the jungle. It's very, very sad. Yeah. Literally. It's not even a fill. It's just land.
It's a lump of garbage in the jungle. Exactly. It's wild. And I think for me, that's why I'm
passionate about it. Like, okay, people, humans, we're not going to stop building. That's just not

(39:44):
a reality. You can't put this, you know. So for me, moving forward, it's like, hey, let's just do it
more sustainable. Let's just do it more friendly with the earth. And I think there's a lot of
builders out there. They're super like, no cement. And that's great. For me, again, I'm all about
trying to be as sustainable as possible and safe as possible and efficient as possible. So for me,

(40:07):
I'm not against using steel and cement, but you can reduce it by like 80% or 90% choosing a more
sustainable way of building. It's okay. There are different reasons that that's fine, but just use
it in a smart way. Just use it in a way you actually need it. Is that the foundation? Is that the
roof? Plastering? Whatever. Whenever you need to bring those elements into the space, fine.

(40:30):
Go for it. What can you offset with material that is more regional, that has a lesser impact, that creates a less space?
And none of this is new. I mean, we humans have been building shelters for ourselves for
thousands and thousands of years. Long before. Cement has only been around for 200 years.
It's like, you know, in terms of, it's like a sugar addiction. You know, it's newer in our life,

(40:55):
but we've been able to grow it, process it, package it, ship it everywhere. And cement and rebar is kind
of like that. Yeah. It's fast. It's cheap. It's available. And so therefore you don't even think
about like other options. Or then I think the industry itself, or even speaking honestly about
even teachers myself, they're not encouraging me to build with earth. Back in school, I remember

(41:19):
like university, me like asking, like, I don't know, like teach me how to build with a dough.
We know like, no, that doesn't work. It's gonna fall on the earthquake. I'm like, there's towns
built with Adobe for over a hundred of years. Like they're not, they're not going anywhere.
They're not falling down. Like they're fine. But like nobody's teaching me how to do that.
We are in a jungle where the mines live and there are buildings from 2000 years ago that are still

(41:41):
standing. Yeah. Right. Yeah. All the storms, tornadoes, natural events, hurricanes, everything.
Yeah. And even some of the plaster and color remains like a thousand, 2000 years later. So
it's like, Hey, there's value in realizing that we've always done this. And this new reliance on

(42:01):
this extremely carbon intensive material that is strong, that is useful. Yeah. Doesn't have to be
relied on as much as we do. Exactly. And the way that you and I have built in Nepal and you and
Dominica and other parts of the world, you have firsthand seen a gigantic reduction in the amount

(42:25):
of waste products. And also just like, there's just less chemicals leaching into the soil
and that we're literally handling with our hands and smelling and so forth. Yeah. And
some people can even argue like you're also living just living in a safer environment yourself. Like
when you're inside an earth home, it's a very different feeling that you're inside like a
concrete home or like a steel, you know? Yeah. And I think also a huge thing that again, there's like,

(42:50):
I think we live in this like fake, we think that we have control over, I think humans,
we really want to control everything. And the fact that we think that we're just building to be able
to withstand all this like natural disasters. I'm like, we can to an extent, like to a degree.
And let's say like, okay, I'm building this structure because the worst earthquake it's,
it's on this region, it's six. I have no idea if in 20 years or 200 years, it's going to be a

(43:16):
10 point, like a 9.2 or 8.7. Like I'm only building this thinking that, oh yeah, it's safe and it's
strong. And I'm thinking like, obviously over generations by building with concrete and steel,
you might think it's strong. Okay, it's strong. Maybe at some point, it's not going to withstand
something. And when that falls down, it just trash. It's not going anywhere. Yeah. When you built,

(43:37):
let's say Apalapa, Apalapa here in Mexico, it's very common. And it's like basically a thatch roof.
When you build with thatch roof and a hurricane comes through, it goes away. Like it falls down.
I'm not saying I'm wishing or you should build thinking. Let's say it's just a reality. Okay,
it's going to like fall down. It's all not like exactly. All just disappear and nothing will

(43:58):
happen. You just build a new one. You know, the same with earth. Like, oh, if it's Adobe, like,
okay, you can like reshape it. I'm not saying that you're building thinking or expecting that's
going to fall down. But in a hundred years or 200 years or whenever it happens, it's only going back
to the earth. For example, with a thatch roof, you can patch certain parts and it's not as heavy. So
even if it falls down, the risk it has on people living inside is significantly lower. Yeah. Right.

