Biophilic Solutions: Nature Has the Answers

Ancestral Habits: Learning From Our Deep History

What can our evolutionary past teach us about living healthier, more connected lives today? In this episode, Monica sits down with Andie Edwards, creator of the popular Instagram account Ancestral Habits, to explore how hundreds of thousands of years of human evolution continue to shape our bodies, minds, and relationship with the natural world. Together, they discuss evolutionary mismatch, our biological need for nature, the importance of honoring natural rhythms, and what it means to apply ancestral wisdom in a modern world. They also explore the responsibility of communicating science on social media and Andie's perspective on artificial intelligence. It's a fascinating conversation about using our deep history not to return to the past, but to build a healthier, more aligned future. Show Notes * Ancestral Habits Website [https://www.ancestral-habits.com/] * Ancestral Habits on Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/ancestralhabits] * Ancestral Habits on Substack  [https://ancestralhabits.substack.com/] * Ancestral Habits at Home (PDF) [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KHQqqcpt9vKKZsWZJBKKaOBkVA78nlfv/view] biophilia, nature connection, human evolution, ancestral health, ancestral habits, anthropology, evolutionary mismatch, evolutionary biology, human behavior, natural rhythms, circadian rhythms, modern life, well-being, mental health, physical health, environmental psychology, science communication, social media, artificial intelligence, AI, biology, evolutionary medicine, ecology, resilience, holistic health, outdoor living, health and wellness, connection, sustainability Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/biophilicsolutions/] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/biophilic-solutions-nature-has-the-answers/] and learn more on our website [https://www.biophilicsolutions.com/].   #NatureHasTheAnswers

Where Place Meets Spirit: A Conversation with Phill Tabb

How do the places we inhabit shape our sense of meaning, connection, and well-being? In this episode, Monica sits down with architect, author, and placemaker Dr. Phill Tabb for a wide-ranging conversation on the relationship between place, spirituality, and human flourishing. Together, they explore how thoughtful design, biophilia, ritual, awe, and sensory experience can help create environments that support deeper connections to ourselves, to one another, and to the natural world. The conversation also examines the role of mythology, storytelling, and creative practices in shaping our experience of place. From the symbolism embedded in communities and cities to the power of observation, sketching, and reflection, Phill shares insights drawn from decades of research and practice. Whether you're interested in design, wellness, spirituality, or the human need for belonging, this episode offers a thoughtful exploration of how place influences the way we live, feel, and connect. Show Notes * Wellness Architecture and Urban Design [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] * Spiritual Wellness and the Built Environment [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] * Placemaking Through Myths, Experience and Drawing [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] * Thin Places, Sacred Architecture, and Biophilic Patterns with Dr. Phill Tabb [https://www.biophilicsolutions.com/thin-places-sacred-architecture-and-biophilic-patterns-with-dr-phill-tabb/] * Place Drawing as a Sacred Practice by Phillip Tabb [https://acsforum.org/place-drawing-as-a-sacred-practice/] * AS SERENBE EXHIBITION WILL SHOW, ARCHITECT PHILL TABB’S ART ALWAYS STARTS WITH NATURE (ARTS ATL) [https://www.artsatl.org/as-serenbe-exhibition-will-show-architect-phill-tabbs-art-always-starts-with-nature/] Biophilia, placemaking, spiritual wellness, thin places, architecture, wellness design, nature connection, awe, ritual, human flourishing, sense of place, mythology, storytelling, community design, biophilic design, creativity, drawing, journaling, mindfulness, well-being, environmental psychology, sacred spaces, intentional living, place attachment, connection to nature, personal growth, reflective practice, healthy communities, design for wellness, meaning and purpose Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/biophilicsolutions/] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/biophilic-solutions-nature-has-the-answers/] and learn more on our website [https://www.biophilicsolutions.com/].   #NatureHasTheAnswers

Earth’s Generous Alchemy with Lindsay Branham & Florence Williams

In this episode, we explore a question that feels more urgent than ever: what if healing ourselves and healing the planet are deeply interconnected? Monica is joined by author Lindsay Branham, whose book Heartwood: The Wisdom and Healing Kinship of Trees chronicles her personal journey through chronic illness and toward a deeper relationship with the natural world. Guest co-host Florence Williams, bestselling author of The Nature Fix, also brings her expertise on nature, health, and well-being to this wide-ranging conversation. Together, they explore the story behind Heartwood and the experiences that led Lindsay from a career as a war journalist and Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker to an exploration of ecology, spirituality, and embodied healing. The conversation delves into interoception – sometimes called our “eighth sense” – and how tuning into the body’s internal signals may help us reconnect with ourselves and the living world around us. From chronic illness and nervous system regulation to reciprocal healing, belonging, and even erotic ecology, this episode examines why so many of us are searching for deeper connection in an increasingly disconnected world and what nature may have to teach us about finding it. If you’re interested in the intersection of science, spirituality, and healing, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Show Notes * Heartwood: The Healing Wisdom & Kinship of Trees by Lindsay Branham [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] * Heartwood Institute [https://www.heartwood.institute/] * Lindsay Branham on Substack [https://lindsaybranham.substack.com/] * Florence Williams  [https://florencewilliams.com/] * The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams  [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] Key Words: biophilia, biophilic design, nature connection, healing, planetary health, human health, ecology, spirituality, interoception, nervous system regulation, forest healing, nature therapy, forest bathing, ecological connection, mindfulness, embodiment, emotional well-being, Florence Williams, Lindsay Branham, Heartwood, The Nature Fix, Biophilic Solutions, sustainability, conservation, healing through nature, wild places, environmental psychology, holistic health, connection, natural world, regenerative living, personal transformation, neuroscience, nature and well-being, eco-spirituality, environmental stewardship, intentional living Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/biophilicsolutions/] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/biophilic-solutions-nature-has-the-answers/] and learn more on our website [https://www.biophilicsolutions.com/].   #NatureHasTheAnswers

