The Wilderness and Wellness Podcast

Ron Waline
  • 5.0 (45)
  • WILDERNESS

This podcast explores outdoor skills and the healing power of the natural world through the eyes of individuals who interact with it, including bushcrafters, naturalists, wildlife trackers, hunters and fishermen, homesteaders, bird enthusiasts, herbalists, indigenous people, academic researchers and more. This podcast is for anyone who has an appreciation for the outdoors, the skills necessary to live and travel in it comfortably and safely, and the ways that the natural world can benefit people who are looking to reconnect with nature, community, and themselves.

  1. John Slattery: Intriguing Ideas on European Indigenous Nature Spirituality

    08/11/2025

    John Slattery: Intriguing Ideas on European Indigenous Nature Spirituality

    In this episode I sit down with a returning guest, my friend John Slattery who serves as a bioregional herbalist in the American Southwest. During our talk, John shares his stories and knowledge about what he has learned while delving into his self-discovery journey in connecting with his European heritage. John talks about his travels to Ireland, South America, and more. John discusses some of the unconventional knowledge and ideas about the history and spiritual landscape of the indigenous European peoples, especially in Ireland. We discuss ties to the landscape, animism, storytelling, and the importance of a personal spirituality tied to the land and its energies, among so many other topics. Don’t miss this intriguing episode! Contact John: John’s Website John’s Facebook Page John’s Instagram Desert Tortoise Botanicals Website John’s Books ·      Southwest Medicinal Plants ·      Southwest Foraging Book Recommendations: Irish Wisdom Preserved in Bible and Pyramids, by: Conor MacDari How the Irish Saved Civilization, by: Thomas Cahill

    1h 52m
  2. Jahan Khamsehzadeh: Psychedelic Plant Medicines as Nature's Communicators, Healers, and Connectors

    07/03/2025

    Jahan Khamsehzadeh: Psychedelic Plant Medicines as Nature's Communicators, Healers, and Connectors

    Join me for a discussion with Jahan Khamsehzadeh, Ph.D., psychedelic guide, teacher, researcher, and journeyer with over 20 years of formal and informal research, has taken 1000+ personal psychedelic plant medicine journeys, and guided almost 700 journeys for others. Jahan astutely guides us through what psychedelics are and some specific medicines as well as the natural active compounds they offer. Jahan speaks to the human evolutionary history of psychedelic use including the indigenous use of mind-altering plant medicines for healing and connection as well as the role of animism in human history and the ability of psychedelics to reveal a sense of consciousness or aliveness in all aspects of the natural world. Jahan discusses the current research on the nature connective and pro-environmental influence of psychedelic use on people. Lastly, Jahan offers guidance for those seeking out experiences with psychedelic plant medicines including harm reduction, self-education, and safety considerations. Connect with Jahan: Jahan’s Website: https://psychedelicevolution.org Social Media: ·      Jahan’s Facebook ·      Jahan’s Instagram Jahan’s Book: The Psilocybin Connection: Psychedelics, the Transformation of Consciousness, and Evolution on the Planet Book Mentions from Jahan (Listed in Order of Appearance): ·      Darwin’s Pharmacy: Sex, Plants, and the Evolution of the Noosphere, by: Richard M. Doyle ·      Animals and Psychedelics: The Natural World and the Instinct to Alter Consciousness, by: Giorgio Samorini ·      The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World, by: Michael Pollan ·      Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures, by: Merlin Sheldrake ·      How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, by: Michael Pollan ·      Magic Mushroom Explorer: Psilocybin and the Awakening Earth, by: Simon G. Powell Book Recommends for Those New to Psychedelics ·      The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself, by: Sean Carroll ·      The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys, by: James Fadiman, Ph.D. ·      Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth, by: Françoise Bourzat ·      LSD and the Mind of the Universe: Diamonds from Heaven, by: Christopher M. Bache ·      Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge, A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution, by: Terence McKenna

    1h 3m
  3. Ruby Pinyuh-Derovan: Intuitive Wilderness Guide

    04/28/2025

    Ruby Pinyuh-Derovan: Intuitive Wilderness Guide

    Join me for a discussion with Ruby Pinyuh-Derovan, an experienced and skilled outdoor guide who leads young people on life-changing excursions into wild places. We talk about the power of nature and long-term wilderness experiences in shaping our lives, the importance of community and shared experiences in nature, and of course, some great wilderness expedition stories where trials are faced, lessons are learned, and one story in particular where a group of intrepid explorers utilize previously gifted indigenous knowledge to traverse a landscape by watercraft. You don’t want to pass up on this fascinating conversation with someone who lives her life traversing through and sharing the natural world in a thoughtful, intuitive, and healing way.

    1h 15m
  4. Rick Berry on the Life and Legacy of Tom Brown Jr.