(44:22):
You can literally just put in a compost and you can source the palms. And again, when you're building
houses for like families, like that's not as dangerous as living in a 10 story apartment.
Yeah. For evacuation. And also this element that I think we've talked about is like the ability
and empowerment of repair. If you live in a home that's made with Cobb, Adobe, those sort of

(44:46):
materials that are sourced like within maybe at 200 meters of your home, the inhabitants can learn
how to repair it themselves because the materials are right there and it doesn't take like a space
age. An expert. Yeah. You don't have to hire a consultant or a contractor to do it. You can
literally mix the clay sand ratio with the lime and just patch an area that's falling. I think an

(45:10):
element of communities and going back to like, you know, indigenous communities or building your
shelter, building your home, it was also very much like a community shared experience. Even when I
was volunteering, that was the theme. Like they were all trying to build houses. So like, let's
say like 10 families agree that, okay, we're building each other's 10 houses. We're going to
focus on yours first and then we can move to the second one and so over. And I think even in

(45:31):
Nepal they do it, you know, that when they plaster, all the women will gather and they can just
re-plaster someone's house and then they do the next one. Like I think building your house, it's
also about community and building it yourself. It doesn't have to be, I think when people try to
think of it from like a business model, it gets a little bit tough because you do require a lot
of labor. Like it's very much hands-on. But ideally, if you have, like let's say you want to build a

(45:56):
cob oven, you don't need to hire people. Have your friends come over, like bring some beer and pizza
and just like, hey, we're all going to like play with mud today. You're going to build an oven.
It's memorable and I even don't want to use the word time. I was going to say it costs us time.
No, no, no. Like I even want to remove that kind of language and thinking from my head.

(46:18):
It brings us together instead of seeing it as like, oh, it's costing everybody.
This is not a resource. It's like, no, it's a great reason to bring your best friends or those who are
keen on building together for a gathering and creation together. Like isn't that such a more
beautiful way to look at it too? Yeah, no, I think it's a great way to go. And like I feel very

(46:45):
lucky. Like even Dominica was working with like this Haitian crew. And then right now I'm working
with this Mayan crew and there's always such interest from them. Like they just see that these
techniques are more affordable overall. They're safe. They're strong. They just see that. Like I
don't have to like sell it. It's just like I'm teaching them how to build with it and they can

(47:07):
just see like, oh yeah, can I build my house with it? Like the one time that they asked me if they
can build their house. I'm like, yeah, like you're changing minds. Yeah. Cause you're exposing your
crew to these so-called newer ways. You're actually just reviving these ancient techniques
that actually have been in existence for hundreds of thousands of years. Yeah. I don't even remember

(47:29):
in like in the fall when we built the common space, the only people that knew how to build a
touch roof, it was all the grandparents. It was all the elders that were doing the touch roof.
For me, even just like also even here or anywhere else, like we can just engage to have those
techniques alive, you know, like, and even in that space when we build the common space,

(47:53):
the younger generations, like their kids and their grandchildren were like there and just seeing it.
Like I think even by like encouraging that kind of building, then hopefully will also help for
those techniques to survive. Yeah. To be preserved and passed down.

(48:34):
As I was reviewing the conversation with Mariana, she reminded me to give a little more context as
to what conscious impact is because she and I and several upcoming guests talk about conscious
impact so much. So much so that we used a letter C-I to talk about it instead of saying conscious

(48:58):
impact. And so I wanted to take a few minutes to explain to those of you who are new to the
name and the organization, what it is and what we do. So conscious impact was born out of the
earthquakes, the big earthquakes in Nepal. They happened in late April and May of 2015.
And to my close friends from long time ago, we used to work for the same

(49:22):
nonprofit that works in Latin America and in Ghana. They happened to be trekking in the
Everest Base Camp area when the first earthquake hit. And so what they learned in the aftermath is
earthquake was far more devastating than they had thought because they were quite a bit of a ways
outside epicenter. But the epicenter was close to Kathmandu, which is the capital and largest city

