The Natural Curiosity Project

Rob Prince teaches documentary filmmaking at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. But he’s also the host of the wildly popular Podcast, “Dark Winter Nights: True Stories from Alaska.” In this episode, Rob and host Steve Shepard talk about documentary filmmaking, the power of the free press, the role of curiosity, the importance of relying on diverse news sources, and of course, his amazing Podcast.

Luke Pearson is a composer, musician, naturalist, educator, and wildlife sound recordist. He works as a nature educator, where his combined skills and background, including recording and listening trips in South Africa, help him open kids’ eyes to the wonders of the natural world.

Why is an excellent customer experience so difficult to deliver? It isn't--if you know what to do. In this entertaining episode, Steve tells the story of a tiny hotel in Los Angeles that has cracked the code and delivers what is perhaps the best customer experience in the country. Have a listen--and take notes.

Just about a year ago, I released my 97th book and second novel, The Nation We Knew. It quickly became the number one best-selling title in political fiction on Amazon, worldwide. The theme? What could the world look like, if we were to set aside out political differences and focus on the future—on creating the kind of place we want to leave for our children and grandchildren. In this retrospective, Steve talks about the experience of publishing a book that has been both praised and condemned. Enjoy!

Will Gillespie first appeared in episode 129 with his family, talking about their efforts to balance their cattle ranch against the needs of the natural world. They not only raise cattle, but they also support and maintain the Prairie Ridge Wildlife Refuge next door—both of which are prospering and flourishing. But there’s more to Will than that. He’s also an engineer, a coal mine inspector, and the author of a terrific book called “Cows I have Known.” Join me for this short interview with Will as we explore his decidedly non-linear career. You can order Will's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Cows-Have-Known-William-Gillespie-ebook/dp/B06XKFJZWP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LMXSIZFFAQ6G&keywords=Cows+I+Have+Known&qid=1660339678&sprefix=cows+i+have+known%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-1.

Brian Ashley is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who sat down with me recently to talk about his world. Have you ever wondered about the difference between psychiatry and psychology? Or how mental health professionals think about the world they inhabit? or about the extraordinary process of helping people deal with some of the most difficult things thy'll ever face in their lives? This is one of the most interesting and thoughtful episodes I have ever done--it deserves a careful listen. Brian acknowledges the work of others in his field and offers his thanks to them. “I want to acknowledge the sources of so many of the ideas I have shared in this interview: David Malan and Harvey Barten for their development of psychodynamic practice and theory, Christopher Bollas for giving us the Unthought Known and a radical re-imagining of how to work with and through the emotion of breakdown, and the pioneering developers of Open Dialogue at Keropudas Hospital in Tornio, Finland.”

Okay, this is a fun episode about something that we've all heard about but have rarely seen. Have you ever noticed in movie credits that there's somebody called the Foley Artist? Well this episode is about those people. Almost 100% of the sounds that are recorded on a movie set during production are actually replaced by Foley artists, in some amazing, remarkable, wacky ways. Enjoy. This is one to talk about.

The Internet of Things, IoT, is not well understood, so here's a quick description, by popular request, with some very interesting examples.

Worried that technology might take your job? Here's a better question to ask: If I could hand off some of my work to technology, what might I be able to accomplish? In this episode, Steve Shepard paints two scenarios, both real, both very similar, yet captured two decades apart. Enjoy.

Here's a dirty little secret for you: All generations want the same things in work and life. They want a good job, in some cases a career; they want some kind of education; they want to raise a family; they want to be comfortable, eat well, go on vacation, and make money. They want to be recognized and rewarded for a job well done, and they want to feel like they’re growing personally and professionally. In other words, they want to live their best lives. So: Want to have a strong, loyal, and productive workforce? Learn how to tell the difference between them, and act accordingly.

