Regeneration Nation Costa Rica

Aug 10, 2022

015 Cultivating an Impactful Belief (Season 1 Recap)

Cultivating an Impactful Belief System Welcome Hello, and welcome to the 6th and final episode of the Season 1 Recap of the Sharing Insights Podcast! I think it’s fair to say that it’s been a value-rich experiment for me. All the same, I hope you, my friends, have gotten some value out of it as well. As it is, this is also going to be the final episode of the Sharing Insights Podcast. Yes, this is the grand finale of the podcast as we’ve known it. Since I began producing this podcast and learned more about the power of the mic and what we can do with it, I decided to open the conversation up to other regenerative-focused programs that aren’t exclusively land-based. From here on, the podcast will be known as ‘Regeneration Nation Costa Rica’. The urgency for humanity to get behind regenerative practices in any and all aspects of its existence has begun to grow on me. While I’ll continue to provide content directed at helping land-based projects gain exposure and learn from each other’s insights, we’ll hear more about who’s doing what to help Costa Rica reach carbon neutrality and social equity. I believe that to help this movement of regenerative-focused landowners further discover their potential, make the impact they intended, and thrive, it’ll do us well to see what other players are doing in the regenerative field. There are a multitude of empowering projects all around Costa Rica, offering products, services, education, and community-building opportunities that our current audience can benefit from hearing about, and I want to get them on the mic! The time to make the efforts needed to hand our grandchildren a world worth having children in, is NOW. The maverick landowners who’ve been the focus of the podcast so far will continue to be an important focus for upcoming content. I already have several interviews with land stewards recorded and ready to go. At the end of this episode, I’ll share more of what I’ve been getting into these past months and what you can expect from the podcast in the months to come. Let’s get into this theme of cultivating an impactful belief system and some of the insights that our guests have shared with us so far. None of this show’s guests could be where they are, doing what they do, if they didn’t embody an impactful belief system. It’s been a great pleasure to get to know these leaders better and witness their brilliance. So, what is an impactful belief system? The world is full of people trying to make ends meet. The struggle keeps most folks hyper-focused on the details of what many call the “hamster wheel” or “the rat race” of life. From this place, it’s difficult to see what one can do to create a positive impact in the world around them beyond being a “responsible consumer.” There are others, however, who find the grace to break free from reactionary living long enough to discover what their passions are and how they can apply them to serve the needs of others in a regenerative way. In a world with headlines as disconcerting as the ones we find today, it takes courage to forge ahead with one’s dreams and be the change one wants to see. Recognizing that a new way exists; believing that you can find your way there, and holding faith that “if it can be done, you can do it”, are some of the first steps in initiating and developing an impactful belief system. Transformation awaits those who take these steps. What do our guests have to say from their side of the looking glass? Just for fun, let's go in reverse order of our episodes, bringing the brilliance of our friend Lynx Guimond to the spotlight first. In Lynx’s interview, he leaves us with the commonly shared, but too commonly forsaken advice to make the effort required to live your dreams. He reminds us that happy people choose to do what they want to do. Likewise, happy people find ways to want to do what they’re doing. This is sage advice that does us service each time we remember it. Creating a healthy and holistic lifestyle and environment makes doing what we love and loving what we do easier. It can drive us forward on our path of living our dreams. Lynx, and all his crew at SailCargo Inc, also ask us to commit to buying local and do whatever else we can do to reduce the carbon footprint of the shipping industry. Purchasing used products is another method that Lynx, and many other conscientious consumers, recommend for reducing this planet-altering source of pollution. It’s become imperative that we start spending more time researching how to effectively direct our buying power to support places that are doing what we want to see done in the world, and form commitments to follow through whenever possible. Of course, it’s equally imperative that we forgive ourselves for where we are while we get certain about where we’re going. Another one of our guests who’s kept his focus on sourcing his needs, and those of his guests, as locally and mindfully as possible, is Nico Botefur. Nico started with an inherited piece of property and a modest budget and has developed it into a regenerative farm-to-table hotel and restaurant, providing entrepreneurial opportunities for many of his neighbors who choose to offer tours, therapy sessions, and other culturally-focused classes and services. The biggest takeaway here is that he first invested into his education. Upon deciding to undertake the stewardship of the property and start the business, he took a permaculture course and attended a variety of workshops and retreats to better understand how to work with the land, natural building materials, and his own inner nature. The entirety of my interview with Nico Botefur, the way he goes about the orchestration of Essence Arenal, and the way his staff welcomes their guests, demonstrates his belief that “passion is the key to success.” Another pair of impactful believers is Meghan Casey and her husband Davis Azofeifa. They’re the sweet couple whose family founded and runs the Chilimate Rainforest Eco Retreat. First, let’s look at their commitment to join forces with the Rainforest Alliance. The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new norm. They help farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers champion ecologically and socially regenerative practices. As a reward, businesses that complete the application and mentoring process are validated to use Rainforest Alliance’s well-recognized frog certification seal on their website and marketing, along with other benefits. Meghan tells us, in her interview, how they had many of the social and environmental bits down, but Rainforest Alliance helped them with administrative skills and infrastructure. She’s also been a leader in her community, assisting her neighbors with entrepreneurial guidance and training, helping them to tap into the ecotourism market in a way that fosters cultural bridging. Meghan and Davis have empowered their community to collectively foster an ecologically, economically, and culturally prosperous environment for many families in their pueblo. From language & art classes, to homestays, to farm tours, horseback riding, and more, they’ve turned it into a destination location that’s impacted the lives of countless eco-centric people passing through the region. When I first arrived in Costa Rica a dozen years ago in my veggie oil school bus, one of the first culturally progressive Ticos that I met was a young man named Esteban Acosta. He was fresh out of Earth University, working as a biodynamics manager at an organic farm, close to where I live now, and this kid was just bubbling with fun. The kind of fun that exudes from those who absolutely love practicing their garden alchemy. Esteban had built a well-functioning biodigester for the owner’s goat farm, which Esteban…

25 min