    11/18/2024

    Rick Berry on the Life and Legacy of Tom Brown Jr.

    Discussion with Rick Berry, student of Tom Brown Jr. and founder of the 4 Elements Earth Education school, about the life, teachings, and legacy of Tom Brown Jr. Tom Brown Jr. Books 4 Elements Earth Education (founded by Rick Berry)

    48 min
  5. Wendolyn Bird: Nature-infused Parenting

    10/20/2024

    Wendolyn Bird: Nature-infused Parenting

    Discussion with Wendolyn Bird, former outdoor preschool/summer camp director and nature-infused parenting coach. We talk about techniques for mindfully dealing with the difficult but rewarding task of parenting and how to infuse nature into our parenting journey and create mindful, helpful, and nature-connected children. Connect with Wendolyn: - https://wendolynbird.com Book Recommendations: - How to Calm a Tantrum in 17 Seconds: From Chaos to Calm: Discovering Nature’s Path to Peaceful Parenting (eBook), by: Wendolyn Bird - Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans, by: Michaeleen Doucleff - Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One), by: Dr. Deborah MacNamara - Trails, Tails & Tidepools in Pails, by: Docents of Nurserty Nature Walks - Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature, by: Jon Young, Ellen Haas, & Evan McGown

    1h 22m

  6. 11/15/2021

    Tyson Yunkaporta: Sand Talk – How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World

    Join me and co-host Fil Tkaczyk for a “proper yarn” with Tyson Yunkaporta about: ·      The idea of what it means to live within and through multiple associations, ideals, and ways of thinking. ·      Tyson’s indigenous and cultural roots. ·      How everything that is real about who we are is not necessarily only within ourselves, but within the connections of our relations. ·      What a “proper yarn” is and means. ·      Developing a relationship with place and society’s ideas of who should have a voice based on perceived identities and social fragmentation. ·      The idea of emergence for cultural change and tracking patterns. ·      How everything in the world is surrounded by sex and death. Connect with Tyson: Deakin University Faculty Profile Book Recommendations: Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World,  by: Tyson Yunkaporta Connect with Fil: Pathwithaheart@hotmail.com Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast on Apple Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast Facebook Page Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast Instagram Page

    1h 19m

  7. 06/22/2021 · BONUS

    W&W Short #3 - Alie Nation Lyrics: Indigenous Mindset vs. Western Societal Mindset

    A short episode discussing the lyrics of the song "Alie Nation" written by the late John Trudell and performed by the musical group "The Halluci Nation" (formerly "A Tribe Called Red"). I offer a personal interpretation of the lyrics, discussing the two different mindsets one may adopt, that of an indigenous way of thinking which may lead to healing, connection, and sacredness, or that of a post-modern western societal way of thinking which embraces separateness, numb, trauma, and materialism. Alie Nation Youtube Video Halluci Nation Article Halluci Nation Article John Trudell Wikipedia Page

    18 min
  8. Tracking Series 08 – Brian McConnell: Hunting and Trailing Wildlife and CyberTracker Trailing Evaluations

    04/12/2021 · BONUS

    Tracking Series 08 – Brian McConnell: Hunting and Trailing Wildlife and CyberTracker Trailing Evaluations

    In this eighth episode of my tracking series I had the fortune to catch up with avid hunter, tracker, and CyberTracker evaluator Brian McConnell. In our discussion we cover a lot of ground (pun intended). Brian fills us in on his background as a young man being taught by his dad how to hunt in the Arkansas woods, then learning intuitively to trail deer, and finally, later in life, connecting with a class offering formal training in tracking techniques which helped him refine his craft to the point of earning a specialist level on his second ever trailing evaluation, then becoming an evaluator shortly after. Brian shares his knowledge on: ·      How a trailing evaluation unfolds and what the evaluator is scoring the tracker on ·      How he uses tracking to inform and support his hunting activities, especially for deer and elk ·      Tells us some hunting stories, showcasing how 90% of the elk he takes are done so by trailing right to the animal ·      Gives us some practical tips on how to begin learning the art of trailing, especially for hunting purposes Connect with Brian https://trackercertification.com/evaluators/ Book Recommendations Dersu the Trapper, by: V.K. Arseniev The Jim Corbett Omnibus, by: Jim Corbett (Includes “Man-eaters of Kumaon”, “The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon”, and “The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag”)

    1h 21m
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5
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

This podcast explores outdoor skills and the healing power of the natural world through the eyes of individuals who interact with it, including bushcrafters, naturalists, wildlife trackers, hunters and fishermen, homesteaders, bird enthusiasts, herbalists, indigenous people, academic researchers and more. This podcast is for anyone who has an appreciation for the outdoors, the skills necessary to live and travel in it comfortably and safely, and the ways that the natural world can benefit people who are looking to reconnect with nature, community, and themselves.

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