Episode 9-Callie North

Transcript:

Sam 0:12

Hello and welcome to Episode Nine of the alone podcast. Before we get started tonight, I've got a quick item of business and more housekeeping to take care of. So we have received a another review for the show through Apple podcasts. Before I read this one, I just want to take a moment. And first thank everyone who's listening to the show, as well as thank those who are taking the time to leave these reviews on Apple podcasts. It's super fun for me to get to hear what everyone's thinking and feeling and what people are experiencing as they listen to the show and listen to this project. So we will read this one. This is from Steph, doula. And Steph doula says the only thing I would change about this show is that I wouldn't have to wait a week for the next one. It's fantastic. I've loved getting to know each of the contestants on a deeper level. So thank you, Steph, doula for that. I appreciate the constructive criticism. Unfortunately, you know, this, this show started out as being something I was hoping to do one a month. And so I don't know that we'll see more than one a week episodes. But I appreciate you taking the time to leave that review and just grateful again, for everyone who's listening. So tonight's guest is Kelly North Kelly was a participant on season three of alone in Patagonia. You know, for me, I guess I don't need to say too much. I think most people are fairly familiar with Callie, and with her experience on the show and who she is. So Kelly, thank you for coming on. And welcome to the show.

Callie North 1:42

Thanks for having me, Sam. It's nice to be here.

Sam 1:43

Yeah, of course. And for about half the episodes, I've started off with kind of an easier question. And so tonight, I was watching kind of back through your clips on the show, just making sure that I remembered everything and made sure I wasn't anything want to talk about or any you know, just just jogging my memory, I guess. And we were watching with our six year old and she was watching you build your shelter and was just blown away like dead? Did she make that? Yes, she is. You're you're watching her makeup right now. And she was all excited about that. And she looked and was asking me, you know, I wonder how much practice it took her to be able to make that shelter. And I looked at it. I said, Well, I'm talking to her tonight. Would you like me to ask her that question? So Callie, the first question for you tonight. comes from my six year old Sarah. And she's wondering how much practice it took to be able to build a shelter like you did in Patagonia?

Callie North 2:39

Yeah, it's a great question, Sarah. And I think everybody's approach to building their shelter is different for me, I definitely went in with a clear plan, I had help from a couple friends. Certainly some of the credit needs to go to Lucas from season one, Lucas Miller, who's a friend of mine, and he gave me some of the basic idea for for the shelter. Nathan, who was on a later season, season six lives on the island where I live. And as a friend of mine, and he helped me do a lot of prep, oh, I had to do a lot of kind of crunching of some skills. And he supported me in that. And so we set the shelter on my land, not fully, but got kind of a basic overview. So I could go in and have as much clarity about what I wanted to do. So I still have the skeleton of my original practice shelter set up on our property.

Sam 3:41

That's super cool. It's it's cool to hear how kind of these the friendships and the camaraderie, you know, has kind of started people's journeys on the show and how it's continued after the show. It's It's just neat to hear kind of these little things about how tight the group is and how helpful and supportive everyone is, you know, I think for me, I try and use the word participant as much as I possibly can instead of contestant because it seems like it's more, you know, everyone is participating in a thing kind of together, as opposed to competing against one another.

Callie North 4:15

Absolutely. Yeah, it's a really, it's a really supportive group. And it's it's such an incredibly unique experience that there certainly is a bonding over all sorts of aspects of the show, including, you know, shared trauma shared joy, and yeah, it's hard to pin as well, because for everybody going out there. I mean, it's different for everybody. Some people it's a contest, some some people, it's just an experience. So

Sam 4:41

yeah, well, I think to get started on I guess on our next question is, you know, for me as I've kind of looked at your stuff and just followed who you are and what you're doing today, you have a very close connection to to the earth and to the land. So I guess I'm just kidding. As of where that started for you and and your living, it's kind of hard to say like a, an alternative lifestyle or not common one. Because really that's, you know, that's where we all came from. But when did you decide that the typical deal wasn't? wasn't for you? Yeah, I,

Callie North 5:19

you know, I grew up on the island where I live, it's, it's called, it's currently called Lopez Island. It's unseeded Coast Salish territory off the coast of Washington State. And I moved back when I was 21. But my path to leading me back, which took me around the world. But I would say before that growing up, you know, we always lived a more and based lifestyle, but not as heavily as I do now. So you know, we always entered in and grew some amount of our food. And there's a lot of elements of living with the land that were integrated, you know, having a wood stove, using plant medicine, things now that I look back on as being a little bit more of a unique experience. But it wasn't until I returned back from four years of traveling, that I moved into the cabin, where I live now. And I've lived for 12 years, and really deepened in my connection with it when I the cabin, and it was my grandparents land. They never lived there. But it was just a small off grid cabin that they had on 20 acres, that they would come up in the summer to visit my mom and aunt and and our family up there. But it was very, I mean, the amenities and was nothing you know, there was no, absolutely no water, no electricity, just really bare bones, no garden, no nothing. It was just a tiny cabin plopped in the middle of the forest. And so when I moved up there, that experience was completely brand new for me. I had never, I'd done lots of camping and time out in the wilderness, but I'd never lived like that. And so it was a huge adjustment. Certain aspects in particular, like I remember when I first moved up, really struggling with the darkness and how Yeah, that was something that really stood out to me was how living without electricity, especially as I went into the winter months, because back then I was just using candles. So that was certainly certainly a unexperienced that really threw me into the room into the lifestyle of land based living. And over the years, I really attribute my relationship with that piece of land in particular, as being, you know, the catalyst and this huge teacher for me and reconnecting and connecting deeper with land based living. And over the years, you know, we've put gardens and then once Randy, my partner, who was also on the show, moved on to the land thinks the amenity situation went through the roof. So now we have a super dial, solar system, you know, grabbing the water from the pond. And for, you know, the better part of a decade I lived with very little, which was the kind of basis of my skill set for going on alone. It wasn't so much of it wasn't the bushcraft stuff at all. Like I said, the beginning I had to do a lot of crunching of the basic skills and made me with that, because my skill set was more just being comfortable. living by myself in the woods and using my creativity and ingenuity to problem solve.

