Episode Re-Broadcast: Florence Williams

The Healing Power of Nature

In this re-broadcast episode of Northern Latitudes, we revisit a thoughtful and timely conversation with Florence Williams, journalist and author known for exploring the deep connections between human health and the natural world.

Florence’s work sits at the intersection of science, psychology, and lived experience. In this conversation, we talk about how time spent outdoors influences our mental health, creativity, and resilience — and what the growing body of research tells us about why nature matters so much, especially in an increasingly indoor and screen-driven world.

This episode is both grounding and practical, offering insight into how even small, everyday encounters with nature can have meaningful impacts on our well-being.

Whether you’re hearing it for the first time or coming back to it with fresh ears, this is a conversation that rewards a second listen.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How nature affects stress, attention, and mental health
• The science behind “nature therapy” and time outdoors
• Why modern life pulls us away from natural spaces — and what that costs us
• Simple ways to reconnect with nature in daily life
• Why these ideas feel even more relevant today

About the guest

Florence Williams is an award-winning journalist and author whose work explores health, science, and the environment. She is widely known for her writing on how natural spaces shape human well-being, blending research with storytelling to make complex science accessible and relatable.

Listen again

This episode originally aired as part of the Northern Latitudes podcast and remains one of our most resonant conversations about health, landscape, and the human need for connection to the natural world.

Northern Latitudes Podcast

Dr. Sylvia Pineda-Munoz | What Earth’s Deep Past Teaches Us About Our Climate Future

What can the deep past tell us about the moment we’re living in now?

In this episode of Northern Latitudes, host Bill Ault sits down with Dr. Sylvia Pineda-Munoz — a paleontologist, ecologist, and founder of Climate Ages — to explore how ancient climates, fossil records, and long-term ecological patterns can help us better understand today’s climate and biodiversity challenges.

Sylvia’s work bridges science and storytelling. By looking millions of years into Earth’s history, she helps translate complex research into insights that feel both grounded and relevant. Rather than focusing on prediction or panic, her approach emphasizes perspective — what past moments of rapid change reveal about resilience, limits, and adaptation.

Together, Bill and Sylvia discuss how species have responded to environmental upheaval, what the fossil record can tell us about the future, and why storytelling plays such an important role in helping people connect with climate science. It’s a conversation about slowing down, zooming out, and learning to read the long patterns written into the landscape around us.

This episode isn’t about easy answers. It’s about context — and what becomes possible when we take the long view.

In This Episode

• Why Earth’s deep history still matters today
• What fossil records reveal about resilience and collapse
• How past climate shifts compare to modern change
• Translating complex science through storytelling

🌍 About the Guest

Dr. Sylvia Pineda-Munoz is a paleontologist and ecologist whose research focuses on how species respond to environmental change over long timescales. She is the founder of Climate Ages, a platform dedicated to connecting Earth’s deep past with today’s climate and biodiversity conversations through accessible storytelling and science communication.

🔗 Learn More

• Climate Ages: https://climateages.com
• Sylvia Pineda-Munoz on Google Scholar
• Sylvia’s writing on Medium

🎧 Listen & Subscribe

You can find this episode — and all episodes of Northern Latitudes — at northernlatitudes.ca, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If this conversation resonated with you, consider sharing it with someone who enjoys thoughtful discussions about place, time, and the natural world.

Northern Latitudes (Archive)

Nature as Nurture — Dr. Melissa Lem

The holiday season can be a time of connection and celebration—but it can also bring stress, exhaustion, and a sense of overload.

In this archival episode of Northern Latitudes, host Bill Ault revisits a thoughtful conversation with Dr. Melissa Lem, family physician and a leading Canadian advocate for nature-based health. Drawing on the concept of Nature as Nurture, Dr. Lem explains how spending time outdoors—especially during the darker, colder months—can support mental well-being, reduce stress, and help regulate our nervous systems.

This episode explores why nature isn’t just a backdrop to our lives, but an essential form of care—particularly during the holiday season, when expectations run high and personal time feels scarce. From short walks to mindful moments outside, Dr. Lem offers practical, accessible ways to reconnect with the natural world, even when schedules are full.

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply in need of a pause, this conversation offers perspective, reassurance, and permission to slow down.

Guest: Dr. Melissa Lem Theme: Nature, mental health, holiday stress, well-being Series: Northern Latitudes — Archival Episode

Trina Moyles: Black Bear

In Episode 45 of Northern Latitudes, host Bill Ault sits down with award-winning author and journalist Trina Moyles to explore her deeply moving new book Black Bear — a powerful blend of memoir, ecology, and family history rooted in the rugged landscapes of northern Alberta.