(49:47):
in all of Nepal. And the valley surrounding it is pretty densely populated. The earthquakes took
thousands of lives and leveled even more homes in the regions affected. And what my friends and I
realized was there was so much work to be done that this is going to be going on for months,

(50:08):
if not years to follow. So after the trek, as they came back to Kathmandu, they teamed up with
local community leaders, local NGOs, nonprofits, passing out emergency supplies, and just helping
out in whatever way possible. They soon also teamed up with some big international NGOs that
are coming through. And what they realized in the weeks and months that followed was there's a

(50:34):
desire by some Nepalese to rebuild with natural building materials and techniques.
And that's when they found a group of Nepalese from a village that's called Thakure,
about five hours outside of Kathmandu, they were really keen on doing this and doing this in a

(50:55):
scale where as many homes from their village and maybe surrounding villages would be able to adopt
because it was really cost prohibitive. And a lot of Nepalese don't trust their government to give
out aid and help. And they know that because they're so far from the capital city, they would likely
be forgotten. So they quickly took it into their own hands to find workshops to learn how to build

(51:21):
with these techniques. And that's when they found my friends Orion and Alan, and Orion is the guest
for the next episode. And so as the weeks and months went by, this relationship grew and it
became clear that my friends have had the international development experience having
worked in Central America and in Ghana, and they have the capacity to fundraise and bring

(51:47):
eager volunteers helping hands from North America and Europe and other parts of the world to come
and help out with this rebuilding efforts. And so from September 2015 onwards, they started
fundraising and getting people to build a base camp for all of the volunteer operations and in

(52:09):
receiving the incoming earth brick machine from India. And to this day, Conscious Impact exists
to serve the community of Thakure in the surrounding areas. We've since diversified into
not only the area of natural building techniques, we've also worked a lot with local youth from as

(52:34):
young as the elementary school level up to the high school level. And we've partnered with local
teachers, nonprofits that have sent us incredible humans and resources along the way. Last but not
least, we have the agriculture program that work with local farmers, which is a high majority of

(52:55):
them because about 99% of them are subsistence farmers, which means they grow most of the food
they eat. And we knew that to connect with them means that we would have to talk their language
of food growing, of agriculture, and how to sustain themselves not only from the nutritional
standpoint, but also financially, how do they would take certain products to the market if they

(53:19):
have surplus, what kind of cash crops would they focus on if the year had this kind of weather?
And how do we also at the same time, nurture the environment and rebuild the soil and maybe slow
down or even reverse the rates of deforestation because there is a lot of that happening. And we
can see in the region where erosion and erratic climate patterns are already affecting farmers

(53:45):
and that their yields are not as effective. So all to say, an ongoing conversation at every level
to come to understand on both sides and more what the needs are and to have a ongoing dialogue
and determine what not only the needs are, but what solutions could we implement together to build

(54:08):
a more connected and thriving community. And so I wanted to read on the website of Conscious Impact,
the mission, which I really resonate with. To connect people to themselves, each other,
each other and the earth through community service work around the world.
Yeah, I really believe in that to be true. Having spent time there myself

(54:33):
in late 2015 to mid 2020, during the pandemic, I can really stand behind that statement.
And certainly, even though the work has been physically in Nepal at our camp in Tokore,
the seeds that have been sown in the minds of all the people who have come through,
which by this point must be hundreds and hundreds of individuals from around the world.

(54:58):
Everyone has really taken the skills and interests and talents that they have brought from the regions
where they call home to Nepal. And they've skilled up, learn from the community learn from each other,
and they're bringing back to the places and communities where they live and devote themselves
to. And so really, it's become a Himalayan base camp for not just trekking, but for ideas to

(55:27):
implement, to really be implemented in other parts of the world to make what we hope and intend to
make the earth a better place. Conscious Impact has really given a lot to me. It's offered me
a lot of personal growth. It has taught me so many hard skills and soft skills. It's allowed me to

(55:48):
expand my artistic eye and ability to see myself as part of a greater microcosm. And that I play a
small but important role in places that I go to. And being able to storytell visually and through
audio and video has been really magical. It's given me a lot of fulfillment and feeling of

