Hello Friends,
Welcome to my new blog that will chronicle my adventures and most things that bring me joy – whether that’s gardening, cooking, baking, or cocktails – you’ll find it all here.
I started Bountifull during a really hard time in the world when everyone, everywhere was struggling with the cost of living crisis. In large part it was my way of responding to having a little more time on my hands, and a post I did on Linkedin about my two small apples trees that I took 1200 apples off one year, too many apples for a family of two glutards, and definitely when my baking knowledge at the time was let's say level none (lol). Anyways, this post got over 160,000 views and many comments. Most of them were positive while a lot of people said that they didn't have any budget to spend on growing their own food, or the space to do so. Naturally I took that as a challenge to see how much food I could grow in a limited space and on a limited budget - this was over a year ago now.
Thus, my Bountifull Instagram channel was born, where I started sharing gardening tips as I learned myself, and most importantly, showing people how to prepare delicious food for low cost, mostly with stuff that you grow yourself. We can call that garden to plate, garden to table, or even garden to glass. On a slight tangent – I didn’t even really mean to get so into gardening. What I do enjoy is the rich flavours we get from our gardens here in Central Otago (New Zealand), where stuff really has to struggle because of the poor soil and wicked summer temperatures. Naturally, the freshness is unparalleled when it comes from your own garden. Taking this and turning it into delicious food that can serve as a gift of love to be shared amongst friends, family, and community is peak conviviality to me.
As I went on this journey over the course of the year, I started creating content on the food I was cooking and then the cocktails I was creating. This then turned into foraging, which then turned into hiking and adventures, and essentially my channel became a bit of a mix of everything that brings me joy.
Joy was something that I saw missing from the world and most of the people around me. Soaring prices, wars, an unstable geopolitical environment – it was all making it hard for people to get ahead. I decided to think about my skillset and years spent driving marketing outcomes, building global communities for businesses and governments, and interviewing thought leaders and experts to share this online. That’s what led me to the decision to start the Bountifull Podcast. A place where we can spread joy through sharing stories of creativity, connection, and resilience. Stories from a diverse range of guests with extraordinary backgrounds, all contributing to our understanding of what it means to live a bountiful life.
To me, living a bountiful life is living in accordance with everything that brings you joy and meaning and leaning into that. Being holistic human beings, regardless of the ‘era or phase’ you find yourself in. I hope that you take some time to deep dive into the podcast and explore areas you want to improve, tweak, or delve into. I’m confident you’ll find some insights and inspiration to make your life a little more bountiful.
A huge welcome to my world, and I hope you enjoy my little slice of the internet.
With joy,
Sian Simpson