We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Music has always been an essential part of the human experience, with archaeological evidence suggesting it dates back to at least 40,000 years ago. With health and wellness benefits such as emotional expression, stress relief, mood enhancement, increased creativity, and enhanced cognitive function, it is easy to see why humans have always felt connected to music. Few things have brought us together as a species, like the power of music. Music helps...
Jun 20, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 14
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. One thing I know for sure is that humans deal with many things. Our headlines are filled with economic insecurity, technological advancements, environmental struggles, geopolitical issues, and social division. Sometimes, life feels fast, cluttered, and noisy. We struggle to connect with our communities and crave presence and peace. We seek resources and opportunities to help us deliberately slow down and experience recovery and restoration. Retreat ...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 13
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Food is one of the foundational components of human existence that unites us all. Whether food is part of our social and cultural interactions, part of our recreation or hobbies, or to simply survive… we need it to be at our best. We all eat. But do you know where your food comes from? Humans began farming independently in various world regions around 12,000 years ago. This shift from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture is considered one of t...
May 16, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 12
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Humans crave information, an essential component of our daily lives. The need for quality information is at the center of our personal growth, healthcare needs, environmental conditions, and economic development. Sharing accurate data is critical for building trust, effective decision-making, and encouraging collaboration. Accurate information begins with quality research. Questioning and scrutinizing findings, identifying potential errors, and repl...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 11
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Since humans have gathered, nature and community health have always been intrinsically linked, with nature providing countless benefits to human well-being and community resilience. Communities actively participating in nature conservation and restoration efforts experience environmental and social benefits. Time spent in the natural world offers numerous benefits for family health, strengthening family relationships through shared experience. Intro...
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Season 3Ep. 10
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Nature has always had a way of showing unconditional love and support. The natural world has never withheld its abundance, welcoming us to share its many benefits. Research has shown that time spent in nature has positive effects on our overall health and wellness throughout the many phases of our development. In college students, time in nature has been shown to reduce stress, positively impact the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve me...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 9
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Although we find ourselves in a time of division and struggle; there are universal human experiences that we all share. Grief impacts everyone, regardless of geography, socio-economic status, race, gender, identity, or level of education. Grief is a natural human response to any type of loss or significant life change. Grief can be complicated regardless of age, but it is especially difficult for children and adolescents. For anyone experiencing gri...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 3Ep. 8
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Few things are more critical to human existence than water. We need water to survive and can only live for a few days without it. Clean water is vital to a healthy environment, economic development, and, most importantly…human health and wellness. Essential for basic needs such as drinking, playing a crucial role in bodily functions, and maintaining hydration. Having a critical role in hygiene and agriculture, clean water sources serve as the founda...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 7
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Nature has always been a rich source of inspiration for artists and a central theme in many famous works. Interactions with the natural world have created some of our most beloved masterpieces for thousands of years. Each artist experiences nature differently, reflecting these unique experiences in their artwork. Nature-based art can be in any medium and can be abstract or realistic. Painting can be a wonderful way to express ourselves, engage with ...
Feb 21, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 6
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Trees are vital to our world for many reasons. They cool the air, stabilize the soils, provide food and habitat for wildlife, and help to increase our Natural Killer (NK) Cells, which help us combat different diseases. Trees also clean our air and act as the planet's "lungs," absorbing billions of tons of carbon dioxide annually. It is essential to understand our relationship and reliance on the world's tree population and what we can do to ensure o...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 5
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Human beings are known for many things. Our love for sharing information in the form of stories is as old as our species itself. The ability to tell stories is as old as the words themselves. They are hardwired into our biology. Our studies of the first humans showed evidence of sharing narratives. It is the first form of education and entertainment and the sole way we have preserved our history. At the most foundational level of humanity, stories h...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 4
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. One of the greatest measures of our quality of life is our ability to have proactive control of our health and well-being. Sometimes we all need a bit of support along our journey to living well. Occupational Therapy is often associated with workplace health issues such as returning to work after an injury or improving worksite ergonomic systems. Occupational Therapists also help individuals focus on improving their ability to participate in activit...
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 3
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Happy Holidays!!! The new year brings new chances to set and achieve goals, explore and prioritize aspects of our lives, and declare resolutions for lifestyle changes. The most common goals each year focus on health and well-being, with many falling under the umbrella of "getting in shape" or "losing weight." According to a Statista poll, the most popular New Year's resolutions in the US for 2025 are to save more money (21%), exercise more (17%) and...
Dec 27, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 3Ep. 2
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. WE ARE BACK!!! The holiday season is a time for family, faith, food, giving, and stress. It is a wonderful time of year for experiencing a wide range of emotions. Emotions are a natural part of the human experience. These complex reactions that involve feelings, behaviors, and physiological changes impact almost every aspect of our existence. The National Center for Emotional Wellness defines emotional wellness as "an awareness, understanding, and a...
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 1
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. One of the most common challenges I hear from both patients and providers is that the health and wellness fields "operate in silos." When teams, departments, organizations, or individual providers work together, we can create the strongest and safest care systems. But how do we bridge the gap? How do we "come together?" Welcome to this SPECIAL EDITION of The Nature of Wellness Podcast. The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) and the National Wellne...
