Ponder While We Wander

Location: Kah Tai Lagoon, Port Townsend, Washington, USA Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/   Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa talk and walk around the Kah Tai Lagoon with deer, herons, eagles, and other than human nature to discuss what the Polycrisis. They help us see through a lens of interconnectedness and discuss how to build a social, emotional, and spiritual first aid kit in managing the predicaments we find ourselves in.    Explore more about Ponder While We Wander A soothing podcast for trying times. https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources Links: https://cityofpt.us/parksrec/page/kah-tai-lagoon-nature-park https://polycrisis.org/lessons/what-does-the-term-polycrisis-mean/ https://commonslibrary.org/learn-from-joanna-macy/ https://www.admiraltyaudubon.org/kah-tai-nature-park-updates

Location: Arroyo Seco, Pasadena, CA, USA Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/   Amber and Natasha explore the challenges and human connection to the universal experience of grief. They touch on the different types of grief, how we grieve, and why it is important to acknowledge it when it shows up. Our relationship with nature can provide ways of incorporating ritual and meaning-making into ways of holding and processing grief instead of disconnecting from it all together.    Explore more about Ponder While We Wander A soothing podcast for trying times. https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources Links: https://gabrielinotribe.org/ https://www.cityofpasadena.net/parks-and-rec/arroyo-seco/ https://www.ekrfoundation.org/5-stages-of-grief/change-curve/ https://grief.com/ https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-work-of-grief-and-love/ https://www.priyaparker.com/art-of-gathering-newsletter/grieve-together-now https://www.kintsugigrief.com/resources

Location: Captain Whidbey, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/   Natasha and Amber travel to a magical place by ferry and, fueled by a couple cups of coffee, ponder the significance of coffee. They explore the ritual and magic of connecting over a warm beverage. Can a cup of coffee connect us to ourselves, loved ones, strangers, the whole world? Grab a beverage of your choice and join us.   Explore more about Ponder While We Wander A soothing podcast for trying times. https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources Links: https://www.captainwhidbey.com/ https://www.ebeysreserve.com/history-culture https://www.islandhistory.org/our-story https://michaelpollan.com/books/caffeine-how-coffee-and-tea-created-the-modern-world/   “Just the other day, I was in my neighborhood Starbucks, waiting for the post office to open. I was enjoying a chocolatey cafe mocha when it occurred to me that to drink a mocha is to gulp down the entire history of the New World. From the Spanish exportation of Aztec cacao, and the Dutch invention of the chemical process for making cocoa, on down to the capitalist empire of Hershey, PA, and the lifestyle marketing of Seattle's Starbucks, the modern mocha is a bittersweet concoction of imperialism, genocide, invention, and consumerism served with whipped cream on top.” ― Sarah Vowell https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Sarah-Vowell/1558688   “I hope there are days when your coffee tastes like magic, your playlist makes you dance, strangers make you smile, and the mighty sky touches your soul. I hope there are days when you fall in love with being alive”  – Brooke Hampton https://www.barefootfive.com/barefoot-me

Location: Discovery Bay, Washington, USA Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/   Come see how noticing our discomfort can invite us into deeper connection with nature as we ponder by the shore where birds, seals, and other than human nature join us.    Explore more about Ponder While We Wander A soothing podcast for trying times.   https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources Links: https://silvotherapy.co.uk/about-forest-healing http://www.tribalmuseum.jamestowntribe.org/

Location: Fort Flagler Historical State Park, Washington, USA Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/   Natasha and Amber visit a place where the ocean meets forest to tune into birds as a way of intentionally paying attention and deepening how we make meaning in our lives. Come listen to the topic and the birds!    Explore more about Ponder While We Wander A soothing podcast for trying times. https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources Links: http://www.tribalmuseum.jamestowntribe.org/ https://amytan.net/backyard-bird-chronicles https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31932836-mozart-s-starling https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/fort-flagler-historical-state-park

Location: Price Sculpture Forest, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/   Natasha and Amber amble along in the Price Sculpture Forest on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA and explore creativity as an important force for individuals and humanity as a whole. If you are looking for an invitation or support to sink into your creativity, you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode!   Explore more about Ponder While We Wander A soothing podcast for trying times. https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources Links: https://sculptureforest.org/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-the-right-words/202506/creativity-is-not-a-luxury https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_empathy_help_you_be_more_creative https://historicwhidbey.org/whidbey-island-history https://www.haydentimm.com/

