The Wild Minds Podcast

In this final episode of Season 11, Marina reflects on ceremony at a seasonal threshold, where science, spirituality and everyday life meet. As the light shifts toward spring in the North and autumn in the South, this episode explores what keeps us well - personally and collectively - and asks whether we are living as passengers or participants in our time.Topics include:Living at a threshold - Spring Equinox in the North, autumn descent in the South - renewal and death side by side.For most of human history, ceremony aligned us with cycles - watching the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) rise, noticing light, temperature, migration - remembering our place in the unfolding.Science is not naïve materialism - it studies what we cannot see - fields, probabilities, dark matter - but it asks different questions from spirituality.Science reduces suffering through medicine and understanding; ritual, myth, art and community help us face death, grief, forgiveness and meaning.The real tension is not science versus spirituality, but what happens when any system claims exclusive truth.Health requires biology, psychology, belonging and existential depth - mechanism alone is not enough, meaning alone is not enough.The language of “energy” and “spirit” carries different meanings - measurable in physics, experiential in lived reality - clarity matters.Ceremony as intention, beauty and invitation - not personal power, but participationRitual as ordinary acts infused with meaning - gratitude before eating, how we begin the day, how we hold a room, how we tend a conversationMoving from I to We - rites of passage, maturation, community witnessing changeAt seasonal thresholds something must die - a habit, a story, a way of leading, a way of consumingIn a time of climate emergency and confused leadership, we are invited not to be passengers but participants - small daily choices as a form of ceremonyLeadership without domination - strength without humiliation - integrating science without losing reverenceShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-88-ceremony-science-and-the-sacred/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show!This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.

Sitting by the fire with Annie Spencer, we explore ceremony as lived relationship - with spirit, story, blood, grief, and the long arc from initiation to eldership - and what it means to keep dreaming a life-affirming world in times that feel increasingly divided.Topics include:Sitting by the fire together becomes a doorway into relationship - gratitude not as a nicety, but as a way of remembering life is alive, and not guaranteed.Ceremony, for Annie, starts with intention and beauty - not “performing a ritual,” but making a space that might genuinely invite presence from beyond the purely human.Fire is treated as a being with its own kind of aliveness - honoured, spoken to, and offered things, as a practice of not taking life for granted.A simple daily practice can be enough: choose a time, choose a place, return again and again until something responds - an “altar” as an anchor for attention.This way of knowing doesn’t sit easily inside modern culture - it can feel like being pulled between realities, and that tension can be exhausting.Annie names both the fascination and the danger: exploring other realities without a well-trodden path can unground people - tradition can be a rope that helps you return.Stories shape what we believe is possible - we live inside the story we tell about our lives, and the same event becomes different “truths” depending on who is telling it.Dreaming isn’t escapism: in times of political fear and widening authoritarianism, Annie suggests we can either feed a reality by fighting it constantly, or step back and hold a different dream with strength.Birth and menstruation are framed as everyday ceremonies - women making “a rich nest for life” each month, and the radical possibility of honouring life-giving blood rather than normalising bloodshed.Rites of passage matter because adolescence is a “loose” time - when identity isn’t fixed yet - and a strong experience of belonging, mystery, and beauty can orient a young person for life.Eldership isn’t a label you earn at menopause - it can take decades of turning toward death, letting go of dominance, and learning humility, until you can truly hold community.The elder’s offering is presence, acceptance, and perspective - holding what others can’t bear alone, sharing stories with teachings (without “you should”), and making space for ceremony and healing.The conversation keeps circling back to one core truth: life is relationship and reciprocity - giving and being given to — and even death is framed as the final gift back into the living system.Shownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-87-ceremony-and-eldershipMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.

In this episode, I step into what I’m calling the season of the amateur - asking big questions without claiming expertise. I explore how medicine is shaped by culture and worldview, what “evidence” really means, and how different systems - from biomedicine to Ayurveda - understand causation, illness and health.This isn’t a rejection of modern medicine - it’s an attempt to widen the lens. To ask what keeps us well, not only what makes us ill. And to consider whether we can hold scientific rigour and relational depth in the same conversation - without collapsing into superstition, and without dismissing mystery.Topics include:Gratitude for what keeps us well: walking, breathing, rest, friendship, safety, purpose and for the years of disciplined study that form a psychiatrist: medical school, clinical rotations, exams, and over six years of specialist training.What counts as knowledge in medicine - and who decides? Holding expertise and personal sovereignty in the same frame.Medicine across civilisations - Babylon, Egypt, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, Greece - each emerging from a worldview, none “primitive,” all culturally shaped.The rise of the biomedical model - anatomy, cells, pathogens, biochemistry and its extraordinary success in acute care and life-saving intervention.Evidence-based medicine and the power of Randomised Controlled Trials - what they measure brilliantly and what they struggle to capture.Psychiatry’s measurement dilemma - symptom clusters, self-reported scales, and the question of whether symptom reduction equals flourishing.The placebo effect, expectation, relationship and meaning - what actually creates change?Ayurveda as the “science of life” - balance, prevention, daily rhythms, and cultivating health rather than only treating disease.Green prescriptions and nature-based practice - bridging biomedical legitimacy with relational, ecological models of wellbeing.Safeguarding, discernment and humility - widening causation without abandoning rigour, and asking what it truly means to be well.Shownotes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-86-saving-lives-and-cultivating-health/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show!This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this episode I’m joined by Dr Kanchan, an Ayurvedic doctor trained in India, to explore a radically different way of understanding health, not only as something we fix when it breaks, but as a lifelong relationship between body, mind, senses, environment, and meaning.This is a conversation about prevention rather than crisis, and about what becomes possible when health is understood as a living, relational process rather than a purely medical one.Topics include:Ayurveda is described as a “science of life,” concerned with the whole arc of living - from conception to death - not just the treatment of diseaseHealth is understood as balance within the body, the mind, and the environment, while illness is a sign that something has fallen out of syncWestern allopathic medicine and Ayurveda are not in conflict; they serve different purposes, with acute medicine vital in emergencies and Ayurveda focused on prevention and long-term wellbeingThe body is seen as intelligent, with healing emerging when the right conditions are restored rather than imposed from outsideAyurveda treats people as individuals, not categories, taking into account constitution, diet, climate, place, habits, and family patternsThe five elements and three doshas are not rigid “types,” but ways of understanding movement, digestion, transformation, and stability within a personAyurveda is framed as a life science rather than only a medical science, with protecting the health of the healthy as its first priorityHumans are not placed above nature but understood as part of it, with personal health inseparable from the health of the living worldThe senses are described as powerful gateways shaping the mind, with overuse, underuse, or misuse contributing to imbalance and anxietyDaily and seasonal rhythms — how we eat, rest, move, and attend — are presented as foundations for mental steadiness and resiliencePurpose and inner alignment matter, with illness sometimes arising when actions drift away from a person’s deeper values or moral compassThe invitation is not to adopt another system wholesale, but to widen our understanding of health, hold multiple ways of knowing, and remember that care, balance, and relationship sit at the heart of wellbeingShownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-85-what-ayurveda-can-teach-us/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this episode, Marina explores why climate education is a health issue by looking at what actually keeps us well, and what happens when the systems we depend on begin to destabilise.This is a reflection on the living world, on physical reality, and on why informed climate education matters at a time of change.Key points:She begins in gratitude for the living world, and how amazing this biosphere really is!Health is not something we create alone; it arises from stable temperatures, clean water, fertile soils and a functioning atmosphere.Climate conversations often focus on ecology or policy, but beneath them sit physical laws that govern energy, heat and motion - Physics and Chemistry.Climate change is driven by an energy imbalance, not by opinion or belief.Chemistry explains what substances are, but physics explains what energy does in a system.Climate change is already a health issue, showing up in bodies, hospitals and food systems.Human health has always been intertwined with ecological health.What’s most at risk and the stability of ecosystems, food systems and social systemsDenial persists not because the science is unclear, but we don’t assimilate it and come together - I would love to see Cross Party politics.Language matters with Net Zero and Real Zero, especially the difference between delaying harm and stopping it.Education is not an extra burden here; it’s one of the few tools we have for prevention.Staying human means staying in relationship - with each other and with the living world.Shownotes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-84-why-climate-education-is-a-health-issue/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show!This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this conversation, Professor Hugh Montgomery names climate change for what it is:A survival crisis driven by “radiation gain” and accelerating feedback loops. He cuts through denial, delay and mixed messaging with five simple moves anyone can make now - switch your power, move your money, change your food, shift your travel, and talk about it - then shows how asking seven others can cascade into mass action.We touch on real zero vs net zero, why money we can do now, and how unity across politics beats division.Here are the essentials:Hugh reframes climate change as “radiation gain,” explaining that greenhouse gases trap longwave heat and create positive feedback loops driving escalating warming.Humanity is emitting over 54 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually, and a fifth of what’s emitted today will still be heating the planet in 33,000 years.Natural systems like oceans and forests can no longer absorb enough carbon; atmospheric CO₂ now rises about four parts per million per year, reaching around 430.5 ppm.Feedback loops include methane release from permafrost (83 times more potent than CO₂), forests becoming net emitters, and loss of reflective ice - 9 trillion tonnes gone - accelerating heating.Hugh warns that the real threat is not only to health but to human survival within the next one or two decades, not centuries.He compares Earth’s situation to a patient long ignoring symptoms - what could have been minor surgery now needs radical, painful treatment to survive.Inaction stems from circular blame between individuals, business, and politicians - each claiming it’s someone else’s responsibility.Many in government and business remain ignorant of climate science or see it as a political issue; some even believe warming will benefit economies through resource access or growth from destruction.Human psychology also plays a role: people avoid short-term loss or pleasure deprivation even when long-term risk is high - similar to health behaviors like smoking or drinking.Fear-based climate messaging fails when it offers no agency; effective communication must link truth with action, empowering people to act immediately.Hugh outlines five tangible actions anyone can take:Switch to 100% renewable electricityMove personal banking away from fossil-fuel fundersShift to a largely plant-based diet (less meat, smaller portions)Reduce air and car travel where possibleTalk about climate concerns openly to normalise actionShownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-83-climate-change-health-and-survival-with-professor-hugh-montgomery/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

