What if one of the most powerful interventions for anxiety, attention, stress, and disconnection isn't found in a classroom, a clinic, or a screen, but waiting quietly in the natural world?

In this episode, I welcome Tanja Novotni Golubić, an educator, public official, and certified forest bathing guide from Croatia, for a profound conversation about the healing power of nature and what happens when human beings reconnect with the living world they were never meant to leave behind.

Drawing from her personal experiences as a refugee child, a survivor of anorexia, and later as a civic leader responsible for the wellbeing of her community, Tanja shares how nature became both her teacher and her healer during some of the most difficult periods of her life. Through these experiences, she discovered what science is now increasingly confirming: our relationship with nature is not optional. It is foundational to human health, development, and wellbeing.

As the conversation deepens, we explore Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of forest bathing, and the growing body of research showing its impact on stress reduction, emotional regulation, attention, immunity, and mental health. Together, we examine why modern children are carrying burdens they were never meant to carry alone, from constant stimulation and performance pressure to climate anxiety and disconnection from their own bodies. Tanja explains why nature offers something increasingly rare in modern life: a space where children do not have to perform, achieve, or prove anything. They can simply be.

We also discuss education, leadership, belonging, and the future of human development. What happens when children learn about nature only through the lens of crisis and catastrophe? How do we help them develop a relationship with the Earth rooted in wonder rather than fear? And what becomes possible when schools, families, and communities begin treating nature not as a luxury, but as an essential partner in human growth?

At the heart of this conversation is a powerful reminder: when we lose our connection to nature, we lose our connection to ourselves. And when we find our way back, we remember who we truly are.

In this episode, you'll learn:

What Forest Bathing Really Is and Why It Works

How Nature Supports Emotional Regulation and Mental Health

Why Children Need More Than Information to Thrive

The Science Behind Nature's Impact on the Brain and Nervous System

How Forest Bathing Supports Attention and Focus

Why Modern Children Are Experiencing a Crisis of Disconnection

How Nature Helps Reduce Stress and Anxiety

What Children Learn When They Experience Nature Directly

Why Wonder Is More Powerful Than Fear in Environmental Education

How Nature Influences Leadership, Decision-Making, and Wisdom

Simple Ways Families Can Reconnect with Nature in Everyday Life

Why Rebuilding Our Relationship with Nature May Be Essential for Humanity's Future

Guest Resources:

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010253920918

Recommended Books:

• The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
• The Nature Fix by Florence Williams
• Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell

What We Discuss:

[02:32] - What Forest Bathing Really Is (and What It Is Not)
[04:44] - How Nature Helped Tanya Through War, Illness & Disconnection
[11:01] - What Today's Children Are Carrying That They Were Never Meant to Carry
[14:09] - The Science of Forest Bathing: Attention, Stress & Brain Development
[18:00] - Why Intention Matters: Moving Beyond Simply Being Outdoors
[21:15] - Japan's Vision: Nature as Preventive Medicine and Public Health
[28:19] - Nature, Leadership & Better Decision-Making in Public Life
[33:26] - How Families in Cities Can Reconnect with Nature Every Day
[39:31] - Initiating Children into a Relationship with the Living World
[46:36] - What Is at Stake If Humanity Loses Its Connection to Nature?