This episode is the first of 5 episode of a collaboration with the Center for Humans and Nature. It is a series to celebrate the Center’s series ‘Elemental’ as well as a celebration of the many voices that contributed to the series. It is a great honor to finally shares these episodes with you.

In this episode of our special, I sit down with nature writer Isaac Yuen and contributor Rina Garcia Cua. We delve into the theme of fire, exploring its multifaceted significance and the personal and collective narratives surrounding this elemental force.

They both share insights into their work, which blends, poetry, creative non-fiction with scientific perspectives, emphasizing the importance of honor and wonder in connecting with the more-than-human world.

Tune in to discover the profound perspectives that emerge from their contributions to the Elementals volume and to hear how fire shapes our understanding of nature and ourselves.

They both read from their work as well as share their perspectives on the importance of looking at the world through the lens of the elements.

with Isaac Yeun and Rina Garcia Chua

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Thank you so much

The tables have turned in the episode.

Last year my good friend Rich Skrein asked if he could interview me, for my own podcast. This became a deeply personal conversation through the themes I usually invites guests to explore. 

Rich and I have learned together as mentees, write together in our own little writing group and in May collabing around retreat in the Swedish Forest. It felt like the perfect interviewer to go deep into the why of it all. 

We had asked listeners for questions, Rich had asked mutual friends for some and he brought his own. I feel very moved by this conversation. For the opportunity to talk about my friend, who's passing started this whole thing. To talk about what shapes and forms us and the harder parts of life that become important thresholds. 

It feels raw and very honest to share this with you. 

Thank you to all of those who have listened and supported Becoming Nature until now.

There is so much more to come. 

In this epsiode we talk about: 

• Becoming Nature and how it started
• Becoming vs. we are nature
• Honoring teachers
• No BS as a superpower
• Belonging and cultural identity
• Practices for grief and connection
• Dying and the beauty of being alive

The best way to support the podcast is to listen, share, leave a review, rate and comment. 

Thank you for your help keeping this show alive <3 

Land remembers. This is the heart of many rewilding activities happening across the globe, as people work to restore depleted ecosystems.

My guest today, Jon Conradi, founder of Wild Mosaic, is one of those people, working to rewild parts of the UK.

One of the important learnings from my conversation with Jon was that while human intervention in nature restoration is needed, we aren’t nature’s sole saviours. We also need to find ways of stepping back so that ecosystems can recover through their own ‘remembering’ of their natural state. 

What’s more, Jon spoke about how we are a part of this remembering; we are part of these ecosystems, not separate from them! Rewilding nature is also about rewilding ourselves, as of nature. Through storytelling and reconnecting with wildness, we can remember alongside and with the land. 

And so, join us for this week’s episode, and become a part of nature’s ‘remembering’. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• Reconnecting humans to ‘wildness’

• Wildlife and humans co-existing

• What it takes to rewild and restore land 

• The impacts of humans separating ourselves from nature

• Some of the legal constraints of land use

• Pigs! 

Please don't forget to subscribe, share and comment. This is how this podcast is kept alive. 

In this episode I sit down with author and professor Greg Wrenn. We dive into an engaging conversation about healing, childhood trauma and ayahuasca. I came to the this conversation with skepticism, but also curiosity and lack of experience with this approach to healing. As we navigate the complexities of healing, Greg reflects on the roots of his journey, tracing it back to childhood. Tune in for an insightful discussion that blends humor, vulnerability, and profound insights into the healing path.

As a discretion, there is mention of un-detailed childhood abuse in this episode.

• Childhood trauma and healing

• Ayahuasca as last resort medicine

• Trust and psychedelics in ceremony

• Personal and planetary healing

• Reciprocity in healing practices

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, comment, share. 

Find more information about Greg Wrenn in the show notes - www.carinalyall.com 

My dear friend and mentor Stefana Serafina is our guest today. Her work has transformed my life. The way I live in my body and what I experience because of the intimate relationship with its language.

It became a very rich conversation about body, culture body, deep body and listening to the language of.

A conversation and reflection about how we can trust the information coming to us, what world we would have and live in, if body led was an option.  

I’m so excited to share her work with you! We would love to hear what you take away from this episode.