In March 2021 I published my novel, “The Nation We Knew.” It’s built around a simple question: What would happen if a new president came into power, a president with a commitment to the people, not the party, a president consumed with the idea of building progress on a platform of common sense. How might this president reinvent healthcare, infrastructure, education, corrections, foreign policy, transportation, and the government itself, if she (that’s right—she) could get Washington to leave the elephants and donkeys outside to tear up the lawn and focus on where the nation needs to be, not where it is? What would that look like? Happily, the book became a best-seller. A month after the book came out, I received a call from Randell Hynes. Randy is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District. He told me that he had read my book, and that it aligned very much with his goals as a political candidate—to focus on people, not party, and do the right thing for the nation by doing the right thing for its citizens. A few days ago, I interviewed Randy. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Jim Winninger and I have known each other for a long time. We share interests in teaching, music, photography ... and the power of passion. Jim thinks about it all the time, and has a lot to share about the subject. And folks, if any of you are parents, you might want to listen to this one with your teenage kids. It applies to them as much as it does to you.

Human-generated noise is every bit a pollutant as noxious chemicals in the water and soil and air. But rarely is it considered to be a problem. In this episode, on Earth Day, 2022, I talk a bit about the things we can do to help--and about how I got into recording wildlife sound in the first place. Thanks for listening!

What kinds of leaders are most effective at compelling others to help them achieve their goals? The warm-blooded kind. There's an interesting corollary here between leadership and biology. Have a listen.

Every once in a while, I have the honor to interview someone who’s not only an expert in their field—and it is invariably a VERY interesting field—but who is also a great speaker, a great person, and someone who truly knows how to tell a story, which, anyone who knows me knows that I place a very high value on that. Such is the case with Mike Isham. Mike is a farmer, and while he does a lot of traditional farming things, he is also a premier maple syrup producer. I’m willing to bet you don’t know just how complicated—and fascinating—the process is that converts maple sap to maple syrup. Well, you’re about to find out.

Not too long ago, Gary Kessler and I sat down to chat about the idea that when knowledge is shared widely and broadly within an organization, the organization is better prepared to respond to unexpected events. One of those unexpected events, of course, is a cyberattack. As networks and computing resources became more pervasive, and as they went from being technical curiosities to strongholds of intelligence, money, and competitive information, they also became targets. In response, organizations began to appear, charged with creating coordinated defenses against these attacks. But there’s more to the story, much of it historical, and all of it interesting.

Take a walk through Mud Pond, a nature refuge near my home in Vermont, and listen to the voices of the forest.

Over the course of the last year or so, I've worked with a range of diverse organizations to develop a sense of what the future of work looks like, given that there are as many opinions about the topic as there are people thinking about it. In this episode, I consolidate much of the research I’ve done and present it in a series of scenarios that lay out where the world of work is going. My thoughts include work models, the evolving relationship between employer and employee, the role of technology, and the need to create balance between work and life. There are some surprises here—hope you find it helpful.

Chris Helzer is the Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska. He spends a lot of his time focused on prairie management and conservation, sharing what he learns with public and private landowners. But as Chris observes during the program, prairies are seen by many as a place to “drive through on the road to someplace interesting.” In fact, that’s profoundly wrong. Not only are prairies every bit as interesting as forests or coral reefs—and in many ways, more so—they play a huge role in protecting the overall ecosystemic health of North America.

I think we’ve all had the experience of running across a childhood toy, or a photograph, or having a conversation with a childhood friend who makes you think of ANOTHER childhood friend who hasn’t popped into your head in a long time. That happened to me recently, and after a bit of sleuthing, I found him, and we reconnected after 55 years. Ed Cotham is a really interesting guy for a lot of reasons—one of which is that he wrote the very first book about the history and meaning of Juneteenth. But that’s just the beginning of his story. Have a listen.

To say that Jacob traveled to Create Voices of a Flyway is kind of like saying that David Attenborough is a newscaster. One of the largest bird migration routes in North America is the Mississippi Flyway, which the Audubon Society describes as a “river of birds.” Every year, more than a billion birds make the round-trip journey from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern US to their winter habitats along the Gulf of Mexico and in Central and South America. As he made his way from Louisiana northward, Jacob’s conversations with the people he met along the way shattered stereotypes left and right. For more than two months, he traveled along the Mississippi flyway, interviewing oil workers, commercial fishing crews, ornithologists, farmers, environmentalists, Wildlife and Fisheries employees, conservation land managers, scientists, concerned citizens, Audubon volunteers, and dozens of others. All had a story to tell, but one theme stood out: they all agreed that we have a collective responsibility to balance our impact as a species with the needs of the natural world. But he didn’t go on the journey to advocate: he went to listen.

