Our Uncertain Future Podcast

Episode one of Neighbors of the Mesa

Join us as we visit the Earthship home of one of our eldest neighbors, Jez, who lives in the farthest “out there” Mesa community called The Starr Community, which was once owned my Earthship Biotecture [https://open.substack.com/pub/johannadebiase/p/earthship-botanical-cells-and-greenhouses?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web] creator, Mike Reynolds. Jez is a true pioneer and the perfect person to start this series on Neighbors of the Mesa. Learn about her life as a child of one of the oldest colonial families in America, her surprising mid-life awakening, leaving everything behind to become a travelling archeologist (or as she calls it, a dirt bum) and after getting her PhD in Alaska at 70, moving out to the Mesa community alone and building her house. As an artist and intellectual with multiple degrees, Jez, has never followed the path well-trodden. Her love of living on the land, working with her hands and adventure, has kept her young and vibrant despite health and family setbacks. Jez’s life is truly an inspiration, and she had a lot of stories to share, many of which I had to cut out for the sake of time and continuity. I was surprised at how much she remembered—names, dates, and ages—even when she fumbled with them a bit. Her beautiful home is a testament to a life well lived—filled with artifacts, art, plants, animals and memories. If you want inspiration to go off grid or wonder how one ages well off the grid, start with Jez. I had been wanting to start this series for a long while now, interviewing the very cool people that live in my off-grid community. It turned out that it’s more work than I expected with interviewing and video editing. If you like this and want to see more of it, please show support and let me know by becoming a paid subscriber. I did not paywall this one and want to continue to offer them for free, your financial support will help me to do so. Our Uncertain Future is a reader-supported publication. To receive more interesting posts like these about life off grid, please consider becoming a subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe [https://www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

OUFPOD: Reflecting on 6 Years Off-Grid Amid Collapse

In this podcast episode, Johanna and Eric reflect on six years spent living off-grid, the definition(s) of collapse, what it looks like in the real world and the role technology has played and will play going forward. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe [https://www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

OUFPOD - Localism, AI and Collapse with Crystal Street

Find more from CStreet [https://substack.com/profile/14266493-cstreet] at Signals and Seeds [https://desertrat10.substack.com/], The Human Layer [https://thehumanlayer.buzzsprout.com/] or desertrat productions [https://desertrat.media/]. Our Uncertain Future is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe [https://www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

50 Steps To Going Off Grid, Your Way With Author Ryan Mitchell

Living off-grid can feel like a pretty massive undertaking. While we’ve been doing it over the past five years largely through trial and error [https://www.ouruncertainfuture.com/p/diy-off-grid-in-2025-using-ai-and], that approach doesn’t work so well for everyone. Ryan Mitchell helped spark the tiny home movement [https://thetinylife.com/about-us/] over a decade ago and has a New York Times bestselling book on the topic. Now he’s back with a step-by-step-(by 48 more steps) approach to taking your life off-grid and doing so in a way that works best for you.Mitchell has seen it all and put down much of that experience in his new book “Living Off Grid: 50 Steps to Unplug, Become Self-Sufficient, and Build the Homestead of Your Dreams [https://resources.thetinylife.com/store/off-grid-living/].” He graciously gave us an hour of time to talk through the book and compare off-grid notes. Check out the video or audio, and of course, order a copy of the book [https://resources.thetinylife.com/store/off-grid-living/]! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe [https://www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

DIY Off Grid in 2025: Using AI and Your Own Intelligence Too

In the overdue return of the Our Uncertain Future pod, Johanna and Eric talk about building and living off-grid and doing it DIY in the age of AI. For a little more practical off grid DIY philosophy also check out this recent post: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe [https://www.ouruncertainfuture.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]