Wild Connection

Show Notes Summary In this episode, I sit down with evolutionary biologist Joan Strassmann to explore the social lives of birds and what they can teach us about behavior, self‑interest, and community across species. Building on the previous episode with primatologist Joan Silk, who showed how long‑term studies of baboons reveal the deep effects of early adversity and social bonds on lifespan and f...

Primatologist Joan Silk has spent decades following individual baboons from birth to death, documenting how friendships, conflicts, and early life experiences shape their lives. In this conversation, we explore how grooming, coalition support, and even simple grunts help baboons repair fights and maintain social bonds. We talk about why female baboons have intense relationships with their mothers...

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but we’re relentlessly reminded that romantic love ought to be the most important relationship in our lives. But in this conversation, evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford, provides a more nuanced idea. We explore where humans sit evolutionarily between monogamy and polygamy, why pair...

How do we live well in a world we cannot control? In this episode of Wild Connection, I'm joined by Massimo Pigliucci, evolutionary biologist, philosopher, author, and one of today’s leading voices on modern Stoicism. We explore stoicism not as emotional detachment or passive acceptance, but as a practical philosophy designed to help people navigate uncertainty, loss, and moral complexity with cla...

What if the building blocks of life are not unique to Earth? In this episode of Wild Connection, I am joined by Dr. Ersilia Vaudo, astrophysicist who serves as Special Advisor on Future Talents at the European Space Agency and author of The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions. Our conversation comes at a moment of renewed cosmic curiosity, following a recent discovery reported by CNN, Univer...

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 livi...

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...

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 am...

What if a river is alive? What would it say about our world today? About the way we treat water, land, and each other? This question is at the heart of Robert Macfarlane’s latest book, Is a River Alive? On this episode Robert invites us to reimagine rivers not as background scenery or mere water channels, but as living entities, storytellers, and deserving of rights. To keep up with Robert check o...

What can animals teach us about empathy, intelligence, and connection? In this episode of Wild Connection, bestselling author Sy Montgomery shares her journey and explores what chickens (and other animals) really know. With over 30 books to her name, from The Soul of an Octopus to How to Be a Good Creature, Sy invites us to see the world through the eyes of others You can keep up with Sy and check...

Join me in conversation with conservation legend Ian Redmond, whose groundbreaking work with Dian Fossey and lifelong advocacy for great apes and elephants has shaped global conservation. We talk about his early days in the forest, his current work with Ecoflix, and the power of storytelling in saving species. Recorded in September 2024, this episode offers a rare window into the past, present, an...

This episode is a special one as I got to interview a personal scientific hero of mine, and fellow great ape researcher, Dr. Richard Wrangham. He shares his findings and heartwarming stories of some of the chimpanzees he's gotten to know over the years. He's also a prolific write and champion of chimps and communities. Check out the links below to find out more about the important work he and his...

This episode features Dr. Susan B Eirich— author of Whispers from the Wild: An Invitation Stories from the Rescued Wild Animals of Earthfire institute. Susan’s work in Reconnection Ecology invites us to see animals not as ‘other,’ but as beings with whom we share this planet in a profound and reciprocal way. Check out the incredible work of the Earthfire Institute here and learn more about Susan o...

George Makari is the author of a recent book titled Of Fear and Strangers: A History of Xenophobia. He is also a psychiatrist and historian, who is the Director of the DeWitt Wallace Institute of Psychiatry: History, Policy, and the Arts,Weill Cornell Medical College, where he has a clinical practice.

Today we have science writer and author Emma Marris here, and we’re going to be talking about her amazing experience and her book, Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World. You can keep up with Emma by visiting her website If you are digging the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Spotify,  or wherever you listen to podcasts....

Today I am lucky enough to talk to award winning photojournalist and filmmaker Ami Vitale who’s works will move you and compel you to reconsider your relationship to nature. Most recently her not for profit Vital Impacts collaborated with the Jane Goodall Institute to celebrate women photographers, specifically, 90 of them in honor of Jane Goodall turning 90 last year. It was launched on April 1st...

This episode the interviewer becomes the interviewee as I am interviewed by my very talented intern Logan. We cover everything from how I got started to where I am headed. Please join us as we kick off Season!

A throwback to an episode from July 2023 where I talked with orca biologist and author Hanne Strager.  As you may have heard Orca's off the coast of Spain have been "misbehaving" and scientists are struggling to find a good answer to why they are attacking boats. A New York Times article that was published on August 27th, 2024 proposes a new theory.  I don't really agree. Do you? Feel free to leav...

As we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of A Sand County Almanac and the 100th Anniversary of the designation of the Gila Wilderness Area, I talk with Dr. Stan Temple, Senior Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison about the evolution of Leopold's perspective and his lasting contribution to the modern conservation philosophy of the United St...

Right here in the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Southern portion an invasion is coming. Not of aliens, of cicadas. Brood 19 and 13 have begun emerging and they haven't come out of the ground together in 221 years! Even though I recorded this episode in 2021 during Brood 10's emergence, it's worth rebooting because  periodical cicadas are unique to the U.S. The guest is entomologist D...

This week rounds out Earth Month and I am talking with writer and conservationist Lydia Millet. Her new book, We Loved it All, takes you on a journey through her childhood and yours at the same time. It's more than a memoir though. It's a gift, a gift full of stories about how other animals are part of the fabric of our lives.  We talk about many things in this episode, from her work at the Center...

As we continue to celebrate Earth month, tune in to my conversation with author Leah Rampy. In this episode, we talk about her new book, Earth and Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos. Not only is it a heartfelt discussion, but I hope it will invite you to reconsider how you interact with the natural world and inspire you to make that a bigger part of your life (if it isn't already!) If you want...

I'm calling April Earth month because, well, doesn't our planet deserve at least 1 month of appreciation? Last time we re-booted Caren Cooper and this week we are revisiting a powerful conversation I had with Nathaniel Popkin, author of To Reach the Spring.  I would like to ask that you subscribe to the Wild Connection podcast and share it with your friends and family. By spreading the word, you'r...

I enjoyed my chat with Dr Caren Cooper so much we are bringing it back. Dr. Caren Cooper is part of NCSU’s Leadership in Public Science Program and the F&W Conservation Biology Program. She is passionate about the social side of science, getting people involved in a variety of ways, and looking at what it means for laypersons to participate in science. She’s also an ornithologist and outstandi...

On this episode I talk to Dr. Ben Stanger, a distinguished author and expert in cellular biology. Dr. Stanger's latest book, From One Cell: A Journey Into Life’s Origins and the Future of Medicine explains the mysteries of cellular development and its profound implications for understanding life itself. In his book, Dr. Stanger masterfully navigates through the intricate landscape of cellular biol...