”WTF did I just do?” - a conversation on Rewilding with Hillarie Maddox

Belonging: Conversations about rites of passage, meaningful community, and seasonal living

In today’s episode, our guest, Hillarie Maddox, interviews me (Becca) to get some personal updates on the journey of rewilding and all that unfolds when we take the steps that brought us from the dream to buying and living on our land. I open up to vulnerably reveal some of the grief, the questioning and the spiral of regret that happened when we initially landed on the farm and how we had to really speak the dream alive again each night so that we could move through that resistance. Both Hillarie and I share the trials and triumphs that our rewilding journeys have brought us thus far and the importance of holding a steadfast dedication to the tending of community along the way.

Tune in to hear more from me on:

The deep truths and feelings that surfaced as a result of our move to the farm

• What rewilding can really feel like
• Loneliness and grief along the journey
• Cultivating community in a rural area
• Challenges and obstacles that we’ve overcome
• Learnings and advice to take if you’re moving through a similar transition

RESOURCES + LINKS:

Hillarie other Belonging episode: Slow Homesteading & Land Stewardship

Hillarie’s podcast: Black Girl Country Living

Follow Hillarie on instagram: @blackgirl.countryliving

Follow Becca on Instagram @beccapiastrelli

Becca’s book, Root and Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self

https://www.amazon.com/Root-Ritual-Timeless-Connect-Community/dp/1683647726

TIMESTAMPS

[0:00] Becca introduces today’s guest (Hillarie Maddox) who will be interviewing Becca for today’s special episode.
[1:40] Hillarie shares her excitements for having this rewilding, homesteading and community building conversation.
[2:55] Hillarie shares her own rewilding story (departing the city with her family to answer the call for rural homesteading)
[5:40] Becca touches on living in the dream state (the fresh eggs, the farm, the connection to the land) and how that blends with the reality of the pace of modern times and how we attempt recalibration.
[7:15] Becca shares the details of transition from past life (California) to Hudson Valley, NY.
[15:10] “What was it really like landing in your dream?” Becca gets real about the experience of arriving on the farm after making the move from California.
[24:13] The shifts in community and connection and what Becca has noticed about relationships in her more rural area.
[29:13] What felt hard for Hillarie during her phased move from the city to her homestead.
[32:10] Mindset shifts and learnings from the physical labor, handwork and the embodiment that comes with homesteading.
[41:50] How Becca is finding her people at the right time.
[48:20] Trusting ourselves and learning skills that solve problems and sustain the land and our home.
[52:28] Slowing down to really listen and deepen connections in the community
[54:10] Observance, presence and how this is foundational in rewilding
[55:20] Closing and conclusion with an invitation for continued connection