(56:13):
satisfaction. It's opened up my eyes to the world and so many challenges and perspectives that exist.
And it's allowed me to kick off this podcast with three of the most important humans of not just
Conscious Impact, but in my own life in the last eight years. With that said, let's jump back to

(56:35):
the conversation with Mariana.
Part of the vision that I have, going back to your first question, it's that it's being able to
enable local communities to be able to do what they want to do. And so I think that's the
vision that I have, going back to your first question, it's that it's being able to enable local communities to

(57:02):
maintain their languages, to maintain their recipes, to maintain the medicine from the plants as well.
Just knowing what kind of tea is good for your belly. And we have it in Nepal as well, like
mama and anybody in our community. When I was in my ankle, they came and did this mix. And it's

(57:23):
a certain way of doing things. They had to bring it to a boil, and this amount of cow dung,
and this amount of whey.
Did you say cow dung? Yes, it's medicinal.
Yes, they use it for everything.
You're right. They're knowledge holders.
And being able to preserve that. I think everybody right now, I mean, it's been happening for

(57:44):
generations, obviously, but people continuously leaving the mountains or the rural living to go
into the city space. And we just really, every day, languages are dying or disappearing.
So for me, hopefully, if I can just help in any way, shape or form to maintain some of that ancient
knowledge, we'll be...

(58:05):
It's this like preservation of culture and identity through revitalizing ancient building
technologies.
Yeah. And I think there's a lot of people that live in a...
That's like your tagline.
In a urban spaces that they want, that people are seeking. It's becoming more of a thing.
People are seeking, wanting to build like that. They want to live differently. They want to go

(58:27):
back to the land. So I'm not saying we're the majority, but it's there. There's an interest.
There's an awareness.
I do believe too, there's a steadily building critical mass, no matter what stage of that
realization, awakening, so to speak, you're at. Whether it's like, oh, the way we've been living
is not right or not sustainable or both. And you're like, there must be something else.

(58:51):
Maybe you begin the search, you don't even know what keywords to find. And some people may be
like, oh, I know, I just got dropped this like keyword or phrase or technique to look up.
And then they start, basically they're searched into a new rabbit hole.
And it is going to be people like yourself that can be like guides, really, if I had to think of

(59:14):
it in that way, to bring more people into this critical mass.
We did that, I think in Nepal, we did it very, very well. Like being of service, not just in
the community where we live, but being of service to the people that come through.
You know, cause I think a lot of times, especially nowadays with social media,
you can see things online and it's like, oh my God, it looks amazing, blah, blah, blah.
It looks great. But like really questioning, like, does that even work? Is that, can I,

(59:38):
can you see it in real life? And then I think people coming through camp and seeing it themselves,
like, oh, this is not just a nice post of an earth back dome. Like I'm actually able to see it myself.
Yeah. I feel like see with my eyes, I'm actually building with Waddle and Dove and I can see that
like, oh, you can build a Lambo and earth. And that's it. Like, oh, composting latrines,
it's all they actually work. Oh, this is how you do it. And like, it just being able to also be

(01:00:03):
like sort of like a showcase to this, like just for people from all over the world that want to
come and see it, like, yes, it's possible. That's right. Yes. Composts on the trains are great.
Yeah. And we've been pooping in it for six years. And we clean our own compost and we're not
polluting any rivers. We've created fruit out of our own compost. We have close to loop in this
regard, right? Yeah. Like, oh, the hippies are right after all. I think what's really beautiful

(01:00:26):
is that we have been in service. You're absolutely right. And I love that that component is something
that's essential integral to your future living situation. A hundred percent. And you know, I want
to be a part of something like that, which is why this is why we cross paths in Nepal, right? What's
really cool, I think our last count when we actually tried to do a tally was that we've had

(01:00:48):
people, I don't know the number at this point, maybe Beth does, but we have had people from over
35 countries coming from camp. I think that's about right. And so I think what's really cool
in light of what you have just shared is all of these people have not stayed in Nepal. All of
these people are from different places. They've traveled to other places. Some of them are hosting