Episode 82 invites listeners to arrive into 2026 with honesty, care and a sense of shared responsibility - not as individuals carrying the world alone, but as part of a wider web of life.Drawing on reflections from Jane Goodall’s work, seasonal change and lived experience, this episode explores how we stay present without panic. It asks what it really means to act with courage, dignity and relationship in uncertain times.Here are some of her reflections: Opening the year with Jane Goodall’s reminder that what we do makes a difference - and that change begins with choosing the kind of difference we want to make, rather than acting from fear or urgency.Reflecting on the seasonal crossing between hemispheres, and how growth, decay and renewal are always happening somewhere, all the time - whether we notice or not.Sitting with Alder as a teacher: a tree that carries water and fire, masculine and feminine, strength and softness and how this mirrors our inner lives, our fragility, and our need for both boundaries and surrender.Honouring Jane Goodall’s long life of peaceful activism and her understanding that people can only carry what they can - that survival, dignity and stability matter before wider responsibility.Realising that while I never thought of my work as “democratic,” the erosion of democracy makes it clear how relational, sociocratic and consent-based outdoor learning really is.Sharing the moment from the interview that stayed with me most: Jane Goodall’s mother responding to her disappearance not with punishment, but with curiosity and listening - and how her spirit was not broken.Returning to regulation through breath, movement, sensory connection and time outdoors - remembering that responsibility was never meant to be an individual burden, but a collective one shared with the more-than-human world.Realising that healthy outdoor learning mirrors healthy systems: listening matters, power works best when shared, and sociocratic, relational ways of being together are deeply needed now.Closing with a reframing of “together we can” - not as fixing everything, but as listening more deeply, carrying only what is ours, acting where we are, staying in relationship, and choosing our difference with care.Shownotes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-82-together-we-can/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show!This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

Today, I’m joined by Rosemary Reed, trustee of the Jane Goodall Institute UK, and Jasmina Georgovska, Director of Outreach for Roots & Shoots UK — the global youth programme Jane founded to support young people to take action for people, animals, and the planet.In this episode, we talk about what it means to raise changemakers without breaking spirits. About listening, really listening, to children, and to each other. About how environmental responsibility can only grow where people feel stable, respected, and supported.Hope is described as an active choice - a way of meeting difficult realities with belief, responsibility, and small, purposeful actions.True mentorship helps people remember what they’re capable of, shifting mindsets from limitation to possibility through education, trust, and belief.Jane Goodall’s power came not from force or argument, but from listening deeply, holding conviction with humility, and responding through story rather than confrontation.Information alone doesn’t move people - connection does. When an issue is felt, not just understood, action becomes possible.Jane’s early experiences with her mother model an ethic of learning that protects curiosity, encourages exploration, and listens before correcting.Care, kindness, hope, enthusiasm, determination, teamwork, and personal responsibility sit at the heart of this work - alongside the belief that every individual matters.Rather than being managed or directed, young people are invited into leadership, supported to identify what matters locally and respond meaningfully.Seeing a problem isn’t the same as registering responsibility. Change begins when awareness turns into even the smallest act.Roots & Shoots (www.rootsnshoots.org.uk): Hands-on projects and immersive experiences - including thoughtful use of technology - help young people feel their relationship with the living world and offer small, tangible acts that build confidence rather than overwhelm.TACARE (Take Care) is the Jane Goodall Institute's (JGI) community-led conservation program, started in Tanzania in 1994 shows that conservation only works when human dignity, stability, and community wellbeing are addressed first, because everything is connected.The invitation is to listen more deeply, act more kindly, and take responsibility in small, grounded ways - carrying hope without collapsing under its weight.Shownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-81-jane-goodall-legacy-roots-and-shoots-uk/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

As winter gathers and the days shorten, in this final episode of the season, Marina reflects on the Rowan tree, the act of wintering, and the hidden life beneath stillness.  Here are some of her reflections: The Rowan as a winter guardian, its bright berries offering sustenance and protection in the dark months.The solstice as a time of descent, when we enter the heart’s cave and tend the inner fire that keeps us alive through uncertainty.How stillness and retreat restore our capacity to listen, dream, and notice what truly matters.The importance of reworking our stories — how memory, identity, and imagination can evolve with the seasons.The denials that shape our modern crisis: of planetary limits, of our entanglement with the living world, and of our own vulnerability.How fear and defensiveness rise in turbulent times, and the invitation to find gentler, more connected ways forward.Shownotes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-80-tending-the-embers Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

Today I’m speaking with Nick Stoop, founder of Pangea Impact Investments - a company that’s trying to change something most of us rarely think about.Where our pensions are invested, and what that money is actually doing in the world.In this episode we get practical and brave about money — banks, pensions, and the difference between light green labels and deep green impact — so our savings can serve the living world as well as our future selves.What happens to our money inside banks and pensions.Why pensions can outweigh everyday “green” habits in impact.Agency in an opaque system and how to start using it.Light green screening versus deep green positive impact.Ethics, risk, return and the futures we’re funding.The problem with labels and why “ethical” often isn’t.Transparency as reconnection to place and consequence.The role of workplace pensions and scope 3 emissions.Third-party verification, B Corps and better metrics.Moving money without sacrificing performance over time.Imagining local, regenerative investments we can visit.Small first steps that build a values-aligned portfolio.Shownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/money-with-a-conscience-with-nick-stoop/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this solo episode, Marina explores what Linda Buzzell calls “level two ecotherapy” - a shift from using nature as a tool for human wellbeing to recognising our reciprocal relationship with the living world. Moving from “me” to “we,” she reflects on how our practices, systems, and mindsets can evolve toward a more ethical, embodied, and relational way of belonging.Key Ideas ExploredThe move from extraction to relationship — recognising nature as a living partner, not a service.From “me” to “we” — human development as a journey toward community and interconnection.The many meanings of ecotherapy and why values and worldview matter more than labels.The power of shared outdoor activity — fire, craft, and stillness as natural therapy.Reclaiming the roots of eco and therapy — caring for our shared home and one another.Nature-centric models that place humans within the circle of life, not above it.The need to move beyond individual healing to include the health of the Earth.Western culture’s mindset of extraction and the call for reciprocity and re-education.Bringing nature-based practice into health and education systems despite structural barriers.Seeing bullying and domination as symptoms of fear and disconnection from relationship.The importance of moral courage, ethical conduct, and grounded self-worth in our work.Community ecotherapy and deep ecology as ways to restore belonging and collective care.Shownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-78-level-2-ecotherapy-from-me-to-we/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. 

