The Seed Field

Thinking About Outdoor Classrooms With the Director of Antioch Forests

Peter Palmiotto believes that outdoor classrooms can be much more intentional than the cliché of students enjoying a sunny day out on a manicured quad. Instead, he says, outdoor classrooms can be designed to work in any weather—and the natural world can be a key part of the learning they facilitate. Peter should know: he has spent the past dozen years building Antioch’s 80-acre teaching forest, Glover’s Ledge, into a highly functional and much-used outdoor classroom. In this conversation, he talks about the decisions made there, the vision for the future, and how other schools might cultivate their own outdoor classrooms. As Peter says, “The dialogue and the dynamic of a group moving through a outdoor classroom is totally different than students sitting in a classroom.” – – – Visit the Glover’s Ledge website [https://gloversledge.weebly.com/] to learn more about Antioch’s premier outdoor classroom. Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the MS in Environmental Studies [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/environment-sustainability/environmental-studies-ms/] and the PhD in Environmental Studies [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/environment-sustainability/environmental-studies-phd/]. You can also find the expanded press release about the recent $1.5 million dollar gift supporting Antioch’s Environmental Studies department and Glover’s Ledge [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/antioch-university-receives-1-5-million-gift-for-mission-driven-environmental-studies-and-sustainability-education/] on Common Thread. Further listening: a previous Seed Field Podcast interview with two education faculty that asked, “To Reopen Schools, Teachers Took Their Students Outside. Should They Stay There?” [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/podcast/s2e1-to-reopen-schools-teachers-took-their-students-outside-should-they-stay-there/] – – – This episode was recorded January 27, 2026 via Squadcast and released February 11, 2026.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, Odin Rasco, Rylie DeGarmo, and Shayla Kerr Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, and Laurien Alexandre – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

A Conversation With the Inventor of “Environmental Grief”

Over 20 years ago, Kriss Kevorkian coined the term “environmental grief” to describe the emotional impacts experienced by scientists and activists working around the clearcutting of redwood forests. In the intervening decades, more and more people have taken up this term to explain and explore their own emotions during a time of changing climate and environmental degradation. In today’s episode, Kriss talks about thanatology, her own work on behalf of the Southern Resident Orcas in the Salish Sea, and how we can harness environmental grief to act on behalf of the non-human world. – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the Undergraduate Studies programs [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/] in which Kriss teaches.   Kriss’s activist organization is called Legal Rights for the Salish Sea [https://narn.org/rights-for-southern-resident-orcas/]. If you want to follow Kriss’s advice and fill out your advanced directive, you can find more information at caringinfo.org [https://www.caringinfo.org/planning/advance-directives/]. – – – This episode was recorded November 14, 2025 via Riverside.fm and released January 28, 2026.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, Odin Rasco, Rylie DeGarmo, and Shayla Kerr Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, and Laurien Alexandre. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

Millions of Americans Have Unfinished PhDs. Can We Help Them Graduate?

Over 30% of people who start a PhD don’t graduate within ten years. This can be a grand disappointment and a real setback—and it can hold learners back from contributing to their full ability. But today, degree completion programs are helping some of these students to return to the academy, finish their studies, complete their research, and claim their diplomas. So what goes into designing a degree completion program? In this conversation with Diane Richard-Allerdyce, the founding director of the Completion Pathway in Antioch’s PhD in Leadership and Change, we ask her about all of these questions—and learn how taking into account educational trauma and structural barriers is key to helping students finally complete their dreams.  – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the PhD in Leadership and Change [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/leadership-management/phd-leadership-change/], and the Completion Pathway [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/leadership-management/phd-leadership-and-change-completion-pathway/] that Diane directs. You can also read the announcement [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/antioch-university-launches-phd-in-leadership-and-change-degree-completion-pathway/] of the creation of the Completion Pathway. This episode was recorded November 21, 2025 and released December 17, 2025.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Social Media Manager: Selina Starling Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPoint.   Additional Production Help: Jen Mont, Amelia Bryan, and Laurien Alexandre. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

Athletic Training Started in D-1 Athletics. It Can Be So Much More.

Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the MS in Athletic Training [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/ms-in-athletic-training/] that Ally chairs. You can also visit the main page for the Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/]. To learn more about the Coalition for the Common Good, visit the CCG website [https://www.ccgedu.org/].  This episode was recorded October 22, 2025 via Squadcast and released November 19, 2025.  – – – The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, and Liza Wisner.   Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, Jefferson Blackburn-Smith, Gina Calcamuggio, Jenny Hill, Kati Skon, and Laurien Alexandre To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit  theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org] . To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow  Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity] . – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

How Do Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Treat Trauma “From Every Angle”?

Physical and mental health are deeply connected, yet the medical field too often treats these as entirely separate domains. Deana Batross says that this is unfortunate, because medical procedures (like heart transplants) often have psychological side effects, and mental health conditions (like complex PTSD) often have physical causes. Luckily, Deana is a  Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners trained in the biopsychosocial model that sees the patient as a whole person. In this conversation, Deana discusses how she thinks about trauma, shares how her students in Antioch University’s Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner program study this topic, and discusses her work advocating for greater access to physical and mental healthcare. – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner-overview/] that Deana chairs. You can also visit the main page for the Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/graduate-school-of-nursing-and-health-professions/]. If you’d like to listen to a related podcast episode, try our conversation with the psychologist Stephen Southern about expressive writing's potential for treating complex PTSD: “Therapists Are Using Creative Writing to Treat Complex PTSD—and Build Resilience [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/podcast/s8-e-2-therapists-are-using-creative-writing-to-treat-complex-ptsd-and-build-resilience/]”. You may also be interested in our conversation with the therapist Rachele Moskowitz about somatic approaches to therapy: “Using Somatic Therapy to Understand the Trauma in Our Bodies [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/podcast/s4e2-using-somatic-therapy-to-understand-the-trauma-in-our-bodies/]”.  This episode was recorded September 22, 2025 via Squadcast and released November 5, 2025.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, and Liza Wisner.   Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, Melinda Garland, Jefferson Blackburn-Smith, Gina Calcamuggio, Jenny Hill, Kati Skon, and Laurien Alexandre. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].