Category

Nature

Conservation, Humor, Memoir, Nature, Non Fiction, Wildlife

Feb 11: Return of the Osprey with NYT Bestselling Author David Gessner

February 11, 2026

“Where is home? And how do we get there?“

Return of the Osprey with David Gessner

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary Edition of Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder.

David Gessner writes with passion, humor, and a reverence for the natural world that spills into our conversation about Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder.

We discuss David’s personal journey as he immersed himself for an entire nesting season in the lives of Cape Cod’s ospreys. Why did they almost become extinct? How did conservation efforts revive them? And what currently threatens their existence?

We learn what did David Gessner discovered about these beautiful creatures – and himself. And how, with so much research and studying, he approached writing Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder.

Meet David Gessner

David Gessner is a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine, Ecotone. His writing has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Sierra, Audubon, Orion, and many other publications. Awards include a Pushcart Prize and the John Burroughs Award for Best Nature Essay for his essay Learning to Surf. He’s also won the Association for Study of Literature and the Environment’s award for best book of creative writing, and the Reed Award for Best Book on the Southern Environment. In 2017 he hosted the National Geographic Explorer show, The Call of the Wild. He’s the author of 14 books that blend a love of nature, humor, memoir, and environmentalism, including the New York Times bestselling, All the Wild That Remains, Return of the Osprey, Sick of Nature and Leave It As It Is.

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Fiction, Nature, Suspense, Wildlife, Writers on Writing

Oct 08: Suspense Novel Inspired by Author’s Love of Wildlife

October 8, 2025

Alice Henderson’s A Ghost of Caribou

Alice Henderson’s Alex Carter series has a strong, smart female protagonist, whose career as a wildlife biologist gets her into the kind of trouble leading to suspense and murder.

We last talked to Alice about A Ghost of Caribou, the third in her series. Set in the in the Selkirk mountains of Washington State, what begins as a search for evasive caribou leads Alex Carter down a slippery dark road.

We discuss the story of A Ghost of Caribou, and how Alice developed her strong female protagonist. We also explore the increasing plight of wild caribou in our vanishing wilderness. And why reframing how we view climate change could help create the shift we need to see.

Meet Alice Henderson

A Ghost of Caribou is the third book in the Alex Carter series. The Vanishing Kind is the fourth in the series, and book five, Storm Warning, is expected in Spring 2026. A prolific writer with 26 books behind her, Alice Henderson is also a sanctuary monitor for the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, where she checks remote cameras, documents mapping, and delivers wildlife surveys to determine what species are present and that there’s no evidence of poaching. She’s surveyed for the presence of grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, jaguars, endangered bats, and more. Alice has also written media tie-in novels, including official novels for the TV shows Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While working at LucasArts, Alice wrote content for Star Wars video games.

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Conservation, Nature, Non Fiction, Science

Jun 11: Grass Isn’t Greener with Danae Wolfe

June 11, 2025

Bringing Nature to Your Own Backyard

Grass Isn’t Greener with author Danae Wolfe

Photographer and conservationist Danae Wolfe loves bugs – but it wasn’t love at first sight for her. Today we talk about her beautiful new book Grass Isn’t Greener: The Everyday Conservationist’s Guide to Bringing Nature to Your Yard.

Danae shares small, simple changes that can make your garden less work for you and more inviting for butterflies, birds, and wildlife – as well as better for our environment.

We discuss the benefits of ditching your lawnmower and rewilding that perfect patch of green grass that turns out to be “not so green“, after all. How to create a quick and easy butterfly puddle station. And why invasive plants might be more of a problem than you think.

Meet Danae Wolfe

Danae Wolfe is a macro photographer and conservation educator. In 2015 she founded Chasing Bugs and teaches others about the beauty, diversity, and importance of insects and spiders through photography, public speaking, and writing. Danae’s work has been featured in various outlets including CNN, The American Gardener magazine, and Nature Conservancy magazine. In 2022 Danae received the Garden Communicators International Emergent Communicator award. Danae Wolfe’s new book – full of color photos and quick, easy ways to support nature and rewilding – is Grass Isn’t Greener: The Everyday Conservationist’s Guide to Bringing Nature to Your Yard.

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Conservation, Memoir, Nature, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Feb 26: Bad Naturalist – Paula Whyman

February 26, 2025

One Woman’s Attempt to Restore 200 Acres of Farmland in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Bad Naturalist with author Paula Whyman

With humor, humility, and awe, writer Paula Whyman faces her limitations, while getting to know a breathtaking corner of the natural world.

