Ep 120 - Living Outside the Box with Matt Smith (Because Some People Actually Know How to Do Everything)

About this episode

Matt Smith shares his experiences living outside societal norms and building a life from the ground up.

Matt Smith is a fellow yogi from rural Minnesota who makes the rest of us feel like we've been living in bubble wrap our whole lives. He grew up seasonal farm style: spring morel and Chicken of the Woods mushroom foraging, summer Boundary Waters canoeing, winter camping at 38-below (because apparently that's a thing people do for fun), and winter beaver trapping and fur handling. You know, typical Tuesday activities. But wait, there's more. Matt worked wildland firefighting, became a paramedic, and then decided to build his own log house over eight years without taking out any loans. Just learned as he went, recounting close calls with falling trees and a horse accident that probably should've ended differently. Oh, and in his spare time? He built a glamping retreat from scratch. Road, platforms, bathhouse, septic—the whole operation. It's earned over 100 five-star reviews because of course it has. Matt also talks about yoga, self-work, faith, community service, and how he's encouraging his kids to overcome fear and learn actual skills. You know, the kind of skills that matter when the power goes out or you need to, I don't know, survive in the actual world. This conversation is…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ruth Hetland, Dawn Trautman

Guest: Matt Smith

Topics covered

• yoga
• self-work
• community service
• survival skills
• entrepreneurship

Keywords

• yoga
• survival skills
• community service
• entrepreneurship
• log house
• glamping retreat

Mentioned in this episode

Places: rural Minnesota, Boundary Waters

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