MIND, BODY, & SOIL
Humanity and Fire: A Contextual History
with Jordan Thomas

Episode 115: In this episode, Kate sits down with Jordan Thomas to talk about his new book When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World. It might not be the conversation you expect, opening by exploring fire’s centrality to what it is to be human and how relational and contextual fire is. Jordan guides us through the last ten thousand years of fire use by Indigenous communities. Jordan then does a dive into understanding the intertwining of fire and capitalism through the last 300 years, culminating in the last decade or so of megafires, fueled by climate change. Jordan is an anthropologist and former wildland firefighter and while he’s sharing how fire has transformed our world, he also shares how the process of writing this book transformed him, and the joy, grief, trauma, and love he goes through in his search to better understand fire. The conversation winds down talking about prescribed burns and using fire with intention. In the end, Kate and Jordan come back around to relationships and how much they matter in exploring how humanity might once again shift their relationship with fire.
Related Episodes:
Episode 112: Mariah Blake on PFAS, Chemicals in Firefighting
Episode 61: Robbie Krapfel on Fighting Fire
Episode 95: Brock Dolman on Fire, Water, and Beavers
Episode 72: Ben Goldfarb on Beavers, Built and Natural Worlds
Episode 85: John Vaillant on Fire
Episode 93: John Perlin on our Relationship to Wood and Forests
Episode 113: Marguerite Holloway on Our Relationship to Forests
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REDMOND REAL SALT: Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off at Redmond.life
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FIELD COMPANY CAST IRON: fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaugh
BAHÉ FOOTWEAR: Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off.
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Welcome to Mind, Body, and Soil. Join me, Kate Kavanaugh, a farmer, entrepreneur, and holistic nutritionist, as I get curious about human nature, health, and consciousness as viewed through the lens of nature. At its heart, this podcast is about finding the threads of what it means to be humans woven into this earth. I’m digging into deep and raw conversations with truly impactful guests that are laying the ground work for themselves and many generations to come. We dive into topics around farming, grief, biohacking, regenerative agriculture, spirituality, nutrition, and beyond. Get curious and get ready with new episodes every Tuesday!
Episode 115: In this episode, Kate sits down with Jordan Thomas to talk about his new book When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World. It might not be the conversation you expect, opening by exploring fire’s centrality to what it is to be human and how relational and contextual fire is. Jordan guides us through the last ten thousand years of fire use by Indigenous communities. Jordan then does a dive into understanding the intertwining of fire and capitalism through the last 300 years, culminating in the last decade or so of megafires, fueled by climate change. Jordan is an anthropologist and former wildland firefighter and while he’s sharing how fire has transformed our world, he also shares how the process of writing this book transformed him, and the joy, grief, trauma, and love he goes through in his search to better understand fire. The conversation winds down talking about prescribed burns and using fire with intention. In the end, Kate and Jordan come back around to relationships and how much they matter in exploring how humanity might once again shift their relationship with fire.
Jordan’s Book: When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World
Related Episodes:
Episode 112: Mariah Blake on PFAS, Chemicals in Firefighting
Episode 61:Robbie Krapfel on Fighting Fire
Episode 95: Brock Dolman on Fire, Water, and Beavers
Episode 72: Ben Goldfarb on Beavers, Built and Natural Worlds
Episode 85: John Vaillant on Fire
Episode 93: John Perlin on our Relationship to Wood and Forests
Episode 113: Marguerite Holloway on Our Relationship to Forests
Support Kate:
Sponsored By:
REDMOND REAL SALT: Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off at Redmond.life
Affiliates:
FIELD COMPANY CAST IRON: fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaugh
BAHÉ FOOTWEAR: Use the code ‘Kate10’ for 10% off.
HOME OF WOOL: 10% off Home of Wool using code KATEKAVANAUGH
NAMARI ACTIVE WEAR: 10% off using code Kate10
