The Breath of Life with Yulia Bogdanova

Yulia Bogdanova

How do we step back into an Earth-centric way of being? Here we explore what is being asked of us in this transformation. What new and possibly old, forgotten ways of being human might be knocking at our awareness. How we make ourselves available to mystery, and to the intelligence of this world that is so much bigger than us. The body holds a special place in this inquiry: animal and cosmic at the same time. Porous, sensuous, able to touch and be touched by other worlds — of humans, species, beings, elements, dreams, and landscapes. Would be a great pleasure to connect: https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/  

  1. 4d ago

    Adulting From the Perspective of Soul ft Sara McFarland of Animas Valley Institute

    I am speaking with Sara McFarland, a soul initiation guide, storyteller, singer, ritualist, and guide with Animas Valley Institute, exploring adulthood, elderhood, initiation, and the place of humans in the wider web of life. We explore what it means to become an adult, not only biologically or socially, but at the level of soul. We speak about adulthood as remembering who we are, initiation as a long journey of transformation, and soul not as what we do, but as who we be. The conversation moves through the crisis of modernity, the great forgetting of earth-cherishing cultures, psycho-spiritual adolescence, eco-awakening, and the possibility that the metacrisis itself may be calling us into a species-wide initiation.  Chapters: 00:00 Exploring Adulthood and Soul Initiation 12:44 The Crisis of Modernity and the Loss of Initiation 20:03 Understanding Initiation: The Journey of Transformation 27:42 The Role of the More-than-Human World in Healing 32:56 The Illusion of Individuality 35:06 Understanding Human Development 38:51 The Journey of Healing and Wholeness 43:56 Navigating Psycho-Spiritual Adolescence 47:21 Crisis and the Call for Initiation 52:46 Embracing Urgency and Poetic Attunement Sara’s Work: Website: www.saramcfarland.com Animas Valley Institute: www.animas.org Starter Culture: www.starterculture.net Stay in touch: → The Breath of Life on Substack https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova → Reach out via email: yulia(at)natureflowlab.com → Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/ Sound effects by LookingNorth and Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️, via Pixabay

    1h 18m

  2. Jun 3

    On Expressing and Exchanging Value Beyond Money ft Will Ruddick of Grassroots Economics

    I am speaking with Will Ruddick of Grassroots Economics about money as one tradition among many and about older, still-living ways communities have used to express value, share resources, borrow from each other, and keep life moving without everything having to pass through money. We talk about community currencies, debt, trust, protection, commons, social soil, and why so much value in a community remains locked when money becomes the only recognized way of exchange. Will brings us into examples from Kenya, Bhutan, student loans, village practices, mycorrhizal networks, and the old idea of “calling a bee” asking neighbours to come together and help. 00:00 Exploring the Concept of Money 05:32 Community Economics and Resource Sharing 11:12 Unlocking Community Resources 16:08 The Role of Value Expression 22:14 The Tradition of Money and Its Impact 28:53 The Origins of Money and Its Protective Role 31:38 The Dangers of Dismantling Monetary Systems 32:48 Designing a New Safety Mechanism 35:34 Community and Resource Sharing 39:30 Building Trust and Connections in Communities 43:43 The Impact of Money on Self-Worth 46:35 Unsticking the Debt Cycle 51:04 Future Visions and Community Engagement Will's work: Grassroots Economics: https://grassrootseconomics.org/ Social Soil Game: https://play.grassecon.org/ Substack — Journal of a Grassroots Economist: https://willruddick.substack.com/ Stay in touch:→ The Breath of Life on Substack https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova → Reach out via email: yulia(at)natureflowlab.com → Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/ Sound effects by LookingNorth and Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️, via Pixabay

