Natural Obsession Podcast

Come along with us for the second part of this two part episode with Professors of Psychology Dr. Jennifer Penney and Dr. Carmen Merrick! Learn with us as they talk about their research on nature connectedness and how it benefits us psychologically. Have you ever noticed how a short walk can flip your whole day? We lean into that reality with a deep, practical look at nature connectedness—what it...

In this first of two episodes, we sit down with Dr. Jennifer Penner and Dr. Carmen Merrick , psychology professors at Hendrix College , to explore how time in nature can calm the mind, restore balance, and reconnect us to what matters most. From classrooms in Arkansas to fieldwork in Costa Rica, Jenn and Carmen study how the outdoors shapes memory, emotion, and well-being. We talk about why studen...

From her first deer hunt at just one week old to harvesting a mountain goat after months of scouting steep Colorado terrain with her teenage son, Hillery Edinger carries forward a rich family legacy of hunting and outdoor living. She’s a fourth-generation outdoorswoman whose life centers around the land—and what it provides. Hillery shares stories of her grandmother who took down 31 bull elk durin...

Imagine gripping onto a rock face, your focus narrowed to just your next move, the world's noise fading into silence. For JD Borgeson of the Arkansas Climbing Coalition, this mental clarity represents rock climbing's greatest gift—a complete escape from our distracted modern lives into pure presence. "When you're climbing, you're thinking about how tired you are, where you...

What if the most powerful medicine grew right in your backyard? Chris and Alex Baker are proving it does at City Farm Conway, their regenerative farm where honeybees, herbs, and holistic practices create a symphony of natural living. The couple's journey began separately—Chris with an affinity for beekeeping and self-sustainability, Alex searching for alternatives to the chronic illness that...

Stepping into the garden with Joe Lamp'l (better known as Joe the Gardener) feels like walking alongside a trusted friend who's been tending the soil for decades. The Emmy award-winning host of PBS's "Growing a Greener World" brings warmth, wisdom, and infectious enthusiasm to our conversation about finding joy in nature and living more intentionally. Joe's journey be...

Bruce McMath paints a vivid picture of what we've lost as artificial lighting has erased our view of the stars, and why it matters more than you might think. When was the last time you truly saw the night sky? Not the dim scattering of stars visible from suburbs, but the breathtaking cosmic vista our ancestors considered as fundamental to human experience as sunrise and sunset. For most Ameri...

Reconnecting with the land doesn't mean you have to do it all at once. Dirk Tanner of Tanner Farmstead shares his practical wisdom on finding balance in the homesteading journey. "I think there's valuable skills that we've lost in today's day and age that our grandparents had," Dirk reflects early in our conversation. His journey from suburban upbringing to homesteade...

Welcome to season 2 of Natural Obsession. Join us as we approach it with a sense of urgency but also hopefulness. We are calling this season "Live Slow, Re-wild." It's all about slowing down and restoring the things we've lost. Not just in the outdoors but in ourselves. We will be talking to people who are living this out to varying degrees with knowledge about things like dark...

What happens when two outdoor guys slow down and start asking bigger questions? In this season finale, TJ and Daniel reflect on the journey so far, sharing key lessons from their guests and their own challenges along the way. From Alan’s reminder that “we are what we eat,” to Angela’s perspective on how nature makes us confront what matters most, to Danny’s advice to “put the fishing pole down” an...

Ever wonder why we're so passionate about conserving the land while neglecting our own bodies? In this eye-opening episode, we turn the mirror on ourselves and explore the fascinating connection between our health and our relationship to nature. We dive into the stark differences between how our grandparents lived—with gardens, canning, and natural food sources—compared to our modern existenc...

Think bats are blind? Think again. In this myth-busting episode, we sit down with wildlife biologist Phillip Jordan to explore the surprising truths about one of nature’s most misunderstood creatures. With nearly two decades of bat research under his belt, Phillip shares stories from late-night fieldwork, remote caves, and even a volcanic island in Nicaragua—where he studied dozens of bat species...

Have you ever wondered what it takes to help people fall in love with the outdoors? Sam Files, photographer and park interpreter at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, offers a fascinating glimpse into this world through his unique lens. Growing up glued to Animal Planet and spending his childhood exploring nature, Sam found his calling in park interpretation—connecting visitors with Arkansas's nat...

What happens when you ask yourself "Between now and death, what do you want life to look like?" For Alan and Angela Mahan of Rabbit Ridge Farms, that question sparked a revolution in how they approach farming, community, and food. In this captivating conversation, we journey from their contrasting childhoods—Angela at the country club and Alan on a dairy farm "sitting on a pile of m...

In this intriguing conversation the guys talk to Ryan Parker and Katrina Sims about how approximately 98% of Arkansas's native prairies have disappeared, replaced by dense forests and non-native grasses that create "biological deserts" for wildlife. Yet hope remains. "Native seed can sit in the soil for decades, a hundred years or more," explains Parker. "With the rig...

When Paul Foshee says a good coon dog "don't run anything but a coon," he's speaking from decades of midnight adventures tracking through Arkansas backwoods with his faithful hounds. The second part of our conversation with Paul delivers pure storytelling gold as he recounts tales that few modern outdoorsmen will ever experience firsthand. Picture this: Paul and his hunting par...

Paul Foshee's weathered hands tell the story of a life richly lived—from barbering, to precisely shaping stone as a mason, to the patient nurturing of pecan trees that now stand as his legacy. Paul represents a generation that built America through versatility and an unyielding work ethic, skills that seem increasingly rare in our technological world. It's in his pecan operation, started...

In this eye-opening conversation, Tyler Savage, a biologist from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, takes us on a journey through time and paints a clear picture of what habitat in the Natural State looks like today versus several hundred years ago. Areas that are now a dense sea of trees were once open woodlands and savannas maintained by frequent, low-intensity fires. These fire-dependent ec...

In this captivating conversation, Danny Williams invites us into his journey toward a more natural way of living. His story weaves together childhood memories of playing in creeks and fishing with his father, professional challenges and personal health struggles, and a vision of land stewardship that prioritizes diversity, sustainability, and community. Danny shares practical wisdom about sheet mu...

In this bonus content, Daniel and TJ continue their conversation with Danny Williams after the cameras are off.  When three old friends get together and start chatting, there's no telling what will come up! After tasting some farm-raised pickled quail eggs, the guys talk about the trend to live more naturally and with greater self-reliance. As the conversation meanders, more topics including...

Most of us live with fear lurking beneath the surface, controlling our choices without our awareness. For Danny Williams, it took his daughter's devastating cancer diagnosis – a prognosis with just 5-10% survival odds – to begin the brutal process of confronting this hidden controller.  This raw, vulnerable conversation explores what he calls "the crucible" – a three-year period tha...

Come with us as we talk to our good friend, UK native, and Arkansas waterfall chaser, Gez Rogers. Looking for seclusion, Gez's waterfall journey started in 2018 after he tragically lost his son, Josh. Since then, he has visited over 500 waterfalls in the Natural State alone. In this episode, Gez shares how you can visit waterfalls yourself, offers advice on hiking with a loyal canine companio...

Sit back and grab a coffee as you get to know hosts Daniel Emison and TJ Virden in this premiere episode of the Natural Obsession Podcast. Listen as they share some of the formative outdoor experiences that shaped their lifelong passions for nature. Through stories that range from heartwarming to hilarious, discover how their appreciation for being outside and for conservation deepened over time....