Podcast · RSE & Impact
Soil to Soul by Bonterra Organic Estates
Jess Baum hosts from Bonterra Organic Estates, the largest Regenerative Organic Certified winery in the United States, bringing direct expertise in sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship.
Soil to Soul features interviews with environmental changemakers across agriculture, wine, sustainability, and climate sectors, exploring how regenerative practices restore ecosystems. The podcast reveals personal motivations behind environmental leadership and the scientific foundations linking soil health to planetary resilience. Host Jess Baum, rooted in the largest Regenerative Organic Certified winery in the United States, connects conversation directly to working regenerative agriculture. Each episode weaves themes of hope and measurable progress throughout, grounding abstract climate challenges in concrete restoration stories.
- Bonterra Organic Estates holds the designation of the largest Regenerative Organic Certified winery in the United States.
- The podcast is now in its second season, with notable guests including environmental writers, sustainability leaders, and agricultural innovators.
- Regenerative Organic Certification combines organic farming standards with soil restoration, animal welfare, and worker equity requirements.
- The series emphasizes personal origin stories and philosophical motivations, differentiating it from purely technical sustainability content.
Explore all episodes of Soil to Soul and discover how regenerative agriculture reshapes environmental practice across industries.
What this podcast really covers
Soil to Soul moves beyond generic sustainability discussion to examine the lived experience of people driving environmental change. The podcast investigates how regenerative agriculture—a practice centered on restoring soil carbon, increasing biodiversity, and improving water retention—operates as both climate strategy and economic model. Episodes feature conversations with wine industry leaders, agricultural scientists, conservation advocates, and food systems innovators, each bringing specialized knowledge to the intersection of ecology and human systems.
The core theme connecting all episodes is the relationship between soil health and broader planetary resilience. Unlike podcasts that treat climate or sustainability as abstract policy debates, Soil to Soul grounds these conversations in sensory, tangible agricultural reality. Guests discuss not only the "why" of regenerative practice but the daily operational choices, market pressures, and personal discoveries that make environmental commitment real. The podcast demonstrates that regenerative agriculture is neither a niche ideological movement nor a solved technical problem, but an evolving field where practitioners, scientists, and entrepreneurs are collectively discovering new pathways.
Who this podcast is essential for
Wine industry professionals and viticulturists gain direct insight into how regenerative certification operates as both environmental and business strategy. Guests with experience in organic and regenerative wine production offer practical knowledge on soil testing, vineyard ecosystem management, and navigating certification processes that influence both cost structures and market positioning.
Sustainability leaders and impact entrepreneurs find detailed origin stories explaining how individuals transition into environmental work. Rather than abstract motivation, the podcast reveals the specific moments, mentors, and realizations that directed changemakers toward their current paths. This makes the series valuable for professionals evaluating their own impact trajectories or building teams within climate and regenerative organizations.
Agricultural innovators and food systems researchers access conversations connecting regenerative practice to broader climate science. Episodes integrate practical farm-level experience with understanding of carbon sequestration, biodiversity restoration, and the economics of regenerative agriculture at scale, creating dialogue between practitioners and scientific frameworks.
What the episodes really reveal
Analysis of episode titles and guest profiles shows consistent patterns: featured guests span from well-known food and wine writers (Ray Isle, Elin McCoy, Meridith May) to less-visible agricultural leaders and climate advocates (Adam Schlegel, Georgia Pellegrini, Betsy Andrews). This mix indicates the podcast prioritizes substantive expertise and lived experience over celebrity status alone. The second season maintains thematic coherence while expanding the scope of voices, suggesting deliberate curation toward representing diverse entry points into environmental work.
Episode structures follow a narrative arc: host and guest explore personal background and early motivations, move into current work and specific challenges, then conclude with reflections on what sustained commitment to environmental practice requires. This format consistently produces conversation that avoids both cheerleading ("renewables are the future") and doom narratives ("we're beyond saving"). Instead, guests articulate realistic assessments of environmental problems paired with concrete examples of restoration and measurable progress, creating what the podcast frames as "hope" grounded in evidence.
What this changes in practice
For wineries and agricultural operations, Soil to Soul models how regenerative certification can become a narrative differentiator beyond marketing language. By featuring genuine technical and philosophical discussion of regenerative practice, the podcast demonstrates that transparency about environmental commitment builds credibility with both consumers and industry peers. Listeners working in wine or agriculture gain frameworks for discussing their own practices with sophistication.
For organizations building environmental teams or programs, the emphasis on personal origin stories offers a recruiting and culture-building tool. The podcast shows that environmental commitment operates most durably when rooted in individual conviction rather than imposed from above, suggesting that hiring and team-building practices should explicitly explore candidates' motivations and offer pathways for development alongside technical skill-building.
For climate communicators and sustainability educators, Soil to Soul demonstrates that integrating personal narrative with technical information creates stronger engagement than either element alone. The podcast's success suggests that climate and environmental education benefits from centering human agency and individual decision-making rather than focusing exclusively on policy or technology.
Listen to Soil to Soul and learn from environmental changemakers shaping regenerative agriculture and climate solutions.
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The podcast answers these questions
What is regenerative organic certification?
Regenerative Organic Certification is a comprehensive standard that combines organic farming practices with regenerative agriculture principles, focusing on soil health, animal welfare, and worker fairness. Bonterra Organic Estates holds the distinction of being the largest Regenerative Organic Certified winery in the United States, demonstrating measurable improvements in ecosystem health and carbon sequestration.
How does regenerative agriculture address climate change?
Regenerative agriculture improves soil structure and increases carbon storage capacity, effectively sequestering atmospheric carbon in the earth. This practice reduces greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously restoring degraded land, creating a dual impact on climate mitigation and ecological restoration.
What types of changemakers are featured in this podcast?
The podcast features environmental leaders, sustainability advocates, and innovators across various sectors—from wine industry figures to agricultural scientists and climate activists. Each guest shares their origin story and personal motivation for creating positive planetary impact, revealing diverse pathways to environmental leadership.
How does this podcast differ from general sustainability content?
This series goes beyond surface-level sustainability messaging by exploring the personal journeys and philosophical foundations that drive environmental action. The narrative focus on hope and progress, combined with the host's connection to a working regenerative winery, creates authentic grounding in real-world environmental practice rather than theory alone.
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Jess Baum · Soil to Soul by Bonterra Organic Estates
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