Serenbe Stories

Biophilic Solutions is a podcast all about the connection between humans and nature. In this episode, host Monica Olsen is joined by guest co-host Steve Nygren and climate activist Dr. Katharine Wilkinson to explore what it means to move from climate anxiety to action, the importance of community in times of uncertainty, and the power of intergenerational collaboration in shaping a more hopeful fu...

Jaimee Seabury of GreenRow joins Serenbe Stories to talk design, sustainability, and the transformation of one of Serenbe’s most beloved spaces. In this episode, Jaimee shares her path in the design world, from working with iconic lifestyle brands to helping shape GreenRow, Williams-Sonoma’s sustainable home brand built around the idea that beautiful spaces can also be thoughtfully made. The conve...

Tia Morrill and Jose Nava are the creative duo behind Levie, a boutique branding and design agency known for blending storytelling, design, and placemaking for global clients. But their Serenbe story began long before they ever called it home, nearly a decade ago, when they first discovered the community on CBS Sunday Morning and couldn’t quite shake the impression it left. At the time, they were...

Dr. Mary Alice Mina is a dermatologist and entrepreneur whose approach to skin health blends clinical expertise with a broader, lifestyle-driven perspective. After years of building a successful, procedure-focused practice in Midtown Atlanta, her connection to Serenbe, first through weekend visits with her family, gradually inspired a shift toward a more intentional way of living and working. On t...

From Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Serenbe, Darby Pollock’s story is about finding the balance between wide-open space and true community. After one visit in early 2020, she and her family made the move, drawn to a place where nature, connection, and everyday life come together. Today, Darby is the force behind Soul Barn at Serenbe, a reimagined equestrian space that goes far beyond riding. What was...

From global finance to Serenbe’s creative scene, Gary Cassis is redefining what semi-retirement can look like. A native New Yorker with a lifelong love of jazz, Gary spent years building a career in banking and international finance that took him across the world, all while his passion for music and the arts quietly stayed with him. Now at Serenbe, that passion has come full circle. In this episod...

Long before she ever set foot in Serenbe, Brandi Whitney knew it as a place where farm-to-table wasn’t just a trend, but a way of life. After years spent in culinary school, working in kitchens, and building her own restaurant, her focus began to shift, pulling her beyond the plate and toward the source itself. That curiosity grew into a deeper calling to work the land, connect with the soil, and...

Christina Trifero didn’t exactly plan her way to Serenbe, she followed a feeling she couldn’t ignore. After years working in the fast-paced startup worlds of San Francisco and New York, something started to shift. So she made a bold decision: she sold everything and went looking for a life that felt more aligned, more grounded, and more connected to herself. That search led her to Serenbe, and aft...

In Serenbe, we often joke about raising “free-range kids”, but it speaks to something real: a childhood shaped by time outdoors, independence, and a close-knit community. When The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt was released last year, it prompted a national conversation around screen time and youth mental health. Many parents here in Serenbe started to take a more intentional look at how the...

In 2002, before Serenbe had a name or a plan, Tim and Lindsey Mosby came down for a weekend at Steve and Marie Nygren’s bed-and-breakfast and never quite left it behind. Living in Candler Park at the time, they were drawn to the slower pace, took a leap on eight acres at a blind auction, and became part of Serenbe in its earliest, most unformed days. In this episode of Serenbe Stories , we sit dow...

Serenbe is often described as a place that feels different the moment you arrive. Last spring, the community marked 20 years since its groundbreaking, when that first shovel hit the ground and vision started to become reality. We celebrated with a big resident party – and it felt exactly the way a Serenbe party should: outside in nature on our Grange Green, live music in the air, kids running arou...

,Season 13 of Serenbe Stories premieres Monday, March 16th. Over and over again, we hear the same thing: there's just something different about Serenbe. Is it the thoughtfully designed streets, the miles of trails and protected forests, the fact that you can walk to dinner or to yoga or to the weekly farmer's market? Sure, those things are certainly part of the magic. But if we're b...

