In the second episode of Season 5, host Monica Carcamo-Binetti heads out into the field to kick-off California State Parks Week beneath the soaring redwoods of Samuel P. Taylor State Park. This is the 4th year of celebration and the first time in a redwood park!

Guided by this year’s tagline “This Is Where You Live”, Monica captures stories from District Superintendent Maria Mowrey, Interpreter Kourtney Boone, community champion Kirstie Dutton, and a band of wide-eyed kids fresh off a hike. Plus we also had a surprise visit from a key player that helps shape California State Parks in a big way! Each guest revealed how a single park visit can have a long lasting impact and even reshape a life. By the episode’s end, you’ll feel the quiet of ancient trunks, the laughter echoing through the redwoods, and know that these giants are really in our own backyards. Your own neighborhood trailhead is just a pair of sneakers away, no fancy gear required.

Read more about our guests here.

In the first episode of season 5, we celebrate transitions, transformations, and the quiet power of standing among ancient trees. Former host Emily Harwitz returns to pass the mic to new host Monica Carcamo-Binetti, a longtime advocate for nature connection and co-Founder of Bay Area GalVentures.

Together they explore how the redwoods shape us, and how being outdoors can clear our minds, rest our intentions, and remind us of what truly matters. Emily and Monica find beauty, resilience, and a shared commitment to protecting the places that change us.

This season, Monica will explore how redwoods act as the ultimate “nature influencer” — and how these ancient giants guide us towards a deeper connection with ourselves, each other, and the natural world.

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Monica Carcamo-Binetti

Monica is a storyteller, hiker, and Save the Redwoods League council member. She is also the co-founder of Bay Area GalVentures, an Instagram community she started with her lifelong friend to share their hiking adventures, especially among the redwoods. Monica discovered her love for the outdoors later in life and now champions access to nature for women. She extends this passion into her role as our new podcast host, where she shares stories that connect people to redwoods, nature, and each other—with heart, curiosity, and a deep love for the forest.

Emily Harwitz

Emily Harwitz is an award-winning science writer and nature photographer working at the intersection of science, environment, and culture. Through written, visual, and audio forms, she tells stories that deepen our capacity for wonder and bring us closer to the natural world—including each other. She was the IGIYG host for seasons 2-4 and is now excited to listen along as she starts a new role as Communications Manager at Sonoma Land Trust. You can find more of her work at emilyharwitz.com and connect with her on Instagram @em_witz.

In this twelfth episode, host Emily Harwitz takes a closer look at the fuel that drives conservation. Funding, of course, is essential, and two of the main sources of conservation funding are government agencies and philanthropy. Today’s guests—Ben Friedman and Geenah Leslie—are experts in those areas, from the state and federal levels to the local level. They’re also experts at cultivating relationships, because that’s the real foundation of this work: building relationships based on shared values and a commitment to making the world a better place, for all of us. From what’s in the upcoming Proposition 4 Climate Bond to the many benefits our urban trees provide, we hope this final episode of Season 4 gives you lots to be hopeful for.

Ben Friedman is the government affairs and public grants officer of Save the Redwoods League. Prior to the League, Ben led grantmaking in California for Western Conservation Foundation. He also has worked at the Wilderness Society and on Capitol Hill on the House Committee for Natural Resources. Ben’s education background is in geology and environmental management. In his spare time, Ben likes going to the beach with his wife Lauren and his dog Lobo, and baking seasonal pies.

Geenah-Marie Leslie (she/her) was born and raised in the ancestral lands of the Tongva People, presently known as Los Angeles. As the proud child of Jamaican immigrants, she was brought up to believe that she should never allow her gender or the color of her skin deter her from pursuing her wildest dreams. Her passion for the healing benefits of nature and connecting People of Color to the outdoors led to her working in the environmental justice field. In her professional tenure, she has played a crucial role in donor relations, fund development, and piloting successful community engagement initiatives. Her free time is typically spent by large bodies of water, listening to an Afrofuturistic audiobook, or psp-psp-psping a cat on the street. Find her on Instagram @geenah_leslie or on ⁠LinkedIn