Sam 8:43

Well, and ironically, I think the the the living alone, by oneself in the woods tends to be one of the big factors of alone. So you had lots of perfect preparation for the part that is the hardest to prepare for. Which is pretty cool and unique for you. You You mentioned that you had traveled the world for it sounds like a period of time. A couple of four years. It sounds like Right,

Callie North 9:11

yeah, that was kind of a four year stretch. But I've had a lot I went to was really privileged to go to alternative private schools my whole life. My mom really she was a single mom, but she prioritized our our schooling and did everything she could to make that happen for us. And so I I went to alternative private schools, including my middle and high school was a school that was based around international travel. And so the third quarter of every year was taken to go on trips. When you're younger, it was more hiking backpacking trips, and then you once you got into high school, it was doing trips abroad. That kind of set the the tone for my love of travel. And then after high school, I left and did yeah did for years and then as an adult, I've been able to take a lot of a lot of trips to and travel has really shaped my, my experience as a person.

Sam 10:10

And so I guess as I'm hearing those it sounds like even deeper, you're your mom, she sounds like an awesome person and sounds like someone who has really tried to provide experiences and expand horizons and and so it sounds like a lot of where you are today comes from her. Can you maybe talk about her a little bit and what her philosophies are and what helped her to decide to put you in certain types of schools and, and to be supportive and teach you these things. I'm assuming like, does the plant medicine and that connection come from her as well?

Callie North 10:44

Yeah, my mom is a wonderful person. And it really comes from her family, our family, my grandparents, her parents. We're just unbelievably remarkable people and really, totally unique for their their time. They, they both were explorers, and adventures and began traveling and living abroad. Together with their five children from a super young age. And they lived on every continent, they were mountain climbers, they were hired explorers to go up to the Arctic and things like that. My grandpa was a mountain climber and explorer. And my grandma was tiring for him to come back. So she just started joining him on on his adventure. So we grew up with a very adventurous Emily. And so my mom certainly, along with our, our big and close family helped instill those principles of adventure and our family motto is really don't wait. That's the kind of sums it up just the idea of whatever it is you want to weigh whatever it is you want to do in life, don't don't wait for the perfect day, the perfect weather the for all the cards to to align, just go out and do it. And so I probably more than any of the other grandchildren really took after my grandparents love of adventure and unusual experiences.

Sam 12:22

That's awesome. It's, I mean, obviously, you you live a wonderful life. And I think a lot of people, you know, would, would think it's just a life of nothing but adventure. I'm sure it's a life of a lot of really hard work, and a lot of challenge. But it's great that your parents and really for you looking at your grandparents, and you followed their example as well, which is something I want to get into when you talk about your grandparents. You know, as we kind of were looking through some of your stuff, it seems like your history, I think Scottish and Irish, kind of combined, there is something that's really important to you and to your family and has shaped a lot of of who you are. Can you talk some more about that as well?

Callie North 13:04

Yeah, so my, we were raised with a very, very huge Scottish influence. My grandpa, his, his, his surname is doable. And he was very, very proud of his Scottish heritage and and that played a pretty significant role in our family. And we, especially my mom, my grandma and I just have such a strong connection to Scotland. My grandparents lived in Scotland for a year, and then ended up going back every year for 15 years for part of the year or four months every year. So we went visited them and then as an adult, I've gone back and for my mom, my grandma and I, we have all just hold a really deep spiritual connection to the lamb there. And so, you know, I was raised with that as kind of being the main heritage ancestral piece, but as, as I got older, I really started deepening in with my Irish connection and I lived in Ireland for a year and was able to go back to some of our ancestral or ancestral lands, my grandmother's grandmother came over from during the potato famine from Ireland and so our direct maternal line comes from comes from Donegal and Ireland and and so it's been it's been fun getting to explore other sides of my heritage beyond the the Scottish side though I do still hold that side very dear.

Sam 14:56

Kind of an interesting mix to to have and hopefully that the two sides don't meet each other in the wrong time. Is that kind of how that goes?

Callie North 15:07

Yeah, I mean, it's all you know, I mean, I think it's all

Sam 15:12

it's all we're all good, all

Callie North 15:13

good. I certainly, I certainly I think it's more the English that has the, which I certainly have a quite a bit of too. But that's the side that's more controversial.