This week, I am in conversation with Linda Buzzell who is a psychotherapist, ecotherapist, author, and pioneer in the field of ecopsychology, working at the intersection of psychology, ecology, and culture since the late 1990s. Linda co-edited 'Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind' with Craig Chalquist and has written widely on the ecological crisis as both a psychological and spiritual challenge.In this episode, we explore what ecotherapy truly means - not as a treatment or technique, but as a way of healing our relationship with the living Earth. We talk about nature as therapist, community as medicine, and what it means to move from a culture of domination to one of partnership and reciprocity.Topics include:Ecotherapy as healing our relationship with our home world.Level one vs level two ecotherapy from personal benefit to reciprocal, culture-shifting practice.Nature as the ultimate therapist practitioner as catalyst, guide, witness.Eco-psychotherapy within clinical practice and the wider, community-facing field of ecotherapy.Zookosis in animals as a mirror for human nature-deficit and why habitats matter for sanity.Evidence beyond exercise research showing green and blue contact improves mood and health.Caution on “nature prescriptions” moving beyond individual fixes to place, community, and systems.Rooting in place bioregionalism, terra psychology, and rebuilding bonds with land.Decolonising therapy learning from Indigenous wisdom without appropriation and with repair.From dominator culture to partnership Riane Eisler’s lens and McGilchrist’s hemispheres.Eco-spirituality reclaiming the sacred through seasons, ceremony, bodies, and relational awe.The path of hope small groups, community ecotherapy, and standing together for the living world.Shownotes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-77-the-deeper-work-of-ecotherapy-with-linda-buzzell/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. 

In this episode, Marina reflects on power, responsibility, and duty of care. As November marks a season of endings and beginnings, she looks beneath the surface of our systems — from education to environment, and asks what happens when we stop paying attention, and what it costs us when we do.This conversation traces the threads between integrity and innocence, corruption and accountability, and how our personal and professional ethics shape the wider ecology we live within.Key ideas exploredThe uneasy link between wealth, power, and moral compromiseNovember as a time for renewalHow concentrated power in health, education, and business leads us to protect ourselves instead of our purposeTeachers and leaders navigating the “topside world” while tending what lies beneath — our own psychology and hidden systemsMoving beyond naïveté without losing hope or careReclaiming duty of care — asking whether our systems live up to the ethics we teachPracticing stewardship: leaving no trace, enhancing biodiversity, and restoring the flow of responsibilityShownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-76-the-cost-of-looking-away/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this episode, I’m speaking with Ash Smith, the founder of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution. A retired Detective Superintendent, former angler and scuba diver, Ash has spent the last eight years investigating the truth about what’s happening in our rivers. His love for the natural world, combined with a deep sense of justice, led him to gather a team of committed people from different disciplines to form one of the most effective groups holding water companies and regulators to account.In our conversation, Ash shares what’s really going on with our rivers, the scale of sewage pollution, and the failures of government and regulatory bodies to protect our waterways. This is a passionate, evidence-based discussion, grounded in data that you can find on the WASP website. The Windrush itself flows for 65 kilometers from Gloucestershire into the Thames - but this story reaches far beyond one river. It speaks to the health of our ecosystems, and to our own health as well.Topics include:A vivid picture of what a living, healthy river once was — and how the “new normal” hides a quiet collapse.How WASP (Windrush Against Sewage Pollution) turns citizen science and data analysis into undeniable proof of illegal pollution.The shocking reality of regulators who no longer investigate — and water companies marking their own homework.What happens when public services are sold off and profit replaces purpose.The money trail — how customers fund dividends while private shareholders drain the system.Why some water companies are now in “special measures” and what real accountability could look likeAsh’s journey from detective superintendent to river defender — following the evidence wherever it leads.The quiet power of ordinary people who refuse to look away.How anger can become fuel for change rather than despair.Practical ways to take action — join with others, use local data, and make enough noise to tip the balanceShownotes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-75-the-river-of-truth-with-ash-smith/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this reflective solo episode, Marina explores how the changing seasons, our ancestral roots, and the social history of education help us question what learning really means today. We journey from postwar Britain to the present classroom, asking how we can reimagine education as something alive, relational, and grounded in nature.Topics include:Gratitude for autumn, the changing light, and small comforts that sustain us.Reflection on the natural cycle of endings and beginnings and what it teaches us about renewal.The symbolism of the elder and birch trees as reminders of wisdom, letting go, and new growth.Honouring ancestors and recognising what we’ve inherited through culture and family.The importance of doing inner work that leads to outer change in our communities and classrooms.Revisiting postwar Britain to understand how education emerged as a social contract for fairness and democracy.The 1944 Butler Act and its vision for universal education and rebuilding society after the war.Remembering that education is a system, while learning is an organic, lifelong process that transforms who we are.The tension between authority and shared power in schools and what that means for children’s voices.A call to reimagine education as something rooted in wellbeing, curiosity, and connection to the living world.Shownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-74-what-is-education-for-nowMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

