The Flutter By Effect

Samantha Bean | Flutter By Meadows
  • 5.0 (1)
  • NATURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Flutter By Effect is a podcast about practicing attention in a distracted world. Through quiet observations of nature, everyday moments, and the small lives that often go unnoticed—birds, insects, changing seasons, and even the pull of our screens—this podcast invites you to slow down and notice what’s already around you. Some episodes begin in the garden. Others begin with a thought, a walk, or a moment of stillness. All are rooted in curiosity, reflection, and the belief that the extraordinary often reveals itself when we pause long enough to look. The Flutter By Effect is not about teaching or fixing—it's an invitation to notice, wonder, and reconnect with the world just outside your door (and within yourself). flutterbymeadows.substack.com

  1. 1D AGO

    Episode 16 | The Art of Dialing In: Why You Might Be Giving Up Without Even Turning the Knob

    Episode 16: The Art of Dialing In Sometimes what you've been searching for has been right in front of you all along. You just weren't tuned to the right frequency. After years of trying to hand-feed chickadees, a red-breasted nuthatch landed on my palm. I'd been trying to feed the wrong bird. In this episode, I explore what it means to dial in instead of starting over. Why native plants struggle in an instant-hit world. And why attention often matters more than effort. In This Episode: The moment a nuthatch finally landed (and why it took years) Why we're measuring slow work with fast metrics The difference between buttons and dials What native plant gardening teaches us about presence The invitation: notice what's already working Mentioned in This Episode: Episode 15: Snow Regrets: I Never Learned So Much From a Bird Connect: Instagram Website Email: flutterbymeadows@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flutterbymeadows.substack.com

    7 min

  2. JAN 28

    Episode 15 | Snow Regrets: I Never Learned So Much From a Bird

    I went looking for one bird on an early morning beach walk... I found a different one. And somehow, it taught me far more than the bird I was chasing. Last week, I wondered whether a trip away from home might leave me without words. Without the familiar inspiration of my known surroundings. Not just writer’s block. But writer’s drought. Instead, the trip handed me the story. Sometimes, what we’re looking for isn’t found by chasing. It’s found by showing up, paying attention, and letting the moment arrive on its own. What happens when you stop rushing the moment…and let it come to you? Interestingly, the story was swirling around in my notebook for 20 days, I just needed to turn to the page to see it. On January 7th I wrote: “You don’t find the thing by chasing it. You find it by being present when it arrives.” January 28th, the story finally surfaced. Here is the companion piece I wrote a few years back. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flutterbymeadows.substack.com

    8 min

  3. JAN 21

    Episode 14 | Snow Isn’t White and Blue Jays Aren’t Blue

    In this episode, Samantha reflects on the unexpected surprises that life presents, drawing from her experiences with nature and the changing weather. She recounts a moment in Iceland where a cab driver expressed his preference for surprises over forecasts, which resonated with her as she navigated a snowstorm back home. This led her to ponder the familiar things in life that often go unnoticed, like the Blue Jay, a bird she had overlooked despite its everyday presence. Through her journey in bird photography, she learned that what we perceive as familiar can often be deceiving, revealing deeper layers of beauty and complexity when we take the time to truly observe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flutterbymeadows.substack.com

    7 min

  4. JAN 14

    Episode 13 | The Engagement Calendar

    Episode 13: The Engagement Calendar — And How to Build a Relationship with Nature This Year What are you already in the middle of? This week, I spent a day away from my birds and realized something: the relationships that matter aren't the ones we're trying to build from scratch in January—they're the ones we've already been living and forgot to notice. In this episode, I talk about: Why missing one day with my backyard birds felt like breaking a promise I didn't know I'd made The difference between "planting natives to save pollinators" and creating conditions for life to return when it's ready How belonging is harder to sell than saving—but why it's what actually sustains us Why wildlife gardening isn't about decorating a space, but entering a relationship The worn path to my feeder and what it taught me about staying with something long enough to become part of the pattern If you're tired of New Year's pressure to add more, do more, be more—this episode is about recognizing what you're already part of and choosing to stay with it. What's the tiny ritual that starts your day? What rhythm, when you broke it, made you feel a little lost? Those are the things worth returning to in 2026. Not because they're new. Because they're true. Related links: Episode 12: Goal-Setting Theater vs. Nature's Quiet Rehearsal Read the full newsletter on Substack Follow along on Instagram: @flutterbymeadows This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flutterbymeadows.substack.com