• The body and cultural perceptions.

• The body speaking the truth.

• Body movement and self-expression.

• The intelligence of the body.

• Deep body intelligence and movement.

This week I speak to Danny Christensen, a hunter among many things. And also a man with a passion for nature, animal welfare and health.

I learned a lot from my 1 and a half hour conversation. One that rolled with me for days after. New questions arrived, New threads and a real desire to have more conversations around the way we consume, produce and honor the food we eat.

There are many questions still. We both want to keep this thread alive, as it is something we need to have a serious look at.

As for hunting there are many opinions and feelings attached. Should we eat meat? Should we hunt as modern people. Or should we think differently about the system as a whole?

Please listen in and bring your thoughts and questions!

The illustration for this weeks podcast Is donated by beautiful artist Cille Vengberg

• Food production and consumption.

• Rejecting the general food system.

• Consuming and harvesting wildlife.

• Ethical dilemmas in food consumption.

• Ethical consumption and environmental impact.

• Veganism and connection to nature.

• Environmental impact of avocados.

In this episode we explore the power of poetry and the thing about hope. This episode is a conversation with poet Tom Hirons. I first discovered Tom's poetry on Instagram and it has a certain way of grabbing me.

We discuss hope, Whiskey, fires, love and activism. Tune in to the beauty of Tom Hirons' inspiring words and ways in a World, with hope not fueled by optimism but love.

Known for ‘In the Meantime’ and ‘Once a wild God’ Tom writes in ways that brings you to far a way land and the earthly muddy ‘here’.

• The impact of poetry

• The reputation of poetry

• Poetry as expression of soul

• Poetry as activism

• The power of poetry

• The importance of love

• Unexpected occurrences and hope

• Whiskey and storytelling traditions

From nettle donuts to rose syrup, Tara's cookbook is a colorful journey into the world of plant-based cuisine. We talk about the magic of connecting with nature through food. Tara as she shares her insights on the ancient wisdom of plants.

In this Episode we talk about: 

• Connecting with nature through art.
• Plants as elders and allies.
• Connecting with Elderberries.
• Deep connection to plants.
• Chamomile tea's lasting power.
• The power of plants.
• Building connections through humility.
• Discovering nature in your backyard.

Tara Lanich-LaBrie is a culinary herbalist, finding a love of cooking and plants at an early age, and after a series of health issues began farming, foraging and baking professionally. She created her business, The Medicine Circle, to share colorful, seasonal recipes, and to build a bridge between people and the natural world.

Foraged & Grown: Healing, Magical Recipes for Every Season, is her first book.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a view, comment or share with your community, thank you. 

We explore his work of collecting songs and time with traveller communities, and the honoring of elders. It became a deep look at bridging what was known once into the current. I had to go for a long walk after this conversation to just be in some of the magic of his words… and humor. He is an artist that can’t help but pull you in, to listen, learn and be.

About singing in the dark times and places.

• Singing with Nightingales.

• The importance of old traditions.

• Last of the Scottish Travellers.

• The urgency of preserving culture.

• Discovering elders from different communities.

• Unusual encounters and creativity.

Sam Lee is a highly inventive and original singer, folk song interpreter, passionate conservationist, song collector and successful creator of live events. Alongside his organisation, The Nest Collective, Sam has shaken up the music scene breaking boundaries between folk and contemporary music and the assumed places and ways folksong is appreciated.

Visit carinalyall.com for notes, bio and ways to deepen nature connection.

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In this episode, the I speak to Richard Skrein. He shares about his work with a charity called The Garden Classroom, which brings nature experiences to inner city communities. We also discuss storytelling, being a facilitator and parent. Rich's work focusses on training adults to use the outdoors as a space for growth, learning, and healing. Tune in to learn more about their work and the transformative experiences they aim to create.

We dive into the impact of consuming a constant stream of fear-based stories. From the overwhelming amount of news and information focused on fear and trauma that bombards us in today's world. But also the stories that are ancient. The ancient fear stories that we told, and heard, for many reasons.

Erica  is a writer and teacher based in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Her essays appear in publications such as the Guardian, The New York Times, Yale Review, The Atlantic, and Orion, and her first book, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell about Fear