My guest today is Suzanne Welch, Education Partnership Manager at the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity with over a million members, and in this episode she explores what it would mean to make nature a right in education and why it’s time to rethink the purpose.Suzanne has spent decades in outdoor learning - from taking inner-city children to the Thames foreshore, where subjects like science, history and geography came alive, to now convening national partnerships and influencing education policy. Her work is driven by a vision that every child should have access to high-quality learning in, with and for nature.In this episode Suzanne Welch...Challenges the outdated knowledge-based model and invites a shift toward enquiry and relational learning. Reflects on her early work taking inner-city children to the River Thames and witnessing their transformation outdoors. Emphasises joy, curiosity and presence as the foundations of meaningful learning.Highlights how outdoor experiences naturally connect subjects like science, history, art and geography.Argues that learning shouldn’t be siloed because our minds don’t operate in compartments.Points to the early years sector as an example of where outdoor and child-led learning already works well.Questions about why these principles fade as children move through the education system.Explains how assessment and measurement culture have narrowed what counts as learning.Calls for systemic rather than incremental change and a national conversation about the true purpose of education.Advocates for a statutory right for every child to learn in with and for nature.Notes that equitable access currently depends on postcode school leadership and teacher enthusiasm.Ends with a simple invitation start with one outdoor lesson listen to young people and let hope lead change.Shownotes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/making-nature-a-right-in-education-suzanne-welch/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this closing episode of Season 9, I’m exploring something that feels urgent in our times: the difference between education and learning. Education is often about systems, metrics, and tests — but learning is about life itself. It happens in forests, green spaces, kitchens, and communities. It’s experiential, embodied, relational, and remembered because we live it.With the rise of AI, increasing mental health challenges, and the fast pace of our lives, we need to ask: what skills truly matter now, and how can we reimagine learning so every young person leaves not just with knowledge, but with self-worth, connection, and a sense of agency?Topics include:The urgent difference between education and learning, and why it matters now more than ever.Why formal schooling often leaves young people without confidence, agency, or self-worth.The danger of convergent thinking and the value of divergent, creative, and adaptive skills.Experiential learning: Why we remember fire-lighting, foraging, and play more than worksheets.The principles of autism-informed, trauma-informed, and consent-based practice as foundations for real learning.The Outdoor Teacher Approach: Play-based, body-led, and relational rather than hierarchical.The opportunity (and risk) of the UK’s new climate curriculum, and why connection, not just knowledge, is key.The Children’s Fire principle and what it means to educate with future generations — all children, human and more-than-human, at the heart.Shownotes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-72-learning-for-lifeMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this episode of the Wild Minds Podcast, I’m in conversation with Mac Macartney, a storyteller, leader, and founder of Embercombe, exploring what it means to live and lead in service to life.In this far-reaching conversation, we explore The Children’s Fire — an ancient principle that no law, decision, or action should harm the young of any species, and how it might transform leadership, education, and our relationship with the natural world.We talk about education rooted in the simple yet radical commitment that no child should leave school without feeling good about who they are, and the power of play as an antidote to a culture that leaves so many children, and adults, masking their pain and feeling worthless beneath the surface.Topics include:Exploring The Children’s Fire — the ancient principle that no decision should harm the young of any species.Reimagining education so no child leaves school without feeling good about themselves.Unpacking the hubris of superiority — how our systems consistently enforce it.The power of play and nature connection as antidotes to hopelessness and masking how we truly feel.Insights from Mac’s leadership company on redefining the purpose of business — beyond profit and growth — and valuing well-rounded human beings.Reflections on indigenous wisdom, community ownership, and leadership rooted in service rather than self-interest.A call to rethink wealth, power, and responsibility so that resources and decisions serve the many, not the few.An invitation to imagine a more joyful, courageous, and humane society.Shownotes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-71-mac-macartney-interviewMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this episode of Wild Minds, I'm exploring what it’s like to have big questions that don’t always fit into your job title. Whether you’re a teacher, therapist, or just someone who feels things deeply, this conversation is about the risk, and importance, of staying open, curious, and honest in times of change.Topics include:What it feels like to hide parts of yourself in professional spacesThe fear of sounding “too out there” or being seen as unprofessionalWhy curiosity and wonder matter more than ever, especially in helping rolesHow feelings and intuition often get pushed aside—even though they guide so much of our real understandingA look at where our sense of mind and consciousness might actually come fromHow Indigenous wisdom and quantum science both challenge the idea that we’re separate from natureWhat happens in our body when we feel awe or connectionWhy being open-minded isn’t soft or silly—it’s essential for making sense of the worldShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-70-scientific-enough-to-wonderMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this powerful and expansive conversation, Pam Montgomery (teacher, author, and plant spirit ally) invites us into a deeper relationship with the natural world. We explore what it means to communicate with plants, how to trust our intuition, and how ancient ways of knowing are being remembered at this time of global rebirth. In this episode....Through personal story, scientific insights, and spiritual practice, Pam helps us reimagine our role in the web of life.Pam’s grandmother introduced her to the idea of talking with plants – a formative influence that shaped her lifelong path.Communication with plants isn’t imaginary; it’s relational, vibrational, and increasingly supported by emerging science.Devices like those from Damanhur allow us to hear plants "sing," revealing their responsiveness to intention and environment.True communication happens through resonance, light, and sound – not just words – with the heart as the central sensing organ.We are vibrational beings too; like plants, we can tune into our environment and one another on subtle energetic levels.Pam describes “first voice” – the intuitive message that arrives before the rational mind interrupts – and how she trains herself to listen to it.Slowing down and entering the present moment opens a “portal” to meaningful encounters with nature.Nettle is explored as a plant ally that wakes us up and demands presence, while yarrow helps with energetic boundaries and healing.Nature responds when we become coherent – as our nervous systems settle, the world around us comes closer.Bonding with nature releases oxytocin, the “love hormone,” which initiates the body’s restorative response.We are already in relationship with plants through our breath – consciously acknowledging this can be a gateway to deeper connection.Pam speaks of a global rebirth and the possibility of a “new earth” rooted in interbeing, where all life can thrive together.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-69-plant-communication-with-pam-montgomery/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. 

In this solo episode, I'm reflecting on the quiet strength it takes to pause, listen, and allow our inner world to guide how we show up - especially in uncertain times.This season is taking an interesting turn as I find myself paying closer attention to my inner life - to sensations, to moment-by-moment shifts, and to the subtle places where I might be reacting. I’m learning to be alongside feelings, not rushing past them, but staying curious.In this episode, Marina explores:Beginning with a moment of feeling off-track, and the choice to stop and listen inwardly.Reflecting on the value of not knowing - and how uncertainty can be fertile ground.How discomfort is offered not as something to fix, but as a doorway to something deeper.An honest look at how ego can subtly shape even well-intentioned work.Inviting us to stay rooted in the body, in the earth, and in our own deep sensingHow grief and disorientation are acknowledged as natural responses to collapsing systems.How there’s reassurance that we don’t need all the answers in order to stay in service.How true leadership may mean staying with the unknown rather than rushing through it.Reflecting on Joseph Cornell’s approach - beginning from a felt state that sets the tone for learning, and how Flow Learning starts from inner alignmentEnding with an invitation to keep listening to the thread of life - and letting it guide the wayShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-68-leading-with-our-inner-life/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free

In today's episode I have the deep honour of welcoming Joseph Bharat Cornell - a world-renowned author, educator, naturalist, and pioneer in the field of nature connection. Joseph’s Sharing Nature books have sold over a million copies and been translated into twenty-five languages, sparking what’s been called a worldwide revolution in nature education.Back in the 1970s, Joseph pioneered an experiential, heart-centered approach to learning in nature, now known as Flow Learning™. This transformative model, along with his joyful and accessible activities, has touched the lives of countless children and adults across the world - from inner-city classrooms to remote wilderness trails. His latest work, Deep Nature Play, continues this mission, guiding us into a deeper sense of wholeness, creativity, and connection through immersive play.In this deeply inspiring conversation with Joseph Bharat Cornell, we explore the power of nature connection, experiential learning, and the inner stillness that transforms how we live, teach, and relate to the world. Meditation, yoga philosophy, and other wisdom traditions  greatly influenced his work. Joseph has lived in the Ananda Community as a monk and teacher since 1975 and in this episode, we discuss how...Joseph shares how moments of stillness and inner joy led him to a life of nature connectionThe natural world evokes a sense of reverence and belonging when we engage through feeling rather than intellectFlow Learning™ offers a four-stage process that supports deep, meaningful experiences in nature Joyful play helps quiet the ego and allows children and adults to be fully presentIn states of deep play and nature immersion, there is a diminished sense of ego — attention shifts from self to experienceExperiential learning is transformative — people retain the feeling of an experience long after facts are forgottenStudies show that while most information is quickly lost, the emotional tone of an experience is rememberedLasting learning happens when the whole being is involved — body, heart, and mind togetherTrue education begins with experience; understanding follows naturally Facilitators need to cultivate their own inner stillness in order to guide othersActivities like “Build a Tree” and “Camera Game” help participants enter a state of reverenceCalm feeling allows for deeper perception and connection than reactive emotionNature is egoless - being outdoors supports inner clarity and connectionPlay is a universal language that encourages openness across all ages Experiences like “Interview with Nature” use imagination to build empathy and awareness Reflection and storytelling help integrate and deepen nature-based learningMeditation and inner practice are essential parts of Joseph’s work and lifeHope comes from developing inner awareness — our calm presence can subtly influence the world.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/joseph-cornell-podcast/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this solo episode, I'm reflecting on how cultural narratives, inner archetypes, and seasonal wisdom shape our understanding of being human - and how returning to embodied presence and natural cycles can guide us toward wholeness.Topics include:Reflecting on adolescence and the vulnerability of youth in today’s worldExploring the dehumanising of men and women by imagining the openness of a baby - full of will, need, emotion and unarmoured presenceQuestioning what our culture teaches us about feeling, strength and identityNoting the impact of the attention economy and the algorithm-driven rise in misogynyHighlighting the link between social media profit, lack of content moderation, and the rise in mental health struggles and suicideAsking what we are really learning, individually and collectively, about being humanTurning to the wheel of the year as a guide for wholeness and natural rhythmHonouring cultures across the world that live in relationship with the cycles of natureEmbracing the vision of wholeness - being in conscious relationship with both light and dark, doing and beingSummer as active, solar, and will-driven - the oak tree as a symbol of discernment, boundaries, and protective strengthAffirming the will to take care of ourselves and others, staying rooted and solid enough to be vulnerableRecognising yin qualities - rest, receptivity, slowness, intuitive presence, and emotional opennessNaming the winter as a time when we lose our yang and descend inward, surrendering active energyAcknowledging the deep burden many men carry in the over-culture of competition, hoarding and disconnectionShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-66-our-maps-are-not-the-territory/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate The Advanced Certificate in Forest School and Outdoor Learninghttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/certificate/

