Next Economy Now: For the Benefit of All Life

Laura Ash, a clinical herbalist and educator directing operations for the Beneficial Plant Research Association, dives into how ancestral plant wisdom can revolutionize healthcare and our economy. She shares her journey from childhood illness to discovering herbal medicine, learning from indigenous healers, and addressing biopiracy. The conversation highlights the importance of whole-plant medicine over isolated compounds and reclaims traditional knowledge. Laura emphasizes the need for ethical partnerships and nurturing our connection with plants for personal and planetary healing.

Climate resilience is not only a matter of innovation but also of honoring what communities have practiced for centuries. In this episode, Julia Watson, designer, activist, and leading expert on Lo—TEK — a term that combines low-tech and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) — shares how traditional practices offer vital solutions for sustainable design and regenerative economics.View the blog post: https://lifteconomy.com/blog/building-climate-resilience-through-lo-tek-julia-watsonThe LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now  into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Autumn Brown returns to Next Economy Now for a third time for a wide-ranging, candid conversation on practicing freedom in an unfree world. We talk joy and parenting, the post-2020 backlash, symbolic vs relational change (pronouns, land acknowledgements), building broader coalitions, and Autumn’s shift from cooperative leadership to music, Aikido, and a forthcoming book on fugitivity. It’s a grounded back-and-forth about moving from fear and performance to love, courage, and strategy.View the show notes: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/autumn-brown-freedom-practice-in-an-unfree-worldThe LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now  into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Freedom and fulfillment aren’t measured in square footage; they’re shaped by how we live and what we value. In this episode of Next Economy Now, we welcome Jewel Pearson, a tiny house expert, intentional living advocate, and longtime voice for representation in the tiny house movement. With over ten years of experience living in a tiny house, Jewel brings lived experience and deep expertise as a consultant, educator, and speaker. She challenges traditional ideas of housing and wealth building, helping people design homes and lifestyles rooted in sustainability, equity, and community.For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/jewel-pearson/The LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now  into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

When you understand the power of a limiting belief and change it into a liberating belief, you get to take your power back and achieve personal freedom. In this segment of our Next Economy Living mini-series, we are joined by author and advocate for personal liberation, Christine Platt, to talk about her new book, Less is Liberation, and to share her liberation story. For full show notes, visit: https://lifteconomy.com/blog/christine-platt-2025/The LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now  into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Cynthia Tina, a sustainability educator and founder of Community Finders, explores the transformative power of intentional communities. She discusses how deeper interdependence can improve housing, health, and happiness. Cynthia explains different models of community living and highlights their benefits, such as reduced loneliness and shared costs. She emphasizes the importance of aligning personal values with community goals and shares strategies for exploring these unique living arrangements. The conversation also touches on resilience in the face of climate change and the value of effective communication in community life.

Living with intention can be a radical act in a world driven by consumerism. In this special Next Economy Living mini-series episode, host Kevin Bayuk speaks with writer, herbalist, and former Black Minimalists podcast producer Farai Harreld about how ancestral knowledge and mindful practices can help us reclaim agency over our health, homes, and everyday choices.For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/farai-harreld/The LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now  into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

In this conversation, Kevin Bayuk, Partner and worker owner at LIFT Economy, addresses critical skills gaps that hinder the growth of community-centered economies. He emphasizes the need to rethink educational frameworks to foster sustainable practices. Kevin also discusses the tension between organizational hierarchy and collaboration, underlining the importance of balance for shared power. Financial literacy emerges as a key theme, highlighting how essential it is for empowering communities and fostering equitable development.

What if your work could be more about deep, cultural, spiritual, and educational work than financial gain? In this conversation with Alexa Firmenich, founder of Naia Trust and host of the Lifeworlds Podcast, we explore how to balance returns with impact and tradition with transformation in the investment industry. She explains that 100% of global GDP is dependent on nature, and if we’re not supporting nature, we’re not supporting the economy. For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/alexa-firmenich/The LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now  into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Transitioning to shared ownership is one of the most powerful ways a business can align its values with its structure. In this episode of Next Economy Now, Jason Wiener, founder of the law and consulting firm Jason Wiener P.C. and co-founder of Colorado Cooperative Developers, joins Ryan Honeyman to unpack the legal, cultural, and financial considerations behind alternative ownership models, from worker cooperatives to purpose trusts.For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/jason-wiener/The LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now  into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps