Shows
The Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 26 : The Healing Power of Birdsong with Diane Arkenstonemindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we explore the question: if we combine both music created by people with the music of birds, can this amplify the wellness benefits of both of them? We interview Diane Arkenstone, an internationally acclaimed musician and bird lover, who shares her music with the world to inspire a soothing meditation and healing, especially in her latest release elevating the songs of birds as her vocalists within. Diane shares how nature and nature's music, healed the heart complications she suffered since childhood, and how birds have been a beacon of h...2025-04-2230 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 25: Mindful Birding Through the Lens with Photographer Susan Prestonmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com Can Mindful Birding pair with bird photography? In this episode of the Mindful Birding Podcast, we interview photographer, designer, award-winning author, and mindfulness meditation practitioner, Susan Preston, addressing what might be a controversial topic: Is it possible to practice mindfulness through the camera lens? We learn more about Susan's inspiration by the birds as they translate through her lens, as she shares about some of the language surrounding bird photography and frustrations encountered. She also reads from her award-winning book Bosque Winter WingsThe Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge i...2025-03-2635 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 24 : Leaning into Joy through Mindful Birdingmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we dive into the idea that by leaning into joy through wild birds, we can help offset a negativity bias that researchers suggest we are innately wired towards. We consider how shifting our attention onto birds may empower change to our mental states and might even alter our brain structures in a positive way. In the Mindful Birding Nerding Science segment, Dr. Holly Thomas shares how generating positive emotions through birding can help offset negative feelings, perhaps recalibrating our negativity bias, and she explores how the work of Dr. Ric...2025-02-2135 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 23: Accessible Mindful Birding with Freya McGregormindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode we talk with Freya McGregor, owner of Access Birding LLC , about what it means to create accessible and inclusive experiences for everyone, and why Mindful Birding offers an inclusive and therapeutic experience for all people. We'll hear about the Access Birding certification course, and other opportunities on innovative approaches to accessibility and inclusivity in birding overall. In our joy of birdsong segment, Seth Benz of the Schoodic Institute , a nonprofit org supporting Acadia National Park in Maine, shares a segment of a soundscape recording by Laura Sebastianelli . You can lis...2025-01-1846 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 22 : Why Finches are Good for Us with Lillian Stokes and Matthew Youngmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we have a conversation with Lillian Stokes and Matthew Young, authors of the interactive and engaging new book The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada, a book that embodies hope and joy, and can serve as a bridge between our personal wellbeing and understanding finches. The authors share how their backgrounds in social work and mental health pairs together with their work with birds, and what finches can teach us. For the Joy of Birdsong segment, Chris Benesh offers us an array of fin...2024-12-1041 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 21: Gratitude for Birds IImindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we honor gratitude for wild birds, by playing voices of gratitude from around the world, which some of our listeners and network members have offered. We thank all that have contributed and those of you who listen! You will hear the voices of:Arax, United KingdomDon Boyd, New MexicoPamela Lowell, MassachusettsPam Kolber-Zicca, New YorkMary, ColoradoHolly Thomas, New MexicoDave Edson, MassachusettsJo, CaliforniaLaurel, Michigan Hol...2024-11-2346 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 20: Mindful Birding for Mental Health & Self-compassion: Good birds, good birders and FOMOmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com Do you often hear the question: “See anything good?” while birding? In this episode we discuss this question and tease apart the idea of “what is a good bird”, what is a “good birder”, and how sometimes these questions might allow self-judgement to surface, and how these questions relate to both our mental health and self-compassion. We also bring up the fear of missing out, and how this may also influence our mental wellbeing in the context of birding. Link to Bird Diva blog on FomoIn the Mindful Birding N...2024-10-2140 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 19: Bird Language & Mindful Birding with Dan Gardoquimindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com Have you ever wondered how you can become even more attuned to the birds around you? In this episode of the Mindful Birding Podcast, Holly and Holly have a conversation with Dan Gardoqui, a well known specialist in bird language, and nature-based consultant & coach, award winning educator and naturalist. You’ll get to hear some tips and input on deepening our connections to the natural world, "talking to birds", thinking about our attention and energy, curiosity as a superpower, and practicing gratitude. We also share a segment from the bo...2024-09-2742 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 18: The Mindful Birding Project with Dr. Barbara Pattersonmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode we welcome Dr. Barbara Patterson from Fort Collins Colorado. Barb’s work of creating and contributing to the Mindful Birding programs in her community is tremendous. Her latest endeavor is called The Mindful Birding Project, and she shares the