Sam 15:25

Well, I'm right there with you. So is, you know, in talking that is, we were looking through some of your stuff as well, you and, you know, we saw videos of you and your brother dancing jigs and, and you're very musical, and you're using, obviously some of that, that ancestry to influence your music today. But, I mean, incredibly artistic and musical singing instruments. So where does that come? And what kind of role does that play in your life? I mean, certainly on the show, you know, we saw that instruments and music were important there. Where did that come from? Are you self taught? Or did you learn that in school

Callie North 16:00

that also came from my family on my mom's side, my grandparents, they were a part of the the peace movement in the the 40s and 50s. And up through my, my grandma worked for the world against war council all the way up, you know, for for the bulk of her life. But the root of that movement in the the 40s 50s was the folk music era, Pete Seeger, the weavers, Lee Hey, is that era of, of music that really set the stage for a lot of artists to follow, like, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, that then were, you know, inspirations for the, the music movements of the 60s 70s, Crosby, Stills and Nash and so on. But my grandparents had a very strong relationship to the early folk music and so our family of which I have a very large, extended family that all lives in the Seattle area, we gather many times a year and music was a fundamental piece of those gatherings still is my grandma actually just passed away a couple weeks ago at 96. And at her her passing a both her and my grandpa's passing our family gathered and singing the old songs and but so that would that was the foundation and my mom's a musician and studied music. So it's always just been a part of the the deeper fabric of my my life.

Sam 17:42

Yeah, it's the obviously the song your your Patagonia song that you sang, and then you it's I think it was you, your mom and your brother had had read done. You're really good. Like your, your you and your family. You sound really good when you sing and your instruments and you're playing. Did you? I'm assuming? Did you do more of that on Alone than then hit the camera? And was that something that kind of helped you through your time there? Or did it not really, that it played the exact role that they showed on the show, which wasn't a ton of time?

Callie North 18:17

Well, first, thank you. I appreciate that. That compliment and yeah, I mean, it was it was huge. I think for for a lot of us out there the singing You know, I mean, the being able to talk out loud I was just listening to Mike Mike Lowe's interview and he was sharing his experience of being able to talk out loud with his God and and how just helpful that was. And I mean, I felt the same with being able to talk out loud even just to myself, but this singing was so crucial. And yeah, I wrote just countless songs and and also just, you know, saying really familiar songs that just helped keep the spirits up. And then once I made my instrument, I was able to play that and write a lot of music on that and yeah, they showed just I mean, they're only able to show so little but but yeah, that was definitely a huge piece.

Sam 19:16

So are we going to have a made in Patagonia album coming out at some point with all your your songs? You're down there?

Callie North 19:24

Oh, I don't know. Maybe someday

Sam 19:30

you you should add it to the list. Yeah, right. When you one of these days when you have time and all of your spare time. You can go ahead and get that album recorded.

Callie North 19:39

It'd be a very, very niche album for alone fans.

Sam 19:45

What kind of stuff are you are you singing and writing about?

Callie North 19:49

Oh, I mean, just I mean everything from goofy to serious and and you know, cheesy and I remember are on I think it was on the latest season on season eight Beco was talking about how he had, I think it was he had talked about with his partner about how they, they would look at the moon and no, they were looking at the same mode. And I had this very cheesy song that I would sing and see if I can bring it back but it was it was just about that same thing I would think about like, was like it's the same moon is the same moon is this same moon but different stars. I'm thinking of you wherever you are. So just you know, whatever little ditties but but I totally forgot about that song till Beco had I'm pretty sure it's Beco had brought up brought up his experience of talking about looking at the same

Sam 20:53

Yeah I'm pretty sure that was Beco and it's funny I was I was going to lead off with the with a question of if you and Beco we're gonna go on tour together at any point in time but then obviously Sarah came up with a much better introductory question maybe you can can

Callie North 21:11

well we don't I'm not really connected with Beco I always messaged a little bit on Instagram but both Randy and I we just love to be go we we only get like I have yet to kind of fully watch any season. In its entirety. I feel like we end up watching like the first four episodes and then we watch the finale for whatever reason. But But Randy and I are both just obsessed with Vigo so Randy wants to do his own spin off show would be go and I don't even know. But yes because we're we're Beco fans so you go

Sam 21:53

well. There you go Beco they are fans and get in touch with Randy apparently. Everyone you heard it here first. So we've we've thrown we've thrown that name out there a few times. So I guess it's probably time to mention Randy and kind of go into that if we can. So Randy was on, man, I haven't done homework was it? One, one

Callie North 22:18

and four. He was on season two and Spider Man

Sam 22:21

five. Okay. So yeah, Randy was from season two and five. And yeah, Randy. And Callie, you guys have a child together now. And do you want to talk about about how that happened? I mean, not the child, obviously. But

Callie North 22:38

yeah. So yeah, Randy. I mean, it's just, you know, the alone experience. has, you know, I've said it so many times, but it was truly the greatest gift of my life. And it I mean, it just, it set my life on the course it's on now, which I mean, I'm still living in the same place and kind of doing the same thing on a more rudimentary level. But everything else that's come into my life since then, has just been so incredible. And including Randy, and our baby. And so Randy, we we so Season Two aired, we only there's maybe one or two episodes, we saw off season two, before we went out to Patagonia. I think we even watched as a group down in Patagonia, we watched like, maybe the third episode of or something before we went out. And so I didn't you know, Randy was kind of in my Yeah, I just, you know, he we didn't connect until after, after my season aired and, and then we were just, you know, sent a few messages back and forth on Instagram, but it was after season five, aired, that. I was watching season five with my mom and a very close friend of mine who supported me in my shop through my lone experience and we were watching and then Randy came on the screen and he was like, you know, he was like in his underwear. Building his log cabin. I was

Sam 24:25

thinking this guy's direction

Callie North 24:30

and and my friend turns to me was like, wow, that guy's a hunk and he's like that guy is a hunk. And then I I wrote him I think that night and I literally just wrote him and said, You are a hunk. And and then and then I said something I Dead serious. Something like if you ever want to move up to the woods and make survival babies You know, let me know how we were

Sam 25:02

just asking around.

