In this episode of Wild Connection, Dr. Jennifer Verdolin speaks with author and essayist Tamara Dean, whose book Shelter and Storm: At Home in the Driftless explores what it means to live in relationship with a place. From the beauty and hardship of rural Wisconsin to the floods, fires, and tornadoes that test both landscape and spirit, Dean shares how community, storytelling, and attentive living can transform adversity into belonging. In this episode we reflect on the practice of slowing down, listening to the land, and learning from the species who share it with us.

Our conversation also reveals how small acts like writing a neighbor’s story after a flood or watching fireflies are opportunities for connection and renewal.

Keep up with Tamara Dean on Facebook

If Tamara’s reflections inspire you to deepen your own sense of place, explore my Reconnect with Nature course on Audible and companion workbook Rooted in Nature, designed to help you rediscover your connection to the natural world. Next week, the journey continues with astrophysicist Ersilia Vaudo, taking us from the ground to the stars.

You can keep up with me on Instagram (@RealDrJen) and check out Wild Connection TV on YouTube where I bring science to life.

Conflict doesn’t stop at people. It also impacts forests, rivers, and species that share our world. In this conversation, Dr. Jen and Dr. András Hárs explore the UN’s complicated role in peacekeeping and environmental protection, weaving together personal stories, global politics, and the overlooked casualties of war: ecosystems and wildlife.

From the Central African Republic’s endangered gorillas to the sustainability dilemmas of COP climate conferences, we talk about the tough issues: Who holds peacekeepers accountable when misconduct occurs? Can international law evolve to treat the environment as a victim of war? And what lessons should we carry forward to ensure peace is sustainable for humans and nature alike?

Keep up with Dr. Hárs on LinkedIn

To learn more about the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), visit: @RealDrJen

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Fungi are everywhere , in the soil, in the air, in our food. Quietly they sustain life but also may unleash devastation. In this episode of Wild Connection, I chat with environmental toxicologist and author Emily Monosson about her latest book Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic. From the Irish potato famine and the rise of Candida auris in hospitals, to bats felled by white-nose syndrome and amphibians lost to the chytrid fungus, fungi are reshaping ecosystems, agriculture, and human health.

Guest Bio: Emily Monosson, Ph.D., is an environmental toxicologist and writer. Her books include Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic, Natural Defense: Enlisting Bugs and Germs to Protect Our Food and Health, and Motherhood, the Elephant in the Laboratory. She is known for her ability to synthesize science into compelling, accessible narratives.

• Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic (W.W. Norton) – available at your local independent bookstore, directly from the Publisher or on Amazon.

• Connect with Emily Monosson on LinkedIn.

You can keep up with Dr. Jen on Instagram (@RealDrJen) and check out Wild Connection TV on YouTube where she brings science to life.