Our Nature: Conversations about the relationship between nature, spirituality, and well-being – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Since 2021, Tenijah has hosted and produced Bring Birds Back, a podcast about conservation, formal/ citizen science, and of course—birds, told through the lenses of intersectionality and environmental justice.

What’s inspiring to me about Tenijah (among many things) is that she didn’t grow up with a familiarity and love of being outdoors. In fact, she described her relationship as mostly centered around an avoidance. But, over time, she’s begun to rewrite her nature-relationship and has uncovered so much richness in the process.

In this conversation, Tenijah and I discuss everything from her personal journey of embracing discomfort and following her curiosity, to what it’s been like for her as a Black woman to reclaim parts of herself and her community. We also talk stepping into your personal power, and we obviously talk about birds! Tenijah shares the number one misconception about birding, tips and techniques for bird observation, why humans are so obsessed with birds, and some weird bird behavior that I loved knowing.

Resources:

• Homecoming Application
• Bring Bird’s Back Podcast
• Bring Bird’s Back: The Zero Sum of it All with Corina Newsome
• Bring Bird’s Back: The Feminist Bird Club
• Bring Bird’s Back: Bird Love Language

For the full show notes, please visit www.ournaturepodcast.com/tenijah-hamilton

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For this week's episode, I’m speaking with Michael Washington. Michael is the founder of Usal Project, an LA-based community offering experiences and goods for the modern nature enthusiast. Usal hosts over 20 monthly experiences that (in addition to forest therapy) include: foraging and herb walks, falconry, oceanic species dives, incense-making workshops, flower arranging classes, community hikes, and more. In this conversation, Michael and I talk about the importance of cultivating community in a world where people are struggling with loneliness. We also discuss his relationship with nature growing up in Texas, how the music industry shaped his path, the origin story of Usal, why diverse perspectives and voices are essential in the outdoor space, and Michael’s perspective on failure, self-doubt and building a rapidly growing business. 

Resources:

• Usal Project
• Article: How Loneliness is Damaging Our Health 
• Subscribe to the Our Nature Monthly Newsletter  -  full of special announcements, resources, recommendations and tools and practices for your expansion

Show Notes:

• Michael’s relationship to nature growing up as a child in San Antonio “the biggest little city”
• How being in the music industry planted the seed for Michael’s current path
• Michael shares the insight and opportunity that inspired him to create Usal Project
• Michael’s invitation to listeners that will fundamentally improve your life
• The common barriers that prevent people from exploring the outdoors
• Michael’s intention when it comes to the curation of nature-based classes for Usal
• Life lessons that come from trying new activities
• The unconventional way Michael structures his business and what it means to be “Usal”
• Michael Washington gets real about perfectionism, self-doubt, creative output, growing a business
• Failure as the greatest gift - “I’m more happy failing with something I really liked than failing with something I really tried to make other people like…because then you’re just lost.”
• What people may be surprised to learn about Michael

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to your life when you cultivate a deep and intentional connection with the natural world, this episode is for you. Today, I’m in conversation with teacher, philosopher and former Homecoming participant Peter August. Peter also has a nature TikTok (which I’ll link to in the show notes) where he shares his practices, perspectives and experiences of being in nature with his over 72K followers.

In this episode, we talk about: what nature invites in us that we so desperately need; the nature-based practice practice that fuels creativity; why we resist the natural world and why that’s ok; how to build trust with nature and what that can bring us; the difference between physically being in nature and truly “being” in nature; what happens when we follow our intuition when faced with big decisions; what Homecoming was like for Peter; how we can approach life with beginner’s mindset and what that perspective can bring us; the practice of getting curious about what’s familiar and why that’s so profound; and what life has been like for Peter after Homecoming. We also do something really fun at the end of this episode that I’ve never done before with a guest, so you’ll have to make it to the end to hear what I mean.

Resources

• Peter’s TikTok
• Peter’s Instagram
• Daily Rituals Book
• Homecoming course
• Connect with Alyssa

<<  You're invited to: HOMECOMING >> A four-day retreat in Ojai, California and 6-week course.
Early bird pricing until Sunday, March 13th.

• APPLY to Homecoming (application will take you less than five min.!)
• Learn more about Homecoming

For the full show notes, head to: www.ournaturepodcast.com/episodes

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to leave the city, move to a small, rural town and build a regenerative, community-oriented farm?  Well, Nick and Spencer of Solar Punk Farms did just that. Solar Punk Farms is a queer-run, regenerative agro-tourism experiment in Guerneville California. As Nick and Spencer share in this episode, the vision for Solar Punk Farms is emergent and ever-changing, but they have always intended to create a community-first place for people to connect with the land and each other in the process.

RESOURCES:

• Occidental Arts and Ecology Center
• Seek app
• Homecoming course
• Connect with Solar Punk Farms
• Connect with Alyssa 

<< ANNOUNCING HOMECOMING >> A four-day retreat and 6-week course in Ojai California
Early bird pricing until the end of Feb.

• APPLY to Homecoming (application will take you less than five min.!)
• Learn more about Homecoming

For the full show notes, head to: www.ournaturepodcast.com/episodes

This week, I had the honor of speaking with Dr. John Hausdoerffer. Doctor Hausdoerffer is an environmental philosopher, author, teacher and Dean of the Clark School of Environment & Sustainability at Western Colorado University. He has written and co-edited titles such as Catlin's Lament, Wildness, What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be?.