Callie North 25:06

Yes, I always say like the the poet Rumi says you must ask for what you really want. So, and at that point I was, I was in a place of really ready to draw in a partner and, and so, and he wrote back and was like, Haha, you know, making me blush and and then basically it was just it was it was all was all history from there but but what's pretty cool about the whole thing is I when I was out on Alone, I really I was really in a clear space about wanting I mean, I've always known I've wanted to have a family and a part of my time on Alone was really about you know, getting into a space of being able to do a lot of personal work seeing the kind of work that I wanted to, to do to be able to be in a really clear space to draw in the partner that I wanted to draw in. And looking at past relationship patterns, and, you know, some of my deeper wounding things like that, that I just wanted to, to that I had been on a path of working on but wanting to get clear on and, and really do some clearing and, and then out there I you know, I was in kind of a constant state of ceremony. But I did some different personal ceremonies and one of the ceremonies I did was really calling upon my future children to, to help draw in the person that they wanted me to have kids with, so calling on their spirits to help me to help me draw in. And when I was out there, I had a I mean, the dreams that you have out there are really wild often they're like, food dreams, but sometimes there'd be something more profound. And I had this dream, where I was standing at on like the bank of the river, where I got my spot and, and our yellow brick, which was like our GPS tracker that they give us that they check in with, like pre programmed messages, and every morning and evening, that's how they kind of track that you're still alive. They send you a message, and you have to respond with a pre programmed message like okay, and it makes this just, like really terrible. beeping noise. Yes, just gets embedded in your psyche. And so you said

Sam 27:43

it was like, oh my goodness, I remember that. From some of the episodes. There's like this heinous, terrible noise anyways, continue.

Callie North 27:51

Yeah, and so it's like, and when you first are out there, it's like, I would be hallucinating. That'd be hearing the beeping. But so in this dream, I'm standing by the river. And my GPS tracker goes off and it's making the beeping noise. And I and I read on the screen and I knowing it's coming from some like, you know, my future partner, and it says, someday when the time is right, we will have a beautiful daughter. And a big makes me makes me choke up. Because now, you know, it was it was two years after I came back from alone that Randy and I that Randy and I got together and then it would it was three years after that we had our, our daughter river. And she was born this summer at our home and she's just incredible. And and it's just such a, you know, such a blessing for both of us. And and yeah, so it's a really great origin story for, for us and for her and get to share in that that whole alone experience. And

Sam 29:06

yeah, that's super neat. And don't don't mind checking out because I'm over here. Oh, yeah. You know, I mentioned one of the conversations, you know, I wear my emotions on my sleeve. And, and it's funny, I guess, for those out there that are, you know, thinking about that experience. So for me, Michelle, and I, you know, we had kind of a similar experience and not to get too personal in my life, because we're all here for Callie and everyone else, but just to kind of, I guess to share for those out there that you know, that experience. I think that's fantastic. Because for me, you know, I had gone on a two year spiritual journey and was, you know, doing spiritual service basically for two years. And my time was starting to wrap up and I knew I was going to be coming home. And I was so involved in what I was doing that I wasn't even thinking about. was happening in the future, right or, you know, a future family or anything else. And I was just, you know, hanging out in my my house where my place one day and just had this very, like, super clear, you know, the person you will end up with is, you know, meets X y&z character traits and like, this is basically who they are, like, wow, I wasn't looking for them, but okay. You know, and of course, that kind of puts wonder, like, okay, so I, you know, it was basically I knew who the person was, it was like, I, you know, this person already, you've already met, they're already in your life. And then you know, all these different things, like, basically exactly who this person was, and I for the life, we couldn't figure it out, man, what is going on here? And then, you know, I don't even know, nine months later, Michelle and I reconnected. And it was very quickly like, Oh, my goodness, you know, and so I, I, I hear your story. And I feel your story. Because, you know, we it was kind of similar in a way of just that, that knowing of, you know, I don't know, it's, you can't describe the experience, I guess.

Callie North 31:11

Yeah, yeah. And all the steps in our lives that lit that lead us up to that, that point, all the I mean, it's like, you could trace back to the beginning, but I think about all the, I mean, for me, you know, the whole experience of signing up for Alone, it was just everything was so you know, for lack of a better word, cosmically timed, and in such alignment with all these little, little pieces that that got us there. And, you know, and I don't know if it was for any one specific outcome, if it was to bring our, our children into the world, or just to, you know, but it's, it's amazing how, how, you know, you can look back and trace the steps that got us to this point.

Sam 31:57

Yeah, it's an Yeah, for us, we have kind of a couple of those as well, I mean, with with different school things and, and, you know, parents of friends, force, it's just, it's a, it's a long, funny story, but it is kind of weird when you when you stop and and look at your life, and you have, you have some seminal experience in your life. And then when you start tracking back all of the decisions that not even decisions, all of the things that had happened in your life, to make that one moment happen. And then to think that there's other players involved on the other side. It's, it's, it's pretty mind blowing when you stop and do that exercise. You know, there's, there's, yeah, no, I can't even describe it. But it was I wanted to talk about how, obviously, your life has changed dramatically since you've been home from Alone from Patagonia. But can you talk a little bit about how that experience changed your life? Obviously, you you've we've just talked about how you were there, and you did a lot of finding of yourself and those types of things. But can you talk about how your maybe experience with the land and your viewpoints on life have have changed and been altered by your time being alone and being that dependent on on the earth for your existence?