In this final episode of the Start In Your Own Backyard mini-series, Steve Nygren reflects on the journey of building Serenbe. What started out as an unlikely idea, sparked in a moment of fear and panic is now a living, breathing community where nature and people are woven back together. You’ll hear from neighbors like Gil Mathis, who traded a corporate finance career for a more authentic life roo...

A lot of what we’ve been exploring on this podcast comes back to an idea known as placemaking : the art of designing spaces that feel meaningful, welcoming, and rooted in community. At its core, it’s about creating places where people truly want to gather and belong. At Serenbe, that spirit comes alive every day. Visitors might arrive for goat yoga or a stroll through the nature trails and end up...

Food, shelter, walkable streets, even access to nature are all vital ingredients for a thriving community. But on their own, they aren’t quite enough. To truly flourish, people also need beauty, inspiration, and creativity woven into daily life. That’s where the arts come in. In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard , Steve Nygren explores why music, theater, sculpture, literature, and public...

Once upon a time, community wasn’t something you had to schedule, swipe for, or search out in a Facebook group. It was simply part of daily life. In this episode, Steve Nygren explores the loneliness epidemic, how our modern world has stripped away built-in community, and what it will take to bring it back. He dives into how thoughtful design choices like walkable streets, welcoming front porches,...

Most of us know that a sedentary, stress-filled lifestyle can take a heavy toll on our wellbeing. Yet when communities are designed for cars instead of people, when fast food is easier to find than fresh produce, and when green space feels totally out of reach, it becomes increasingly apparent that healthy choices are about so much more than willpower. In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard...

What makes a place feel magnetic? Why do some neighborhoods and buildings leave you feeling inspired, while others feel sterile and disconnected? In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard , we explore how the built environment shapes our sense of joy, connection, and belonging. You’ll hear from neurologist Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, who explains how our brains respond to beauty and why elements lik...

Access to nature isn’t just a luxury. It's essential for our health, our well-being, and the resilience of our communities. But what happens when the fields, forests, and streams we once knew are paved over by highways, strip malls, and suburban sprawl? In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard , Steve Nygren explores our deep connection to (and disconnection from) the natural world. From...

Start In Your Own Backyard is a mini-series about how the choices we make, both big and small, can transform the world around us. For host Steve Nygren, this is personal. Two decades ago, while running through the woods on his beloved family farm, he spotted bulldozers toppling trees for what he feared was another soulless suburban development. That sobering moment sparked a question that changed...

Christina and Jeff Escalante first discovered the transformative power of community during a whirlwind backpacking trip that took them to intentional communities in places like Spain, Israel, and Japan. At the time, they were living in a New York City apartment building where they barely knew their neighbors, a stark contrast that left a lasting impression. Fast forward a few years to the height o...

Josh Green is an Atlanta-based journalist whose work has appeared in prominent publications such as Garden & Gun , Atlanta Magazine , and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Urbanize Atlanta , where he covers the city’s evolving real estate landscape and development trends. Josh first visited Serenbe with his family all the way back in 2013 – and while...

If you’re a longtime listener , you already know that Serenbe is more than just a place - it’s a nature-based model for living that inspires others to challenge the status quo, embrace optimism, and reimagine their communities. And along the way, many people discover they’re reinventing themselves, too. Steve Nygren would be the first to tell you he’s learned a great deal over his 20-year journey...

Jennifer Band and Josh Hiller spent 13 years living in London—including a full year in lockdown—before making the move to Serenbe in 2021. As parents of two young children, they had been thinking about returning to the States for some time, but hadn’t quite found a place that felt right. That changed the moment they discovered Serenbe. It offered the perfect blend of what they loved about European...

Spring has officially arrived in Serenbe and the community is in full bloom. Despite the haze of pollen, residents are eager to embrace the outdoors, whether they’re digging into garden beds or hitting the trails. In this special episode of Serenbe Stories , Serenbe’s Director of Landscape and Natural Resources Thomas Peters joins Monica for a conversation about all things Spring. Thomas’s dedicat...