Hello Reader,

Today I'm writing to let you know of two opportunities to dive deeper into the questions around livelihoods that serve Life.

1. The first is an invitation to provide input into a survey about pathways after folks take a permaculture design certificate course. If you've taken a PDC, please jump in and share your insights! I provide the links and more info from the research team below. ​
   ​If you prefer to not hear more about this survey (I'll send out a few more emails between now and August), please click here)​
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2. The second is an invite to a live webinar I'm hosting on May 12 at 7pm Eastern: Design Your Thrivelihood. It's for folks considering starting a service-based biz that nurtures you, your communities, and our living planet. I'm collaborating with Beyond Organic Design to offer this for PDC graduates - but if you haven't done formal study in permaculture, or barely know what permaculture even is, you will still learn the most common biz mistakes that most people make when they care about the Earth, Her People, Fair Share, and Future Care. Equally important, you will learn what you can do instead to design a Thrivelihood. Read more info and sign up here to attend.

Your input is needed to grow post permaculture pathways

For those who've earned a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC), you understand what a life changing experience this course is.

The principles, the patterns, the practices, the strategies - and the feeling that you've found something worth building a life around or from.

For most PDC grads, what comes next is at best a choose-your-own-adventure, and at worst, feeling lost in the churn. The gap between a PDC and a viable permaculture livelihood is as wide, varied and challenging as the different contexts we apply to permaculture. It just hasn't been properly studied - until now.

I am partnering with the Global Professional Permaculture Pathways Survey, sponsored by Utah State University and led by Roslynn Brain McCann, Jason Gerhardt, and Javan K. Bernakevitch -- colleagues I've worked with personally and professionally over the years, and trust.
(Jason interned at Ecovillage at Ithaca back in early 2000s when my family and I lived there, and he and I did many projects, including installing my sheetmulched herb garden - while joking about literally shoveling hot steaming shit together. It's been lovely to watch him rise to become a leader in permaculture. Back in 2010 Roslynn visited me as part of her research and interviewed me about my work in permaculture and women's leadership. Read her article about it here. I interviewed Javan for my Cultivating Livelihoods in Service to Life series a few years ago. And good news, I will be releasing new episodes in 2026.)

The survey is 8-10 minutes, anonymous, and your answers directly shape how, where, why, and when the movement supports PDC graduates in applying permaculture professionally.

If you've taken a PDC, you're eligible to participate. Please fill it out and share it widely. You can also find it linked on my socials.

Click on the image above, or here to take the survey now - https://usu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bqE0hKYXsobAG7I​

The survey runs May 6 - July 6. Early responses make the research stronger.

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A free webinar for folks who want to start or grow their service-based biz

I am passionate about helping folks:

1. At the very outset — so that you know how to de-risk your endeavor and end up with a livelihood instead of an expensive hobby.
2. When you have started a biz or nonprofit, but it isn’t really supporting us.
3. When you ultimately want your work to become the seed of a regenerative biz ecosystem.

And there are mistakes that we all make because if we are awake to the damage done by biz-as-usual, we have rightfully felt the ICK when we think about business, marketing, profit, etc.

In just an hour, I will not only show you how to avoid the big mistakes; but also illuminate what allows you to not only NOT sell out, but also really makes the difference for you and your earning potential, and can delight the folks you serve - so that you have the best chances of being able to thrive even in these times and reinvest your surplus into life-nurturing next endeavors in your region.
And you can stay for the Q&A and get your burning questions answered.

Join us May 12 at 7pm Eastern. Sign up here and we will send you the zoom info.

Here's to all of us doing our best work in these threshold times.

Warmly,

Karryn