details with us here.Barb authored the booklet A Mindful Birding Journey which was first distributed to cancer patients in her local community, and can be found as a free download on the mindful birding network’s resources page. Holly Thomas shares a reading from writing of Ed Yong...2024-08-2831 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 17 Mindful Birding: Sit Spots, Festivals, & Retreatsmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, Holly and Holly discuss locations and sites we consider optimal for Mindful Birding group outings, and highlight why sitting in one spot, or Sit Spots, can offer rewards and unexpected surprises.We discuss why we feel Mindful Birding is gaining more traction, and how Mindful Birding experiences can intersect other interests, such as poetry, fine arts, yoga, nature journaling, mothing, and forest bathing. Check out artist Debra Ramsay and her show Flying Colors at the Hunterdon Art Museum in New Jersey, and our collaborative event pairing Debra’s w...2024-07-3041 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 16: Mindful Birding - Your Questions Answered Part IImindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode Holly & Holly continue to answer questions we’ve received about Mindful Birding in part II of Mindful Birding – Your Questions Answered.We also continue our chat with therapist Pamela Lowell, who turns the tables on us, and asks us some questions about how we met and started this podcast. In our Mindful Birding Nerding segment, Holly Thomas explores why birds might be the perfect gateway to mindfulness practice, and explores open monitoring and focused attention, and how they may improve wellbeing. Holly Thomas reads a...2024-06-2344 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 15: Hope, Healing, and Mindful Birding with Therapist Pamela Lowellmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, Holly and Holly spend time talking with trauma therapist, artist, and author Pamela Lowell, and how Mindful Birding and time spent connecting with birds and nature can be an effective therapeutic vehicle not only for human wellbeing, but also for the wellbeing of our planet. Find Pamela's book My Summer with Ospreys hereHolly Merker offers a quote by the Tao te Ching Holly Thomas shares how a pause can bring us into the present moment, and how this can help guide us in Mindful Birding an...2024-05-2044 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 14: Mindful Birding - Your Questions Answered Part Imindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode of the Mindful Birding Podcast, Holly & Holly answer some of the questions received surrounding Mindful Birding. This episode is part one of our discussion, and we hope you enjoy. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com or through the Mindful Birding NetworkHolly Merker shares a segment from Dr. Alexander Skutch's writing on companionship and connections of the birds we encounter from the book The Life of the Hummingbird In this segment, we hear an audio recording of Skutch's beloved Bicolored A...2024-04-2535 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 13: Benefits of Bringing Birds in Closer with Brian & John from Nature Centered Podcastmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, Holly & Holly gather with their friends Brian Cunningham and John Shaust of the Nature Centered Podcast, a podcast from Wild Birds Unlimited. Brian and John share some perspectives on why bringing birds in closer benefits us, experiences and connections with birds from their own backyards, and why birds can be companions wherever we go. We touch on why the interest in bird feeding took off during the pandemic, how bird feed & supply stores act as "wellness centers" in their communities. Holly Thomas reads an excerpt on Woodcocks fro...2024-03-221h 00The Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 12: Matching Heartbeats: Mindful Birding, Heart Health, & Hummingbirdsmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode of the Mindful Birding Podcast, Holly & Holly share why birds are truly heart healthy, both in the way they fill our hearts with joy and love, but also with cardiac fitness in mind. How can wild birds help make our hearts stronger? Our connections to other people and animals can sometimes synch our biorhythms, and even our heartbeats, and we wonder if this also happens when we connect with the wild birds around us. We spotlight the bird with the biggest heart, and Holly Merker shares a guided humm...2024-02-2926 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 11: Mindful Birding as an Antidote to Lonelinessmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode of the Mindful Birding Podcast, Holly & Holly invite you into a conversation surrounding the idea of wild birds as companions, and specifically how birds may offer the opportunity to ease feelings of loneliness and boost our feelings of connectedness. We discuss the US Surgeon General’s 2023 Advisory on the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation and lack of social connection in the United States and wonder if birds might be an antidote? In the Mindful Birding Nerding Segment, Holly Thomas explores the connection between mindfulness and lon...2024-01-3140 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 10: Gratitude for Birdsmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode of the mindful birding podcast, we are exploring gratitude and how practicing gratitude for birds can deepen our relationships with them and the world around us. We asked our listeners and Mindful Birding Network members to share their own gratitude for birds, and why they were thankful for birds in their lives. We thank the following people for sharing their gratitude for birds with us: Jo from California, Marta from Panama, Amanda, Holly from Las Cruces, NM, Marge from Las Cruces, NM, Melissa from British Colu...2023-11-2331 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 9: Prescriptive Naturemindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we explore the concept of Prescriptive Nature, and gain a better understanding of how and where these