Building Bridges for the Wild with Beth Pratt & Tim Beatley

On this episode of Biophilic Solutions, Monica Olsen is joined by wildlife conservationist and author Beth Pratt alongside special guest co-host Tim Beatley for a conversation about urban wildlife, national parks, and the future of conservation in our cities. As California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, Beth shares the story behind the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Los Angeles, the cultural impact of mountain lion P-22, and how storytelling can inspire people to reconnect with the natural world. The conversation also explores Beth’s work as the author of Yosemite Wildlife and When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors, as well as Tim’s vision for creating biophilic cities that make room for both people and biodiversity. Together, they discuss wildlife crossings, urban ecology, public lands, and why fostering connection with nature may be one of the most important challenges (and opportunities) of our time. Show Notes * Yosemite Wildlife [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] * When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] * The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing [https://101wildlifecrossing.org/] * Biophilic Cities [https://www.biophiliccities.org/] * Beth Pratt Website [https://www.bethpratt.com/] Key Words: biophilic design, biophilic cities, urban wildlife, wildlife conservation, Beth Pratt, Tim Beatley, P-22, mountain lions, wildlife crossings, Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, urban ecology, biodiversity, conservation, Yosemite National Park, national parks, nature connection, ecological design, habitat connectivity, coexistence, rewilding cities, biodiversity corridors, conservation storytelling, environmentalism, public lands, sustainable cities, climate resilience, nature and cities, human-nature connection, wildlife advocacy, environmental podcast Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/biophilicsolutions/] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/biophilic-solutions-nature-has-the-answers/] and learn more on our website [https://www.biophilicsolutions.com/].   #NatureHasTheAnswers

History, Memory, and the Fight for Environmental Justice with The Corridor's Jaha Nailah Avery

Cancer Alley, an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River in Louisiana, has become shorthand for one of the most urgent environmental justice crises in the United States. Lined with more than a hundred petrochemical plants, it’s often talked about in terms of statistics and headlines. But in the new podcast The Corridor, those abstractions start to fall away, revealing something much more human: the lived experiences, histories, and deep-rooted connections of the communities who call this region home. In this episode of Biophilic Solutions, we’re joined by Jaha Nailah Avery, a journalist and storyteller from Asheville, North Carolina. Trained in constitutional and civil rights law at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she moved from the tech world to journalism, with work featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Architectural Digest. Her work centers on documenting and preserving Black history, from interviewing Jim Crow survivors in her book Those Who Saw the Sun to her latest project producing and hosting The Corridor. In our conversation, she shares how a single article about Cancer Alley sparked a bigger question – how did we get here? – and set her on a path to trace the connections between slavery, land use, and modern-day environmental harm. We talk about the legacy of plantation country and the role that oral storytelling plays in preserving history and preventing its erasure.  What emerges is a far more nuanced picture that holds both injustice and resilience, hardship and community. It’s a conversation about why listening matters, and what becomes possible when we truly hear the stories that shape a place. Show Notes * The Corridor [https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/the-corridor] * I Heard by Jaha Nailah Avery [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] * Those Who Saw The Sun by Jaha Nailah Avery and Steffi Walthall [https://bookshop.org/lists/author-interviews-biophilic-solutions] * Jaha Nailah Avery on Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/jay_nailah/] * Louisiana’s Cancer Alley (Human Rights Watch) [https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/25/us-louisianas-cancer-alley] Cancer Alley, environmental justice, biophilic design, place-based storytelling, landscape and memory, oral history, Black history preservation, petrochemical industry, Mississippi River corridor, Louisiana communities, land use and legacy, industrial pollution, community resilience, environmental health, storytelling and justice, historical memory, plantation history, civil rights, environmental storytelling, human-centered narratives, cultural preservation, climate and community, listening and empathy, social impact, public health and environment Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/biophilicsolutions/] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/biophilic-solutions-nature-has-the-answers/] and learn more on our website [https://www.biophilicsolutions.com/].   #NatureHasTheAnswers