Callie North 33:29

Yeah, it was a really, I mean, that experience of, of, you know, not only just relying on yourself, and the land for all your needs, I mean, it's really, it's a, it's a cooperative experience. It's not just, you know, you have to really put all your, your faith in the land and, and then hope that you will receive the nourishment and the protection and the, everything that you need. And that was a really, you know, that was something that that came intuitively for me because of my experience of living, of living close to the land in my cabin, but it was a whole other experience to do it with just, you know, minimal tools and, you know, in a, in a new environment and, and not having any, you know, backup beyond, beyond having to leave the experience. So, you know, there was a number of kind of tests that I went through up there that with the land, you know, including like dealing with my spider bites and having to rely on medicine, but ultimately it just affirmed for me what I you know, know in my heart of hearts, which is, you know, we are a part of the earth and, and the land and nature and not separate from it and when we find ourselves in a space of work of working with the land and not against it, a lot of you know, wonderful things come from it, and I felt very cared for very safe, very protected. I felt like I received, you know, gifts in the form of food and medicine and, and awarenesses and, and so, you know, there was a lot of challenges that came from the experience, but ultimately, it's, you know, it was just such a gift. And, you know, I think one of the biggest, the biggest takeaways for me through that experience, you know, I had to shed a lot, it was a lot of ego death. And, and I had to let go of a lot of attachment, in particular to winning, I went in with just such a huge pressure, self imposed pressure to to win. And I, it was hindering my ability to have the experience that I felt like I ultimately went out there to have, even if I wasn't as conscious of it. And so the moment I was able to let go of that, that attachment, I was able to really kind of shift shift the way that I showed up, spiritually and emotionally. And so one of my biggest takeaways from that whole experience was, was the the gift of, of letting go of attachment to outcomes and expectations. And I have carried that with me. So through so many things beyond beyond that, that time, another huge gift that came, I mean, just on the heels of my grandma passing here, I, one of the biggest awarenesses that I got out of that was, everything becomes so clear, focused, and I had so much sadness and regret around how many times I had not been present with the people I love, even when I was in their presence, how I was distracted, or I chose to, you know, like, I had this memory of being on the beach with my grandma in on Kowai. And she, she was sitting on the beach and by herself and I was sitting up on a table, and I was just really preoccupied with some, you know, unimportant thought that I wanted to write in my journal. And instead of going and sitting with her on the beach, I decided to sit and write in my journal, and out there on alone. I mean, it was, you know, something that might not have had that much impact.

You know, when when you have all these other distractions to think about, but out there, it was so crystal clear, I just remember weeping, I mean, sobbing, that I didn't go down and sit with her. And so I made this commitment when I came back to change the way that I was present with the people who's, you know, the people I love most and the people whose time felt limited to me. So, you know, my niece and nephew, my brother's kids who I'm really close with who were young, young kids, they're kind of preteens now, but, and then my grandma, and so for the last five years, I just, I made a commitment to just be as present with, with them and my grandma was able to, to just, you know, kind of become somewhat of a caretaker for her and, and, and then when I was with her just be super present, and I keep using that word, but that's, that's the only way to really describe it. And, and because of that, you know, she just, we were just with her at her passing River and I were by her side and and I knew that after she went, I wouldn't carry you know, it's it's still from somewhat of a selfish place, but I felt like I could I could, I could carry on knowing that I had, I had been as present with her as I could possibly be. And it was of course a gift to her to to be able to have us around in those those final years. So

Sam 39:22

yeah, that's, that was a long tangent. No, that's not a tangent at all. You know, i I'll i set it to Larry and I'll say it to you. You I asked you guys to come on to hear those tangents. Right. I think that's what what people are so interested in but what a huge blessing to come from that experience of really a painful experience, right? I think for it's a it's an acquired taste, to enjoy, or to appreciate, I guess I should say is probably the better word but it's a it's a developed thing to be able to appreciate that introspection or those times. When, when our maybe shortcomings are not even a shortcoming. But where something is shown to us that we could do differently. So, a blessing for you to experience that. And then, you know, now, when you look back on the last five years with your grandmother, you know, obviously, it's still sad, but it seems like you were able to get what you needed with her in that time, because of that pain that you experienced, as you got to see those aspects. I don't know if I'm describing that. Well, for people, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's, I don't know that that's really missing. Neat, that's neat, that, that something's so good for you was able to come from that pain that you felt

Callie North 40:48

totally, and I think that that's one of the and, and good for all of us. It was, you know, it was a gift for my grandmother and my mom and, and all of us to be so close in this time. And, and, and I, you know, it is, I think that's one of the parts of the experience of alone, that is very difficult to convey through the television. And, and you see that come up in the form of, you know, a lot of online judgment, things like that, when they you know, seeing people having these, these emotional experiences that seem, often those experiences come with the longevity of being out there, or even, you know, it can show up right away. I mean, like, with Mike's interview talking about how his heart pains of missing his, his wife, you know, that showed up, you know, kind of unexpectedly right away when he was out there, and, and you just don't know what's going to come up for you. And, you know, for some people. It, it is, it's profoundly life changing. And I think for all of us, the awarenesses that we have out there are, are very life changing, and if we can integrate those experiences, they can have lasting impacts. Sometimes they're too much, you know, and, and they get shut down or they don't want to be looked at, but if they can be integrated back into our lives, they can, you know, they can change the future for for us and those we love.

