the last five questions — Our Nature Podcast Episodes

EP 23: Embracing Water to Know Ourselves, Featuring Water Healer Jobi Manson

There’s no better way to celebrate Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary than by sharing an episode that focuses on the life giving element of water. Jobi Manson is a water healer, a creative director, photographer, entrepreneur and designer. She believes that “nature is the key to a creative life” and helps guide people into their creative expression through water immersion. Jobi calls these experiences “Sefari’s” or rebirth water experiences. Think of them as adventures into one’s creativity by inviting in water’s inherent wisdom.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminApril 22, 2020the last five questions, water healing, water

EP 22: How Nature Can Be Our Greatest Teacher With Biomimicry Student Azita Ardakani

This week, I’m speaking with Azita Ardakani all about biomimicry, which according to Azita, is about revealing nature’s strategies to solve problems or create new innovations. She’s currently studying biomimicry at Arizona State University, but prior to this, Azita had an incredibly successful career living in New York City as the founder of Lovesocial, a communications agency that landed her on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. I don’t want to give too much away because I think Azita should share her story in her own words, but Azita chose a radical path and left her agency and life in New York for an extended moment of pause and contemplative connection with the natural world. Her story is nature’s story - resilient, complex, full of opposites, and ever expansive.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminApril 8, 2020the last five questions, natural systems, biomimicry

EP 19: (Season 1 Finale!) Going all in, with Homesteader David Sleininger

Welcome to the Season 1 finale of Our Nature! This week’s guest is a very special one to me because he happens to be my boyfriend. David Sleininger is a former jazz musician turned homesteader turned energy healer. His story is one of both devastating injury and immense healing.

EP 18: How To Live In Support of Our Microbiome With Seed Co-founder and Co-CEO Ara Katz

Probiotics are everywhere. But what’s the deal with these strains of bacteria that are supposed to work wonders for our guts and – therefore – our overall health? This week on Our Nature, Ara Katz, the co-founder and co-CEO of Seed is on the show to demystify the microbiome.

EP 17: In Observation of the Natural World With Photographer Molly Steele

This week on Our Nature, I spoke with Molly Steele, a Los Angeles-based analog photographer who whose work evokes an emotional discourse of intimacy, nature and alternate lifestyles separate from the status quo.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminNovember 20, 2019start here, photography, hiking, camping, california, sustainability, the last five questions

EP 16: The Architecture of Nature With Vaastu Consultant Hunter Cressman

For this week’s episode of Our Nature, I chat with Vaastu Consultant Hunter Cressman. Vaastu is the architecture of nature. It is incredibly precise and specific. It’s designed to create well-being in a space through a series of mathematical principles that are applied to determine the direction a building is facing, its measurements, the materials its made of, etc.

EP 15: Welcome To The Slow Flower Movement With Florist Elena Seegers of Le Fleuriste

In this week’s episode of the Our Nature Podcast, I chat with Elena Seegers, a designer, botanist and florist, and an advocate for slow flowers, a movement started by florist Debra Prinzing for people who are interested in supporting local, domestically-sourced flowers.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminOctober 23, 2019slow flower movement, the last five questions, plants, sustainability

EP 14: Naturally Radiant Skin With Skincare Expert Jenna Levine of Linné Botanicals

How can we care for our skin naturally? And, why does it matter what we put on our skin in the first place? We’ll answer these questions and more as we dive into the world of natural skincare with Jenna Levine of LINNÉ Botanicals. Jenna turned a childhood passion into a career when she started her line of non-toxic skincare named after famed Swedish Botanist Carl Von Linné.

EP 13: Mushrooms, Mycelium and More with Andrew Carter, Co-founder and CEO of Smallhold

Mushrooms may be one of nature’s true mysteries, which is probably why we can’t get enough of them. In this episode, I talk to Andrew Carter, co-founder and CEO of Smallhold, the only mushroom farm and organic farm in New York City. His company installs mini farms, or space-like growing units – in grocery stores such as Whole Foods, restaurants like Mission Chinese, and hotels like The Standard Hotel – that grow mushrooms in controlled climates from bags of sawdust so they can be harvested at their freshest moment.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminSeptember 25, 2019mushrooms, food, the last five questions, urban farming

EP 12: How To Sleep Better With Buffy Co-founder and CEO Leo Wang

Each of us, at some point or another, has struggled to fall asleep, to stay asleep, or to feel rested after sleeping through the night. This week, we talk all things sleep with Buffy co-founder and CEO Leo Wang. Leo shares his personal journey of dealing with insomnia and the surprising way he resolved his sleep troubles (it’s not what you might think). You’ll learn some practical tips for how to get a restful sleep, how the teachings of Daoism can help us sleep better, Leo’s rituals for getting more rest, and the biggest misconception about sleep according to Leo.

