Location: Seattle Japanese Garden unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, specifically the Duwamish, Suquamish, Stillaguamish, and Muckleshoot People.

Record date: 4/21/2026

Release date: 8/1/2026

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Episode Description:

Join Amber and Natasha from the Seattle Japanese Garden, in Seattle WA as they discuss what it is to Live More Simply. They are greeted upon entry into the garden by a split maple tree, beautiful rhododendrons, many azaleas and the background hum of city noise.

The episode begins with a question: “What comes to mind when you think of living more simply?” They explore how to define problems versus symptoms in modernity and the costs of living in these busy times. Natasha introduces the idea of a simplicity assessment as a way to help us all determine what aspects of modernity may be impacting us. They acknowledge many of the symptoms of living in modernity are common and that there are systems that benefit from people being overwhelmed and distracted.

They introduce multitasking versus single tasking and how simplicity may support us as we move through transition periods in life.

Amber and Natasha also explore how busyness, attachment to things and our attachment to the way we think things SHOULD be, may come into play when we think about living more simply. They invite us to consider how creating space in our schedules for simplicity, exploring mindful consumption, assessing if our actions align with our values and the things we say we care about can offer a perspective shift and help us more deeply ponder where we stand in relation to “Living More Simply”.

Keywords:

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

https://www.instagram.com/ponder_while_we_wander/

Location: Yosemite National Forest, California, USA

Record date: 3/27/26

Release date: 7/15/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Episode Description:Join Amber and Natasha as they wander through Wawona, California. As the snow is melting and river water is flowing they explore what it is to wander! They share definitions, poems, and explore chronos versus chiros ways of being with time. Natasha also introduces the wander’s society and the idea of psychogeography.

In this episode Amber and Natasha discuss the archetype of the wanderer, how aspects of their own paths from the outside could be viewed as wandering and validate there are many paths to a destination and through an experience.

They discuss how slowing down and wandering can have powerful implications that support our ability to explore our interconnectedness to self, others, and Nature. They also introduce wandering intentionally in groups and the benefit of wandering with openness and curiosity. They discuss how wandering can support creating new neural pathways, increase creativity and help us feel more alive in the world!

Join Natasha and Amber as they celebrate wandering, invite listeners to wander and offer support and encouragement to do so in their own way.

Keywords:

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

https://www.instagram.com/ponder_while_we_wander/#

Episode Resources Links:

Bouchard-Roberts, Conner, editor. A Field Companion for Wandering. Postcard Bookshop, 2021. https://open-books-a-poem-emporium.myshopify.com/products/bouchard-roberts-conner-a-field-copb

Location: Yosemite National Forest, California, USA

Record date: 3/1/26

Release date: 7/1/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Join Amber and Natasha in Wawona, CA under the stars, in this first ever episode recorded at night! Together they discuss our need for darkness and stargazing. They explore how stargazing can help us connect us to something bigger than ourselves and how darkness is rich with metaphor.

They share memories of their own experiences stargazing and touch on how both stargazing and darkness are good for our physical health!

They delve into the positive effects stargazing has on us humans such as, its ability to inspire awe and how it could be considered a contemplative practice that can boost our creativity and encourage us to imagine new and positive solutions to challenges.

In addition, they include a discussion on how light pollution negatively impacts us and our other than human friends, including birds, turtles and flowers.

Come join them as they appreciate darkness, the vastness of the stars and ponder how stargazing could inspire deeper kindness and care within us all.

"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night" -Sarah Williams

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

https://www.instagram.com/ponder_while_we_wander/#

Episode Resources Links:

https://darksky.org/about/

Location: Yosemite National Forest, California, USA

Record date: 2/27/26

Release date: 6/15/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Episode Description:

Join Natasha and Amber as they slip and slide down a slushy, snow path to a peaceful forest grove where they discuss Forest Bathing and a variety of nature based therapies!

With so many different therapies that center our relationship with and within nature, Amber and Natasha offer listeners an introduction to many of these therapies and the elements they may include.

They explore both the similarities and differences between therapies, what you may expect if you engage in one of these therapies and share many of the benefits offered by nature based therapies.

Throughout the episode they continue to explore the idea of returning home to nature and how each of these therapies include an opportunity to do just that.

Some of the therapies explored in this episode include:

-Ocean Based Therapy

-Sylvotherapy (Umbrella Term) includes Spiritual, Energetic and Scientific Elements

-Curative Sylvotherapy

-Creative Sylvotherapy

-Culinary Sylvotherapy

-Recreational Sylvotherapy

-Energetic Sylvotherapy

-Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing

-Wilderness Based Therapies

Join them and discover which nature based therapy may call to you!

Quote: “The art of forest bathing is the art of connecting with nature through our senses. All we have to do is accept the invitation.” — Dr. Qing Li

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

https://www.instagram.com/ponder_while_we_wander/#

Episode Resources Links:

https://californiavalleymiwok.us/

https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/historyculture/yosemite-indians.htm

https://www.npca.org/articles/7475-reclaiming-wahhoga

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/tribal-land-yosemite/

https://pinetreemarketwawona.com/

http://www.forestbathinginternational.org/

https://www.forestbathingfinder.com/find-a-walk/

https://sdbg.org/shinrin-yoku-connecting-people-to-nature-through-the-art-of-forest-bathing/

Location: Wawona, Yosemite National Forest, California, USA

Record date: 2/24/26

Release date: 6/1/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Expanding on the themes of previous episodes of the benefits of having a deeper relationship with other-than-human nature, Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa share personal stories and different ways humans have found their entryways to deepening that relationship in modernity. They address some of the challenges and ways to self-assess which nature prescription might work for you. They also share some ideas of formal and informal nature therapies and preview some that will be covered in more detail in following episodes.

