Ponder While We Wander

Location: Dungeness River, Sequim, Washington, USA

Record date: 10/20/2025

Release date: 2/16/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Walking along a trail beside the Dungeness River, Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa discuss the topic of grounding and invite you to explore with them as they engage with the natural environment of the Dungeness River during salmon spawning season. Learn about ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’ approaches to processing, the window of tolerance, and different parts of the human nervous system in order to help us manage the stressors of modernity and enhance relationships. They also facilitate two different experiential exercises you can practice with or take with you.

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

Episode Resources

Links:

https://www.dungeness.com/river/info.htm

https://jamestowntribe.org/

https://dungenessrivercenter.org/news/the-secret-lives-of-salmon/

Location: Halls Hill Labyrinth and Lookout, Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA

Record date: 10/19/25

Release date: 2/2/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

Based on the work of Richard Louv, Natasha Morisawa and Amber Martin take a walk on an outdoor labyrinth on Bainbridge Island, Washington to ponder the effects of less unstructured outdoor time on children and adults as well as ways to start to think about our time outside. They bring in some practical ways of addressing this imbalance and open the invitation to personally wander in the outdoors.

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

Episode Resources

Links:

https://biparksfoundation.org/halls-hill/

Books by Richard Louv

https://www.childrenandnature.org/

https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_ways_nature_helps_children_learn

https://www.nrpa.org/globalassets/research/mingkuo-summary.pdf

https://www.heinzawards.org/pages/ming-kuo

Location: Meerkerk Gardens, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA

Record date: 10/18/25

Release date: 1/15/25

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Edited: https://www.studiosymbiotic.com/

From a curated, wooded garden on Whidbey Island, Washington, Natasha Morisawa and Amber Martin introduce the Rat Park study and its findings. They wander and ponder about the connection to humans and addiction as well as different ways of viewing mental health and addiction from not only an individual but a community lens as well. Join them in asking questions about what is working in our modern lives and what could be changed to prevent, reduce, and treat addiction. Along the way there are slugs, mushrooms, evergreens, and the cool, crisp, rainy afternoon of the Pacific Northwest.

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/wander-well/

Episode Resources

Links:

https://www.meerkerkgardens.org/

https://historicwhidbey.org/whidbey-island-history

https://drgabormate.com/addiction/

Rat Park: How a rat paradise changed the narrative of addiction.

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/what-does-rat-park-teach-us-about-addiction

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_connection_cure_addiction