Mark Brennan is a great example of someone whose non-linear career has been catalyzed by passion and curiosity and a love of the natural world. Mark’s a Nova Scotia-based artist, a painter, but he’s also an equally gifted wildlife sound recordist, a photographer, and a videographer, and, as you’ll soon hear, sometimes he’s all of them at the same time. You can find his work in all its beautiful forms at MarkBrennanFineArt.ca.

I was sitting with my three-year-old grandson the other day, coloring with Crayons. It was great fun, and brought back a flood of childhood memories. As I sat there, the names of the colors I loved came back: Cornflower. Red-orange. Burnt orange. Burnt sienna. My mind started to wander, and soon I was deep into curiosity-driven research about colors, how they’re formulated, and how we see them. I discovered some amazing facts. Enjoy the episode. Oh—if you get a chance, check out this site: www.crayola.com/explore-colors.

What do reading, cattle, telephones, railroads, and barbed wire have in common? They were the basis for one of the most important elements of modern telephone systems in the United States in the late 19th century. This is really interesting—enjoy!

Have you ever given any thought as to the origins of the famous Mother Goose rhymes that we all heard as kids, or even read to our own kids or grandkids? Well, you should. Brace yourself--they're not what you think. Have a listen.

My friend Ken Dravis is a musician, music producer, and commercial pilot who recently chose to temporarily clip his own wings and go for a walk in the woods with his wife, Allie: they hiked all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But there’s a lot more to Ken’s story than a long hike. Have a listen.

When I was a SCUBA instructor back in the 70s and 80s, I had a good friend, Jack Garrett (still a good friend, I should add), who was one of my assistant instructors, among many other things. But somewhere along the way, Jack gave up neoprene and a weight belt and instead, put on chain mail and now carries a broadsword. He’s ferociously curious, and his interest in history and culture led him to become a Viking reenactor. You’ll enjoy this: Interview with a Viking.

This one is a mind-bender and guaranteed to win you bets in a bar. Guaranteed, I promise.

We've all been led to believe that lobbyists are--well, not our favorite people. But my interview with Mike Hutfles, who lobbies for, among other things, healthcare organizations and small, independent telephone companies, might change your mind. Do you really know what a lobbyist does? You're about to find out.

It’s no secret that I’m curious about people who have had what I like to call ‘non-linear careers’—meaning people who are driven by curiosity and passion to find their path in life. Phil Asmundson is one of those people. Try this on for size: degrees in geology and physics; degree in accounting; career with Deloitte, rising to deputy chair of the firm; and vineyard operator and winemaker with his wife, Kim. The only thing that would make his career any more non-linear would be if he became, I don’t know, a successful novelist. Oh wait—he did. There’s a lot to be learned in this interview with my friend Phil. Please listen and enjoy.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine and I were kidding around, and he asked me if I had any evidence of the existence of a higher power in the universe. “Absolutely,” I told him. “Nutmeg.” He looked at me like I was crazy. I said, “Have you ever smelled freshly ground nutmeg? Because if you had, you wouldn’t look at me like that.” In this episode we look into the amazing world of spices. Wars have been fought over them because there have been times when they were worth more than gold. Besides, they taste good!

A quick thank you for all my listeners around the world--nothing more!

Dr. Russ Willis is a technologist, ethicist, pastor, teacher, administrator, and poet. Any questions? In this episode Russ and I have a conversation about the meaning of ethics, and about what we perceive to be an ongoing migration in human society from village to tribal behavior—and the implications of that migration. Russ brings some wonderful insights in this episode; please enjoy.

I love science, but there are times when I wish we knew less than we actually do about how the world works. Why? Because while science is the most extraordinary gift that has ever been visited upon human beings, it does have one drawback: it kills wonder. The more we know, the less we are inclined to be awed by what we see; magic and mysticism get pushed to the back. But that isn’t always bad. Have a listen.