(01:01:10):
workshops, like our friend from Belgium, Joe, he's like doing a workshop in a week or two on building
a dome. And so they're taking these seeds with them, figuratively, and then spreading it to
more places and growing it. So I think that's the element, I think, of optimism and hope and just
like really beautiful assimilation, right? Replication. Yeah, I think it's just beautiful,

(01:01:35):
for just inspiring people, just seeing it through themselves and just whatever they take from that.
It could be just an experience of like nice memory back in Nepal, or you can grow a lot more. I think
we've also heard from a bunch of people that they decided to go into a specific kind of study or a
master's degree, or they changed their jobs because they were so inspired by the experience

(01:01:56):
in Nepal that it changed their life, like literally. They chose a different path, like something,
I think it's a very, it's just when you offer a space of such pure opportunities for true connection,
again, like when I think our models has like to yourself, to others, and to the land,

(01:02:18):
magic happens. It does. And I like it because it's not, it's not like when you're going into a retreat,
I love retreats, it's not to criticize, but like you go into like, I want to change my life, or I
want this clarity to come to me. It's such a, and I think it happened in what we have in Nepal,
it's just very organic. It just happens because you're just, you're in a setup. And I think it's

(01:02:41):
a mix of things. It's not just one element. I think it's everything that we do. Being in nature,
being of service, working with your hands, getting your hands in the dirt, like it's not just one of
the elements that work. Yeah. And it just happens very organic when you're in a space like that,
when you're being grateful every day as a daily practice, boom, I think just like something

(01:03:05):
happens. And I think that's very, very beautiful to witness and to live in that space and to offer
that, you know, to not just myself, but like to other people and to visitors and family. I think
my mom and my brother, when they came, they also had a very like strong in their own ways, but,
you know, as little as my mom sort of is like, she eats less meat now, you know, and she went through

(01:03:29):
this whole like... Due to her time there. Yes. Oh yeah. She was really inspired by her time there.
Yeah. She actually sort of, that's the reason why she quit her job. Because she was like,
I want to live my life differently. And I'm just like working too much. And she got inspired to
like try out yoga. And she went back and like took painting classes. Yeah. As a reminder at,

(01:03:50):
you know, whatever age you are, like just to reconnect with yourself and nature. And that is
so close and dear to your heart. Your beloved mother not only went to Nepal, I had a chance,
that's my first time meeting her. Yeah. And Louise actually, that's the aftermath. Yeah. That is,
you know, speaking of like pivotal moments and experiences in life, that is one for her. Yes.

(01:04:15):
Yes. And also for you too, as her daughter and having her there and then seeing the changes
that came in the weeks and months and years that followed, like how incredible, monumental is that?
Yeah. And I know it's just, I mean, it's my mom's, I know it firsthand, but I am sure that
everybody that has come through has had an experience like that. You know, something just

(01:04:37):
very deeply changed in them or just the awareness or the memories or, you know, the relationships,
like it's just such a pure space. A lot of it has to do with being in Nepal and the magic that the
Himalayan mountains hold. Sure. But I also think it's just when you're in a, I think it can happen
anywhere. It could. You know, when you have those elements, when you're truly connected to nature,

(01:04:57):
when you're truly being of service, when you truly have time and energy, the choices that we have on
a daily basis, when you live in a city space like, it's just tiring. Like I love that, for example,
when you live in community, like I don't have to think of what I'm going to be eating three times
a day. It just happens. Like all the people are cooking. I'm just going to show up and there's a

(01:05:18):
meal ready. I don't have to look at a menu. And like, I think sometimes like the amount of choices
that we have to make on a daily, like it's overrated. We think like, oh, I'm very blessed
and I'm very honored that I have the ability to choose. And in many ways that's true. But I
think again, for me, the key is sustainable. Like being sustainable, like for me, sustainability

(01:05:38):
means also just balance. And I think when you're in a space, like it's just out of balance, the
amount of choices that you have to make, not even on a daily basis or like on an hour basis, like
Oh my gosh.
Food, clothing, 100%.
Driving, like which street are you taking? Like it's just, you don't think of it, but when you're

