nature being

an ecology of peace (the bonobo episode)

when you realize the story told about human nature is dangerously incomplete... that we are just as genetically close to bonobos as we are to chimpanzees, yet this is still less known. so this episode asks why — and what it costs us that we don't. we do a deep dive with the long-overlooked bonobo to examine dominant narratives that shaped Western civilization. that humans are naturally competitive, hierarchical, and violent and survival of the fittest. but evolution also gave us egalitarian cultures, cooperation, empathy, attunement, and repair. another template has been here all along, that is getting some much deserved air time. thinking-with: bonobos, Frans de Waal, Jaak Panksepp, Bayo Akomolafe, Audre Lorde, Lori Pye and the oceanic depths of what our species still doesn't know about itself. what kinds of environments bring different parts of our nature forward? a meditation on relational intelligence, ecological ethics, the politics of touch, and the fuller story of who we still, or actually are. tricia french hosts nature being, an Ecological Psychologist and graduate of Virids Graduate Institute.

emotional inheritance (*featuring baby punch)

episode nine of nature being fatures the tender viral baby macaque *Punch* who becomes an doorway into a deeper truth, that we are mammals, innately wired for connection. we explore the science of our shared emotional circuitry with the help of Jaak Panksepp, founder of affective neuroscience, who mapped the ancient brain systems we share with other mammals: SEEKING, CARE, PLAY, GRIEF, FEAR, RAGE, LUST emotions are not weaknesses or inconveniences, but necessary, biological inheritances... tools for living (per Jaak) shaping how we bond, heal, and build culture. this episode, like all, is a reminder that we are not separate from nature or above it but we are ecological, deeply social beings. every small act of care...every moment of safety, play, and connection, reshapes not just individual lives, but the emotional face of the earth. Most of the content/information of this episode is Jaak. HIGHLY RECOMMEND his TED talk or if you want to nerd out like I did here's a link to 4 hours of his incredible lectures: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1kajDmS3F7fKP2KYZtBKRH?si=1ff212ce04704574

PLAY / CARE & eros (superbowl field notes)

this episode explores what it means to be a mammal…beyond language, culture, and these screens we're all so glued to. Inspired by Bad Bunny’s superbowl halftime show (yes, inspiration comes from every angle). we dive into the nuerological/biology of PLAY, CARE with a guest apparance of eros, drawing on the deeply moving, massively important work of neuroscientist and truly curious, incredible being: Jaak Panksepp.  from tickled and giggling rats to mammals in spandex and polyester, we explore how nervous systems learn to regulate, how joy and relational energy flow, and what happens when a culture forgets to play. how do we inhabit the biology of care? how do we remember circuits of love, joy, and play are available to all of us, we just have to be willing to feed them. the host, tricia french, is a graduate of Viridis Graduate Institue. mammals that help guide her sensing, and immersed her in the study of CARE, PLAY and eros are: Lori Pye Robin Saltonstall Stephen Buhner Jaak Panksepp

when death looks back

An episode exploring how we stay in conversation with life when death looks back. An encounter with a squirrel invites questions of care, loss, and ethical tensions we are living with. These episodes are guided by ecological psychology. Inviting grief, and what it means to remain soft, sensing, and relational in an unsedimented world. I have created a space for any questions/curiosities/feelings/feedback here: https://www.thewildthreshold.com/nature-being-podcast [https://www.thewildthreshold.com/nature-being-podcast] or via IG @naturebeingpod tricia french is the host of Nature Being and is a graduate of Viridis Graduate Institute.

distributed minds

what happens when intelligence isn’t something we possess, but something we participate in? this episode begins with Donna Haraways  "it matters what thoughts think thoughts"...what kind of thinking is shaping our thoughts and our world before we’re even aware of it? psychology and ecology entangle as we explore intelligence beyond the human brain as relational, distributed, ecological knowing. encountering beings who have been thinking with earth far longer than we have. we question the stories we’ve normalized and as always invite more questions. if brilliance destroys ecosystems, is it still brilliant? who or what gets excluded when intelligence is defined only by human achievement? what happens when intelligence is severed from relationship, care, and belonging? ecological psychology reminds us none of us can be psychologically well on an unwell planet. perhaps the most intelligent thing we can do now is listen to our bodies, to other species, and to Earth herself. references: Donna Haraway book staying with the trouble plastic in bird bellies: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230531-the-photo-that-changed-the-worlds-response-to-the-plastics-crisis [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230531-the-photo-that-changed-the-worlds-response-to-the-plastics-crisis] seismic airgun sounds: https://earthjustice.org/video/underwater-seismic-airguns [https://earthjustice.org/video/underwater-seismic-airguns] infinite gratitude to Dr. Lori Pye and Viridis Graduate Institue for this education.