Nature, Transformation, and Radical Common Sense with Steve Nygren

Nature, Transformation, and Radical Common Sense with Steve Nygren

Author: Serenbe Media Network September 30, 2025 Duration: 52:57

Modern life often leaves us on the treadmill of constant striving, chasing markers of success that don’t necessarily bring fulfillment. But what happens when you step off that treadmill and reimagine what’s possible?

Our guest this week, Steve Nygren, did exactly that. As the founder and visionary behind Serenbe, a biophilic community just outside Atlanta, Steve has spent decades exploring how the places we live can better support our health, happiness, and connection to nature. Now, he’s sharing that journey in his new book, Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense. Part memoir, part guidebook, it offers a blueprint for building sustainable, connected communities, places where wonder exists in the everyday and people of all ages can truly thrive. It’s out on October 7th, 2025, just one week from today.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground: Steve’s early path as a placemaker, the turning point that inspired Serenbe, what it really means to take care of your own “backyard,” and how each of us can make change in the spaces we influence. It’s an inspiring reminder that meaningful transformation often begins very close to home.

Show Notes

Keywords: biophilia, radical common sense, sustainable living, placemaking, community design, intentional living, Serenbe, Steve Nygren, nature connection, regenerative communities, backyard solutions, sustainable communities, holistic design, living with nature, environmental design, human-nature connection, mindful development, local change, ecological living, design for well-being

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#NatureHasTheAnswers


There’s a quiet but profound intelligence in the way a forest manages resources or how a mycelial network communicates-an intelligence we’ve often overlooked in our rush to build and innovate. Biophilic Solutions: Nature Has the Answers explores this very premise, asking what happens when we stop seeing nature as merely a resource and start recognizing it as the ultimate mentor. Hosted by Monica Olsen and her co-host, this podcast from the Serenbe Media Network delves into conversations that feel both urgent and restorative. You’ll hear from scientists, artists, urban planners, and philosophers who are applying nature’s blueprints to solve complex human problems in design, healthcare, community building, and leadership. Each episode is a deep dive into the patterns and processes that have sustained life for millennia, offering tangible, often surprising, ways to reintegrate them into our daily lives and systems. It’s not just about sustainability; it’s about reciprocity and learning to listen again. The dialogue in this podcast moves beyond theory, focusing on real-world applications that remind us our well-being is inextricably linked to the natural world. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration that bridges science, culture, and education, revealing how a rekindled connection can reshape our society from the ground up.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 119

Biophilic Solutions: Nature Has the Answers
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