Tina’s Personal Example

When I was in my late 20s to early 30s, and I had already accepted the fact that my livelihood was not going to come from a systemic solution, I knew I had to carve my own path and allow my imagination to flourish. No conventional job would give me joy. There wasn’t a livelihood […]

Exercise 1: Design your morning routine

If you don’t have a morning routine, you don’t know what you’re missing! It’s such a good opportunity to start a self-care morning routine, because this sends the signal to your system that YOU are your priority and that will start becoming a habit in your daily life.  I incorporate things that make me feel […]

Exercise 3: Your PERSONAL VISION

Draw the following shape in your journal or transfer it into your Playbook. Label each quadrant with the titles below (scroll down to see the 4 quadrants listed), and answer the questions posed in each section. The answers will help to shape your vision. Write what comes from your heart. Combine your answers into one […]

Exercise 2: Compost!

If you are not composting already, perhaps it’s time to start! Whether you are living in an apartment block or have a back yard, composting is easy in a pot or a small hand-made structure in your back yard. Or simply start piling the materials in layers (brown – green – soil) or even simpler […]

Exercise 1: Personal Ecosystem Map

Draw yourself in the centre of a page. Around you, place all your inputs (needs: income, community, nature, healthcare, stimulation) and outputs (offers: skills, creativity, energy, care). Draw lines between anything that could connect. How many connections can you make? Here is my example:

Your personal starting point assessment

Before you dive into the course content, it helps to know where you are starting from. People come to this course from very different places: some are early dreamers who have just begun to wonder if countryside life is possible; others are actively planning and already making concrete preparations; and some are nearly ready to […]

Exercise 4: The 10–20 Person Countryside Ecosystem

Imagine a small community of 10–20 people in your future countryside life. What does each person contribute? How do their needs and offers interconnect to create a self-sustaining ecosystem? What role do you play? Draw it as a web, a map, or a written description.

Exercise 1: Create your gratitude ritual

Rituals are deep in our DNA, which means you will remember what you need to do (for yourself) when you give yourself enough space. You don’t have to work it all out now. Remember that everything I suggest is just that: a suggestion, a proposal. So if you are not ready to do this yet, […]

Exercise 3: People Care Conversation

If you have a partner who is hesitant, or a family member who is uncertain, invite them into a gentle, non-pressured conversation this week. Not to convince – to listen. Ask them what their concerns are. What would they need to feel safe? What do they love about their current life that they are afraid […]

Exercise 2: Design from Pattern

Write one paragraph describing the big-picture pattern of your ideal livelihood – its feeling, rhythm, and values – before you choose any specific activity or job title. Ask: what feeling do I want work to give me? What rhythm? What relationship to people, to time, to the land?