What does it mean to make a life of paying attention and to offer that attention in service of a more beautiful, grounded, and human way of living? In this episode of Things I Learned from My Mother, Bethany speaks with Caleb LaRue, a wallcovering hanger, painter, father, grandfather, and lifelong student of the world around him. With a background in biochemistry and religious studies, Caleb never set out to build a career in the trades. Yet what began as a practical way to support his growing family became a decades-long study in craftsmanship, curiosity, beauty, and human connection. Through his work in people’s homes, Caleb has learned to see the sacred in the ordinary: in the way a well-loved paintbrush changes over time, in the rooms where families live with dirty dishes, treasured objects, pets, unfinished projects, and in the care people take to shape their surroundings. He reflects on the influence of his artistic parents, his unexpected awakening to color and art, and the role curiosity has played throughout his life. For Arcadian revivalists, those seeking beauty, craftsmanship, attentiveness, and a deeper relationship with the places they inhabit, Caleb offers a practical and lived philosophy. His knowledge comes from working with his hands, entering people’s homes with humility, noticing what others overlook, and caring for what already exists. He offers a way of seeing ordinary materials, rooms, tools, and objects as carriers of memory, meaning, and possibility. At the heart of Caleb’s approach is a simple philosophy: stay curious. Curiosity is the seed from which creativity grows. Making space to wonder is essential to becoming more fully human. This is a conversation about beauty, faith, family, art, and the subtle ways we learn from one another. Most of all, it is an invitation to look more closely at the lives and places we  inhabit, helping restore them with patience, skill, reverence, and care as we carry ourselves into each day.

What does it mean to build a life around what you value? Season Two of Things I Learned from My Mother, from Arcadian Revival begins with Pippa Biddle, co-founder and co-owner of Quittner, the Hudson Valley lighting and homewares company she runs with her husband, Benjamin Davidson. Pippa begins by sharing one of the most formative experiences of her early life: working with Jane Goodall. From Goodall, she learned to step outside her comfort zone, live according to her values, and let those values guide the life she builds. We explore what it means to carry that philosophy into adulthood, from building a business to creating a home and finding a community that gives life meaning. We talk about staying true to yourself, finding joy in the way you live, and allowing the things you surround yourself with to reflect what matters to you. It is a fitting beginning to a season about home, generational wisdom, stewardship, and our connection to the natural world and one another. What is worth carrying forward? And how do our values shape the lives we choose to build? Welcome to Season Two.

Welcome back to Things I Learned from My Mother from Arcadian Revival, a podcast grounded in slow living, seasonal beauty, and the art of creating a life connected to land, lineage, and meaning through the lens of home. In this episode, host Bethany Khan steps away from the tangible work of creating home to explore a more poetic kind of living. She’s joined by Anna Knapp, a neighbor and kindred spirit in Saratoga Springs. Anna is a beekeeper, mother, educator, and community leader whose life embodies what it means to live in tune with the seasons. From her early fascination with bees as a child in New Mexico to her thoughtful approach to building community and slowing down in upstate New York, Anna invites us into a world where tending becomes a form of beauty, perseverance, self-discovery, and meaning through connection. So settle in. Pour a cup of tea, perhaps sweetened with local honey, and join us as we journey into the world of bees and the quiet lessons they hold about home, care, and the sweetness found in the smallest and most nuanced ways of the world.

Episode 6: "The Art of Craftsmanship, Community, and Legacy" with Master Craftsman Chuck Donnelly Things I Learned From My Mother from Arcadian Revival In this episode, I sit down with master craftsman Chuck Donnelly, a man whose work speaks for itself and leaves a lasting impression. Over the span of his rich career, Chuck has not only touched hundreds of home with his craft, he has carved out a career that speaks of pride of the spaces he has built, but also the relationships that he left room to cultivate along the way. Together, we explore the parallels between project and path. Chuck shares stories that carry the grain of wisdom earned only through time, patience, and a deep reverence for doing things the right way, especially when no one is watching. We talk about the exquisite millwork Chuck created here at our home and for the Arcadian Revival studio, and share a few of our favorite details, deep-rooted inspirations, those details that might initially go unnoticed, but make a space feel like home. In this conversation, craft becomes more than output. Millwork becomes a language of thoughtfulness, connection, and place. As a designer, Chuck brought me to my own deep path of appreciating millwork through a lens that I will always wear, a to a niche passion of mine within the building arts. Come sit with us in the stillness of good conversation. This is the kind of episode that reminds us that the best things often take time, and the most beautiful places are built rich with intention.

Episode Five – Crafting Home with Cabinetmaker Justin Steinberger: On Kitchens, Nature, and the Art of Getting Things Done Welcome back to Things I Learned From My Mother, a podcast by Arcadian Revival about creating home, cultivating community, and finding deeper connection to nature, our heritage, and to one another. In today’s episode, I’m joined by collaborator and friend Justin Steinberger, a cabinetmaker, father of six, devoted husband, and fellow dreamer rooted in the bucolic countryside of upstate New York. Justin not only helped design and build the kitchen in our home, but he’s someone who understands that true craftsmanship is about more than measurements and materials, it’s about listening closely to how people live. Our conversation moves from kitchen design into deeper territory: the balance between creative work and raising a family, the realities and rewards of small business ownership, and the quiet discipline it takes to keep showing up for both the big dreams and the daily to-dos. Justin shares his philosophy on cabinetry as a deeply personal expression of home, one that’s shaped not just by style or trend, but by the rhythms of everyday life. We talk about the power of place, especially the role that nature plays in shaping our work and our well-being. We reflect on what it means to step up to the plate, even when no one’s watching, and what it looks like to build a meaningful career doing something you believe in, one project at a time. We also look ahead at what’s next...some exciting collaborations we’re dreaming into being...and wrap up with a few thoughtful reflections from Justin on what homeowners should really know before diving into a kitchen or home design project, and how working so closely with people in their most intimate spaces has expanded his view of the world. This is an episode about craft, character, and connection. It’s about making space for beauty, for family, and for the kind of homes that feel as good as they look. If you’re craving that mix of inspiration and groundedness, pour a cup of something warm and join us. Follow along @arcadianrevival for more stories about slow living, seasonal design, and the art of building a life with care.