(01:05:59):
in a position that you haven't thought about, like in Nepal, like I don't use money. I live in a space
where I don't even have to think about my wallet. I like, I can go weeks without using money.
But the way we have set our community.
Exactly. Yeah. And I'm not saying it's a good example.
It's a good example of how we have very intentionally simplified our lives so that we can

(01:06:23):
better recalibrate ourselves and focus on what we're there for.
When I talk to people, I think it sounds very intense when I explain it the way that we live.
It sounds very dramatic. I'm like, we don't have a fridge and we don't have a microwave.
And we walk everywhere. People are just like, what? Like it sounds crazy, but you know, you were there.
It happened very organically. Like it just, you don't think about it. When I'm there, I don't think

(01:06:44):
like, Oh my God, I wish I had a microwave. No, like we've created a system that it works. And I don't
think of not having those things. I would have never planned to sign up something like that.
It just happened. And I'm really grateful and honored to just like how smooth that transition was.
Yeah.
And my first learning from being in that space, just being really aware of like,

(01:07:06):
I need very little to live as a human being. When society tells me that I need a lot more things,
but like in reality, like day to day, like I need very little.
I do remember hearing it from multiple sources, could be YouTubers, could be documentaries.
I'm not sure, but on a daily basis, folks who live modern urban lifestyles

(01:07:27):
have to make about 30,000 decisions. Wow.
Micro to macro. And an individual from, let's say, a economically developed country of, you know,
decent economic standing, they own like over 10,000 items. And you really only use about a few
percentage of that on the regular. And so when you have this much physical stuff, as well as

(01:07:52):
all of these things that take just chip away at your ability to think clearly or focus or
your energetic expenditure, right? Your tank, so to speak, of energy that you have each day when
you wake up, no matter how well you sleep, like what are we left with, right? After all of those
decisions, think accounting for all of those physical items, you know, and of course,

(01:08:16):
not just maybe not just a well-being of only yourself, but maybe those of your immediate
surroundings, your family, friends, and so forth. It's like what is left is so small, or maybe you're
like in a negative. And so maybe some people have to work another job to make up for the negative
in the finances, or they have to sleep an extra hour when they're physically really tired. And

(01:08:38):
that takes away fundamentally their connection to themselves and what they may express as an
individual free of others' needs of them. So I find it as a sad reality that hopefully when you
really get to the core of it, we can evaluate and kind of rediscover that. For me, it's all

(01:09:01):
interconnected. It's all woven. Every single action that you take, it will have a reaction. I
know this is one of the basic laws. I see it very clearly. It needs to be said. I think that we
forget of how true that is. And in the moment, you might not think of how big or small that effect

(01:09:26):
will be after your decision, after your action taken, but it will be an effect. I think sometimes
when you live in a society, in a space, it's sort of approved or allowed, or it's okay so you don't
question it. But by choosing to have a certain job or by choosing to have a car, all these choices
that you have to make. Or to not have a car. Yeah, but they're okay, even though I think they're not

(01:09:48):
that healthy. It's very acceptable. It's an okay thing to do, but it takes a lot out of...
Absolutely. As we move towards a close, I think the question I want to ask is,
what does it mean to you to live an intentional, wholesome life?

(01:10:15):
I guess for me, it's just not another option. I don't think of it a different way. I feel
extremely honored and grateful that I've had the experience that I had in Nepal. Being exposed to
living in a community, being exposed to living in a service life. Once I've tried that, for me, there's
no going back. Once I saw that, oh, this is a possible way of living, I don't want to live any

(01:10:41):
other way. And I've been put in this position right now due to whatever reason. To live right now in
Tulum, to have a job from 9 to 6, to be living in a household, having a car and all these things.
And I'm like, okay, that's great. But now more than ever, this has only reassured that I don't

(01:11:01):
want to live this way. I just want to be really aligned with my values, the values that I hold.
And the values that I hold are, I want to protect the elements as much as possible. It's very hard
to fight that fight when you're in it. For example, like being back in college and just being like,

(01:11:22):
hey, teach me how to catch water from rain. My teacher's not being interested in teaching me
that. I respect. Oh, you ask specifically. Oh, specifically. Oh, yeah. Hands down. I'll be like,
teach me how to do this. And they're like, no, that's not part of, it's just hard, no.
And I appreciate it. And I'm grateful for the people that are in the system trying to fight
that fight. For me, it's just like fighting fire with fire is just not a rather, I have to learn

