Today I'm delighted to welcome back Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland who previously joined me to share her amazing wisdom and some of her soulful poetry from her incredible book Daring To Hope at the Cliff’s Edge in Episode 35.

Elizabeth is currently on a UK and Europe tour with her composer husband Beverly Glenn-Copeland, if you have the opportunity to see them live then I highly recommend it. They also have a beautiful new album Laughter in Summer which is available for Pre-order: https://beverlyglenncopeland.com

Today we honour the incredible legacy of one of Elizabeth’s cherished mentors Joanna Macy environmental activist, author and scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory and deep ecology who transitioned from this world in July 2025.

Elizabeth guides us with poetry and gentle compassion to explore some of the principles of The Work That Reconnects, which Joanna created as the ground-breaking framework for personal and social change that helps people take the despair and apathy we feel and transform it into constructive, collaborative action. From gratitude and honouring the pain we witness in ourselves and the world around us, to finding a new story and vision to hold as we move forward and write the future for the earth and humanity that we want to bring into being.

Remember Hope is a verb, it is meant to be active not passive, it is a practice that we must tend daily to cultivate the change we want to see in our world.

Learn more about Elizabeth

Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland is a writer, theatre maker and arts educator whose career over the last forty years has evolved at the intersection of arts and activism. She has long had a passion for communicating with the animate world that began in childhood high up in the arms of an old weeping willow. Fast forward sixty years -- Elizabeth is offered a writing residency at the Joggins Fossil Institute, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the mighty Bay of Fundy. She jumps at the chance to connect/converse with 300 million-year-old-rock, to go to Stone as supplicant, to fully engage with sea and sand and sky and winged helpers to deepen her connection to the living world. What emerged was a narrative of the odyssey in poetic form, “Daring to Hope at the Cliff’s Edge: Pangea’s Dream Remembered”.

Music journalist, Nick Storring says of the this work:

“Lyrical, bewildering, heartening, and unsettling, this work sees an individual voice reckoning with the overwhelming complexity of our present moment.”

Elizabeth lives in Hamilton, Ontario with her composer husband, Beverly Glenn-Copeland.

Purchase ‘Daring to Hope…’: https://chapelstreeteditions.com/book-catagories/poetry/daring-to-hope-at-the-cliffs-edge/

Instagram: @beverlyglenncopeland

Discover the work of Joanna Macy: https://www.joannamacy.net/

The Work That Reconnects: https://workthatreconnects.org/

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Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Dr David Mann founder of HaikuBox a unique smart device that allows you to listen to and monitor the bird calls in your garden 24/7.

Birdwatching offers a connection to the natural world that is accessible to all of us regardless of our backgrounds or our locations. Birding in urban areas is equally as rewarding as it is in more rural settings.

I believe people protect what they love and understand and the HaikuBox is a wonderful tool to help us build a deeper relationship with the birds and acoustic landscape that surrounds us but is easily overlooked. Beyond being incredibly fun to learn who is sharing your home with you, the HaikuBox also gathers data that conservationists are able to use to both understand and conserve our avian friends. From the impacts of solar eclipses and wild fires to migration patterns the data you help collect is invaluable to learning more about our birds.

David also shares some other fascinating uses for bioacoustics monitoring from Elephants in Africa and the signature whistles of Florida’s Bottlenose dolphins that can identify individuals to the Indigenous communities in northwestern Canada employing HaikuBox technology to ensure Beluga Whales aren't trapped when winter ice blocks the waterways.

David reminds us how easy it can be to make a difference in this world, by learning to appreciate and then simple encourage and nurture the native wild plants and wildlife that share our homes, we can make an incredible impact.

Learn more about David

Haikubox’s founder, David Mann, grew up in Syracuse, NY and spent a lot of time outdoors, no matter the weather. David was fascinated by birds and watched them at home and at nearby Sapsucker Woods on the Cornell University campus.

David went on to study biology at Cornell and earned a PhD in biological oceanography from MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where his research focused on animal bioacoustics.

Haikubox was hatched when David and a colleague at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology realized they shared a common interest and the technical skills to develop an automatic birdsong identification tool.

HaikuBox:

Haikubox brings consumers real-time bird alerts, birdsong recordings and loads of information about their backyard birds. Using its proprietary neural net trained on thousands of bird recordings, Haikubox listens 24/7 for every bird song and chirp and shares what it learns via the Haikubox Listen website and mobile app.

Includes phone and smartwatch bird alerts, the ability to favorite, download and share birdsong recordings, and learning to identify hidden species by their vocalizations. Every Haikubox owner becomes a community scientist within the Haikubox network, contributing invaluable data for scientific research.

