Time and again, we've examined how the challenges we face – poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, and more – are deeply intertwined. Understandably, it can start to feel pretty overwhelming. But here’s the encouraging part: the solutions are just as interconnected.

In this episode of Biophilic Solutions, we speak with Helena Norberg-Hodge, founder and director of Local Futures, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring ecological and social well-being by revitalizing local communities and economies. Helena envisions a world where food is grown by nearby farmers, money circulates within communities, local businesses thrive, and meaningful work is accessible to all.

She argues that many of today’s crises stem from an overly globalized economic system and that the path forward lies in a broad shift toward localization. Helena advocates for a more informed and intentional public that values local economies and deeper connections with nature. In our conversation, we explore the power of local food systems, the importance of community and ecological bonds, and the role vulnerability plays in healing. Drawing on lessons from indigenous cultures, Helena makes a compelling case for localization as a path toward greater social cohesion and environmental resilience.

Show Notes

• About Helena
• Planet Local Summit | September 3-7 | Ladakh
• Local Futures
• Ancient Futures: Learning From Ladakh by Helena Norberg Hodge
• Local Is Our Future: Steps to an Economics of Happiness by Helena Norberg Hodge
• To Heal the Planet We Must First Heal Ourselves (Urth Magazine)

Key Words: local, localism, economy, economics, local economy, community, indigenous community, indigenous wisdom, Local Futures, farmers market, global economy, globalism, capitalism, nature, nature based solutions, biophilia, biophilic design, Helena Norberg-Hodge

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

Let’s face it. Our waste habits are, well, pretty wasteful. Every single day, more than 27,000 trees are cut down just to make toilet paper. Meanwhile, the average disposable diaper takes over 500 years to decompose in a landfill, all while leaching harmful plastics and chemicals into the environment. And that’s not even counting other single-use sanitary products like tampons, pads, and wipes. Put simply, our throwaway culture is a serious environmental problem.

Enter today’s guest: Miki Agrawal. A bold entrepreneur and creative disruptor, Miki has built a career out of challenging the status quo. She’s the founder of groundbreaking companies like Thinx (revolutionary period underwear), TUSHY (modern bidets), and her latest venture, Hiro Diapers, a game-changing product designed to break down in landfills using fungi-powered decomposition technology. Hiro represents a major step forward in the battle against plastic waste, starting with a natural end-of-life solution for one of the most essential (and wasteful) products in parenting.

In this conversation, we explore the hidden environmental costs of traditional diapers, the importance of slowing down to meet the moment, and why nature (hello, mushrooms!) holds the key to designing smarter, bolder everyday essentials.

Show Notes

• Hiro Diapers
• TUSHY Bidets
• About Miki Agrawal
• Four Sigmatic
• Pacha’s Pajamas: A Story Written By Nature
• Do Cool Shit: Quit Your Day Job, Start Your Own Business, and Live Happily Ever After by Miki Agrawal
• Disrupt-Her: A Manifesto for the Modern Woman by Miki Agrawal

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

On today’s episode, we’re delving into the growing epidemic of loneliness, examining its root causes, far-reaching impacts, and what it will take to rebuild our social fabric. For this important and timely conversation, we were thrilled to be joined by Radha Agrawal, author of the bestselling book Belong: Find Your People, Create Community & Live a More Connected Life. Radha is also the Co-founder, CEO, and Chief Community Architect of Daybreaker, a global wellness movement that brings nearly half a million people together globally through early-morning, sober dance parties. In addition, Radha leads the Belong Institute and the Belong Center, two groundbreaking initiatives dedicated to addressing loneliness through community-building and laying the foundation for a wider culture of belonging.

Throughout this conversation, we explore the essential human need for connection, the dangers of hyper-individualism, and how modern life, including our increasing disconnection from nature, has contributed to widespread feelings of alienation. Radha shares powerful insights on how rebuilding community and reestablishing our relationship with the natural world can help us reclaim joy, purpose, and a true sense of belonging. This is a conversation filled with practical tools and deep inspiration for anyone seeking to reconnect: with others, with nature, and with themselves.

Shownotes

• Belong: Find Your People, Create Community & Live a More Connected Life by Radha Agrawal
• Radha Agrawal Website
• Daybreaker | Wake Up & Dance
• Belong Center
• Belong Institute
• Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad
• The Power of Belonging: How Ending Loneliness Will Save Our Planet (SXSW)
• Biophilic Solutions Website
• Biophilic Solutions on Instagram

Keywords: loneliness, loneliness epidemic, community, connection, community building, Radha Agrawal, nature, biophilia, biophilic, disconnection, climate, climate change, Daybreaker, belonging

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

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#NatureHasTheAnswers

For many people, work simply isn’t working anymore. Wages have stagnated while the cost of living continues to rise. Endless hours in front of a screen leave us burnt out. More often than not, the labor we do feels disconnected from any real purpose. But what if there was another way? Imagine a future where small communities live in harmony with the land, and the work we do is rooted in care for each other, for the earth, and for ourselves. It may sound idealistic and overly simplistic, but isn’t there something undeniably appealing about that vision?

Today, we’re thrilled to be speaking with Megan Leatherman, founder of A Wild New Work, a career development agency with a refreshing twist. Megan helps her clients uncover their passions and craft more fulfilling professional lives, while also guiding them to reconnect with nature, align with the rhythms of the seasons, and trust their own inner wisdom.

In this conversation, we explore what’s broken about our current work culture, how we arrived here, and how we might begin to cultivate meaningful, grounded lives in a world shaped by capitalism and social media.

Show Notes

• A Wild New Work
• A Wild New Work: The Podcast
• Follow A Wild New Work on Instagram
• Caliban and the Witch: Women, The Body, and Primitive Accumulation by Silvia Federici
• Composting Capitalism
• Rise Up Rooted
• Biophilic Solutions
• We’d love to hear from you!