When she first climbed a peak in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains looking for a home in the country, she had no idea how little she knew about hands-on conservation, or how quickly her tidy backyard ecology project would grow into a massive endeavor.

From Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop we explore some of Paula’s many challenges, failures, and successes as she learns hour by hour how to work with nature and its seasons, with indigenous versus invasive growth, and nature … the ultimate boss.

Meet Paula Whyman

Paula Whyman’s new book, Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop, is a blend of memoir, natural history, and conservation science. Her short story collection You May See a Stranger, earned praise from The New Yorker, a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and won the Towson Prize for Literature. Paula Whyman’s stories have appeared in journals including McSweeney’s Quarterly and Virginia Quarterly Review, and her fiction was selected for the anthology Writes of Passage: Coming-of-Age Stories and Memoirs from The Hudson Review. Whyman’s nonfiction has been featured on NPR, and in the Washington Post, The American Scholar, and The Rumpus. She is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the literary journal Scoundrel Time.

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Creativity, Health & Wellness, Nature, Non Fiction

Feb 05: Creativity Expert Michael Gelb on the Health, Productivity, & Creative Benefits of Walking Well

February 5, 2025

A new approach for comfort, vitality, and inspiration in every step.

Walking Well with coauthor Michael Gelb

Today’s guest, creativity expert Michael Gelb, coauthored WALKING WELL: A New Approach for Comfort, Vitality, and Inspiration in Every Step with movement artist Bruce Fertman.

Michael Gelb shares the science behind the transformational benefits of walking, including how the immune system, the brain’s neuroplasticity, the gut, our kidneys, longevity, weight, anxiety, mood, and more can improve with regular movement. We also discuss what he calls The Four Dignities. And how walking in nature – as many of our creative guests have attested to – helps spark creativity and combat stress.

Meet Coauthors Michael J. Gelb and Bruce Fertman

Michael J. Gelb is a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, executive coaching, and innovative leadership. He’s a fifth-degree black belt in aikido and teaches tai chi and the Alexander Technique. The author of 17 books – including the international bestseller How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci – Michael Gelb is also a professional juggler who performed with the Rolling Stones.

Bruce Fertman brings 60 years of study as a movement artist and educMator to his work. His training includes gymnastics, modern dance, ballet, contact improvisation, the Alexander Technique, tai chi chuan, aikido, chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony), Argentine tango, and kyudo (Zen archery). For the past 30 years Fertman’s taught in Europe, Asia, and the Americas helping people experience the interconnectedness of physical and spiritual life.

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Environment, Nature, Non Fiction, Science, Wildlife

Dec 04: Barrett Klein with The Insect Epiphany

December 4, 2024

How Our 6-legged Allies Shape Human Culture

The Insect Epiphany with author Barrett Klein

The impact insects have on our shaping human culture is staggering … far beyond what most of us realize. Today’s guest, entomologist Barrett Klein, shares some of the insights from his latest book, THE INSECT EPIPHANY: How Our 6-legged Allies Shape Human Culture.

We explore the many things we take for granted that happen as a direct result of insects … and what life without them would be like. We discuss how we use insects’ bodies for silk, pigments, food, medicine. How we try to recreate them for flight technology, architecture, social structures. And how we mimic them for fighting (think Kung Fu and Muhammad Ali) yoga, music, and even fashion.

Full of photos, art, illustrations, fascinating stories, and fun facts and anecdotes, The Insect Epiphany is a great way to nerd out and learn things you never knew you needed to learn!

Meet Entomologist Barrett Klein

Barrett Klein investigates mysteries of sleep in societies of insects, creates entomo-art, and is forever on the search for curious connections that bind our lives with our six-legged allies. Barrett studied entomology at Cornell University and the University of Arizona. He fabricated natural history exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History, worked with honey bees for his PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, and spearheaded the Pupating Lab at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

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Health & Wellness, Nature, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Science, Self-help

Jun 05: PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Burnout – Why Mother Nature May Be Your Best Cure

June 5, 2024

“Nature Calls Us Home To Our True Selves. She reminds us that we are … intimately connected … beautifully unique.” ~ Dr. Rochelle Calvert

While it saves us time in some ways, today’s digital world also demands more of us – from self-managed online accounts, form-filling, and appointment setting, to 24/7 business emails, DMs, IMs, texts, meetings, presentations … the list goes on.

Add to that the trauma of stressful life situations, ever-increasing living costs, job struggles, job losses, toxic work environments, and longer working hours, and Americans around the country are experiencing more PTSD, trauma, anxiety, and depression than ever before.