Sam 42:21

Yeah, it's, it's funny, it's hard to it's hard to see that, right, in the we're in the middle of the thick of it, but it's neat how at some point those experiences come back and how they're beneficial and how we can see okay, you know, I, I can do this. You mentioned mean people online, we won't spend too much time there. But it's funny actually spent any time there really, but it's funny for me as I've gotten to talk to so many of you now. And you know, I'm kind of a funny person. For me, I have one conversation with someone I'm like, oh, yeah, that's my friend, you know. And so I just, I walk around and I view like, everyone in the world is my friends. And so I you know, for me, I feel like hey, I've got, you know, a handful of friends that were on the lunch show. That's pretty cool. But I find myself when I see even still, I don't understand why, why people are still like, so critical online. But I find myself having like an emotional response of like, Hey, that's my friend you're talking about they're there. They're awesome. Like you should get to know them and and you'll realize that you're way off base. So I can't imagine what that's like being on your end for me. I'm just, you know, talk to you guys for an hour and then I'm like, already bristling in defensive. What do you see people? Oh,

Callie North 43:40

I know. And it's, it's, some people do a lot better with it. You know, some people are a lot more water off the back about it. Certainly people who had experiences before going on the show, like they people who were on YouTube or things like that, that had experiences with withdrawals. But, you know, I found it and still find it difficult. In particular, just like you're saying, I mean, I struggled with it with myself when it first came out. Especially because our season aired just a few months after we got back so it's so raw and instil in such a space of processing my own journey that when it came out and having to deal with people's people's responses, good and bad, it was just so overwhelming. But now I feel Yeah, the defensiveness of, of other contestants come out. And I know Megan talked about that a little bit. And we've we've gotten, you know, there's like, we both try to do our best to avoid it. But sometimes we find ourselves find ourselves coming to the defense because, you know, and we all know it's like it's not it's not it's of course it's not personal. Yeah, it can't be you know, how could it be? I can't be and people just you know, people troll every any thing that they can and it certainly is, is a reflection of where that person is at and their own experience. But but it's yeah, it's its own thing, and one that you can't prepare yourself for. Because even though people say, Oh, well, you signed up to be on TV, and that's what that's what comes along with the territory, it's like, the experience of being on TV is entirely abstract until you had it, and then it's, and then it's this whole thing, and you just can't know what that experience is. Until you've been in it, and nobody can prepare you for it. And especially when you are putting something out there, that's so personal and so raw and so vulnerable. It is difficult to and I'm a super curious person, so I wanted to read all the, the, you know, the good and the bad that people had to say, and, and eventually, I just had to stop because I just got too, too overwhelmed.

Sam 46:01

Yeah, you know, when I was the when Megan mentioned that there were people saying that the women of season three had like the easiest locations. Like man, how do you not just like, I don't know, I don't I don't understand. I don't understand people, Kelly, I just don't. But I wanted to point this out, too. So Beco trolls are great. You know, not all trolls are a bad Oh, yes. Well, well, we'll let him Will it be go set the record straight on that here in a couple of weeks, hopefully. But yes, we're gonna I want to kind of backtrack, we're gonna go, we're gonna rewind here, like, like 10 minutes you had mentioned is you're talking about that experience of right before we were talking about that experience of remembering that moment, in Hawaii with your grandmother and writing in your journal, which, by the way, I mean, writing your journal, that's a fantastic thing to do. So it's not like you were, you know, messing around on your phone on Facebook or something. But you had mentioned that there were, you know, other challenges that kind of came from your experience on the show? Is that something that you you can kind of expand on a little bit?

Callie North 47:12

Yeah, I mean, certainly the most challenging piece of the experience for me was the the integration back in Megan mentioned it but we didn't have any refeeding program at all they a lot because of our season and kind of what a of a shit show it was the US coming back they have I mean it's it's night and day and I really am I'm grateful to production for changing it but it doesn't it doesn't mitigate what we went through which was really traumatic in terms of having just absolutely no support when we when we came out of the field in terms of food they did eventually like fly a psychologist down to be with us because I had like a full panic attack that was really brought on by lack of sleep and like too much sugar and and but I mean when we came out they took like the day I came out I mean this is you know two and a half months of of being in the wilderness alone I lost you know, almost 30 pounds off of you know a not very large frame and and probably taking in 500 calories a day you know took me straight to a grocery store told me to get anything I wanted and then dropped me off alone in a this large kind of like we were just in the middle of nowhere so it was but it was on this billionaires property so there's this old like it literally was like the shining house it was this ginormous kind of I don't even know how to describe it. It had this large center room with these wings that had like rooms in it so they dropped me off by myself all this food and just left and and you know and they came back the next day to check on us and and then I ended up that next day. So the day after you know I just gorge to the point of throwing up and I mean there's no control and over what you're eating at all it doesn't matter if you have you know and I felt like I went in with you know knowledge of Oh yes. And this is what you'd want to eat when you come back and that's out the window. You know, you just the survival brain is on and you're gorging yourself and and then the next day I was in a minor car accident with one of the production assistant who was driving. It was just the whole thing was just disaster. And I was very, very upset because I left on this totally high note, I was felt like I was on top of the world and I had completed something this, like, huge journey. And then I came back and I felt like all of it, all the doors of awareness, all that everything just like shut down, like a bolt door just slammed shut. And I was thrown into this just very difficult integration period. And, and, and it was kind of awful. But ultimately, you know, that was a part of the experience as well and has helped. You know, it, production was really great about listening to feedback. And, of course, nothing that they did was intentional, it was just really came out of a lack of kind of, you know, common sense about what somebody would need in that experience. And our season went on, you know, longer than previous seasons. And so, it just was, you know, since then they've changed it and made and, and really made it a lot better about integration experience for people and, and, of course, just going through any hard experience has, has strengthened my resilience and, and I've been able to learn from that as well. And so I don't have any I, I did, but I don't have any hard feelings. And I really, I really, you know, I just see it as a part of the, as a part of the journey too.