Website: www.haikubox.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haikubox/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/haikubox.bsky.social

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Today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Elspeth Hay author of Feed Us With Trees: Nuts and the Future of Food.

Did you know you can eat Acorns? This was the revelation that inspired Elspeth’s book and also got me hooked on her incredible work. I absolutely love trees and talk about their ecological importance, but Elspeth takes our relationship to trees, to a different level, a place where we don’t just preserve them because it’s the right thing to do for biodiversity and other species but where we can once again benefit directly from our relationship with them and they can literally facilitate our own survival.

Our Food Systems are making us and our planet sick, both physically and emotionally, our farmers are at the forefront of this rupture and sadly experience a higher rate of suicide than the general population. In this nuanced conversation we explore how reconsidering our relationship with these keystone trees isn’t just about addressing a single problem, it leads us to question and reconsider everything we have been taught about our current food systems, from yields to inputs and food waste, to the wisdom from Indigenous people and the food systems they employed. We also look back at the journey and trauma that ruptured our relationship with the lands and the economic rather than ecological reasons that laid the path we have been taught to follow.

Importantly Elspeth also offers us a tangible solution to multiple crisis within our world. Feed us with Trees offers us a viable alternative way to farm, that isn’t just a theory but is already being successfully implemented today.

Learn more about Elspeth

Elspeth Hay is a writer and the creator and host of the Local Food Report, a weekly feature that has aired on Cape Cod’s NPR station since 2008. Deeply immersed in her own local-food system, she writes and reports for print, radio, and online media with a focus on food and the environment to reconnect us with the people, places, and ideas that feed us.

Feed Us With Trees: is a hopeful manifesto about a brighter, more abundant future and a critical look at the long-held stories we’ll need to rewrite to build it.

The day Elspeth Hay learned that we can eat acorns, stories she’d believed her whole life began to unravel. Until then she'd always believed we must grow our staple foods in farmed fields, the same fields wreaking havoc on our land, air, and water. But all over the Northern Hemisphere, Hay learned, humans once grew our staple foods in forest gardens centered on perennial nut trees: oaks, chestnuts, and hazelnuts. In Feed Us with Trees, Hay brings us along as she gets to know dozens of nut growers, scientists, Indigenous knowledge-keepers, researchers, and food professionals and discovers that in tending these staple trees, we once played a vital environmental role as one of Earth’s keystone species.

Website: https://elspethhay.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elspethhay/

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Today I'm joined in conversation by Denali Sai Nalamalapu author of Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance.

Inspired by Denali’s powerful book about the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia we discuss what activism really looks like, and not the main stream media’s portrayal of protests by those on the fringes and out of touch with society.

Denali’s book utilises raw imagery stripped bare from complicated language that opens up this conversation at a heart level to everyone, and brings to the fore the passion and love that drives people to stand up for what they believe in.

Denali encourages us to use discernment to question the narratives we consume and to find the courage to advocate for ourself and our community, and how this can take many different forms, but importantly simply allows you to embrace your existing skills and passions.

Alongside this call to action we acknowledge the resilience needed to hold the grief and hopelessness whilst balancing a belief in an alternative hopeful vision for the future and how community is both our biggest driving force and greatest asset as we embrace the stubbornness to take on what on the surface seems insurmountable.

Learn more about Denali

Denali Sai Nalamalapu (They/Them) is the author of Holler, a climate organizer and comic artist living in Southwest Virginia, originally from Southern Maine and Southern India.

Denali’s work uplifts the voices of those most impacted by climate change – rural, queer, and communities of color – through vibrant, engaging, and accessible illustrations and writing.

Denali studied English Literature at Bates College and completed a Fulbright grant in Malaysia. Denali has worked as a climate communicator and organizer since 2019.

Holler is a spectacular blend of graphic memoir and climate activism, using contemporary visceral storytelling to highlight the lives of six frontline resisters to the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia. Drawing from original interviews with Denali, Holler introduces readers to a teacher, a single mother, a nurse, an organizer, a photographer, and a seed keeper, who became activists as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which spans approximately 300 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia, threatened their homes, their livelihoods, their community.

These are the stories of everyday resistance, while each person has their own motivation and methods, they share a love for the land and a desire to preserve it. Denali themselves poignantly illustrates both their own experiences with climate anxiety and grief and the ways that finding community has galvanized them in their environmental work.

A deeply moving story about change, hope, and humanity, Holler is an invitation to readers everywhere searching for their own path to activism: sending the message that no matter how small your action is, it’s impactful.

