Wild Voices

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Nicci and I are joined by Stephanie Pearson where we talk about using houseplants to deal with mental health. Stephanie's mental health journey took her from ZERO plants to more than 60 in a matter of months. Whether you're dealing with mental health issue...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Nicci and I chat with some of our nature-loving friends after a much-needed Forest Therapy Session in the woods near Union University. We discuss a little about the past few months, how we've been reconnecting with nature, and future plans for the Wild Voices...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Nicci chats with Chris Smith and Renee Roark to recap the Spring Retreat that was held at Cloverpenny Farm in June. They discuss each session - glass walking, yoga, forest bathing, and ecstatic dance - and the profound impact the event had on the facilitators and...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Nicci chats with Donna about her experience at The Homestead Festival in Columbia, TN. Listen in as we chat about starting a worm farm for composting, meat chickens, ethical food harvesting, and tips for seed saving! There is so much information that we didn't...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Nicci and I are joined by Chris Smith and Lauren Oftedahl to discuss the first RetreatABLE event they hosted in Wisconsin a few weeks ago. The crew at Wild Voices Podcast couldn’t be more thrilled to see the impact that these ladies are making in other communities...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Donna and Nicci head down to Pinson Mounds State Park to chat with Madlyn Maples, the park's Seasonal Interpretive Ranger. Madlyn shares some of the cool history of the park and some of the unique events happening at Pinson Mounds. Mentioned in the show: Pinso...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Donna talks with Joe Meisel, biologist, conservationist, and educator. He is the author of two books about the wonders of the natural world: The Marlin’s Fiery Eye and Other Tales from the Extraordinary World of Marine Fishes (Cornell Press, 2025) and Orchids of T...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Donna is joined by Raye Coon, a life coach in Jackson and gem of a human! Donna and Raye discuss Raye's journey and her newest venture - Redemption Road - and the impact that nature has had on her personal and spiritual development. Mentioned in this episode:...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Nicci, Donna, and Chris chat about the amazing Spring Equinox Retreat that took place at CloverPenny Farm on March 22, 2025. What a wonderful day of connecting, community, love, and support! If you didn't make it, check out this episode to see what you missed. Mar...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. The Plant Shop - Plant Sale 219 North Parkway Ste 6 Jackson TN 38305 March 13-15, 2024 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spring Equinox Nature Retreat CloverPenny Farm Saturday, March 22, 2025 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Community Seed Swap The Ledge - 3581 Highway 70 E, Spring Creek TN 38305 March 27, 2...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. We took a little sabbatical due to illness, weather issues, and a particularly devastating loss at the farm. Our beloved Walter, our gender-fluid turkey and mascot of the Wild Voices Podcast, was taken by a predator. This episode is perfectly timed, as we speak with Lauren Oftedah...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. “Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdr...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, we chat with Diana Cotten, a local businesswoman, nature lover, and country-life extraordinaire! Diana shares with us the details about her latest venture - a plant shop coming to the West Tennessee area! This hilarious episode covers everything from the plant sho...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. The snow settled in, and we did too! Snuggle up and enjoy this episode where Nicci and I talk about all the great events and happenings in the coming months! Upcoming Events: Wild Voices Spring Retreat - March 22, 2025 at CloverPenny Farms. More details to come! RetreatAble: A whe...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, we chat with Brad Gano about all things landscaping. Brad, a private landscaper in Denver, Colorado sat down with us for a great conversation about grasses, trees, and tips for getting the most out of your landscape. Check out the episode as Brad shares his knowle...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. Now that the holidays are coming to a close, many people may be feeling the need to reflect and focus on self-care. That can often include therapy. In this episode, we chat with Renee Roark about Adventure Therapy. Renee shares how her approach to therapy within nature takes a dif...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. Winter is upon us in West Tennessee! With the cold (and recently rainy) weather rolling in, there’s no better time to start planning fun winter projects to connect you to nature and your creativity. In this episode, we discuss a few of our favorite things to do during the winter a...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, we chat with David Blackwood about all things mushrooms. David is the Director of the West Tennessee River Basin Authority by day, but mushroom hunting is his passion. This fascinating conversation includes tips on when and where to forage, the two deadly shrooms...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, we visit the UT-TSU Extension office to meet with Celeste Luckey Scott and Mary Glenys Espey and learn more about the Extension’s programs and services. We talk about the Master Gardeners Program, Tennessee Smart Yard, and the services that the Extension offers to...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. In this episode, Nicci and Donna are joined by Chris Smith for a lovely discussion about last weekend's Wild Voices Retreat. We talk about our favorite parts of the day, read some feedback from participants, and share a wonderful campfire song that has been sitting with our souls...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. Join us as we sit by the fire on a beautiful Saturday and discuss the benefits of connecting with nature and give you some tips to combat the physical and mental challenges of the changing season. We'll give you a few strategies for coping with the stress of the upcoming election...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. Come along with us on our journey to The Mystic's Garden in Enville, TN where we had a facinating conversation with owner Mikki Patterson. In this episode, we explore the wonderful ways that Mikki uses herbal remedies to treat a variety of issues, both physically and mentally. Mik...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. We had the pleasure of speaking with Laura Lamun, author of The Garden of Earth—Living Remedies & Earth-Honoring Practices. In this episode, we eat a few things from Laura's yard and discuss the great uses and benefits of wild plants in West Tennessee and the Southeast. Laura...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano, where nature speaks and stories come alive. This episode of Wild Voices was recorded after a captivating Forest Bathing session with Certified Forest Therapy Guide and co-host Nicci Gano at Wooded Trail System at Union University. The unique experience of being led through the forest with guided prompts, followed by warm te...

Welcome to the Wild Voices podcast, where nature speaks and stories come alive, hosted by Donna Thomas and Nicci Gano. We will be launching our first full episode in the coming week! In the meantime, we invite you to take a moment to listen to our introduction episode and learn more about us and the journey we plan to take with this podcast. Whether you're a forager, gardener, mushroom hunter, for...