Serenbe Stories

Today we're talking with one of the planet's most avid environmental advocates, Laura Turner Seydel. Laura works with and supports organizations that address urgent challenges affecting the health, functionality, and vitality of our life support system: Our air, water, land, food, biodiversity, and climate. She co-founded Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to help protect Georgians' drinking...

Today's episode features Dr. Tim Beatley, who is the Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture at the University of Virginia, where he has taught for the last twenty-five years. Much of Tim's work focuses on the subject of sustainable communities, and creative strategies by which cities and towns can fu...

In this episode, Steve Nygren and Monica Olsen talk with New York Times bestselling author Dr. Katharine Wilkinson and writer + podcaster Mary Annaïse Heglar about the power of voice, their love of nature, and the new book "All We Can Save," which showcases the work of women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward...

As we kick off our season on Biophilia and how together we can build a Biophilic Movement, we first want to define its meaning. Joining us today is Liz Calabrese, an architect and leading educator of biophilic design. She co-authored "The Practice of Biophilic Design" with Dr. Stephen Kellert and has been an integral figure for over 30 years, working closely with many of the key players...

Biophilia is hard to spell and hard to pronounce, but is easy to understand and makes all the sense in the world once you know it's meaning. Biophilia is the innate connection humans have with nature and all living things, and this deep affiliation is rooted in our biology. The theme of our fourth season is "Building a Biophilic Movement" and the wisdom behind the radical common sen...

Danny Seo is known for his national magazine and Emmy awarding winning TV show both named "Naturally, Danny Seo". Danny believes life should be naturally delicious, naturally beautiful and naturally easy, all presented with style and sustainability. Today we talk about his start as an Earth Day activist at 12 years old, how he became known as the sustainable Martha Stewart, when a postca...

Today's episode of Serenbe Stories features Daren Wang, Founder of the Decatur Book Festival, which one of the largest festivals in the country.  In this episode he shares how his love of music brought him to Atlanta, how he started the Decatur Book Festival, the artist residency selection process, and his vision for the future of the arts. He and Steve Nygren even make plans to put those dre...

This season we've talked with journalists, thought leaders, and influencers who've visited Serenbe, about how their lives and the industries they report on have changed in the wake of coronavirus. Today's guest is Charles Bethea, a journalist and staff write for The New Yorker who has been covering the pandemic and whose latest articles feature the first weekend of protests in Atlan...

Today we're talking with Ford Fry, Chef and Restauranteur, whose many Atlanta restaurants have been favorites of ours for years. As he continues to open new concepts across the country, we talk with him about his love of creating dining experiences, how he's kept his businesses going during the pandemic, and his vision of the future of food and dining out from his perspective as an etern...

Today we're talking with freelance journalist Katie Kelly Bell, who has been writing about food, wine, and travel for the last 15 years. While the pandemic has changed how she's able to cover destinations, she describes herself as a pragmatic optimist who envisions travel coming back little by little over the coming months. In this episode, we talk about HOW we'll be able to travel,...

Today we're talking with Terry Lin, the co-founder of Outer. The first DTC fully recyclable outdoor furniture line based out of California. We first interviewed Terry in Fall 2019, as the company's outdoor furniture line was ramping up for an appearance on Shark Tank. We talked about recycling, innovation, and how he came to create a company that exemplifies both, alongside sustainabilit...

Today we are talking with journalist Gisela Williams, who's written for The New York Times, Elle Décor, The Financial Times, and Vogue among others. In her own words, she's always been interested in people who pursue humanitarian projects and make the effort everyday to be a better human. In her most recent article for Bloomberg Businessweek she writes about the people who are building f...

In today's 2-part interview, our very good friend, comedian and podcaster Pete Dominick talks poignantly about big life changes and finding his way after losing his dream job. We recorded that conversation last Fall and he graciously agreed to chat with us again this April to talk further now that the world is going through some big "life" changes and we're all trying to find o...