(01:11:45):
that I can only be responsible for my own actions. I can no longer spend time and energy trying to
make others change their mind or showing like, in Nepal, hands down, leading by example. That's
what I can do. And I can only be responsible for the way that I eat, the way that I live,

(01:12:06):
the way that I build. That's it. Like, it's no longer like, if you're vegan or vegetarian,
we eat meat, I'm responsible for just how I eat. I have gained a lot more just like,
respect to everyone's path, and just really want to honor mine by doing what feels right to me.
And to me, that's what feels right. It feels right living in nature, building with Earth,

(01:12:31):
growing as much food as I possibly can, living in community, sharing the spaces with people that
I love, not by blood, but this chosen beautiful family, and creating that space, hopefully,
you know, with Orion and a lot of our crew back in Nepal. And if we have kids and when we have kids,
like to share those and pass that along, again, with not really attachment because

(01:12:53):
maybe they want to become lawyers and who knows.
Yeah, yeah. Or just the timelines different. No, but definitely what I'm hearing is,
thank you for that. It's lead by example. And you become your own role model. You become your best
role model. And know that each day you can still improve that best version of yourself.
And I still get inspired by a lot of other people are doing similar things. And I still love asking

(01:13:16):
and I can engage in with like-minded people and asking and sharing knowledge. I think just like,
also that's a huge thing. I think we've also encountered people are doing sustainable building.
They don't want to share their things like they're like, no, I'm just like, what? We're all in this
together. You know, like I'm happy to share whatever knowledge I have. I'm happy to share it. And it's
the life that I will like, the path that I would like to walk on this lifetime and try to share

(01:13:42):
with people if they're interested and just, yeah, I want to offer a space for others to
live that way, to live, to be there, the better version of themselves. And for me as well, you
know, it's an asset set before when traveling, it's you still learn every day and you can still
be a better version of yourself every day. And we're still humans and we forget and you know,

(01:14:06):
we have setbacks and it's just, it's just life. And I want to say thank you for asking all these
questions and walking this beautiful path. I am reflecting a lot of to the people and the life
that I've had. And I'm really grateful for you to taking me in this journey. We are literally

(01:14:29):
walking the journey together. Yeah. The path and the behind the scenes is shot by Orion Huss.
Where have we recorded this session? We are currently in Tulum in this place called
Holistica and they have a little art walk. And if you ever find yourself here, it's very nice. They
have a couple of murals. It's in the very young jungle that you have in this region. Yeah, we

(01:14:52):
just did a little little loop behind Holistica.

(01:15:22):
Yeah. What a fulfilling, satisfying conversation with Mariana. I wonder what you got out of it.
And certainly for me, the conversation around the disconnect of the modern day lifestyle

(01:15:45):
and hearing about her cultural background and early influences, the first travels and
that mind expansion that comes with it certainly really hit home. The flavor and context, of course,
culturally geographically is different from my life, but it is so interesting that we could be
living worlds away, time zones away, but yet have this similarity and resonance in how we were

(01:16:11):
maybe brought up and remembering those first moments when your mind just explodes, expands,
and formulate different channels and ways of being and ways of being brought up and the foods that
you eat. So I really enjoy that. There was definitely a lot of good laughter and enjoyment

(01:16:33):
when we were connecting more deeply. Yeah, for me, I think the aspects in which Mariana talked into
becoming really personally empowered to that moment of realization that
as she learns these new skills and techniques, she's able to do it physically and more.

(01:16:54):
And that shift from not only being able to learn as a student, but to turn it around
and become the teacher for others and really coming from a place of wanting to share
this incredible knowledge of building and maintaining your home and other essential structures.
So yeah, I find it to be very inspirational and certainly having worked directly with Mariana

(01:17:21):
in Nepal and in other places, I find that to be absolutely true. And the truth is she has been
doing these workshops and been a teacher worldwide now in sub-Saharan Africa, in the Caribbean,
in Himalayas, as of course we mentioned, and in different parts of Mexico as well.
And so I really hope for her and for me and our community worldwide that we get to have Mariana

(01:17:44):
travel now with her baby son to these different places and preserve and pass on this amazing
knowledge of natural building and in doing so indirectly or directly inspiring this way of
more connected living and thinking more communally instead of individually and coming back to what's

(01:18:05):
important, which is the self-care and caring for others, the giving back to community,
the giving back to the earth, the decentralized nature of knowledge passing the way that I think
a lot of humans and indigenous groups worldwide have been doing it and continue to do so today.