Moyles, known for her wildfire memoir Lookout, turns her lens inward in this new work, tracing the story of her brother’s struggle with mental health and addiction, her family’s resilience, and the quiet, watchful presence of black bears that shaped her life. In this intimate conversation, she reflects on grief, survival, and the complicated ways people and landscapes carry one another through crisis.

In This Episode

• The origins of Black Bear and why this was the hardest book Trina has ever written
• How the rhythms and behaviours of black bears became metaphors for family, healing, and endurance
• A sister’s perspective on love, loss, and the long shadows of addiction
• What writing about deeply personal subjects can teach us about empathy, courage, and connection
• How Trina’s journalism, fieldwork, and years as a fire tower lookout continue to influence her storytelling

About Trina Moyles

Trina Moyles is a writer, journalist, photographer, and environmental advocate from Peace River, Alberta. Her previous book, Lookout, was a national bestseller and won acclaim for its clear-eyed portrayal of wildfire seasons and life alone in a remote fire tower. Her essays and reporting have appeared in The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, Passage, Hakai Magazine, and more.

Learn more: https://www.trinamoyles.com

Selected recent articles:

• “How We Remember the North” — The Walrus
• “The Last Lookouts” — Hakai Magazine
• “On Grief, Wildfire, and Bearing Witness” — Passage Magazine

Episode Link

Listen to all Northern Latitudes episodes: https://rss.com/podcasts/northernlatitudes/

Support the Show

If you enjoy Northern Latitudes, please consider:

• Leaving a rating or review on your podcast platform
• Sharing the episode with a friend
• Following us on social media

Episode Description

What happens when a life is defined by curiosity — and the willingness to just say yes?

In this episode of Northern Latitudes, host Bill Ault sits down with one of Canada’s most beloved science voices to talk about his new memoir, Just Say Yes. It’s a story of wonder, risk, and transformation — from humble beginnings to becoming a household name in science communication.

Our guest’s journey reminds us that saying yes — even when the outcome is uncertain — can change everything.

Guest Bio

Bob McDonald is the longtime host of CBC Radio’s award-winning science program Quirks & Quarks and a leading science journalist whose enthusiasm for discovery has inspired generations of Canadians.

Across his five-decade career, Bob has interviewed thousands of scientists, astronauts, and innovators, always driven by curiosity and a deep belief in the power of understanding our world.

His memoir, Just Say Yes: A Memoir, offers an intimate look at the personal journey behind the public voice — filled with stories of risk, humility, and the adventures that shaped a remarkable career.

Key Discussion Points

• The meaning behind the phrase Just Say Yes and how it shaped Bob’s life
• Growing up in a blue-collar family and finding a path to science and broadcasting
• Overcoming self-doubt and the “imposter moments” behind the microphone
• The role of curiosity and courage in science communication
• Lessons learned from decades of helping Canadians fall in love with science
• How to embrace opportunity — and what it means to say “yes” today

Links & Resources

• Just Say Yes: A Memoir — Douglas & McIntyre
• Listen to Quirks & Quarks — CBC Radio / Podcast link
• Follow Bob McDonald — Official CBC profile
• Northern Latitudes — northernlatitudes.ca

Produced and hosted by Bill Ault

Recorded in partnership with Northern Latitudes Media

Theme music by John Sanfilippo - Soundwise

In this powerful episode of Northern Latitudes, host Bill Ault speaks with filmmaker Trixie Pacis and aerial artist Sasha Galitzki about their remarkable new documentary Embers, which makes its global premiere at the 50th Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival on November 4, 2025.

Embers follows Sasha through the emotional and physical aftermath of the 2024 Jasper National Park wildfire, one of the most devastating fires in recent Canadian history. The blaze destroyed her home and community, leaving behind a landscape of loss—but also the seeds of renewal. In the year that followed, Sasha turned to her art, using aerial performance as both therapy and protest. Her work became a living expression of resilience and a call to action in a world where climate change is no longer distant—it’s personal.

The conversation dives deep into the making of the film and the meaning behind it. Trixie and Sasha discuss how Embers evolved as a sequel to their acclaimed 2024 documentary Wild Aerial, which captured Sasha performing breathtaking aerial routines in the frozen Canadian Rockies. Where Wild Aerial celebrated strength and endurance in the face of nature’s extremes, Embers reveals what happens when that same landscape turns hostile, and the artist must rise again—this time from the ashes.

