• Season 5, Episode 13: Fostering “Good Mind”: Teaching for Climate Change with Maria Vamvalis
    Feb 27 2026
    Maria Vamalis designs learning environments that strengthen collective well-being that help people rediscover their capacity to act together in conditions of uncertainty, through promoting critical thinking and relationship skills. Hear her inspiring conversation with Panu & Thomas.
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    35 mins
  • Season 5, Episode 12: Criminalizing Nature and Climate Values (and Rights to Protest)
    Feb 17 2026

    Panu and Thomas explored the increasing vilification of environmental and social protest. They reviewed research on the "repertoire of oppression” that state and corporate groups are employing such as disingenuous application of laws regarding terrorism and organized crime to non-violent, legal protest actions by the public and advocacy groups. These tactics enable more oppressive and violent police action, that in some cases are used to justify brutality, killings and disappearances. While these repressive acts are typically associated with authoritarian states, they are alarmingly being used in democratic societies including Finland, the UK and the US. At the same time, counter-movements are also using legal methods to pursue more strenuous charges of “ecocide” and “climate atrocities” and practicing new and creative forms of resistance and grass roots organizing. As Panu noted, oppressive government actions can have unintended outcomes, for those who stand for Earth: Criminalization unites us even more.

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    34 mins
  • Season 5, Episode 11: Revisit Your New Year’s Resolutions from a Systems View
    Feb 5 2026
    Panu and Thomas reflected on the passage of the winter season in Northern climes, lengthening daylight and earliest signs of spring. Thomas shared ways for listeners to revisit their New Year's goals and resolutions from a systems view – not just as singular actions but as ways of creating a healthy synergy in one's life. He highlighted that small changes – forgoing unhealthy food or drink, starting a new exercise plan, or doing a daily journal – can lead to broader changes in your life and relationships. Adding something demonstrably healthy will tend to beget health. Taking away something demonstrably unhealthy will tend to beget health. It’s the synergy. And further – resolutions should be seen as part of a larger system, where your personal health improvements influence and connect with broader social and environmental systems. This approach works because it reframes your resolutions as part of a larger, interconnected whole, making them feel more meaningful and impactful, which can motivate you to pursue them with greater commitment. And, it’s not too late to start. He and Panu also validated pressures for political action in service of justice and human rights that listeners may be experiencing given threats to civil liberty in the US and other places. Can listeners imagine their individual impulses to greater health as part of their quest for societal health?
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    30 mins
  • Season 5, Episode 10: On “Kinship Medicine” with Dr. Wendy Johnson
    Jan 17 2026
    This was a fascinating episode! Thomas and Panu welcomed Dr. Wendy Johnson, a family and addiction medicine physician, to discuss her book "Kinship Medicine." Dr. Johnson shared her journey from political advocacy to medicine (“I went to medical school to do politics better.”) and the discussion delved into the social determinants of health, the historical roots of Western medicine, and the need for collective, relationship-based approaches to well-being (“Wellness comes from communal strength.”). Wendy drew a metaphor from the chrysalis stage of development, emphasizing the importance of planting seeds for a better future and the role of “imaginal disks” that hold blueprints for future transformation. Join us for an inspiring talk in the new year.
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    34 mins
  • Season 5, Episode 9: Having An Attentive Heart at New Year with Stephanie Kaza
    Jan 7 2026
    Thomas and Panu reflected on the winter season and the new year with Stephanie Kaza, noted Buddhist and environmental scholar. Stephanie shared her journey from Ohio to Buffalo to Vermont to Oregon, highlighting the profound impact of natural landscapes on her psyche. The conversation stressed the significance of community, mindfulness, and seasonal rituals in connecting with nature and coping with eco-anxiety. As Stephanie noted, "Spring starts in January" and having a mindful attitude helps us to pay attention to the world and note the subtle and never-ceasing seasonal changes. Join us for a observant welcome to the new year.
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    33 mins
  • Season 5, Episode 8: A Manifesto for Flourishing
    Dec 23 2025
    Thomas and Panu reflected on the end of the year and the winter season. They invited listeners with some provocative questions: “What does the Earth in me need?” “How to care for your Soul in a world and systems that are soulless?” “How to honor fatigue after a tough year?” “How to keep an open mind, an open heart, open breath, and open hands?” And the podcast’s theme question: “How to be happy, ethically, in the modern world?” Panu talked about his explorations with somatic therapy and breathing exercises. Thomas read a selection—“A Manifesto for Flourishing" (at minute 22:30)—from his new book Surviving Climate Anxiety. Join us for an honest and uplifting episode.
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    32 mins
  • Season 5, Episode 7: On Hiking and Zen with Brother Phap Luu
    Dec 5 2025
    Thomas and Panu had a great discussion with Brother Phap Luu, a US born Buddhist monk in the Plum Village tradition, and co-author of Hiking Zen. Topics included the dynamics of hiking meditation, the role of mindfulness and Buddhist thought in an engaged and ethical life, ways to find peace amid the furor of politics and climate threats.
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    38 mins
  • Season 5, Episode 6: New Options for Meetings and Travel with Josh Gutwill and Sue Allen
    Nov 22 2025
    As the end of the year and traditional holiday travel calls, many also consider the social and environmental impacts of traveling. One area where people can have control over required travel is in the structure of business and academic meetings. Thomas and Panu spoke with Josh Gutwill & Sue Allen of the Clean Conferencing Institute about new, positive trends in virtual and hybrid meetings. Many lessons have been learned since the rapid, sometimes awkward transition online during the COVID era. Beyond the environmental benefits, one clear finding is that using up-to-date online platforms makes it easier for a wider range of people to participate and contribute who might otherwise face barriers in traditional meeting settings.
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    37 mins