Ponder While We Wander

Location: Saratoga Woods, Whidbey Island, WA
Record date: 4/21/2026
Release date: 8/15/2026
 
Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa
Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/
 
Episode Description:
Join Amber and Natasha on a breezy day from Saratoga Woods on Whidbey Island, WA where they dive into the complexities surrounding our Relationship to Stuff. 
After taking a moment to greet the land and many animals all around them, they introduce Earth Overshoot Day, getting curious about what it means to use more resources than we have and explore a global mindset around consumerism.
Throughout this episode Amber and Natasha discuss their own relationships to stuff and share how personal and family histories inform these relationships. They invite and encourage a sense of curiosity and tenderness when exploring this topic as both generational and personal experiences of trauma often go hand in hand with how one views and interacts with stuff. 
They explore the spectrum of hoarding and how traumatic loss or grief can play a role in the stuff we keep, naming a range of functional to dysfunctional, and explore how our survival needs and ability to sustain ourselves impact our relationship to stuff. 
 
Additional areas explored in this episode include:
-Consumer dissatisfaction  
-Capitalism 
-Youth culture 
-Benefits/challenges of sourcing things hyper locally 
-Natural disasters and emergency preparedness 
-How to explore and understand what drives our collection of stuff 
-How pleasure centers are tied to newness and novelty 
-Creative ways to find newness and novelty with less consumption 
-Various methods for decluttering 
-Importance of critical thinking and learning 
-Radical acceptance to phase of life moments 
-Voluntarily simplicity 
 
As Amber and Natasha dive into this topic one overarching theme becomes clear, our relationship to stuff is complicated! Join them in Pondering this complexity and see what you may discover about your relationship status to stuff. 
 
Keywords:
Earth Overshoot Day
Voluntary Simplicity
Clutter
Hoarding
De-cluttering
Minimalist
Living more intentionally
Ecological living
 
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.psrc.org/about-us/tribes
https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/
https://clutterersanonymous.org/
https://simplicitycollective.com/start-here/what-is-voluntary-simplicity-2
https://www.robingreenfield.org/foragingyear/
https://somewhatsimpleliving.com/3-box-method-for-decluttering/
https://www.theminimalists.com/packing/
https://www.thespruce.com/20-10-cleaning-method-8742970
https://www.thespruce.com/swedish-death-cleaning-4801461

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/

Location: Yosemite National Forest, California, USA
Record date: 3/25/26
Release date: 4/1/26
 
Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa
Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/
 
THANK YOU TO PINE TREE MARKET:
 
Ponder While We Wander is so grateful for our first community sponsorship! A big shout out to Pine Tree Market run by Michael and Katie Henderson, and their lodging support for us during our stay in Yosemite National Park. We are so grateful not only for their support but their excitement in helping us share all things EcoPsychology to a wider audience. If you ever find yourself in Wawona, CA make sure to swing by Pine Tree Market, your corner market while you’re in Wawona, and say hi for us! Sam the cat would love some pets as well, he’s always at the ready to greet his human friends. 
 
Inspired by the book “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life”, by Dacher Keltner, Amber and Natasha discuss “Awe Walks.” Wander with them through Yosemite National Park as they share Dacher’s definition of awe, explore how awe may show up somatically,and revisit memories that conjure up awe. 
 
They also discuss different types of awe and the positive impacts engaging with awe has for our health and wellness as well as implications for connection and encouraging new ideas. 
Dachner’s “5 Point Process” is introduced as an accessible way to begin intentionally inviting more awe into your every day. 
 
The snowy field alongside huge, granite rock formations with many winged friends to hear in the background, provide a beautiful location to dive deeper into this awe-some topic. 
 
Additional areas related to awe covered in this episode include:
Benefits of inviting awe including immune system support
Moral Beauty (moved by others actions)
How time in nature inspires awe
Music and awe
Visual Design (Human & Nature)
Spiritual/Mystical/Numinous aspects of Awe 
Epiphanies about big life questions
Awe in the Death and Dying Process
Shared Awe or Collective Effervescence 
Awe and Wonder
Happiness and Well-being 
Greater Good Science Center
 
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://greatergood.berkeley.edu/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62352297-awe