prescriptions are being used today in preventative medicine across the globe. Special guest Dr. Joe Blanda MD discusses the ParkRX program and shares how he prescribed nature to his own patients while a practicing orthopedic surgeon, and continues this initiative through projects in his local community in Akron Ohio. Holly Thomas shares the poem The Cure For It All by Julia...2023-10-3024 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 8 : Self-sustainability & Nature with Sophie Crossleymindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, Holly & Holly discuss ideas surrounding self-sustainability,through birds and nature with author Sophie Crossley, who works for Work in Mind a UK based organization dedicated to the connection between healthy buildings and workplace wellbeing, where there’s a strong focus on biophilic design or incorporating elements of nature into our work and living spaces for the wellness benefits. In our Mindful Birding Nerding segment, Holly Thomas explores the book Blue Mind, by Wallace J. Nichols, and some of the take-aways from the book, and why and how we can bene...2023-09-2533 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 7: Birding Through Grief and Lossmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com This episode of the Mindful Birding Podcast is dedicated in loving memory of our friend Tom Johnson. In this episode, we explore how birds and birding play an important part in the grieving process that we all experience in our lives. We hear personal stories from Dr. Ed Pullen, creator and host of the Bird Banter Podcast, as he shares how birding was a helpful distraction in finding respite in coping with care-taking and deep loss. Liz Pettit shares a story of how birds and birding helps in h...2023-08-2324 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 6: Birds and Childhood Well-being with Dr. Geraldine Oades-Sesemindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, Holly & Holly chat with child psychologist and author Dr. Geraldine Oades-Sese about her forthcoming children’s book Melusine: Birds of Many Feathers, a book that weaves the message of inclusivity and diversity using bird language and birding.Dr. Gerry shares the importance of nature for childhood mental wellbeing and resilience, and tips on how to bring birds and nature into their lives, as well as her own experiences with using birds as a therapeutic vehicle both professionally and personally.Holly Thomas explores one theory, showing causes and effects of...2023-07-1232 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 5: Mindful Birding is for Everyonemindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we share why Mindful Birding is truly for everyone, and how Mindful Birding is gaining a wider awareness as a style of birding within the birding community, as larger birding festivals give a nod by featuring programming and offering Keynotes surrounding this style of birding. Holly Thomas explores the wide welcome Mindful Birding offers for all people, and how to bring mindfulness into any birding style that you love, or bring mindfulness to a new style of birding that you would like to explore. Holly Merker chats wi...2023-06-1822 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 4: The Power of Birdwatching with Dr. Angelika Nelsonmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, Holly & Holly wing their way across the Atlantic to visit with Dr. Angelika Nelson an acoustic ornithologist who works for the LBV (Landesbund für Vogel- und Naturschutz ) in Germany, and the lead author of the new book “The Power of Birdwatching” (Freya, 2023). Angelika shares how birds can teach us life-lessons and be a positive distraction in our daily lives, along with insight into why birdsong makes us feel so good. Recordist Beatrix Saadi-Varchmin’s Blue Tit and Common Nighting...2023-05-1736 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 3: Mindful Birding - Perspectives and Practicesmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, Mindful Birding Network members Aaric Eisenstein, Roniq Bartanen and Matthew Young, along with co-hosts Holly Thomas and Holly Merker, all provide tips, insights, and perspectives, that demonstrate how individualized the practice of Mindful Birding can be. Let your mind escape while listening to Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things” and reflect on how nature and birds bring you to a calmer headspace. In our Mindful Birding Nerding science segment, Dr. Holly Thomas summarizes a recent study that suggests that Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can have the same e...2023-04-2631 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 2: Mindful Birding & Birdsongmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com Familiar voices from within the Mindful Birding Network share what Mindful Birding means to them. We hear these questions answered by Alex Harper, Dr. Barbara Patterson, Dr. Joe Blanda, Bridget Butler/Bird Diva, and Faraaz Abdool.In our Mindful Birding Nerding science segment, Dr. Holly Thomas explores the science of why birdsong holds benefits to our wellbeing and provides an overview of a study published in Scientific Reports on birdsong and anxiety. We follow up with our Joy of Birdsong segment hearing from birdsong recordist and birding guide Chris Benesh, who offers...2023-04-0527 minThe Mindful Birding PodcastEpisode 1: Welcome to the Mindful Birding Podcastmindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this intro episode, co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas introduce the Mindful Birding Podcast, provide insight into the practice of Mindful Birding, and what that might mean, share the background of the Mindful Birding Network , and provide a peek into what's to come in future episodes. Intro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgainIntro Birdsong & Clips throughout : Western Meadowlark Outro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgainOutro Birdsong: Eastern Meadowlark Mindful Birding Network WebsiteInstagram: @mindfulbirdingnetworkProduced by Co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly...2023-03-2815 min