From Ick to Wow: How Worms and Composting Teach Resilience

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From Ick to Wow: How Worms and Composting Teach Resilience

Episode 54

What if the things we label “icky”: decay, dirt, discomfort, are actually where transformation begins?

In this thought-provoking episode, Resilience Gone Wild host Jessica Morgenthal sits down with Tim Steckel, founder of The Compost Marketing Agency, to explore the hidden brilliance of composting as a metaphor for personal and ecological renewal. From the red wiggler’s quiet labor to the microbial symphony beneath our feet, this episode redefines how curiosity, not control, fuels real resilience, in soil, systems, and self.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why curiosity is the catalyst for resilience, and how it transforms fear into fascination.
• The biological magic behind composting: microbes, fungi, and the soil food web.
• How to move from “ick” to “wow” by shifting perception from avoidance to awe.
• Practical ways composting teaches sustainable habits for mind, body, and planet.
• How the unseen world of decomposition mirrors our own cycles of growth and renewal.
  

Episode Highlights:

00:00 – The Halloween connection: composting as nature’s “witch’s brew.”

12:18 – From “ick” to “wow”: transforming fear into fascination through curiosity.

14:21 – Tim’s journey from marketing to sustainability and the creation of The Compost Marketing Agency.

18:49 – The science and art of composting: what really happens inside a pile of decay.

34:27 – The microbial connection between soil health, gut health, and resilience.

40:06 – Composting as a metaphor for letting go, renewal, and collective healing.

👤 Meet the Guest:

Tim Steckel is a sustainability advocate and marketing strategist who founded The Compost Marketing Agency, a niche firm devoted to making composting and organic recycling accessible and mainstream. His work connects the science of soil with the art of storytelling, helping cities, educators, and citizens reimagine waste as renewal.

Tools, Frameworks, & Concepts Mentioned:

• The Soil Food Web: how bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and worms sustain ecosystems.
  
• Vermicomposting: composting with red wigglers for faster, richer soil.
  
• The “Ick to Wow” Mindset: shifting from avoidance to awe through curiosity.
  
• Microbial Resilience: how microorganisms mirror human adaptability.
  

Closing Insight:

“The worm doesn’t panic in the dark, she senses, adjusts, and transforms what’s discarded into life. That’s resilience in action.”

Composting teaches us to stay with the mess long enough to see what’s emerging. When we do, decay becomes design, and every act of renewal begins with curiosity.

Connect with Tim Steckel: linkedin.com/in/steckeltim

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