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

Location: Curse and Holler Ranch, Chimicum, Washington

Record date: 10/16/25

Release date: 1/1/26

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

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

To be in relationships may be more crucial and difficult now than in previous generations. Based on stories of loneliness and the challenges of making friends in adulthood, Natasha and Amber start to unpack some of the ways this affects us as individuals and communities. They offer some practical ways of being with those challenges and invitations to connect with ourselves, other humans, and the world around us.

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.chimacumcenter.org/place.html

https://saveland.org/

http://bowlingalone.com/

https://joinordiefilm.com/

https://www.priyaparker.com/

https://eji.org/news/visual-history-loitering-laws/

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

Location: HJ Carroll Park, Chimacum, Washington, USA

Hosts: Amber Martin and Natasha Morisawa

Guest: Rev. Aaron Twitchell https://lovewellnj.com/

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

An episode in two parts. In part one, Amber and Natasha talk with Rev. Aaron Twitchell about good goodbyes in his experience with supporting, consulting with, and counseling individuals and families at the end of life. Then Natasha and Amber take the topic out into nature to a park with a stream and other than human nature. We explore if there is such a thing as a good goodbye and if there is, what can help support that. And we take a moment to allow interaction with nature to enhance our understanding and connection to goodbyes.

Explore more about Ponder While We Wander

A soothing podcast for trying times.

https://ponderwhilewewander.com/

https://ponderwhilewewander.substack.com/

Episode Resources

Links:

https://jeffersoncountywa.myrec.com/info/dept/details.aspx?DeptInfoID=566

https://lovewellnj.com/