Welcome to Season 9. Today I’m in conversation with Marianne Siddons Heginworth, who is a therapist, ceremonialist, somatic practitioner, and long-time guide of the imaginal, archetypal, and wild relational landscapes. In this episode, we explore resourcing, emotional intimacy, nature connection, and the inner work of healing - including an inquiry into masculine and feminine qualities - expressed in the following key reflections:Experiencing our first ever in-person recording, which brought a deeper sense of presence and connectionExploring the importance of resourcing before meeting painful or vulnerable parts of ourselvesUnderstanding how resourcing creates safety and capacity without bypassing what’s truly presentGrounding through the body, especially into the pelvis, as a foundation for nervous system regulationUsing imagination to connect with archetypes, elemental allies, or inner protectors as supportive resourcesSeparating parts of the self in order to identify needs and nurture an inner parentBalancing heart and will—learning to root and feel deeply while staying clear, steady and presentReflecting on masculine and feminine energies as dynamic inner forces rather than fixed gender rolesQuestioning cultural stereotypes and affirming emotional depth, power and sensitivity as human qualitiesParenting with honesty and presence, offering emotional language and space for truthNaming the pressures of overculture and the courage it takes to speak and live from the heartWorking with the Celtic tree calendar to align internal experience with the cycles of the yearHonouring trees like Rowan as guides in times of descent, grief, and quiet transformationReturning to the body and the earth as resources that allow us to meet life with intimacy and integrityShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-65-marianne-heginworth-podcast/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free

As we reach the end of Season 8 of the Wild Minds Podcast, I want to take a moment to reflect on this incredible journey we’ve been on together. It’s been such a privilege to speak with so many inspiring guests, each contributing their knowledge and experience in reshaping our relationship with the natural world. In this final episode, I’m diving into some of the reflections and insights I’ve gathered over the season. I’ll share personal thoughts on trust, fear, the power of silence, and the importance of reconnecting with the Earth. Here’s what’s on my mind as we close this season and look ahead to the next.I reflect on fear, paper tigers, and the importance of letting go, including a reading of The River Cannot Go Back by Kahlil Gibran, which explores trust in transformation and the unknown.Discuss the view of nature as alive and conscious, challenging the tendency to see it as an object rather than a subject.Share Robert McFarlane’s experiences in the Ecuadorian forest, where everything feels electrified and alive, shifting his perception of nature’s vitality.Question how we might experience the world through a different lens and open ourselves to communication with the more-than-human world.Highlight the scientific evidence of life in the soil and the Earth’s positive impact on human well-being, including beneficial bacteria, serotonin, and energy exchange.Emphasize the importance of deep connection to the Earth and to one another for mental and emotional health, drawing on John Young’s teachings.Critique screen-based culture and its effects on children and adults, including disconnection, mental health challenges, and the loss of embodied, social play.Share the value of silence and deep listening, drawing on Sam Lee’s message and the importance of making space to reconnect with ourselves and the Earth.Explore the concept of reconciled ancestors, inherited trauma, and our responsibility to heal and not pass on damaging patterns.Conclude with reflections on the oak tree’s symbolism, the balance of masculine and feminine qualities in nature, and a preview of next season’s focus on personal growth and valuing difference.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-64-rivers-oaks-and-silence/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this week’s episode of the Wild Minds Podcast, I speak with Looby Macnamara about permaculture, cultural emergence, and how small shifts in our habits and decision-making can lead us toward a more sustainable future. We discuss how thinking outside the box and embracing the unexpected can open up new pathways for growth. Here are the key takeaways:Looby explains how permaculture is not just about gardening but about a way of thinking, feeling, and observing that affects all parts of life, including relationships, health, and well-being.The importance of Earth care, People care, and Fair share as foundational principles for creating a more sustainable world, and how cultural emergence can shift societal norms in a regenerative direction.We explore how to make decisions that align with permaculture ethics, moving away from judgment and fostering a “culture of allowance” to support thoughtful choices without alienating others.The idea of “doing the unexpected” and stepping out of traditional pathways, like the conventional education-to-job journey, to embrace the unknown and create new opportunities for ourselves.Reflecting on personal habits, I talk about how we can support teenagers in making healthier choices, such as moving away from fast food culture, in a non-judgmental way that empowers their decisions rather than imposes them.We discuss the power of context in decision-making, like the cultural norms around eating, and the differences between being “caring” (e.g., choosing comfort food like rum and coke) versus “healthy” (e.g., making choices that support well-being and Earth care).Looby highlights the importance of understanding the context when addressing choices, such as in the case of militant veganism or the ethics of eating roadkill deer, showing how context shapes our understanding and decisions.Looby shares how the Design Web can be used in everyday life, from parenting to teaching, to help people make better, more creative decisions and take responsibility for their choices.Emergence is central to Looby’s approach—how when we embrace uncertainty and let go of rigid expectations, we create space for new insights, collaboration, and action.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-63-cultural-emergence-and-permaculture-with-looby-macnamara/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:Free Fire WebinarWatch my free mini-webinar on working with fire: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/fire

In this episode, I reflect on the importance of slowing down and being present in the natural world, while exploring how our perceptions and beliefs shape our reality. I delve into the limitations of scientific objectivity, the influence of our environment on our well-being, and the need for a deeper, more holistic way of understanding ourselves and the world around us. Here are the key takeaways from this episode:The importance of engaging with the more-than-human world for reassurance, as a counter to the messiness of human-made realms (political, economic).The inadequacy of scientific objectivity as a worldview; reality is also shaped by subjective and environmental factors.How we now need to develop critical thinking skills, especially in navigating multiple perspectives and complex truths.Reflection on environmental education, particularly the spiritual dimension and how it is often excluded from mainstream teaching.Indigenous knowledge is a more holistic view of the world, combining heart, head, soul, and spirit, in contrast to the fragmented Western scientific approach.Insights on how modern science and technology (like AI, quantum physics, and systems thinking) challenge traditional mechanistic views of the world.The significance of our environment and its direct influence on our health, with much of our well-being shaped by it rather than clinical care – Salutogenesis. Historical shift around the 1750s during the Industrial Revolution, where human dominance and technological advances led to exponential growth and global impact.Exploration of the Dunning-Kruger effect: people with less knowledge often overestimate their competence.A call to reconnect with nature, slow down, and notice the present moment as a revolutionary act in a fast-paced world.Emphasis on the role of psyche in connecting to something beyond the self-conscious mind, with parallels drawn to the creative processes of great scientists like Newton and Einstein.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-62-untamed-knowing/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this episode of Wild Minds, I’m honoured to be in conversation with John Seed — a true elder of the environmental movement and one of the most influential voices in deep ecology. He influenced my own journey into environmental education in the late 1980’s so it was a real privilege of sharing this conversation with him.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-61-john-seed-podcast/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. 

In today’s episode, Marina is exploring the 7 Sacred Attributes – also known as the Attributes of Connection. These teachings, rooted in Lakota tradition and carried into the Deep Nature Connection movement by Jon Young, offer a powerful framework for individual and community healing.In this episode, Marina explores:The 7 attributes and share how they relate to connection and the regeneration of healthy culture.Sacred = Connection.The 7 Sacred Attributes, or Attributes of Connection, originate from the Lakota Woptura lineage. These teachings were preserved and shared by Gilbert Walking Bull, a respected Lakota medicine man and grandson of Moves Camp, a Lakota Sacred Man.Jon Young, a key figure in the Deep Nature Connection movement, integrated these attributes into the 8 Shields model after recognising their profound impact on fostering connection and healing.The attributes serve as a measure of an individual's internal and external relationships, indicating the regeneration of healthy culture. As more individuals embody these qualities, communities become stronger and more resilient.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-60-sacred-attributes-of-connectionMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. 

