The Nature Of with Willow Defebaugh

From Soil to Shelf: The Science of Beauty With Jorge Blanco

What does it mean for beauty to be part of ecology rather than separate from it? Willow sits down with Jorge Blanco, Davines' North America Culture & Creative Director, for a conversation about regenerative agriculture, green chemistry, and the hidden systems behind the products we use every day. They explore how soil, science, farming, and haircare are deeply interconnected and what it means to move beyond sustainability toward regeneration. This conversation invites us to rethink what it means to care for ourselves and the Earth at the same time. This episode was made possible by Davines. If you’re interested in learning more about Davines, check out Davines: For A Good Life [https://us.davines.com/pages/for-a-good-life]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Maria Popova on Turning Matter Into Meaning

How do we stay open amid uncertainty? In this episode, Willow sits down with Maria Popova, writer and founder of The Marginalian, for a conversation about meaning, wonder, and the unknown. They explore Maria’s idea that “selfing” sits at the root of much of our suffering and how wonder can be an antidote. Moving between the scientific and poetic, the historical and the personal, they trace surprising connections across time in Maria’s new book, Traversal. This conversation is an invitation to loosen our grip on certainty and let ourselves be astonished by the marvels of existence. For more about Maria Popova and The Marginalian: https://www.themarginalian.org [https://www.themarginalian.org] For Reweaving the Rainbow: https://substack.com/@reweavingtherainbow [https://substack.com/@reweavingtherainbow] Reweaving the Rainbow: Science, Poetry, and the Magic of Nature: https://atmos.earth/ecological-wisdom/reweaving-the-rainbow/ [https://atmos.earth/ecological-wisdom/reweaving-the-rainbow/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pattie Gonia: How Nature Can Help Us Transcend Binaries

How can we see nature as an invitation to break down binary thinking? In this episode, Willow sits down with environmental drag queen Pattie Gonia to explore the outdoors as a space that bridges divides. From hiking in heels to building community through art, Pattie shares how drag became a pathway back to both nature and self. Diving into the deep connection between identity, self expression, and the natural world, this conversation is an invitation to reconnect with what is most alive within us—and to remember that healing ourselves might be part of how we heal the world. For more about Pattie Gonia: https://www.pattiegonia.net/ [https://www.pattiegonia.net/] 60 Seconds on Earth with Pattie Gonia: https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/60-seconds-on-earth-with-pattie-gonia/ [https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/60-seconds-on-earth-with-pattie-gonia/] Pattie Gonia on Drag and Identity in the Outdoors: https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/pattie-gonia-environmentalist-drag-queen-interview/ [https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/pattie-gonia-environmentalist-drag-queen-interview/] Why Pattie Gonia, Yo-Yo Ma, and Quinn Christopherson Won’t Give Up: https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/why-pattie-gonia-yo-yo-ma-and-quinn-christopherson-wont-give-up/ [https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/why-pattie-gonia-yo-yo-ma-and-quinn-christopherson-wont-give-up/] Watch Bonnie Wright and Pattie Gonia Road Trip for the Planet: https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/watch-bonnie-wright-and-pattie-gonia-road-trip-for-the-planet/ [https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/watch-bonnie-wright-and-pattie-gonia-road-trip-for-the-planet/]   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artist Olafur Eliasson on Seeing What We’ve Been Blind To

How can getting in touch with our senses help us reconnect with the world around us? Nature has shaped the work of artist Olafur Eliasson for decades. From glowing suns indoors to melting glaciers in city streets, his installations invite us to see what we’ve been blind to. In this episode, Willow and Olafur explore how art can reach beyond language, allowing us to feel what is often too vast or abstract to grasp. They consider the ways art can help us see the world in new dimensions—and feel seen in return. For more about Olafur Eliasson: https://olafureliasson.net/ [https://olafureliasson.net/] For more about the Weather Project: https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/the-weather-project-2003/ [https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/the-weather-project-2003/] For more about The New York City Waterfalls: https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/the-new-york-city-waterfalls-2008/ [https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/the-new-york-city-waterfalls-2008/] For more about Ice Watch: https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/ice-watch-2014/ [https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/ice-watch-2014/] Decarbonizing the Art World: https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/decarbonizing-the-art-world-olafur-eliasson-onassis-stegi/ [https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/decarbonizing-the-art-world-olafur-eliasson-onassis-stegi/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Giuliana Furci Is Your Guide to the Enchanting World of Fungi

Beneath our feet, fungi connect forests, turn death into life, and quietly sustain the world we live in. Mycologist Giuliana Furci has spent decades studying and sensing into them. In this conversation, she invites us to see life differently, not as separate individuals, but as a web of relationships that holds everything together. Together with Willow, she reflects on how learning to notice fungi can open our eyes to the hidden collaborations that make life on Earth possible.  For more about Giuliana Furci: https://giulianafurci.com/ [https://giulianafurci.com/] For more about the Fungi Foundation: https://www.ffungi.org/ [https://www.ffungi.org/] Saving the World's Fungi, Might Save Us, Too: https://atmos.earth/science-and-nature/saving-the-worlds-fungi-might-save-us-too/ [https://atmos.earth/science-and-nature/saving-the-worlds-fungi-might-save-us-too/]   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.