Location: Penn Cove, Washington, USA Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/   Rest is important, so why is it so hard? Amber and Natasha discuss some of the messages and individual and collective challenges to getting rest and give some examples of nature that invite us to take a deeper perspective to rest.   Explore more about Ponder While We Wander https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources Links: https://allpoetry.com/poem/15374223-Wild-geese-by-Mary-J-Oliver https://salish-current.org/2024/11/20/orcas-display-uncanny-behavior-in-historic-penn-cove-visit/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42771901-how-to-do-nothing https://historicwhidbey.org/whidbey-island-history

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa Location:  Ft Townsend, Port Townsend, WA   Come walk with us while we explore the “love of life” humans have with natural environments. Amber and Natasha share ways in which this enhances our lives and can be integrated into everyday living. We find some banana slugs, evidence of other animals around, and breathe in the forest air, and you’re invited to come along! Explore more about Ponder While We Wander https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/ “They travel long distances to stroll along the seashore, for reasons they can't put into words.” ― Edward O. Wilson    Episode Resource Links: https://www.childrenandnature.org/ https://natureconnectionguide.com/shop-base/forest-bathing-how-trees-can-help-you/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6143402/ https://sdbg.org/shinrin-yoku-connecting-people-to-nature-through-the-art-of-forest-bathing/ https://waparks.org/parks/fort-townsend/ https://parks.wa.gov/about/news-center/field-guide-blog/fort-townsend-historical-state-park-history https://www.nrdc.org/bio/maria-mccain/bringing-outdoors-benefits-biophilia https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/biophilia

Schmitz Preserve Park Seattle, WA- USA   Is it time for a relationship check-in with nature?   Have you thought about your relationship with the outside world lately? What happens when we shift from inside to outside? What if our connection with nature was more relational than transactional? We explore this and more as we walk a muddy trail in Seattle, WA- USA.   Explore more about Ponder While We Wander https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources Links: https://natureconnection.guide/ https://earth.org/human-connection-with-nature/ https://greenseattle.org/about-us/land-acknowledgement/ https://theunpluggedclub.com/relationship-with-nature/ https://www.seattle.gov/parks/allparks/schmitz-preserve-park https://mohai.org/blog/2010/mohai-minute-schmitz-park/ https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/schmitz-preserve-park

Denny Park Seattle, WA- USA   Join us for a discussion where we explore what labyrinths are, how you can walk them, and how walking them can be an important contemplative practice for our times.    https://labyrinthlocator.org/labyrinth/denny-park/440/   Explore more about Ponder While We Wander https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources https://labyrinthlocator.org/ https://labyrinthsociety.org/ https://veriditas.org/ https://www.contemplativelife.org/practice/the-center-for-contemplative-mind-in-society/all/teaching-learning https://www.contemplativelife.org/practice/labyrinth/all/body-movement

Seattle, Washington-USA Discovery Park   We explore the topic of how we do hard things as we launch our discussion from an article of a study about social support and our perception of how steep a hill can be. There are also some surprise raccoons. Come explore if it matters who you’re standing next to or not when we do hard things!    Explore more about Ponder While We Wander https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3291107/

Seattle, Washington-USA Discovery Park   Jumping off of the work of Dr. Vaughan Wilkins and the field of applied Ecopsychology, Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa explore the theme of Enculturated Zoochosis. Metaphors applicable to living in modernity and the challenges we may be having are discussed while observing some of the urban wildlife of Discovery Park in Seattle, WA. Could we be experiencing collective trauma? If so, what are the symptoms and what are the problems? And how might we begin to address these?    Explore more about Ponder While We Wander https://ponderwhilewewander.com/ https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Episode Resources https://www.vaughanwilkins.com/thesis https://www.seattle.gov/x63689 https://unitedindians.org/

Welcome to Ponder While We Wander, a container for invitations and  inspiration for connection to ourselves, others, and nature. This video gives you an introduction to us, how we got here, some of  our hopes, and an introduction to the podcast Ponder While We Wander.   This is a project of love from two friends who happen to be therapists, and we’re looking forward to seeing where it goes.   Thank you for listening, Natasha Morisawa and Amber Martin   Find more information here: https://ponderwhilewewander.com/   Substack: https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/   Special thanks to: Logan Bell Ethan Bell  Eve Hellebrand https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/   More info on Natasha and Amber