Most recently, he was the co-editor of Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations, a five volume series published by the Center for Humans and Nature that explores our deep interconnections with the living world. Along with his two co-editors Gavin Van Horn and my personal hero Robin Wall Kimmerer, the series contains essays, interviews, poetry, and stories of solidarity about how we can deepen our care and respect for the plants, animals, rivers, mountains, and others who live with us in this tangle of relations.

Resources:

• Sign up for the Our Nature Newsletter
• FREE Mini Course: Build Your Magnetic Nature Altar
• Kinship the series
• “The practice of the wild” book
• Why I Consider Environmentalism The Ultimate Act Of Emotional Awareness & Self-Love – by Alexa Gantous
   

>> Get my FREE mini course: Build Your Magnetic Nature Altar to supercharge your magnetism and deepen your connection with the natural world <<
 

For the full show notes: www.ournaturepodcast.com/episodes

Connect with Dr. John Hausdoerffer:

• Dr. John Hausdoerffer’s Website
• The Center for Humans and Nature
• The Center for Humans and Nature IG

This week I’m speaking with my friend and fellow nature enthusiast Mary Grace Allerdice. Mary Grace (or MG as I like to call her) uses astrology, divination, energetic healing + oracular practices to help people access their own inherent wisdom + healing so they can navigate life’s difficulties and connect to their purpose. 

As you’ll hear in this episode, Mary Grace has a special and miraculous gift for communicating complex topics in simple, articulate and incredibly clear ways. It’s truly a delight to speak with her and I always walk away with so many nuggets of wisdom

Resources:

• Alyssa's episode on Home–Body (Mary Grace's) Podcast
• Mary Grace's website

SUBSCRIBE TO THE OUR NATURE NEWSLETTER to be the first to know about my newest offering launching next week!

Leave the podcast a review, take a screenshot, DM me @ournaturealways on IG with the screenshot and... receive something special :)

RESOURCES:

• Sign up for the Our Nature Newsletter
• Follow Lindsay on Etsy
• Holisticism!
• Wintering by Katherine May
• Bee Venom therapy
• A Radiant Life Podcast

Connect with Lisa:

• Lisa’s website
• Lisa’s Instagram

Connect with Our Nature:

• Our Nature Instagram

For full show notes, please visit: www.ournaturepodcast.com/episodes

This week, (episode 50 and the final episode of Season 3), I’m speaking with Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, a curandera, indigenous foods activist, and natural foods chef whose work is deeply rooted in the healing properties of all earth medicines. Her business name came to be after friends lovingly called her "the kitchen curandera", as she was often creating healing foods and remedies in her tiny adobe kitchen.  

Her work has been featured in Food & Wine, Spirituality & Health, and on Padma Lakshmi's Taste The Nation, among many other platforms. Felicia lives in the Sonoran Desert with her husband. Her first book, Earth Medicines, will be released next month.

Resources:

• REGISTER October 28th Free Event: Body Neutrality Salon with Helen Phelan
• Pre-order Earth Medicines

Connect with Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz:

• Felicia’s Website
• Felicia’s Instagram

For the full show notes, visit ournaturepodcast.com/episodes

The earth is a schoolroom, and what a joy to be able to continue to remember through all these wild and wonderful means.” - Ayesha Ophelia 

If you’re looking to expand and transform your relationship to self expression and creativity, this episode is for you. Ayesha Ophelia is a self identified spiritual provocateur who is passionate about women, plants and human potential.

Ayesha’s offerings include The Girlfriend Manifesto where she shares a daily dose of inspiration, spirituality, adventure, self-love and sisterhood. She also offers private support, group experiences and a membership community called the Society of Wild Hearts.

Resources:

• Leave a review of Our Nature!
• Ayesha’s Instagram

As always, there are more resources and helpful information in the show notes, which you can find at ournaturepodcast.com/episodes. 

This week is the second part of an interview I had with Vedic astrologer Blaine Watson. In this final part of my conversation with Blaine, we discuss: How Blaine’s interpretation of a chart changes over the years as that person evolves and transcend, What it means to live a successful life from a Jyotish perspective, how often Blaine looks at his chart, why knowing when to have Yagyas done helps create a better and brighter future, Jyotish for our dog friends :), what Blaine would say to those who are skeptical of Jyotish, how someone would know if they’re ready for a reading from Blaine, and what happens to your chart when you reach enlightenment.

Blaine has a level of consciousness that is powerful and we talk about pretty advanced subject matter in this conversation. If you are a seeker, which I know many of you are, and are interested in being a catalyst for your own evolution, this conversation is definitely for you.

Resources:

• Our Nature Instagram
• Register for Our Nature x Good Move Mini Retreat
• EP 29: Movement for Every(body) with Jules Bakshi of Good Move
• EP 47: The Universe and You with Vedic Astrologer Blaine Watson (Part One)
• Ramana Maharshi

To book a session with Blaine, email: blainepw@gmail.com 

For full show notes, please head to: www.ournaturepodcast.com/episodes