    13 min

  5. JAN 7

    Episode 12 | Goal-Setting Theater vs. Nature’s Quiet Rehearsal

    Episode 12 | Goal-Setting Theater vs. Nature’s Quiet Rehearsal: January doesn’t ask for reinvention. It asks for patience. Maybe what January is really asking is not what you’ll become, but what you notice while you’re becoming it. January often arrives with a false starting line — resolutions, reinvention, and pressure to begin again. But nature keeps a different rhythm.  This episode is not about: - resolutions - productivity - self-improvementIt is about learning to read the season you’re in.  In Episode 12, I reflect on moonlight and unfinished darkness, winter birds pairing up, and an unplanned New Year’s Day walk on a windswept New Jersey beach. No goals. No lifers. Just noticing. Because maybe January isn’t for becoming someone new—it’s for paying attention to what’s already unfolding. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flutterbymeadows.substack.com

    7 min

  6. 12/24/2025 · BONUS

    Episode 11½ | The Post Problem

    This is a bonus episode — a seasonal aside that begins with a fallen mailbox and ends somewhere else entirely. It’s not about ecology in the traditional sense, but about systems, interdependence, and how removing one small, seemingly insignificant piece can cause everything around it to wobble. And a quiet thank-you to our mail carriers, who show up day after day — in wind, rain, heat, and cold — keeping so many small systems moving along, often unnoticed. I hope you and yours are having a joyous and celebratory holiday season, filled with peace and reflection. See you in 2026, everyone — and thank you, as always, for listening. As if the mailbox saga wasn’t enough, we also drove over a present in the garage too (that’s a whole other story…). Consider this your reminder that perfection is not required this time of year. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flutterbymeadows.substack.com

    6 min

  7. 12/17/2025

    Episode 11 | Curveballs & Snowballs

    A winter storm turns a Monday upside down — narrowed roads, canceled plans, and an unexpected quiet that only snow can bring. This episode is part reflection on the meaningful space between intention and outcome, and part short story involving a hawk in the woods she went searching for. In Curveballs & Snowballs, Samantha reflects on presence over productivity, inspired by slower mornings, birding on a cold December day, and Japanese planner systems. A reminder that life’s detours aren’t interruptions, but invitations to pause, listen, and let the moment be enough. And to always leave a little space in the margin. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flutterbymeadows.substack.com

    9 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    Episode 10 | The Hidden Link Between Decluttering & Rewilding

    Have you ever started a big project—decluttering your home, planting a garden for wildlife—and hit a wall halfway through? The initial burst of energy fizzles, and suddenly momentum feels impossible. Decluttering and rewilding share something in common: both ask us to overhaul something. Minimalism isn’t about stark white walls and one coffee mug—it’s about keeping what truly serves you and letting go of the rest. Planting for pollinators isn’t about transforming your yard into a prairie overnight—it’s about noticing what supports life and planting with intention. In this episode we’ll talk about these 3 core themes: * Noticing what matters * Letting go of what doesn’t * And building a life — and a garden — that feels like it actually serves a purpose A cleared drawer can ripple into a calmer room. One tiny native plant can spark curiosity that spreads across the season. Noticing what matters, letting go of what doesn’t, and tending your space with care—that’s where real momentum starts. Start small. Pause. Notice. And trust that these tiny, thoughtful choices are building a life—and a landscape—you’ll be grateful for tomorrow. Ruby-throated hummingbird sound courtesy of:Patrick Turgeon, XC139834. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/139834. LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flutterbymeadows.substack.com

    11 min
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About

The Flutter By Effect is a podcast about practicing attention in a distracted world. Through quiet observations of nature, everyday moments, and the small lives that often go unnoticed—birds, insects, changing seasons, and even the pull of our screens—this podcast invites you to slow down and notice what’s already around you. Some episodes begin in the garden. Others begin with a thought, a walk, or a moment of stillness. All are rooted in curiosity, reflection, and the belief that the extraordinary often reveals itself when we pause long enough to look. The Flutter By Effect is not about teaching or fixing—it's an invitation to notice, wonder, and reconnect with the world just outside your door (and within yourself). flutterbymeadows.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Samantha Bean | Flutter By Meadows
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Samantha
  • Show Website
    The Flutter By Effect