Throughout the episode, listeners will hear the story behind the story:

• The moment Sasha realized she had lost everything in the Jasper fire.
• How she channeled grief and fear into art that would inspire others.
• The creative partnership between Sasha and Trixie and how it deepened under pressure.
• The emotional and technical challenges of filming in wildfire-ravaged terrain.
• Why Embers is ultimately a film about hope, renewal, and the enduring connection between people and place.

Both Trixie and Sasha reflect on how the project changed their perspectives as artists and citizens. They discuss the importance of storytelling in the climate crisis, not just to raise awareness, but to humanize the experience—to show that behind every wildfire, flood, or storm are people rebuilding their lives in extraordinary ways.

As Sasha puts it in the film, “I lost my home and all my things, but I still have my art—and my love for Jasper.” That sentiment captures the essence of Embers: even when everything burns, the creative spark endures.

With Embers, Pacis and Galitzki deliver a deeply human portrait of loss and recovery, reminding us that even in a warming world, there is still light to be found among the ashes.

🎬 Embers — Global Premiere: Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, November 4, 2025 🎥 Director/Producer: Trixie Pacis 🎭 Featuring: Sasha Galitzki 🌍 Themes: Wildfire recovery, art as activism, resilience, climate storytelling

🔗 Related Links:

• Embers Official Trailer
• Wild Aerial (2024)
• Banff Centre Mountain Film & Book Festival
• Northern Latitudes Podcast

Follow Northern Latitudes for more conversations exploring the intersection of adventure, art, and the environment

“Sisters of the Jungle - The Trailblazing Women Who Shaped the Study of Wild Primates"

Keriann McGoogan holds a PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Toronto and a Master’s from the University of Calgary. Keriann McGoogan+1 Her field work has taken her deep into the tropical forests of Belize, where she studied howler monkeys, and to the remote dry forests of Madagascar, where she lived for more than a year studying endangered lemurs.

Keriann McGoogan+2Orion Magazine+2 Her latest book, Sisters of the Jungle (2025), explores the history of primatology — especially how women have come to dominate this field — by interweaving memoir, biography of pioneer female scientists (including Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birutė Galdikas, and Alison Jolly), and her own adventures in the field. Douglas & McIntyre+2theseaboardreview.ca+2

Her earlier memoir Chasing Lemurs: My Journey Into the Heart of Madagascar recounts her personal story from Belize to Madagascar. Keriann McGoogan+1

Key Resources & Links

Guest’s Website

• Keriann McGoogan – https://keriannmcgoogan.com/ Keriann McGoogan On the site you’ll find her bio, books, media appearances, and event info.

In this episode of Northern Latitudes, host Bill Ault sits down with Canadian broadcaster Scott Oake to discuss his deeply personal and moving new book, For the Love of a Son. Best known for his work in sports journalism, Oake talks about a different journey—his family's experience with addiction and loss.

For the Love of a Son is a raw and heartfelt memoir about Scott and Anne Oake’s son, Bruce, who tragically lost his life to addiction. Through this conversation, Scott reflects on Bruce’s struggles, the impact on their family, and how they turned their grief into a lasting legacy—the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, a facility dedicated to helping those battling substance use disorder.

Topics Discussed:

✔️ The story behind For the Love of a Son and why Scott Oake chose to share it now. ✔️ Bruce Oake’s life, struggles, and the heartbreaking reality of addiction. ✔️ The emotional toll of losing a loved one to substance abuse. ✔️ The journey of founding the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre and its impact.

Key Quotes from Scott Oake:

“Addiction is not a moral failing; it’s an illness, and it deserves treatment like any other.”

“We lost our son, but we gained a mission—to help others get the chance Bruce never had.”

Resources & Links:

📖 Buy the Book: For the Love of a Son – Available at major bookstores and online retailers. 🏥 Bruce Oake Recovery Centre: Learn more about their mission and how you can support their work at bruceoakerecoverycentre.ca. 📺 Scott Oake’s Work: Follow Scott on social media and check out his continued work in Canadian broadcasting.

Trigger Warning:

This episode discusses themes of addiction, loss, and mental health struggles. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek support from a trusted resource or helpline.

Connect with Us:

🔹 Follow Northern Latitudes: Stay updated on new episodes and guest interviews. 🔹 Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review—it helps us reach more listeners! 🔹 Share Your Thoughts: Have a story or experience related to this episode? Join the conversation on social media.