Keywords: work, capitalism, history, nature, ancestors, modern work, change, feudalism, community, sustainability, organized labor, socialism, community, adulthood, land connection, cultural shifts, personal growth, nature, aliveness, uncertainty

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website.

#NatureHasTheAnswers

Today, we’re exploring the landscapes of the future with Stacy Passmore and Diane Lipovsky, co-founders of the award-winning landscape architecture studio, Superbloom. Stacy and Diane are redefining the role of landscape architecture by designing spaces that foster meaningful connections between people and the land. From transforming schoolyards and government buildings to rewilding a 50-acre golf course and planning solar parks, their work centers on creating climate-resilient, ecologically vibrant spaces.

Community engagement is at the heart of Superbloom’s mission. Stacy and Diane believe that when local communities understand the vital role of biodiversity, native habitats, and sustainable practices, they become the land’s most powerful stewards.

Join us as we delve into the evolving world of landscape architecture, the role of storytelling in inspiring action, and the innovative projects Stacy and Diane are most excited to bring to life.

Show Notes

• Superbloom
• Superbloom | Field Notes
• Superbloom’s Stacy Passmore and Diane Lipovsky on Resilient and Culturally Enriching Environments (Madame Architect)
• Boulder County Taps Superbloom to Create First-of-its-Kind Toolkit to Integrate Nature into Urban Planning
• Superbloom on Instagram
• The Well-Placed Weed: The Bountiful Life of Ryan Gainey (Vimeo)

Keywords: landscape architecture, biophilic design, sustainability, community engagement, water resilience, education, cultural perspectives, design firm, ecological design, urban planning, community engagement, water restoration, stream restoration, municipal collaboration, landscape design, biodiversity, native plants, environmental education, project management, sustainability

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website.

#NatureHasTheAnswers

We’re living in an era largely defined by consumerism, social media addiction, climate change, and political unrest. Given all of that, it’s really no surprise that many of us feel overwhelmed, burned out, and disconnected.

That’s why, today, we’re thrilled to welcome Douglas Rushkoff, an award-winning author and documentarian, who was named one of the world’s ten most influential intellectuals by MIT. Douglas’s work tackles some of the most pressing issues of our time like technology, capitalism, consumerism, and human nature. He argues that modern technology isolates us instead of bringing us together, with social media algorithms and corporate interests chipping away at the traits that make us most human. To push back, he calls for greater focus on building strong local communities, mutual aid, and pushing back against a digital landscape that feels like it just takes and takes and takes

In this conversation, we delve into themes of power, agency, and community, discussing why awe may be the pinnacle of human experience, the importance of embracing mortality, and how localism can cultivate deeper connections and more resilient societies.

Show Notes

• Team Human Podcast
• Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff
• Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires by Douglas Rushkoff
• About Douglas Rushkoff
• Douglas Rushkoff Substack

Keywords: Douglas Rushkoff, biophilia, technology, capitalism, nature, collaboration, competition, human connection, social media, power, agency, awe, community, local, localism, built environment, mortality, nature social construction

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website.

#NatureHasTheAnswers

This week, we’re sitting down with Rebecca Magee to discuss the importance of seasonal living, the need to honor periods of rest, and how reconnecting with nature can lead to a more thoughtful and invigorating way of life.

Rebecca is the founder of Sister Seasons, an impact company that helps changemakers work with nature’s cycles to develop the skills they need to be thriving, regenerative leaders on a rapidly changing planet. With a background in social impact and women’s leadership at companies like EILEEN FISHER and Echoing Green, Rebecca explores the deep connections between gender equity and climate change, highlighting how women are disproportionately affected by environmental challenges. She shares insights on embracing natural cycles—both in nature and within ourselves—to foster resilience, avoid burnout, and promote personal and collective sustainability.

We really enjoyed this thought-provoking conversation on balance, sustainability, and the wisdom of the seasons–and we hope you will, as well.

Show Notes:

• The Biophilic Leadership Summit
• Sister Seasons
• Sister Seasons Newsletter
• Field Notes | FREE Introductory Course from Sister Seasons
• Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May

Keywords: Sister Seasons, gender equity, climate change, menstrual cycles, sustainability, women's wellbeing, regenerative cycles, cultural perspectives, wintering, burnout, winter phase, cycles, leadership, self-care, nature, anxiety, regenerative leadership, mindfulness, cultural reflections, responsive leadership

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website.

#NatureHasTheAnswers

As we launch Season 5, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the vital role of nature in uncertain times. Our connection to the natural world isn’t just about aesthetics – it profoundly shapes our mental health, strengthens community bonds, and influences our cultural identities. In this episode, we explore how technology can either distract us or serve as a tool for deeper engagement and examine how our consumption habits affect our relationship with nature and each other.

In a world of constant change, how can we foster a future where both nature and human connection flourish? Join Monica and Jennifer for this essential conversation.

Questions or comments? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at contact@biophilicsolutions.com

Show Notes

• Join Monica & Jennifer at the The Biophilic Leadership Summit, March 30 - April 1 in Serenbe
• Biophilia Discovers Its Missing Father (The Hybrid Intelligencer)
• ‘’This is garbage’ – Step aside influencers, we’re now in the era of de-influencing (NPR)

Keywords: biophilia, nature, community, technology, overconsumption, mental health, hope, spirituality, design, environmental awareness, empathy, DEI, nature, cycles, consciousness, indigenous wisdom, anti-influencer, biophilia, human connection, audience engagement

Biophilic Solutions is available wherever you get podcasts. Please listen, follow, and give us a five-star review.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and learn more on our website.

#NatureHasTheAnswers