It’s being called The Great Resignation, but I call it The Great Reckoning. Why? Because in a fascinating turn of events, and in keeping with the idea that art imitates life, we are watching technology serve as a weapon that is leveling the playing field between companies, employees and customers. Have a listen—I think this is important.

When Michelle and David Poretti decided to adopt a dog, they ended up with Reuben, a 70-pound mass of wrinkles--A Shar Pei. But this isn't about Reuben--it's about the journey he had to take from Tijuana in northern Mexico to their home in Edmonton. What a story--enjoy!

Have you ever been curious about the measures we use to track size and length? Have you wondered what a chain, furlong, hectare, or for that matter, actually are? It turns out that they have fascinating histories--going back to colonial America. Have a listen and enjoy. And thank you!

Amazing what you learn by just wandering around reading books, magazines and articles about nature. this hodge-lodge of facts about the natural world will make you smile, and make you elbow the person next to you to tell them what you just learned. Enjoy!

Today, we are constantly bombarded by media that compete for our attention: Email, texting, instant messaging, phone calls, Zoom calls, news alerts, other humans, social media, television, radio, books, magazines, Podcasts, and plenty of other distractions. This constant tugging at our attention makes it difficult for us to focus and be effective. In this episode we sure a few stories about being in the moment--and some techniques on how to maintain that all-important focus.

Jerry Power is the founder of the i3 Consortium, an organization dedicated to making the most of new technologies, especially Internet of Things and the analytical capabilities it brings, with a focus on the needs of cities. In this interview he talks about what i3 is doing and the promise he sees for the world of analytical technologies.

Jim Metzner has been producing the radio show, Pulse of the Planet, since 1988. But he’s so much more than that: he’s a musician, an author, a traveler, and a dedicated and insightful supporter of the natural world. In this episode we catch up with Jim via Zoom at his home in Kingston, New York. Jim’s a master storyteller—don’t miss this one.

My latest book, "The Nation We Knew," has enjoyed amazing success--not just because it's a good story, but because it's making people think about things just a little bit differently. That's always been my goal; I never want to change someone's mind about something, I just want to broaden it a bit. The responses to the book have been wonderful--and, in some cases, a bit negative, because it pokes at the status quo just a bit too much, apparently. And for that, I'll take full credit. This is one of those 'I couldn't help myself' episodes. Call it editorial, call it storytelling...call it whatever you like, but the message is important. Thank you for listening.

Jim Mulvihill spent his entire career in the US Navy, and if there’s one thing I’ve discovered to be true, it’s that sailors have the best stories—and they’re true. Sit back and enjoy a series of amazing stories, told by a master storyteller. And along the way, learn a few things you didn’t know.

Jared Blake is as passionate about the natural world as they come. One of the ways he works to protect it is by capturing the sounds of nature and sharing them with the world. He is equal parts technician, advocate, videographer, recordist, and teacher. Enjoy the post--his captures are magical.

You know, of course, about the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, or perhaps about a show that’s specific to your particular industry. But I’ll bet you don’t know about some of THESE shows. Have a listen.

From my work in the world of emerging tech, I offer this very human, non-technical exploration of artificial intelligence, sometimes called AI, and robotics. Together, they are poised to change many things—but not quite yet. Enjoy!

A nice, relaxing soundscape of blackbirds and frogs in the marsh at the bottom of my neighborhood. Thanks to my friend Roger Boughton, who helped me bring down the occasional traffic sounds with his magical parametric equalizer.

Sandy Hughes works with individuals to help them get the most from their ideas, products and services. She calls them 'Solopreneurs'--and has had great success in this unique and fast-moving space. In this episode, I chat with Sandy and explore her philosophy of the Solopreneur. Great insights for business leaders in this program!

I caught up once again with my friend and colleague Gary Kessler to talk about current issues in cybersecurity, and the things that organizations and individuals should do to protect themselves against an increasingly complex threat horizon.

We catch up with Scott Luria on his one-year, 15,000-mile bicycle trip across the USA.