October 21, 2022Slow Living

Monique Allen

Today’s guest is Monique Allen, CEO and Creative Director of The Garden Continuum, a landscaping design company that brings the principles of regenerative agriculture to ornamental gardening. The central work of The Garden Continuum is to create outdoor living spaces, both public and private, that draw people out into those spaces and begin to build that reconnection with nature. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how Monique's approach infuses life back into systems and landscapes that have been abused by degenerative practices. You'll hear her explain the difference in a landscape as something pretty to look at, compared with what she calls a “life scape,” or a space that calls you in and actually asks you to interact with nature in an active and participatory way. You’ll also hear about her book, Stop Landscaping, Start Lifescaping. 

Through regenerative gardening, Monique breathes new life into the soil, and through her personalized landscape business coaching she helps clients build a high-integrity business reflecting care for the entire earth community.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podchaser, Podtail, Youtube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Discussed:

  • Monique's journey as a landscape gardener to regenerative ornamental gardening
  • Ornamental gardening means we aren't growing for food  
  • Monique's central work is to draw people outdoors and reconnect them with nature
  • The Lifescape method
  • Straw Hat Park and Pocket Parks
  • Creating a sense of place
  • The Japanese practice of Shinto 
  • How Monique applied regenerative farming practices to her ornamental garden designs and her business
  • Finding inspiration for her book project
  • Operating a hyperlocal business
  • The pricing challenge of regenerative landscaping/ incremental investing
  • Biochar
  • A discussion of tilling
  • How to prepare the soil for a garden
  • How gardens change people and their lives
  • Regeneration for entrepreneurs
  • Monique's ideas about slow living and good dirt
  • Monique's Book, Stop Landscaping, Start LifeScaping

Connect with Monique:

About Lady Farmer:

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Original music by John Kingsley. The Good Dirt podcast is edited and engineered by Aleksandra van der Westhuizen and produced by Mary Ball.

Statements in this podcast have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not to be considered as medical or nutritional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be considered above the advice of your physician. Consult a medical professional when making dietary or lifestyle decisions that could affect your health and well being.