(01:18:26):
So yeah, it's also really nice to hear that. Yeah, I have a skill and I'm very fortunate
to have a skill and a friendship with Mariana that she values and I'd love to be there,
you know, wherever she and Orion sets up in the future. So wherever I am, I'm keen to visit

(01:18:48):
and spend some time of the year or more there. So yeah, as mentioned in the introduction,
this being the very first episode with a guest, I'd love to hear feedback. Please drop me a line,
email works, direct messages on social media. If you're subscribed to my newsletter, then that's a

(01:19:10):
good avenue since you're getting the announcements of new episodes to drop me a line. Any constructive
feedback is greatly valued so that I can continue to be better. And most definitely a shout out to
Melissa Caitlin Carter in editing this episode and my homeboys, Carlos Militante and Scott Hansen

(01:19:32):
and creating a lot of the musical tracks that you hear throughout the episode. Thank you, brothers,
for your artistry and your beautiful sounds. Last but not least, shout out in order to my Patreon
subscribers. All of you past and present have made this production possible in gear and just a feeling

(01:19:54):
of support and hiring different folks for their talents and skill sets, putting it all together.
This is definitely a communal effort and certainly the theme of community will be present throughout
each episode, I'm certain. So yes, thank you for being here and until next time, be well.

(01:20:17):
You know, when I was younger, I used to kind of roll my eyes and not at all understand and of course, skip through the credits and acknowledgments when movies and TV shows or podcasts, the host talks about like, oh, we got to thank this person and this person, it just goes on and on and on and never really understood it. I think in the last few years alone, I've really come around and realized my goodness, even the smaller projects like this require a whole team, they really require and really benefit from a whole community around it. And so I'm here to proudly acknowledge the humans through the years since the launch of my Patreon in 2018, who have been contributing and or contributed in the past at levels at which I just need to say their names and acknowledge that all that I've done, the time they've given to give me comments and dropping messages, giving me advice and of course, dropping in their hard earned dollars or whatever currency they're earning in to support me and all the projects that I've devoted my time to, including the Wilderness 01:21:32,400 --> 01:24:57,920 Within podcast. So here we go. I want to give a special thank you to Paul Jones, Antoine Mays, Ayanna Ballen, Deborah Carson, Renee Dyke, Luke Fernandez, Kelly P, Karina Formile, Kelsey Lin, Ken Russell, Kelsey Yates, Michael Chung, Evans Dickles, Rykie Corden, Christine Schumann, Lindsay Clev- very, I'm sorry if I'm butchering your name and anyone's, Anne Goodman, Yushin Chuang, Otis Skipper, Steve Tracy, Delvin Sokinson, Stephen Moe, Steph Bird Parker, Anna Ritz, Camila Nieuwlands, Dana Wilson, Nara De Garcia, Dora Lee, Orion Haas, Michelle Kisner, Stephen Wong, Gutierre Baga, Jackie Chow-Solinsky, Romar Smith, Peter Wells, Jackie Chung, Tsetop Sokpo, Frankie Lee, Jim Barngrover, Lisa Colligan, Marek Bowers, Ryan Lu, Mikey Leung. Thank you so much y'all. It really means a lot for your support. Past, present, future, you make my dreams come true. You allow me to work where I travel to. You allow me to create content or passing through. You allow me to trust that each month I'm going to have this nice little baseline of income that really sustains me, that sometimes really puts food on a table. It allows me to go, hey, like I can come into this project. I'm going to buy that piece of gear. I'm going to hire that person. I'm going to invest in myself and the services and goods that allow me to create and expand and try new things and experiments. All of this is a part of it. So thank you. I am so grateful for your support.