    1h 10m

  3. May 20

    Body as an Integrated Experience of Being Alive ft Beverley Nolan

    I am speaking with Beverley Nolan, a somatic educator, writer, and teacher exploring the body through movement, attention, imagery, and embodied inquiry.  In this episode, we explore the body as “an integrated experience of being alive.” We speak about fat as a silenced and “exile tissue,” and what it means to listen to it with respect and curiosity. We talk about lymph as purposeful flow, bones as connectors to deep time, and breath as reciprocity with the green world. The conversation moves through movement, imagery, touch, attention, and everyday ways of sensing into the body. It also asks what changes when we stop treating tissues and body systems only as anatomy, and begin to hear the stories, relationships, and wider worlds they carry. Chapters 00:00 Exploring the Body: A Multifaceted Perspective 02:54 The Journey to Understanding Fat 05:32 Reclaiming the Body: From Adversary to Ally 08:25 Movement as Exploration: Finding Satisfaction 11:03 The Wisdom of Fat: A Generous Tissue 13:40 Listening to the Body: Fat's Voice and Stories 16:30 Integrating the Body: The Role of Lymph 19:11 Embodied Movement: Balancing Outward and Inward Energy 26:41 The Balance of Fluidity and Stability 27:36 Exploring Cosmological Stories Through Bones 29:44 The Poetry and Science of Stardust 30:59 Personal and Ancestral Stories in Our Bones 35:08 Practices for Integrated Experience 35:42 Witnessing Skills in Everyday Life 38:58 Connecting with Nature and the Green World 41:15 Reciprocity with the Green World 44:45 Empowering Conversations with the Green World 47:45 Grounding and Connecting with the Earth Beverly’s Work:Website: https://www.beverleynolan.com/ Substack — Field Notes from the Body: https://beverleynolan.substack.com/ On fat: Field Notes — Fat: The Unsung Sister to Your Fascia Companion Notes — Fat: The Unsung Tissue Stay in touch:→ The Breath of Life on Substack https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova → Reach out via email: yulia(at)natureflowlab.com → Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/ Sound effects by LookingNorth and Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️, via Pixabay

    1h 2m

  4. May 5

    Creativity as a Worldly Process ft Iain Kerr and Jason Frasca

    I am in conversation with Iain Kerr and Jason Frasca of WorldMakers about creativity as something much wider than the way we usually speak about it. We talk about creativity as something everywhere and ongoing, a quality of reality, a process of life moving into newness. Iain and Jason speak about how humans join these processes rather than generate them alone. This brings us into questions of co-creation, emergence, ecology, tools, bodies, technologies, and the more-than-human world. At the heart of the conversation is a different way of sensing creativity: as something we participate in with the world. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Creativity and Community Engagement 16:26 Understanding Creativity: A Broader Perspective 23:19 The Role of Imagination in Creativity 28:10 Co-Creation: Examples and Practices 34:20 The Influence of Environment on Creativity 40:04 The Impact of Technology on Human Experience 42:33 Tools and Their Role in Shaping Our Lives 45:55 Creativity and Co-Creation in a Digital Age 50:37 Sensing and Perception: The Heart of Creativity 53:17 Practices for Engaging with Creativity 57:32 Embracing Adventure in Creativity 01:01:37 The Role of Community in Creative Exploration Ian and Jason’s Work:→ Newsletter (Emerging Futures): https://emergentfutureslab.com/newsletter → Book (The Innovation Design Approach): https://emergentfutureslab.com/innovating-emergent-futures → WorldMakers community: https://emergentfutureslab.com/worldmakers Stay in touch:→ The Breath of Life on Substack https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova → Reach out via email: yulia(at)natureflowlab.com → Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/ Sound effects by LookingNorth and Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️, via Pixabay

    1h 10m

  5. Apr 22

    Leading from Natural Intelligence ft Mark Henderson

    I am speaking with Mark Henderson (Natural Intelligence), who works with leaders and teams at the intersection of leadership, nature, and what he calls natural intelligence — the deeper intelligence that runs through living systems, including ourselves. We explore leadership beyond the boardroom. What changes and becomes possible when leaders step outside and into natural environments. Mark shares how nature affects us physiologically, mentally, and emotionally, and how slowing down outdoors opens access to presence, creativity, and deeper patterns of behavior. We speak about burnout, purpose, and the limits of “business as usual,” and how reconnecting to a larger intelligence beyond our own can shift how we lead, relate, and make decisions. 00:00 - The value of outdoor experiences for modern leaders 02:17 - How nature influences physiological and emotional health 03:41 - Brainwave states and their effects in nature 05:41 - The spiritual dimension of connecting with nature 10:05 - Why organizations struggle to adopt outdoor practices 12:40 - The mental health crisis and purpose disconnection 15:23 - Personal burnout story and reconnecting with nature 17:53 - The importance of purpose and alignment with natural intelligence 20:34 - The concept of natural intelligence and trusting the bigger whole 24:04 - Leadership in harmony with natural intelligence 27:20 - Practical approaches to cultivating a regenerative leadership mindset 31:13 - Community experiences: meditation, sharing, and collective transformation 34:28 - The profound personal transformations from wilderness programs 37:48 - Practical steps for opening up to natural intelligence 41:03 - Outdoor practices: observing, sensing, and trusting nature's guidance 44:09 - How to engage with Mark’s programs online and offline 47:13 - Final reflections on co-creating with nature and each other Mark’s WorkNatural Intelligence: https://www.naturalintelligence.se Earthaconter: https://www.earthaconter.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmhenderson Stay in touch:→ The Breath of Life on Substack https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova → Reach out via email: yulia(at)natureflowlab.com → Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/ Sound effects by LookingNorth and Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️, via Pixabay