Sam 51:47

Yeah, I mean, if you think about it, too, like, as I've, you know, because there's a lot of this stuff that for me, like, I obviously love the show, but you don't just, you know, think about it. It's like, you know, it's, it's, there hasn't really been something where we've willingly said, Hi, we're gonna, you know, put people through this experience for however long they can last. I mean, you know, it's the type of stuff that people typically are doing. Forced, and things you read about in books from a long time ago. Right. And so it is kind of interesting to think that, you know, I mean, we just, in a lot of ways, just didn't know, didn't even think to think about certain things. Because, I mean, it was kind of paving, paving a way in some sense, it seems like, with how extreme the experience really ends up being, you know, mentally and emotionally and physically.

Callie North 52:39

Yeah, absolutely. No, I mean, it's, it's an evolving, it's an evolving show, and it's really authentic. The experience, there's no, you know, there's no doubt about that, and it's totally brand new, the brand new thing, for, you know, reality television to go that far, in terms of its,

Sam 53:00

its authenticity, kind of kind of really are just

Callie North 53:03

kind of dropped out there. And, and, and it really, I mean, it's yeah, I remember one of our producers, before we went out, saying something about like, even then, to that point where it was so much less extreme, and it's gotten now, you know, making some comments around knots. I can't remember, I'm gonna say it wrong, and it's gonna frame them in something around that he was surprised nobody had died yet. And not that they, I mean, they're obviously taking as much steps as they can to make sure that doesn't happen, because that would obviously not be, that would be the end of it, but and just disaster, but but it is one of those experiences where you very likely could, you know, I mean, it's like, with this new season with the grizzly bears, it's like, and that's what we sign up for. And that's actually a really pretty amazing piece of it is I wouldn't want to go on any other experience than that. I wouldn't want camera crews around and production hiding in the bushes I, I want and I think all of us who go in there want a genuine, authentic experience of what is it like to get dropped in the middle of nowhere and have to survive off the land with just you know, the tools in your bag. And and, you know, they gave us that So ultimately, just nothing but gratitude, nothing but gratitude for for them and that experience no matter what, what you know. Hiccups I had coming back and, and whatnot.

Sam 54:39

Yeah. Well, we're kind of you know, we've I've taken quite a bit of your time and you've shared some awesome experiences and so I kind of want to start to transition and get you back to your family but you have obviously the your plant healing and plant medicine took a huge role in the show. It is something You've mentioned a few different times tonight so far and obviously you're you're, you know, building a business and a livelihood around that. Can you talk about your, your plant medicine and how you've learned and what it means to you and where it comes from? And just kind of give us the whole rundown?

Callie North 55:20

Yeah, so I mentioned a little bit, you know, just having it integrated in the home growing up, I live in a place where it's really integrated into the community and a lot of ways and for you know, most land based communities or, or places, it's, it tends to, you know, which is often rural areas, it tends to be a part of the, the daily life, whether or not people are even conscious of it. But, so, I had, you know, that, that in the household and, and then when I moved back to the land, when I was when I was 21, I started getting more interested in it. And after I started growing food, I kind of started transitioning into growing and gathering herbs and, and started, started crafting medicines and started working with some teachers and, and, and then it was, when I applied to be on the show, I was in the process of opening up business, a shop, and it all kind of came out of the same the same time, it was like a fall, I was working at a farm in California. And in that process, I really dream seeded my business and also learned about, learned about the show and through through a friend was friends with Lucas from season one and, and that's how I met Lucas. And then I ended up sending an email to the show and, and then forgot about it. And then open was opening up my business and and I basically was moving in my business is a herbal apothecary storefront shop, and on the island where I live. So selling herbal medicines, and, and, and kind of all sorts of witchy things and, and so I was in the process of opening up that business when I got the call from the show and, and it was basically I, a friend of mine moved to the island to run the business for me and I opened the doors of the shop and 12 days later left to go on the show. And which is pretty funny for my community because I couldn't tell them, but it was, you know, it wasn't out of character to do something like that. And we just told them I was on an adventure. So my friend really helped kind of Dula the shop into existence. And that first summer while I was gone. Because it was winter, in South America and and then after having the experience of the, the healing of the spider bites out there, and I knew I you know, I knew very clearly if I could work with the plant medicine and see it through, you know, it's not there's time in place for plant medicines, you know, and, and, and I knew that, if it if it was the the time and place for it to be to be successful, that it would have a huge impact on viewers on certainly a certain subject of viewers, and it did. And it was such a gift because for people to see it firsthand to witness how plant medicine can be, you know, incredibly effective and it's, you know, it's a part of all our ancestry all our history, you know, it's that's the root of, of every system of medicine is land based medicine and, and, you know, Western medicine is no different. We just moved into more of a synthetic form of it, but it's you know, it's a part of all our stories, it's everybody's birthright to practice. herbalism and,

and so that experience not only helped me deepen in my own understanding and knowledge, but it helped inspire others. And then from that I was able to continue on with my business and education and where I'm at now with my, you know, an you know, being on a progression of education and self education and working with different teachers and, and having my business and working with people around health I I've been able to really expand my my business into something you know, that's, that's taken its own. Its own shape and, and one of the things that I do, I took on a business partner in 2020, which a very good friend and amazing herbalist Mila, and she, she and I work together in a shop. And we run an herbal CSA, which is kind of one of our biggest focuses, it's like a four times a year subscription box of herbal medicines that are based around the seasons. So it really shifted focus to working with seasonal medicine. And so we were in the fourth year of doing that, and it's just such a, it's like a dream job for me, because I get to just be outside with the seasons and craft a medicine based based on what that season represents. And, and we write a little zine booklet that talks about the medicines and different tips and advice for deepening in with that season and how to use the medicines and, you know, wanting it to be an educational tool. So that's like a big focus of the business now, as well as having the shop and. And then Randy, and I also opened up a little forest school that we've been doing teaching with as well private courses and kids programs, and which was sold a little bit by COVID. But but so that's another outlet that I've gotten into with the plant medicine is moving into more teaching, as well. So yeah, so that's kind of the long and short.

