EP 19: (Season 1 Finale!) Going all in, with Homesteader David Sleininger

u

Episode Length: 1:10:52

Welcome to the Season 1 finale of Our Nature! This week’s guest is a very special one to me because he happens to be my boyfriend. David Sleininger is a former jazz musician turned homesteader turned energy healer. His story is one of both devastating injury and immense healing. I don’t want to give too much away because I think it’s important for him to share his story in his own voice, but I will say that after years of darkness and suffering, he turned to nature for support...and it was instrumental in helping him heal from chronic pain. His journey is so inspiring to anyone dealing with chronic pain or injury, anyone who is interested in learning more about homesteading or simply being more self reliant, and anyone who is looking to witness someone who has followed their intuition even when the path seemed uncertain.

In this episode, we talk about what homesteading is, why there has been a recent resurgence in homesteading, what David’s homestead looks like, his journey from music to bread baking to homesteading to energy healing and what each shift has taught him along the way, why he can’t use power tools and how that affected his building project, what nature taught him about himself, the balance of feminine and masculine and so much more. It was vulnerable and fun for me to record this podcast with David. We’re very real with each other as you’ll hear. David doesn’t have social media at all and I don’t put him on my social media, so it feels really special to use this platform to share his story. I hope you enjoy it and I’ll see you in 2020!

“I tend to think about things like - am I moving away from something, or am I moving towards something?” - David Sleininger

“I have had a few dramatic shifts in my life and I have found that when my intuitive voice is loud enough, if I follow it, those transitions are actually much smoother and more settled than you’d think.” - David Sleininger

“Being with nature is a dance.” - David Sleininger

Resources

Connect with David:

Connect with The Our Nature Podcast:

Show Notes

  • What homesteading is

  • Why there has been a recent resurgence in homesteading

  • A description of David’s homestead

  • The devastating injury that caused David to give up playing music permanently

  • David’s journey from a bread baker and homestead apprentice to purchasing his land in rural Maine

  • What it was like for David to transition from an urban to a rural place

  • Why David couldn’t use power tools and what that meant for his homesteading project

  • How David got through his darkest moments

  • What nature taught David about himself

  • David’s newest chapter in New York City

  • The Last 5 Questions

The Last Five Questions

  1. What is your favorite place in nature?

    Anywhere that can wake me up despite myself.

  2. What is the animal, mineral or plant that resonates with you the most?

    I have always felt deeply connected to trees.

  3. What is one thing we can do right now to connect with the natural world and bring more harmony into our lives?

    Look up a tree, or rock or plant you’re curious about and learn about it.

  4. What’s the greatest lesson nature has taught you?

    That I’m capable. That I can do it. And that – nature will support everything I need, anytime I need it.

  5. Complete this sentence: Nature brings me…

    If I listen to what’s going on in my inner nature and connect to the natural world around me, I’ll have the information, I’ll have the intuitive messaging, I’ll have the health that I need to do what I feel drawn to do.

Gratitude List:

This podcast would not be possible without the group of talented individuals below. I offer them my sincerest thanks and love.

episodesAlyssa Benjaminhomesteading, healing journey, chronic pain, meditation, spirituality, architecture, the last five questions