Today, I have the honour of speaking with Jon Young - a pioneering researcher, mentor, naturalist, wildlife tracker, author, storyteller, and leader in deep nature and people connection.In this episode we discuss:How gratitude supports us to ‘go up the spiral and not down – it elevates us and is dependableJake and Judy swamp – the thanksgiving addressNature connection verses deep nature connectionThe uniqueness of Jon’s work – the 4 key categories of relationships with natureThe generation of the ‘Last child in the woods’ – before and after TelevisionGilbert Walking Bull and the 7 sacred attributesThe power of wilderness & naturalist skillsThe creation of true leadershipTaking your ideal scene to the ancestors and future generations – time is running outDon’t play small (see below the steps)Nature connection in dangerHow our nervous system has the instructions that we need512 Project – 64 cultural elements that generate connection than disconnectionTracking connection Podcast: Living Connection 1stTom Brown’s 7 steps to your Ideal SceneShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/jon-youngTracking our Roots in Nature - Buy Jon Young's Audio Series for only $27:Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free

A rich and soulful exploration of the season of spring, and our deepening connection to self, others, and the natural world. Marina invites us to slow down, listen more deeply, and reconnect with the cycles that shape our inner and outer lives.In this episode, Marina:Explores the relationship between our social self and wider ecological self.Looks at how communication goes beyond words and into our bodies, our subtle cues, the looks we might get and our imagination.Dives deeper into the Spring and our own inner cycles of renewal – with reference to the Tree Calendar and Hawthorn!Wonders about the power of the imaginal sense and its link to healing.Invites listeners to treat their inner child with the same love, care and hope we’d give a newborn baby!Touches on how slowing down can allow deeper forms of listening, noticing, and sensing to emerge.Celebrates the joy, silliness, and direct experience that come with spring and a well-resourced self.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-58-the-ecological-selfMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:Free Fire WebinarWatch my free mini-webinar on working with fire: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/fire

Welcome to Season 8 of The Wild Minds Podcast!My guest today is Sam Lee, a renowned folk singer, a Mercury Prize-nominated and BBC Folk Award-winning singer, a passionate conservationist, activist, author of the novel, The Nightingale, and a guardian of traditional songs with his latest album, Songdreaming. Sam has spent years weaving music with the natural world. In this episode, we dive into his journey, the role of music in rewilding our hearts, and, of course, the captivating song of the nightingale.In this episode we discuss:What is a folk song?Sam’s journey with trying to re-find songs from the British Isles & recordings made of Gypsy, Scot, Irish and English Travellers,His apprentice to Stanley Robertson and introduction to a whole other way of singing!Sam’s interest in conservation not preservation.How songs hold important truth and how they support us to remember ourselves as a culture and as responsible stewards of the earth.How songs hold an incredible activation of knowledge from the singer's world, and their love and pain.The cascade of impoverishment when songs stop being sung.Ornithology as a form of storytelling & Singing with Nightingales: https://www.singingwithnightingales.co.uk/ticketsMaking music with Nightingales – the decorators of silence.Accepting silence as a beautiful thingShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-57-singing-with-nightingales-folk-songs-and-the-wild/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com Please Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free

This is our final episode of the season, and today, I’m asking: What really matters?As we approach the Spring Equinox, a time of balance, renewal, and reflection, I  dive into the different dimensions of health - physical, mental, social, environmental, and spiritual, and ask: Are the values we live by truly our own? Do we give ourselves time to reflect, to listen, and to follow what truly matters?In this episode, Marina:Reflects personally on how the natural seasonal cycles represent our own opportunity to re-parent.Considers how Nature acts as a "third teacher," alongside parents/carers and educators.Explores the importance of reclaiming our own internal values—when we lose touch with our inner world, we struggle to set boundaries, leading to saying “yes” when we mean “no.”Recognises that true learning happens in relationships and through co-creation, not by filling children as empty vessels or leaving them entirely to their own devices.Acknowledges that quick fixes, like adding Forest School once a week, do not resolve systemic issues in education.Challenges the dominant measures of success—productivity and status—by valuing creativity, relationships, and emotional intelligence.Engages with the idea that learning is not just about acquiring knowledge but also about how we relate to the world and each other (Nora Bateson's "Warm Data").Recognises the role of creativity, play, and experimentation in helping us develop a deep sense of what feels right for us in life.Highlights the importance of slowing down, listening deeply, and creating the right conditions for people to be who they truly are.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-56-what-really-matters/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free

Today I am speaking with Debi Keyte-Hartland, a passionate Early Childhood Consultant, trainer, author and speaker, who’s experienced in developing creative environments that invite rich learning and complex thinking.  I so enjoyed the depth of thinking and permission to re-evaluate the image of the child and development of pedagogies of observation, listening and reflection!In this episode, Debi pulls together so much of her own creative thinking to enable us to really bring new possibilities to our teaching practice as well as enabling us to value children’s capacity to learn and think for themselves, when given the attunement and listening of a supportive adult.In this episode we discuss:Debi provides an extensive dive into a wide range of pedagogy – from the current thinkers (see all the resource links) to Loris Malaguzzi as a huge influence on early childhood pedagogy.We discuss the importance of following what matters to children and how this inevitably leads to a much richer educational experience, one which an educator can link to the Early Year curriculum without any effort!Debi presents the image of the child informed by various perspectives – offering us the listener to consider how each image deeply implicates the kind of education we support and offer young people – this has a huge impact on the child, the adult and how we value ourselves as unique learners.This conversation presents a deep dive into the relationship between humans and the natural world, influenced by the great thinker Gregory Bateson (see below) and many others. Once again Debi helps us understand how much the vitality of materials influences our learning and opens us up to the possibility of relationships that are influential and change how we perceive the world around us.We both share the desire for an ecological, educational paradigm that begins with adults valuing our direct participation in the world around us and how this creates an empathy for all of life.She effortlessly describes how an adult’s attunement and observation creates a permissive container for a child to discover the life of a woodlouse and develop their own thinking, which as a side impact creates vast amounts of valuable more traditional knowledge.We get a real sense of the value of playful inquiry and the place of art and creativity in both education and our lives.Finally Debi introduces us to ‘Warm Data’ developed by Nora Bateson (see below) and follows an inquiry into what we measure really matters!Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-55-debi-keyte-hartland-podcast/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this episode, I explore the deep connections between nature, energy, and the way we live and learn. Although navigating the hidden costs of our modern lives often weighs heavily.I reflect on how we can develop greater awareness and resilience together and here are some of the areas I discuss:How our daily lives are built on fossil fuels, from transportation to everyday products, making us deeply reliant on resource extraction.While electric vehicles seem like a solution, their production still depends on intensive mining, impacting both communities and ecosystems.Different perspectives, such as those shared by Nate Hagens, offer insights into energy, society, and the challenges of systemic change.Coming to terms with how true sustainability difficult to achieve, without a massive and unlikely shift in our structures and belief systems.How Nature teaches us about sustainability, balance, and resilience, offering models like biomimicry to guide our choices.Lasting change requires both external actions and an internal shift in mindset, aligning with what Stephen Bruner calls the "internal climate of mind."Education often ignores the complexity of real learning, which thrives on sensory, interconnected experiences rather than rigid structures.Deep learning and meaningful connections with people or nature require time, space, and presence.Thriving systems are built on balance, reciprocity, and leadership that values nature, relationships, and community over endless growth.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-54-lessons-from-the-natural-worldMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free