They include ways to connect or re-connect with your cultural lineage, connecting with land with cultural humility, ideas for simple ways to deepen our relationship with other-than-human nature, and ways to make this relationship tending a practice to foster meaning and purpose.

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

https://www.instagram.com/ponder_while_we_wander/

Episode Resources Links:

https://californiavalleymiwok.us/

https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/historyculture/yosemite-indians.htm

https://www.npca.org/articles/7475-reclaiming-wahhoga

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/tribal-land-yosemite/

https://pinetreemarketwawona.com/

Location: Yosemite National Forest, California, USA

Record date: 3/23/26

Release date: 5/15/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Natasha Morisawa and Amber Martin explore the evolving definition of Ecopsychology, some of the challenges in naming the field, and why they took so long to include this in the podcast series. They share personal stories about their relationship to Land and Ecopsychology and how healing and new paths emerged from honoring these experiences. From the banks of a river in the Yosemite National Forest, their discussion encourages listeners to honor their own knowing and explores how Ecopsychology can help us ask deep, holistic and systemic questions necessary to support our relationship with Ecology, Psychology and Nature.

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

https://www.instagram.com/ponder_while_we_wander/#

Episode Resources Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/802184.Ecopsychology

https://sunypress.edu/Books/R/Radical-Ecopsychology

https://mbgna.umich.edu/post/whats-name-limits-problems-and-puzzles-naming-and-referring-plants

https://esa.org/history/biographies/ecological-richness-diverse-contributors-of-diverse-contributions/women-in-ecology-series/

Location: Wawona,Yosemite National Forest, California, USA

Record date: 3/1/26

Release date: 5/1/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Episode Description:

From a deck in Wawona, California, under the Winter night sky of the Yosemite National Forest,Natasha Morisawa and Amber Martin discuss secular contemplative practice, the benefits of such a practice, and types of practices.

Topics include:

• An overview of different branches of contemplative practice
• Specific invitations for exploring contemplative practice
• Single practices to start finding your individual practice
• Recommendations for finding community around contemplative practice

Keywords:

Contemplative practice

Qigong

Pauline Oliveros

Labyrinths

Nighttime

Yosemite National Forest

Journaling

Creativity

Meditation

Music

Volunteer work

Quiet the mind

Deep listening

Yoga

Dance

Retreats

Nature

Relationships

Community

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

Episode Resources Links:

https://californiavalleymiwok.us/

https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/historyculture/yosemite-indians.htm

https://www.npca.org/articles/7475-reclaiming-wahhoga

https://www.deeplistening.rpi.edu/deep-listening/pauline-oliveros/

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/tribal-land-yosemite/

https://pinetreemarketwawona.com/

https://contemplativemind.org/practices/tree

https://themoth.org/

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/waw.htm

Location: Yosemite National Forest, California, USA

Record date: 3/25/26

Release date: 4/15/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Natasha and Amber join you from the banks of a babbling spring in Yosemite National Park, to talk about De-centering ourselves in relationship to Nature.

They explore what is required of us to answer the dire call of Nature, through necessary and difficult paradigm shifts. They invite this topic into our consciousness and further ground their exploration in the work of Jeanine Kante in her book “Returning the Self to Nature, Undoing our Collective Narcism and Healing Our Planet.” Amber and Natasha explore how Jeanne Kante takes the DSM definition of Narcissism (a maladaptive personality disorder) and applies it to our industrialized western society.

They discuss what happens when individuals in a society begin to take on narcissistic traits through a “habit of mind” and how we can move from an anthropocentric or ego-centric point of view to an eco-centric and sustainable relationship to Nature.

Amber and Natasha begin to unpack this complex and important topic through many different perspectives, aimed to help us all consider what it might take to better care for Nature.

Additional areas related to De-Centering Ourselves explored in this episode include:

• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and how we can flip this triangle to center community actualization and cultural perpetuity
• First Nations, Blackfoot wisdom as more expansive in relationship to Nature
• Kinship Relationally
• Transformational learning through disorienting dilemma’s
• The work of Kristin Neff on Self Compassion
• Exploring the Rights of Nature movement through Robert McFarlane’s book, “Is a River is Alive”

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

https://www.instagram.com/ponder_while_we_wander/#

Episode Resources Links:

https://californiavalleymiwok.us/

https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/historyculture/yosemite-indians.htm

https://www.npca.org/articles/7475-reclaiming-wahhoga

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/tribal-land-yosemite/

https://pinetreemarketwawona.com/

https://www.shambhala.com/returning-the-self-to-nature.html

https://www.ciis.edu/profiles/jeanine-canty

https://www.juliebrams.com/books

https://self-compassion.org/

https://self-compassion.org/kristin-neff/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218569826-is-a-river-alive

https://atmos.earth/podcast/robert-macfarlane-on-embracing-flow-and-letting-rivers-heal-us/