EP 10: Harness Your Energy and De-stress Your Body With Qigong Facilitator Michael Ventura

Michael Ventura has done it all - he’s an author of the book Applied Empathy, a podcast host, and the CEO of SubRosa, a highly successful branding agency. He’s also an accomplished healer, with roots in Qigong as taught to him by master Yuwen Ru, and in the Shamanic traditions of the Nahuatl Indians as shared by curandera Doña Leova. In this conversation we explore how Michael found Qigong, the basics of the practice, what it means to live in harmony with nature according to Daoism, and how to experience Qigong if you’re new to the practice.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminSeptember 4, 2019qi gong, chinese medicine, shamanism, spine health, the last five questions

EP 09: How to Heal Your Body With Plants Featuring Herbalist Rachelle Robinett

Rachelle Robinett is an herbalist, holistic health practitioner and this week’s guest on the Our Nature Podcast. If you’ve ever been curious about Western Herbalism, this episode is for you. If you’ve been contemplating a career transition or are hesitant to fully step into your calling, this episode is also for you. Rachelle is a bright light in the wellness space and I can’t wait for you to hear her wisdom!

EP 08: A Pain Free Existence With Alexander Technique Practitioner Alan Katz

If you’ve ever been injured or have suffered from chronic pain of any kind, this episode is for you. Alan Katz is an Alexander Technique practitioner who came to Alexander Technique after a devastating injury left him in constant pain. I hope you’ll walk away from this episode feeling inspired to pay closer attention to what your body is trying to communicate. I know that learning Alexander Technique gave me that permission.

EP 07: The Color of Your Energy With Aura Reader Susanna Merrick

This week's episode is all about energy. Specifically, your energy, also known as your aura, and what it says about you. I chat with intuitive aura reader Susanna Merrick who sees people’s aura colors. It’s sort of like being able to see the colors that are captured in an aura photograph, but all the time.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminAugust 14, 2019fashion, aura, energy, the last five questions

EP 06: How To Dye Fabric From Food Scraps With Designer Maria Elena Pombo

Maria Elena Pombo is a designer from Venezuela who uses natural dyeing techniques to ignite conversations about society, culture and the environment. Listen in for an inspiring conversation about the magical, mystical world of natural dyeing!

EP 05: How To Be A Citizen Of The Natural World With Foraging Expert Laura Silverman

Laura Silverman is a writer, branding consultant, and Founding Naturalist of The Outside Institute, which aims to foster a greater connection between individuals and the natural world. Laura regularly hosts foraging 101 workshops as well as botanical mixology and woodland walks. She is the author of The Outside Institutes Field Guides, which offer practical information about the flora and fauna of the Hudson and Upper Delaware Valleys.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminJuly 31, 2019foraging, ecology, hudson valley, the last five questions

EP 04: How To Feel Good In Your Space With Feng Shui Practitioner Susan Balaban

Susan Balaban is an Astrologer and Feng Shui practitioner who uses her readings to empower people to live their lives with authenticity. In this episode, Susan shares the core principles of Feng Shui and offers practical cures anyone can make to create more harmony and prosperity in their homes and in their lives!

episodesAlyssa BenjaminJuly 24, 2019feng shui, chinese medicine, chi, the last five questions

EP 03: The Mystery Of Nature With Artist Emily Johnston

Emily Johnston is an artist and photographer whose work takes her around the world exploring the intimate landscapes of our relationships to each other and to our environments. In this episode of the Our Nature Podcast, Emily shares how the mystery of the natural world has been a source of consistent exploration for her art and for her life.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminJune 27, 2019art, photography, natural materials, the last five questions

EP 02: A Path To Deeper Consciousness With Rastafari Anthony Bailey

Weed. Marijuana. Ganja. Cannabis. This substance is the topic of the moment. Wrapped around this herb are issues of race, culture, politics, human rights, our relationship to the natural world and our well being.

episodesAlyssa BenjaminJune 27, 2019rastafari, marijuana, religion, spirituality, the last five questions

EP 01: Ayurvedic Chef Divya Alter – What To Eat For How You Feel

Have you heard of the term Ayurveda and wondered what it’s all about? Or maybe you already know the basics, but would like to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of this system of medicine, which is over five thousand years old.

EPISODES