Sam 1:01:31

Where, where can people find I mean, do you have websites for your your storefront for your boxes and for your school?

Callie North 1:01:40

Yeah, so we just opened up our and we only have, we just do a limited number of the boxes. And we just have I think maybe 30 subscriptions left, we just opened up last month, our our subscriptions for 2022. So we so we just have Yeah, as of today, just 30 boxes left for the for or 30 subscriptions left. So if anybody's interested those that's a really great investment in in your health and education around plant medicine.

Sam 1:02:17

For me, I'm getting this news two weeks before everyone else does So lucky for me.

Callie North 1:02:24

Yeah, so there might there might still be a few left, we're gonna do our the one thing we we very much don't like doing is any sort of advertising. We don't like to spam people in any way. But I will plug it here. So if we don't do any big promotion before them, there might still be some left. But our apothecary is called North Sea apothecary. So we're on Instagram, at North Sea apothecary or North Sea apothecary calm. And, and Mila and I both work with she's finished Palestinian. And we both she moved here from Finland 12 years ago or so. And so we both work a lot with ancestral medicine. So she does a lot of Northern European Palestinian medicine and I do a lot of my ancestral you know, Western Isles type medicine. So we try to have a focus more on our, our ancestral medicines. And so and encourage people to explore their, their ancestry through, you know, whether it's skills, or you know, medicine, stuff like that. So, yeah, so North Sea apothecary calm. And then I'm on Instagram too, that I use on and off. And that's at Kelley Blue Heron. So those are kind of the main and then our, our teaching is the forest folks. So that's the forest folks calm.

Sam 1:03:58

Cool. And the teaching, are you focused more on school aged children? Do you do adult stuff? I mean, what what are you doing there?

Callie North 1:04:05

We started, we started the forest folks in late 2019. And then we're running classes with the community. So classes Randy and I were teaching Randy's been a skills a wilderness skills instructor at the boulder outdoor survival school in Utah for 12 years. And so when he moved up here, he really wanted to have an outlet for teaching. He's a really amazing teacher. And I, you know, have been getting into teaching so we were doing a lot of just kind of core skills courses. And then working with other community members to teach but then we totally stopped doing COVID And then the following winter, we started up again doing a Kids Program, which is really amazing because kids were learning on zoom at that time. And so it's just this beautiful reprieve for them to be able to be outside and and then since then, We're kind of just starting to dip our toes back in. So we've done some private courses and just trying to figure out how we can navigate that safely. And so we're, you know, once we kind of get into a more of a groove with the baby and figuring out how we can do that, we want to do some more. Some probably start out with some private courses again. So, yeah, and then, and then hopefully get back into some group group teaching again, as well.

Sam 1:05:29

Cool. Well, I will make sure that I link all of those in the show notes. And we'll get that in in all of our social media stuff for the people that do see that. I'm just noticing that I should probably start paying attention to when you do something major in your life because see, you started your your storefront, and then a couple weeks later, you're gone for a long time doing the alone experience. And then you and Randy started your your school. And then a couple months later, the whole world shuts down. And so your your timing is impeccable. And so I'm going to start using you as my barometer on on big things happening. So then the next time you release something in my life, at least well, I guess, for everybody, yeah. Just say your your, your a barometer of some sort. So I'm going to start taking note of that. But yeah, this has been such a pleasure. Thank you so much for your time. And thank you for sharing your experiences and, and your outlook and your viewpoint on life and just everything that that you've experienced. So before we wrap up, do you have I guess, anything that you want to set the record straight on that we've talked about tonight? Or is there anything that you just last words you want to put out there before we wrap up?

Callie North 1:06:50

Um, no, I don't think so. Yeah, and I've just really appreciated, chatting with you. And, yeah, I just want to encourage everybody to get outside and connect with the land and themselves and apply for the Alone show. If you if you're up for it, I can say that, you know, for me, I, I, I was not, you know, a Jordan Jonas or a Callie Russell. But I you know, in terms of skill sets, so you don't have to be, as you know, that, that learned to go out there and have an experience, a lot of it is around just, you know, creativity, ingenuity and being able to to apply those skills and not to say that Kelly, Kelly, Russell and Jordan, you know, their skill said, help them get as far as they did, and they're amazing people. But, but I more my point is, it's assessable to all sorts of people. So I want to encourage people to, to apply for the show, they are drawn to it, and you never know what can happen.

Sam 1:08:03

That's, that's great. And, you know, I'm just gonna say you're a great human being, because I would have said, just want to encourage all the people out there that think they know everything for the show. So you're, you're a great person. Callie, you are. You're your jam. You're delightful. So thank you again for your time and for your stories. And I'll let you get back to your sweet little family.

Callie North 1:08:26

Thanks so much, Sam. Really appreciate it.

Sam 1:08:28

Thank you and bye

Callie North 1:08:30

bye