Website: https://denali-sai.com/

Instagram: @Denali_Sai

BlueSky: @denalisai.bsky.social

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I'm delighted to be joined by Danae Wolfe author of Grass Isn’t Greener: The Everyday Conservationist’s Guide to Bringing Nature to your Yard & the Founder of Chasing Bugs.

Danae is a kindred spirit, someone who has loved being immersed in nature all her life, & compelled to seek ways to inspire others to overcome climate doomerism & remember to look for the joy, awe & wonder that exists outside our own back door.

Danae reminds us that the small things we do matter, with 40 million acres of lawn in the USA & a higher use of pesticides per acre in domestic settings than agricultural applications, the solution & power to drive a paradigm shift in our relationship & responsibility for nature and biodiversity is truly in our own hands & closer to home than we might have imagined.

This is a conversation about taking back our power, in realising that with simple steps & small changes we can create the momentum for effective change. As we remember that we are a part of nature, not apart from it & that owning land is a privilege that comes with responsibility to care for more than just ourselves & what we desire. We need to steward the land, the waters & the air, realising that what we do has an impact but that, that impact can be positive & contribute in ways that leave us & the world richer.

Learn more about Danae

Danae Wolfe is a conservation educator, award winning macro insect photographer, and author dedicated to reshaping the way we see and interact with the natural world. With over two decades of experience in conservation storytelling and insect photography, Danae’s work has been featured in national media and environmental education initiatives. She is passionate about inspiring curiosity, fostering appreciation for biodiversity, and challenging traditional views of beauty in nature.

Grass Isn’t Greener is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of how our obsession with manicured lawns and traditional landscaping contribute to climate change and harm biodiversity - and what we can do about it. Rooted in twenty practical steps that anyone can take starting today, Grass Isn’t Greener demonstrates how small changes in your yard or garden can create lasting impact for the planet: from leaving your leaves to selecting eco-friendly holiday decorations; from eliminating light pollution to attracting wildlife; from saving seeds to devoting even a small patch of lawn to native plants. With easy-to-follow advice and real-life examples it is a resource for anyone looking for little ways to make a big difference—and to have fun doing it.

Website: https://www.chasingbugs.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chasingbugs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasingbugs1/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/chasingbugs.com

Support the show

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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Welcome to episode 68 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by Kelly Wendorf author of Flying Lead Change and the Founder and CEO of Equus.

We find ourselves at a time of interlocking crisis, not least a crisis of our own spirit, drawing us to desperately search for the sense of deeper connection and meaning that our soul’s are calling us towards, even whilst it feels we are seemingly drowning in a world that is descending into chaos.

Kelly and her book are a guiding light of infinite wisdom that offers us a simple path to nurturing the true qualities of leadership that will restore balance and bring us back into right relationship with the land and ancestors, allowing us to see a world beyond the constraints of our current Power Over paradigm.

Guided by the culture of the horse, one of the oldest most enduring and successful species on the planet, whose destiny has been entwined with our own for millennia, she offers us the lessons she has received from the herd and the generosity of Indigenous elders such as Uncle Bob Randle. With a compassionate approach she encourages us to lean into gentle self-enquiry to heal our trauma and shares how we can take the 7 principles of Listening, Care, Presence, Safety, Connection, Peace, Freedom and Joy to come home to the true essence of who we are. A collective change of heart that offers a place from which we are capable of empowering the social change we are craving to enact a radical shift in the dynamics of how we do things.

“Nature Misses Us” and it is time to lay down the chains of shame we have wrapped ourselves in and choose to be radically Authentic in how we lead ourselves & others to bring more love into the world.

Learn more about Kelly

Kelly Wendorf is a mother, an International Coach Federation Master Certified Coach (MCC) who specializes in transformative change, author, spiritual mentor, and socially responsible entrepreneur. She is the founder of EQUUS, an innovative leadership development organization. EQUUS uniquely combines neuroscience, systems theory, contemplative wisdom, attachment theory, somatic processes, indigenous knowledge, and nature-based intelligence in its coaching and experiential leadership development approach. Kelly’s work has been featured in such publications as Forbes, WSJ: The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Vogue, and Huffington Post, and has been the inspiration for several award winning documentaries. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Buffalo Spirit Ranch with her 5 horses, 2 donkeys, 3 dogs and 2 cats.

Website: https://kellywendorf.com

Equus: https://www.equusinspired.com

Special Listener Gift: 100% off of “How to Lead a Transformative Life” - worth $457. Online Sept/Oct 2025.

https://www.theequusacademy.org/courses/how-to-lead-a-transformative-life-2025

Use Code: Use EQUUS100KW

Support the show

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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I'm delighted to welcome back Kerrie Searle, a dear friend & animal communicator based in Australia. Kerrie has previously joined me twice now, including an introduction to Animal communication in Ep 11 & further wisdom from the animals & our journey to reconnecting in Ep 62.