Oct 29, 2024•2 hr 40 min•Season 2Ep. 25
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.” It is always tough to let go of a season of this podcast, the amazing guests and conversations, the continued learning and developing, and getting time to talk about such personally meaningful topics. I found a bit of solace in the above quote today. Letting go of a season only allows us to rest, recharge, and grow beyond our current sta...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Season 2Ep. 24
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. If I were to ask each of you what you want in life, you would undoubtedly give some variation of the same answer: “to be happy.” What makes us happy? Is it time with loved ones, traveling to exotic places, helping others, or a career built on passion and purpose? We know that purpose is one of the three pillars of spiritual wellness, values, and relationships. But what is passion? Passion is the burning desire we experience when we find something (o...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 23
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. A foundational concept that touches all areas of life is leadership. Throughout our journey, we will lead and follow countless times, impacting and being impacted by those around us. Leadership is often defined by what leaders do, their capabilities and skills, how they treat those who follow them or the outcomes they create. While leadership may have nuanced differences across different fields, the foundational components of successfully leading re...
Aug 30, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 22
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Humans have always looked for new and innovative ways to treat illness and enhance health. Many continue to seek healthcare approaches that are not typically part of the standard medical systems we have become accustomed to. When we follow a non-conventional approach combined with traditional medicine, it is considered "complementary." Although the natural world has always been a primary source of healthcare for humans, prescribing nature has only r...
Aug 16, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 21
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Humans have always interacted with the natural world and relied on environments such as forests for shelter, food, and medicine. Cultures worldwide have started incorporating time in forests as part of therapeutic processes. Japanese healthcare systems have included the practice of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) since the early 1980s, when they saw significant health challenges associated with their population shift from a pastoral to industrial cult...
Aug 02, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 20
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Mental health is a topic that we hear about often. Managing the mental dimension of wellness is essential at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. It is estimated that nearly 20 million of our nation's young people can currently be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated that 1 in 5 U.S. children (ages 3–17) has a mental, emotional, behavioral, or developmental...
Jul 19, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 19
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Humans have been innately connected to nature from the beginning of our species. Nature has served as the first teacher, providing countless lessons about life. Few things capture children's attention, imagination, and hearts like the natural world. Like most adults, children are spending much more time inside. Time spent in nature is enjoyable and necessary for increased health, wellness, growth, and development. Many researchers agree that childre...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 18
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Music is a fundamental attribute of our species, appearing in almost every culture throughout history. Whether or not we can keep tune or time, humans have continued to play, sing, and hum throughout the ages. The human brain can distinguish between music and other sounds. Research shows that our nervous system reacts differently to music, with multiple studies suggesting that music may enhance human health and performance. Listening to or making mu...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 17
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. One thing I know about humans and why we have thrived as a species is our love of learning. Education is a healthy activity that people of all ages can enjoy. Improving intellectual wellness looks different for each of us. For some, it is multiple degrees and certifications. For others, it is researching a hobby or activity of interest. Regardless of how we get education, we are more when we learn more. We often talk about nature as the first teache...
Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 16
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Swimming is one of our most popular recreational activities. It is a healthy, low-impact movement that we can continue throughout life. Aside from being a lot of fun, swimming is a great way to enhance health and wellness holistically. The mental health benefits of swimming include a release of endorphins and serotonin, an active form of mindfulness, lower stress and anxiety, and an overall sense of increased happiness. Simply hearing flowing water ...
May 24, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 15
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. The written word has always been a distinct part of the human experience, capturing our history and creating beautiful stories to escape into. Some of the earliest discovered writings were poetry, with many celebrating the natural world as its muse. Humans have a complex and symbiotic relationship with nature, although the modern understanding of nature can often oversimplify our relationship with our environment. Poetry is a beautiful way to bolste...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 14
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Cycling is a healthy, low-impact activity that people of all ages can enjoy. Cycling has been proven to improve strength and flexibility, build coordination and balance, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, foster social connection, strengthen the immune system, and enhance cardiovascular health. Human-powered transportation is also fun, cheap, and good for the environment. For many of us, a bicycle was the first step to freedom. Do you rememb...
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 13
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. What if we told you that there was a healthcare system of over 400 locations that manages more than 325 million people each year and offers resources that are proven to positively impact every dimension of your health and well-being, with an annual cost (for unlimited visits) of less than $100...if not completely free? Sound too good to be true? The National Park Service, responsible for maintaining national parks and monuments, was established in 1...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 12
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Addiction is a chronic condition that can affect many dimensions of our lives, including our physical and mental health, relationships, and overall wellness. The two primary forms of addiction are substance use disorders and behavioral addictions. While addiction is most notably associated with substance abuse, humans can also form addictive behaviors to a variety of things in our everyday lives. Some of the most common non-substance addictions incl...
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 11
We'd love to hear from you about this episode. Nature was the first physician, the first hospital, the first pharmacy, and the first healthcare plan. The scientific community is finally (and formally) proving what we have always known... time in nature makes us healthier. Healthcare systems have been utilizing nature as a form of treatment for decades. One of the gold-standard examples of this progress is the Canada PaRx program. PaRx is an initiative of the British Columbia Parks Foundation dri...
Mar 15, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 10
