Welcome to Life & Depth with Ryan McDaid – the place where surface‑level conversations go to die. Most people walk past nettles, dandelions and docks and see nothing but *weeds* , herbalist, forager and soil advocate Claire Thompson sees *nutrition* , *medicine* and allies that can help us thrive. In this episode we explore how *wild plants* , living soil and a different approach to home and education can change our health, our farms and our sense of belonging.
Claire is based in Malin Head, County Donegal, where she works to rebuild relationships between people, plants and living soil through wild food, *herbal medicine* and hands‑on community projects. She co‑directs KPM Soils with her husband Kevin, focusing on soil restoration, regenerative farming, composting and a four‑year European Innovation Partnership project on biologically inoculated slurry to cut nutrient runoff and rebuild soil life.
We talk about why there is “no such thing as a weed,” how neat‑and‑tidy culture and patriarchy erased plant knowledge carried through the maternal line, and why wild plants often have far higher nutrient density than supermarket food. Claire explains how she and Kevin test soils under the microscope, grow biology in compost “mother piles,” and help farmers shift from simply sustaining broken systems to genuinely regenerating land, habitat and nutrient‑dense food.
The conversation also touches on conflict and hope in the face of planetary boundaries, what overshoot day really means, and how raising and home‑educating their daughters inside this work has shaped their family’s idea of success. If you care about health, food, parenting, or just feel the pull to reconnect with the living landscape around you, this episode will give you practical ideas and a very different way of seeing the “weeds” at your feet.
Timestamps
00:00 – She sees medicine where we see weeds
03:31 – Why we hate weeds and lost traditional plant wisdom
15:00 – Wild edible plants, nutrition and foraging for families
32:00 – From tidy lawns to wildflower allies and ethical foraging
48:00 – Planetary boundaries, climate overshoot and regeneration
1:05:00 – Soil health, compost “mother piles” and regenerative farming
1:25:20 – Raising wild kids, hope and living with the land