Dr. Rochelle Calvert, author of Healing with Nature: Mindfulness and Somatic Practices to Heal from Trauma, says combining nature with mindfulness and somatic practices can often be THE best prescription. She helps us unpack the science behind these therapies and explore the benefits provided – free of cost – by Mother Nature’s Rx. We also share how to incorporate simple therapeutic practices into everyday life.

Meet Dr. Rochelle Calvert

A clinical psychologist, Rochelle Calvert, PhD, specializes in life transitions, depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, and pain. She’s the founder of New Mindful Life, with a private practice in California. An expert on mindfulness, nature-based therapy, and somatic experiencing, Rochelle’s book is Healing with Nature: Mindfulness and Somatic Practices to Heal from Trauma.

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Fiction, Nature, Writers on Writing

May 01: Bestselling Author of The Music of Bees Returns with a Story of Hope, Healing, & Unexpected Friendship

May 1, 2024

Crow Talk – A Novel Set in the Beautiful Pacific Northwest

Crow Talk with author Eileen Garvin

When three lost souls are thrown together in Eileen Garvin’s, Crow Talk, a journey begins for each protagonist in a story of love, grief, healing, and friendship. As each character struggles to reclaim their voice, they learn about the importance of family of choice, and the healing power of nature, in the darkest of times.

Eileen Garvin shares her inspiration for Crow Talk and her lead three key characters. Why she chose Mt Adams, Oregon, as the story location – and a baby crow as a catalyst to healing. We also discuss the writer’s-life, including the joys, challenges, and craft of writing. And why this author is now a committed bee-keeper.

Meet Eileen Garvin

Eileen Garvin is the national bestselling author of the Music of Bees, and has just released her second novel, Crow Talk. Born and raised in eastern Washington, Eileen lives in Hood River, Oregon. She and her husband share their home with a calico cat, a passionate Baja-mutt, four chickens, and about one hundred and twenty thousand honeybees.

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Health & Wellness, Inspirational, Memoir, Nature, Non Fiction, Self-help

Apr 24: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love with Sydney Williams

April 24, 2024

Hiking Your Feelings

Hiking Your Feelings with author Sydney Williams

Unpack your trauma with wellness and wilderness enthusiast Sydney Williams, who went from eating and drinking away her feelings, to learning to embrace new possibilities while reclaiming her body, mind, and spirit.

But what if hiking isn’t your thing? Sydney explains in today’s conversation what she means by this and how you can adapt to suit your likes and lifestyle.

We discuss Sydney’s journey from a decade of heartache, self-loathing, anxiety, and stifled trauma to finding self-love and healing. Overcoming blame and shame. Finding healthy coping mechanisms. And the healing power of nature – rural and urban.

Meet Sydney Williams

Sydney Williams is the founder of Hiking My Feelings, a nonprofit dedicated to the healing power of nature. Her 15-year career in corporate communications included everything from working with Fortune 500 brands, to educating the public about the importance of stewardship and equitable access to recreational opportunities. Sydney has been featured in Huff Post, Psychology Today, U.S. News & World Report, and on the SXSW stage. A certified Wilderness First Responder, Sydney is an instructor at the Desert Institute at Joshua Tree National Park, an instructor at the Field Institute at Sequoia National Park, and a founding member of the Outdoorist Oath. Sydney Williams has been nominated for Woman of the Year by San Diego Magazine and Hiking Your Feelings: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love is her debut book.

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Health & Wellness, Nature, Self-help, Spirituality

Mar 13: Live Your Soul’s Purpose with Rebecca Wildbear

March 13, 2024

Restore Balance, & Heal Your Heart, Mind, & Soul

Wild Yoga with author Rebecca Wildbear

Rebecca Wildbear helps people restore mental and emotional balance in their lives the natural way.

“Nature” she says “can align us with our instincts” and help us live our soul’s purpose.

In Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration & Advocacy for the Earth Rebecca shares what she believes differentiates the soul from the spirit. We discuss the importance of stillness, of listening to trees, of sitting with the earth, of allowing. And how to “flow in the river of your heart waters”.

Meet Rebecca Wildbear

Rebecca Wildbear describers herself as an earth-centred writer and soul guide. She is the author of Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration & Advocacy for the Earth and has guided Wild Yoga programs since 2007. She worked as a yoga teacher trainer at Nosara Yoga Institute, and now guides nature and soul programs through Animas Valley Institute.

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