In Carrie Battan's recent Outside Magazine article, she says she came to Serenbe to see if it truly offered respite from, as she wrote, "the exhausting effects of {her} fast-paced, digital, urban life." In this episode of Serenbe Stories, we talk with her about her visit to Serenbe in Fall 2019, her Outside article, and how her life has changed since the coronavirus has forced peopl...

Today's episode features a 2-part interview with Jennifer Walsh, who talks about her years in the beauty industry, her deep love of nature and her mission to connect us to the natural world. The first part of our interview was recorded Fall 2019 with the intention of kicking off our 3rd Season this Fall. But with everything happening in the world today we realized Jennifer's perspective...

In seasons 1 & 2, we heard from Steve Nygren and his personal journey of creating Serenbe, his vision for the future of community and we spoke to many of the people integral to Serenbe's success. Our next season, kicks off Monday, April 27, with an entire new set of guests and stories. We will move beyond Steve's story to talk with people who have experienced Serenbe - people who hav...

Tom Reed considers himself a "start-up guy" not a politician, in fact he's been on the Inc. 500/5000 List 3x for different startups, but moving to Serenbe offered a unique opportunity to lead "start-up city" of Chattahoochee Hills as mayor. Ask yourself, How do you thrive financially while mindfully preserving? How many developers live in the city they've built? Imagi...

Ned and Janice Peek were the first people Steve Nygren met when he moved to Chattahoochee Hills, and their table was the first he went to when he needed help protecting their shared rural paradise. Rodney Peek, their son, was on the first City Council after Chattahoochee Hills was incorporated, and his children are the 7th generation in their family to be born and raised in Chattahoochee Hills. Th...

Today's guest, artist Tom Swanston, is regarded as Serenbe's first artist-in-residence, though he was a Serenbe resident before there was an official program. In fact, Tom was an integral figure in creating AIR Serenbe, which is the artist residency division of the Serenbe Institute.  In this episode, Tom regales us with stories about finding his own farm south of Atlanta, what it was li...

Chad Epple says he's been a civil engineer since he started building tree houses as a kid. As the VP of Southeastern Engineering, he brought a creativity and willingness to join Steve in changing the rules to design Serenbe the way neighborhoods were built 75 years ago. In this episode, Chad and Steve look back at a time when Serenbe was only woods and remember what it was like to work with t...

On this episode of Serenbe Stories we talk with Robert Rausch, the man who created the works of art that are Serenbe's street lamps, sidewalk benches, bike racks, and even trash cans. We talk about Robert, Steve Nygren, and famed landscape architect Ryan Gainey collaborating to create Serenbe's original branding, and how Robert and Steve have continued finding ways to bring art and creat...

When Dennis Creech started Southface, energy wasn't even a part of the environmental conversation. He knew it would be one of the most significant issues our society would face, and in this episode he talks about the positive effects of green building and how Atlanta is leading the nation in reducing energy and water demand. Dennis also tells us about the Kendeda Building for Innovative Susta...

We are so glad that the Nygrens incorporated art into Serenbe, and today's guest was a major part of making that possible. Today we talk with John Graham, the founding executive director of the Serenbe Institute is engaging the metro Atlanta area, and the future of art and culture in this community.   Definitions, People + Organizations Mentioned Sandra Storrar Garnie Nygren Janice Barton Ser...

In today's episode, we talk with UGA professor Alfie Vick about eating plants, taking biophilic principals to all communities, environmental ethics and his deep understanding of the Southern Native American tribes. He talks about how their history, culture, and practices are an example in living a balanced life in-tune with nature. Alfie also talks about the thousands of native plant species...

You might not see the connection between biophilic design and national security, but today's guest outlines how communities like Serenbe are imperative in our global defense strategy. We're excited for you to hear Monica Olsen and Steve Nygren's conversation with Colonel Mark "Puck" Mykleby. Puck talks about meeting Phyllis Bleiweis and coming to Serenbe, where he bonded w...