My guest today is Rob Hopkins, cofounder of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Network, and the author of The Transition Handbook, The Transition Companion, The Power of Just Doing Stuff, 21 Stories of Transition and most recently, From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want. In 2012, he was voted one of the Independent’s top 100 environmentalists and was on Nesta and the Observer’s list of Britain’s 50 New Radicals.In this episode we discuss:The power of mass movements (e.g., Civil Rights Movement, COVID-19 responses, wartime efforts like Dig for Victory).The need for a more cohesive and alternative narrative to the dominant one.Moving beyond cheap energy – implications for food, education, and the economy.2024 CO₂ levels surpassing 1.5°C threshold (10th January 2025).The need to shift the burden from individual carbon footprints to corporate accountability (e.g., Chevron, Exxon).The need for structural wake-up calls – governments and corporations driving large-scale change.Example: Concrete alone accounts for 9% of global emissions.The economy’s success is measured by its size, but should we use different metrics?The Degrowth Movement – shifting focus from GDP to wellbeing and sustainability.Fridays for Future – reflections on organising and impact.What did our towns look like before global energy dependence?Proof that governments can listen to science and find funding overnight.‘The Greta Effect’ – a measurable drop in air travel and meat consumption.A mayor’s radical food system redesign: 80% of food grown locally at the same price as imports. The importance of rethinking, reimagining, and equipping ourselves with better models for sustainable futures.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-53-rob-hopkins-unleashing-the-power-of-imagination/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate Free Fire WebinarWatch my free mini-webinar on working with fire: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/fire

Welcome to Episode 52! In this episode Marina talks about her online course 'The Advanced Certificate in Forest School and Outdoor Learning'.Why Forest School and Outdoor Learning is a game changer for educatorsInsights from masterclasses on sensory integration, mental health and deep nature connectionThe support from the UK Health & Safety Executive for well-managed riskHow access to the outdoors brings so many physical, cognitive and emotional benefits as well as developing a healthy psychological 'attachment' to nature.Our online training that packs sessions underpinned by research across the seasons - the one stop place.Topics included in the 16 MasterclassesThe benefits of spending time outdoors for self regulationHow to manage risky activities with your groupsShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-52-my-advanced-certificate-online-trainingMusic by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:The Advanced Certificate in Forest School and Outdoor Learninghttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/certificate/How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

My guest today is Amie Andrews, and in this episode, we dive into the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for health, wellbeing, and community resilience. In this episode we discuss:The role of Small Woods National Charity, including their history and mission to connect people with woodlands.What social forestry is and how it supports both woodland health and human wellbeing.The growing appetite for nature-based activities and the evolving partnership between people and the environment.Insights on balancing human benefits from woodlands with the need to enhance biodiversity and sustainability.Tackling funding challenges in social forestry and how to create sustainable models for the future.The health benefits of nature-based activities, including green prescriptions and their role in healthcare.How policy-makers, researchers, and communities are collaborating to create evidence-based, scalable solutions.Connecting local grassroots efforts to larger policy changes and economic shifts.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-51-nature-based-revolution/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

Welcome to Episode 50! In this episode Marina talks about minimizing harm, critiquing neoliberalism, and exploring land ownership, indigenous perspectives, and sustainable practices.In this episode, Marina struggles with many topics that include:Visioning in the new year as a physical expression of intention and future aspirations.Conversations on creating mindsets that minimize harm to others, oneself, and the natural world.Critique of neoliberalism's disconnection from a respectful land ethic.Reflections on the right to roam and land ownership paradigms.Insights from indigenous perspectives on land ownership and the The Law of Discovery and Terra Nullious (see links).Corporate and political accountability and the need for political will to legislate sustainable practices.Questioning impartiality in climate education within a context of ecological harm.Encouragement for self-care, forgiveness, and accountability in personal growth.Insights from thinkers like Jeremy Lent and Vanessa Andreotti on moving towards an eco-civilization.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-50-reclaiming-values-beyond-capitalism/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free

In this episode, I explore themes of environmental education, behaviour change, and empowerment with researcher, writer, and campaigner Lewis Winks.In this episode we discuss:Rewilding, nature connection, and why advocacy is essential for creating meaningful change. The interplay between individual actions and systemic mandates, such as public health or environmental regulations. How models like "nudging" or educational approaches influence societal transformation. Insights from the Education at a Time of Emergency project, including the role of imagination, storytelling, and values in fostering young people's agency.Consider thematic curriculums inspired by local landscapes (e.g. the River Dart).The Right to Roam campaign and its fight for equitable access to nature amidst England’s stark land ownership disparities.How restricted access to land impacts community empowerment and environmental connection.Exploring alternative worldviews that focus on reciprocity with nature rather than extraction.Identifying leverage points to accelerate momentum for cultural and ecological transformation.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-49-lewis-winks-right-to-roam/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

What if wild, not domesticated, should be our normal instead of factory-farmed lives? What if you could cultivate fulfilling lives and contribute to a healthy natural world?  The Wild Minds podcast is brought to you by me, Marina Robb, an author, entrepreneur, Forest School and Nature-based Trainer and Consultant, and pioneer in developing Green programmes for the Health service in the UK.I'm also the founder of The Outdoor Teacher and creator of practical online Forest School and nature-based training for people working in mental health, education and business.Tune in for interviews, insights, cutting-edge and actionable approaches to help you to improve your relationship with yourself, others, and the natural world.Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. 

Welcome to Episode 48, the final episode of Season 6. I began by thinking about what it would be like to be an animal, a human animal, being force fed in a container of sorts. Trying to imagine the limitations of this lived experience compared to one where I am free to exercise my full-bodied animal life. In this episode Marina:Imagines what it would be like if we were confined and raised to be eaten!Explores what is taken from us when we are caged.Reminds us that everything has agency and is participating.Reviews the themes of the current season.Examines the relational dynamics between humans and the more-than-human world.Considers how we may become oppression-informed, Trauma-informed and Climate informed individualsRevisits power as our ability to influence and act.Asks, “What is oppression?” Defining it as the systematic targeting or marginalization of one social group by a more powerful social group for its own benefit.Emphasises that anything “other” than human does not imply they are a resource, a commodity or have object status.Refers to "The Salmon Boy" story in Being Salmon, Being Human, with reference to Jamie Valadez and Klallam stories told by Adeline Smith (Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, 2012).Reframes society from a transactional model to one rooted in gift-giving and reciprocal relationships.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-48-remember-we-are-wild/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. 

This was a powerful interview with Nadia Shaik, who is a naturalist, conservationist and land justice activist working with Right to Roam. Nadia has worked in Land Policy for the RSPB for over 10 years and is now addressing addressing issues of decolonising the sector.In this episode we discuss:The importance of valuing and protecting nature with the same passion we have for our National Health System.The Right to Roam and the disheartening truth that merely 8% of England's land is available to the public.How limited access to nature contributes to decreasing biodiversity.The State of Nature: https://stateofnature.org.uk/The persistent threat of pesticides that harm insects and contaminate our land.The need to decolonize the nature conservation sector.Embracing injustice as a catalyst for reflecting on our own grief.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-47-nadia-shaikh/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate Free Course in Forest School ActivitiesTry our online training for free: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/free

In this episode  I take a look at the four guiding principles that underpin the early years foundation stage in the UK and consider how these principles could also underpin wellbeing.Sometimes it appears that nature-based experiences and learning is alternative or radical, but these very same principles exist underneath our practice we are all unique in the ways we learn and develop. We all need positive relationships to thrive, and have time to follow our own interests and needs. When we develop practices that enliven these principles then children can grow up to feel good enough, and know they are capable enough.   In this Episode Marina considers: The importance of understanding child development.Core principles of the Early Years foundation curriculum.The needs of children and the wider community.The what and why of play!The attuned relationship & what this creates when a child is ‘listened to’. Relational needs for secure attachment.Learning spaces that value ‘democracy’ and the opportunities to have your voice, be listened to, experience agency, and your ability to influence.Importance of values, free flow and choice.Understanding of place and the impact on belonging.Multiple challenges of access.The power of empathetic listening – validating how they feel. The value of quality breaks for play and how this improves executive functioning, resilience and emotional self-control as well as the biochemical impact of play for emotional well-being (e.g oxytocin).Show Notes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-46-core-principles-and-needs/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

