Ponder While We Wander

Location: Meerkerk Gardens, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA 
Record date: 10/18/25
Release date: 1/15/25
 
Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa
Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/
 
From a curated, wooded garden on Whidbey Island, Washington, Natasha Morisawa and Amber Martin introduce the Rat Park study and its findings. They wander and ponder about the connection to humans and addiction as well as different ways of viewing mental health and addiction from not only an individual but a community lens as well. Join them in asking questions about what is working in our modern lives and what could be changed to prevent, reduce, and treat addiction. Along the way there are slugs, mushrooms, evergreens, and the cool, crisp, rainy afternoon of the Pacific Northwest. 
 
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://www.meerkerkgardens.org/
https://historicwhidbey.org/whidbey-island-history
https://drgabormate.com/addiction/
Rat Park: How a rat paradise changed the narrative of addiction.
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/what-does-rat-park-teach-us-about-addiction
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_connection_cure_addiction

Location: Curse and Holler Ranch, Chimicum, Washington 
Record date: 10/16/25
Release date: 1/1/26
 
Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa
Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/
 
To be in relationships may be more crucial and difficult now than in previous generations. Based on stories of loneliness and the challenges of making friends in adulthood, Natasha and Amber start to unpack some of the ways this affects us as individuals and communities. They offer some practical ways of being with those challenges and invitations to connect with ourselves, other humans, and the world around us.  
 
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://www.chimacumcenter.org/place.html
https://saveland.org/
http://bowlingalone.com/
https://joinordiefilm.com/
https://www.priyaparker.com/
https://eji.org/news/visual-history-loitering-laws/
https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

Location: HJ Carroll Park, Chimacum, Washington, USA
Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa
Guest: Rev. Aaron Twitchell https://lovewellnj.com/
Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/
 
An episode in two parts. In part one, Amber and Natasha talk with Rev. Aaron Twitchell about good goodbyes in his experience with supporting, consulting with, and counseling individuals and families at the end of life. Then Natasha and Amber take the topic out into nature to a park with a stream and other than human nature. We explore if there is such a thing as a good goodbye and if there is, what can help support that. And we take a moment to allow interaction with nature to enhance our understanding and connection to goodbyes.
 
Explore more about Ponder While We Wander
A soothing podcast for trying times.
https://ponderwhilewewander.com/
https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/
 
Episode Resources
Links:
https://jeffersoncountywa.myrec.com/info/dept/details.aspx?DeptInfoID=566
https://lovewellnj.com/

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