In this conversation we have shifted focus to consider the gentle but powerful alliance that plants offer us to move through the challenges of our times. It is time to be guided to move from surviving to thriving so that we are able to show up fully in this world & actively do what is ours to do.

Kerrie shares how she found herself at rock bottom alongside Doctors who had exhausted all their treatment options & shortly after this she found Flower Essences & the gentle yet transformative healing they offer that actively evolves to the needs of both the individual & the collective.

We discuss our shared journey of exploring this healing modality, whilst living in a culture that separates us from our inherent knowing & connection to the world, inspired by indigenous ancestors & existing worldviews where living in full connection with the web of life & embracing plant intelligence is still a reality. We share stories of the flower essence blends Kerrie creates & our profound experiences in administering them. No conversation with Kerrie is complete without a little Whale wisdom.

Learn more about Kerrie:

“After experiencing enormous trauma throughout my life, both personally & professionally (having been a police detective for 17 years), I was mentally, physically & emotionally broken when I retired from the police force. Heavily medicated & in & out of hospital for years, my life was on a constant downward spiral. I realised the medical model I was using wasn’t helping me to get better & it was at this point that I chose a more holistic approach to my healing journey & also discovered the extraordinary healing power of flower essences.

As I journeyed from a place of deep suppression to reconnecting with the disconnected parts of myself, I also reconnected with my ability to communicate with animals (& other beings/energies) at a very deep level.

I now make my own flower essences from the indigenous plants/trees where I live and I use different combinations of flower essences to make a number of blends that I use to heal and support my journey through life. These blends are also used for my animal and human clients.

I bring my life experiences & learnings & now assist other humans to reconnect to the disconnected parts of themselves so that they too can communicate with their animals more deeply. I receive feelings, words, pictures, smells & tastes from animals which allow me to communicate at a very deep level & become a voice for the animals, conveying what they need heard, to their humans.”

Website: www.animal-communicator.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkstoanimals

Support the show

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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Today I'm joined by Ryan Mandelbaum, author of Wild NYC: Experiencing the amazing nature in & around New York City.

When we think of immersing ourselves in nature most of us are likely guilty of imagining far off wilderness locations but Ryan is passionate about exploring the incredible diversity of nature that can be found in the urban environment & in particular in NYC.

Urban areas were often chosen for their rich natural features that would have benefitted wildlife as much as the humans that were drawn to these areas.

We discuss how connecting with nature has enriched their life in numerous unexpected ways, finding community in the often isolating city existence. Even if you are a complete beginner, there has never been a better time to become a naturalist. Simply start on your own street & begin observing the natural world. If you slow down & look there are untold secrets to be revealed from Raven’s nesting on the Brooklyn bridge, to humpback whales & even mountain ferns on the side of a railway viaduct.

As we begin to recognise & appreciate the amazing nature on our doorsteps, we likely become advocates for our natural heritage & this ripples out into the world in untold ways, catalysing social movements as well as environmental change.

Learn more about Ryan

Ryan F. Mandelbaum is a science writer, naturalist, & educator. You can find him searching for critters across the five boroughs before returning home to Brooklyn to observe birds & moths from the roof of their apartment. Ryan has written about the natural world of NYC for the New York Times, Scientific American, Audubon Magazine, & their newsletter eyy, i’m walkin’ here. Ryan volunteers for the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas, the Finch Research Network & the Feminist Bird Club.

Wild NYC by Ryan Mandelbaum & Chelsea Beck

A vibrant, family friendly guide to the unexpected nature found in & around the Big Apple. NYC may have a reputation as a concrete jungle, but it’s full of amazing wildlife - you just need to know where to find it! Equal parts natural history, field guide, & trip planner, Wild NYC shows readers how to experience another side of the City That Never Sleeps. Highlighting the natural aspects of the city’s landscapes & the wildlife that accompanies it, this quirky guide takes a leaf out of a famous New Yorker’s book & encourages its readers to “take a walk on the wild side.”

From easy-to-spot squirrels & praying mantids to more elusive humpback whales & purple finches, this delightful handbook profiles over 100 local species, complete with illustrations & information on where to find them. Also included are descriptions of day trips that help tourists & locals alike explore natural wonders on hiking trails, in public parks, & on street corners.

Website: http://www.ryanfmandelbaum.com/

Instagram: @ryanfmandelbaum

New York City Bird Alliance: https://nycbirdalliance.org

Support the show

Thank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world.

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