In this episode, I'm speaking with Sam Williams, headteacher of Redcliffe Nursery School, a state-maintained nursery school in the centre of Bristol.I particularly enjoyed the thoughtful exploration of his value of democracy and how this begins for nursery aged children. Really thinking about how a childs’s own agency, as well as being valued for what they think and say and do, links to this value of democracy.Alongside this, the skills and care that is encouraged and needed in understanding and supporting what is meaningful for young people. We also discussed that when children really care about the natural world or our climate, they have a lot of empathy for the living world, but this can result in children feeling really helpless which is contributing to the rise in eco-anxiety.However, if we develop agency in young people, then this has a positive affect on their wellbeing as they experience their ability to be heard, and then participate in the change they want to see. I do think as adults we have a powerful role to support young people’s voices and to advocate with them about what they care about. But For now, lets hear from Sam and his experience of working as a head teacher in Bristol.In this episode, we dive into:Revisiting the purpose of education and what it means for Redcliffe Nursery school.Embracing play as a core ethos.Exploring the idea of children as beings and children as becomings.Highlighting the importance of getting lost in the moment.Shifting our thinking to an ecological perspective, releasing pre-determined outcomes.Looking at creating space for the environment and materials to have their own agency.Reflecting on how ecological identity develops through agency, listening, and voice.Examining how eco-anxiety can be eased through eco-empathy and activism.Highlighting the value of state-maintained nursery schools and the critical importance of equity.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-45-children-as-beings-and-children-as-becomings/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Mentioned in this episode:The Advanced Certificate in Forest School and Outdoor Learninghttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/certificate/How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

October has arrived and the days are growing shorter and colder, yet at this time of year, we also experience a last rush of some of the edible plants before the winter. For example you can find nettle, plantain, ground ivy and even cleavers, as well as all of the berries, and if you know what you are doing, its also mushroom season! Though this cycle of growth is coming to a close and death is all around us, thankfully this part of the cycle creates the ground for the next one to come, and soil and fungi science is particularly spectacular at the moment!During my trainings and programmes, we are gathering the last of the hawthorn berries to make hawthorn leather, and looking for rosehips to make cordial and medicine for the winter!In this episode I am grappling with how our choices bump up against the choices of others and the often invisible dynamics involved in our ability to make choices.I also reflect on some of the techniques we may use to create safe enough spaces. Hope you enjoy this episode and do let me know if there are any areas you’d like me to cover in the future!In this Episode Marina considers: How we agree to be together as a group and with wilder spaces when creating groups.What matters to us, including our boundaries and needs, while setting community agreements and allowing permission to choose.The importance of consent for well-being and consider how and where we gather information. How much we go along with ideas or actions and the power of choice. The edges of risk to gain benefits.The role of the practitioner's tone in creating a safe environment. Relational agreements and voicing what we need, while understanding how power shifts in different contexts and identities.The dominant systems and their often-invisible impacts on everyday life.The elements of healthy nature-based practice, leading us to reckon with our assumptions. How core values in education make learning relevant beyond artificial intelligence.The journey of 'hospicing' our culture Show Notes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-44-the-essentials-of-healthy-nature-based-practice/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

My guest today is Sophie Christophy, co-founder of the Cabin and the Lodge, both self-directed learning communities for home educated young people.In 2016 Sophie established the philosophy and concept of consent-based education, which is the theme of today’s podcast. We start the conversation about our dominant culture, and how we find ourselves within a patriarchal world view, regardless of our gender, and that we can all behave, mostly unconsciously in a patriarchal way by normalizing power structures.In this episode, we dive into:What is consent-based education? Key ingredients of consent.What does our culture tell us about relationships, beliefs, behaviours and how do we pass this on? Patriarchy & normalised dynamics.Learning relational technology is rooted in consent. Living with assumptions and biases.From the old paradigm of patriarchy to new paradigm of consent.Agency for human and the more than human.Touching in to how we seek consent in a non-verbal relationshipShow Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-43-sophie-christophy-relationships-rooted-in-consent/ Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate The Advanced Certificate in Forest School and Outdoor Learninghttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/certificate/

It’s good to be back for a new season and notice autumn arriving! Isn’t it incredibly difficult to get away from screens and allow time for play, reflection, rest and social connection. On a recent walk, I saw swallows, who will soon be leaving us for southern Africa, and I did some research on Atlantic Mackerel as I saw all these people fishing – turn out they are leaving too and going north – life is always on the move! In this episode I highlight the increase in special educational needs and disabilities in schools as well as social, emotional, mental health challenges for young people. I continue to reflect on embodied practice, for me this means our capacity to notice sensations and feelings in our bodies, which is not easy and how this can help us to be in relationship with each other.I will be exploring some of my own (and maybe your) blind spots so that we can begin to address privilege and power and afford others more dignity and respect.In this Episode Marina discusses: Becoming more awareness of lots of power dynamics and privilegeLearning to be softer on myself and harder on the systemNoting the rise in June 2024 Data for Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) and Social, Emotional, Mental health (SEMH):Exploring how power influences our lives and addressing our blind spotsRecognising that what feels safe to me may not feel the same for othersHow can we be more regulated as adults and increase our bandwidth for expression of emotion before we tip into fight, freeze or dissociative behaviour.How empowered SEN schools can provide opportunities to engage in vocational learning involving practical embodied experiences that facilitate social interactions and bodies that move!Understanding how stress narrows our window of tolerance (Linked to Podcast: Behaviour is Communication).Welcoming multi-modes of working in a complex world.Practicing staying with the discomfort and trouble (Donna Haraway’s).Valuing diverse life experiences through a metabolic paradigm– everything is alive in its own way.Shifting from a screen-based childhoods to more play-based learning opportunities.Show Notes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-42-embodied-practice-in-our-special-education-needs-world/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate

Welcome back to Season 6! My guest today is David Cowell, Managing Director of ALP Schools, which runs special educational needs independent schools, funded by the local authority. These five schools are for young people between the ages of 6-19 and 25 who have diagnosed special educational needs.In this episode, we dive into:The potential link between criminal behavior and the kind of educational opportunities we provide for young people.What the purpose of education is.Providing other learning opportunities for young people who find traditional education challenging.How and why, David opened ALP The Lodge.The benefits and impact of vocational learning and outdoor learning for those with special educational needs.Creating outdoor curriculums.PSHE in the outdoors.A special focus on our new Paddleboard Project.The Rise in SEN figures in England.Show Notes:https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-41-david-cowell-alp-schools/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Mentioned in this episode:How to Teach Climate Changehttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/climate The Advanced Certificate in Forest School and Outdoor Learninghttps://theoutdoorteacher.com/certificate/

This is the final episode of Season 5 until we meet again on September 23rd around the Autumn Equinox! I find myself once again in July, re-committing to taking time to slow down and make sure I spend time in natural spaces. I think in order to walk my talk, particularly with regard to listening deeply to the natural world and the wisdom that might arise from this encounter, I know it’s necessary to slow down, to facilitate for deep body-based listening.This episode pulls together some of the threads from this season, I discuss spirituality and acknowledge that I want my own experience of the spiritual to remain somewhat private – something that I cultivate largely on my own, or with close friends, in order to avoid too many people’s opinions. In this Episode Marina discusses: How our own health and well-being is linked to the health of the planet.The importance of interacting with the world through our imagination and body intelligence. Why is it so awkward to talk about spirituality?The importance of boundaries and choosing when to keep things private or public.What is real anyway? Who has consciousness? How might we experiment stretching our own consciousness? Children’s capacity to apply their imagination through story, role-play, being another animal – their ability to place themselves as ‘the other.’Ourselves as wild animals with a wild heart!How we might explore listening to our dreams and body and notice what may occur.That communication is much more than words.Coming into balance – to be well, we need to balance demands and resources. Being open to other intelligences.Avoiding burnout and the Personal Responsibility Vortex (PRV) as described by Alex Eisenberg: https://www.protectthackerpass.org/the-personal-responsibility-vortex/What we can learn from trees.Show Notes: https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-40-wild-hearts-wise-bodies/Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.comPlease Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple PodcastsIf you have enjoyed today's episode, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This really helps me to spread the word to more people like you, and to empower more people to take their practice outdoors!Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then let me know what you loved most about the episode!Also, if you haven’t done so already, "follow" the podcast, as if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.