    56 min

  6. Apr 8

    In Relationship With Flowers ft Mary Porter Kearns

    I am speaking with Mary Porter Kearns, a writer and teacher exploring the relationship between humans and flowers. Through her work The Flowers Are Speaking, she invites people to reconnect with flowers as living, sensing beings, drawing on both emerging science around plant intelligence and intuitive, experiential ways of knowing. In this conversation, we explore flowers as far more than decorative or passive presences — as active participants in a shared, relational world. Mary shares how plants communicate, respond, and guide, and how learning to notice and trust these interactions can shift our perception of reality itself. We speak about intuition, the limits of human-centered perception, and how slowing down and entering into relationship with the more-than-human world can restore a sense of aliveness, connection, and belonging. 00:00 The Resilience of Spring Flowers 02:37 The Relationship Between Humans and Flowers 05:29 Understanding Plant Intelligence 08:21 The Language of Flowers 10:42 Personal Journey with Flowers 13:35 Messages from Flowers 16:14 Intuition and Connection with Nature 27:32 The Call of the Flower 30:03 Intuition and Connection with Nature 32:21 Building Relationships with Flowers 38:48 Messages from the Flowers 43:00 Slowing Down to Connect 47:12 Workshops and Community Engagement Mary’s Work:Mary on Substack (The Flowers Are Speaking): https://theflowersarespeaking.substack.com/ Website: https://theflowersarespeaking.com/ Stay in touch:→ The Breath of Life on Substack https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova → Reach out via email: yulia(at)natureflowlab.com → Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/

    54 min

  7. Mar 25

    On Being Mothered Beyond Biology ft Perdita Finn

    I am speaking with Perdita Finn, a writer and teacher working with myth, ancestry, and relational ways of knowing. She is the author of Take Back the Magic and Mothers of Magic, and her work explores how we might reconnect with the living world, our ancestors, and forms of care that extend beyond the individual. In this conversation, we explore mothering as something far beyond biology — as a communal, ecological, and deeply relational process. Perdita shares how the modern mother has become both idealised and burdened, and how reconnecting to a wider field of “many mothers” — human and more-than-human — can reshape how we relate to ourselves, each other, and life itself. Chapters00:00 The Concept of Mothering 10:02 Interconnectedness and the Role of Nature 15:23 Personal Reflections on Maternal Relationships 33:29 The Impact of Therapy and Maternal Expectations 35:03 The Call for Maternal Guidance 39:30 Historical Context of Misogyny and Witch Trials 43:41 Healing the Mother-Daughter Relationship 49:59 Connecting with Nature and Animal Mothers 54:19 Reclaiming Our Animal Bodies and Desires 01:00:19 Collective Prayers for Future Generations Perdita’s Work:Perdita on Substack: https://perditafinn.substack.com/ Website: https://takebackthemagic.com/ Stay in touch:→ The Breath of Life on Substack https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova → Reach out via email: yulia(at)natureflowlab.com → Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/

    1h 4m

  8. Mar 12

    The "Problem" with Problem-Solving ft Jessica Böhme

    I am speaking with Jessica Böhme, transformation researcher, engineer by training, and author of the Substack Human-ing. In this conversation, we explore the limits of problem-solving as a worldview. Jessica reflects on why framing the meta-crisis as something to be “fixed” may already narrow our perception, and how philosophy — as a love of wisdom — keeps us connected to the whole. We speak about paradox, agency, and the tension between individual and systemic change. About certainty, control, and our cultural discomfort with mystery. And about the importance of time, resonance, and what Jessica calls listening to life with a capital L. 00:00 Introduction to the Breath of Life Podcast 00:41 Questioning Problem Solving 03:25 The Flaws in Traditional Problem-Solving 07:49 The Paradox of Change 11:36 The Limitations of Solutionism 13:46 The Craving for Certainty 17:45 The Fear of the Unknown 21:18 How to Human Well 25:00 Embracing Messiness in Humanity 27:26 Navigating Agency and Systemic Change 31:22 Embracing Paradoxes in Understanding 34:27 Personal Experiments in Sustainability 40:55 The Role of Time in Agency 47:22 Creative Solitude and Listening to Life 51:34 Exploring Wild Philosophy Jessica’s Work:Human-ing on Substack: https://jessicaboehme.substack.com Stay in touch:→ The Breath of Life on Substack https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova → Reach out via email: yulia(at)natureflowlab.com → Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/

    58 min
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About

How do we step back into an Earth-centric way of being? Here we explore what is being asked of us in this transformation. What new and possibly old, forgotten ways of being human might be knocking at our awareness. How we make ourselves available to mystery, and to the intelligence of this world that is so much bigger than us. The body holds a special place in this inquiry: animal and cosmic at the same time. Porous, sensuous, able to touch and be touched by other worlds — of humans, species, beings, elements, dreams, and landscapes. Would be a great pleasure to connect: https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/  

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