Episodes
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When you intentionally engage your senses in the world around you, you open up windows of opportunity to experience peace and calm. There are infinite ways that you can do this in nature, and the most simple way is to step outside and look around you. Notice what your eyes are seeing. Notice the textures and the colours around you. Notice the sounds. Breathe in and notice the aromas. Stop, pause, take in the moment. Even for just a moment.
Our guest today speaks about her experience of doing this in a very special nature space where she lives. In fact, it was the very same space where we recorded this conversation. Tania Bertram loves the outdoors and has built a lifestyle around those aspects of nature that she loves the most and that bring her a sense of peace and calm in the midst of life's stresses. Tania was one of our Outdoors is my Therapy Ambassadors when we launched in 2020, and she's previously shared a story on my blog about her travels around Australia with two young children. After you've listened to this episode, you might like to click on the link in the show notes to have a read of her story and be inspired. But for now, meet my friend Tania.
LINKSContact Kathryn via her website
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
âYour Personal Day of Retreat: A guide to planning self-care and stress management that really worksâ e-book
Read the blog post and transcript for "Finding Peacefulness in Nature"
Read Tania's blog post "Family Adventures: Taniaâs Story of Travel Around Australia"
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Music by Twisterium from Pixabay -
Nature provides space for simplicity, tranquility, peace and quiet as well as space for challenges, risks, and opportunities to stretch your skills and abilities, and expand your knowledge and understanding of the complexity of life. You can access support in the midst of chaos by finding ways to tap into the simplicity of nature when you need it.
Today's guest is Jessica Carey who says that the complex simplicity of nature is also a reflection of human nature. Jessica is a returning guest on the podcast. She has an infectious enthusiasm for the outdoors and it's always a joy to share her inspiration with others.
LINKSContact Kathryn via her website
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
âYour Personal Day of Retreat: A guide to planning self-care and stress management that really worksâ e-book
Read the blog post and transcript for The Complex Simplicity of NatureContact Jessica Carey
"Movement and Mindset with Jessica Carey" - Transcript from the podcast âSpeak Out Loud: Stories of Strength from the Southern Downsâ Season 2: Episode 12 (Published 4th April 2022)
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Music by Twisterium from Pixabay
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Humans are wired to be sometimes predictable, sometimes unpredictable, just like other things in nature. My challenge to you is to notice the elements of predictability and unpredictability in nature and celebrate the wonder of nature being the same yet different. Celebrate the diversity of our world. Get up close. Be curious and be surprised each time you go outside.
Today's guest loves the unpredictable nature of nature. Jolene Nelson has worked for many years in the outdoors, and she loves to spend her recreational time outside too. In today's episode, Jo shares what inspires her about the outdoors, and she tells us about some of her favourite places.
LINKSRead more about Girraween National Park
Read the transcript of this episode on the blogGrab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
âYour Personal Day of Retreat: A guide to planning self-care and stress management that really worksâ e-book
Contact Kathryn via her websiteJoin the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Music by Twisterium from Pixabay
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Meet my friend Krista Bjorn who shares why nature is so important to her. Krista has a particular love of herbs and other plants that are beneficial for healing and nutrition as well as adding beauty to the spaces around her. She shares her favourite place in the world and has some really practical advice about how nature can support you during stressful times and when you're not feeling well enough to venture outside. We talk about how Krista learnt to notice the little treasures in nature and how that led her to capture them through photography and share them with the world.
LINKS
Read the transcript via Kathryn's blog
Krista's website
Follow Krista on Instagram @ramblingtart
Contact Kathryn via her website
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
âYour Personal Day of Retreat: A guide to planning self-care and stress management that really worksâ e-book
Music by Twisterium from Pixabay -
Meet my friend Marco Gliori who has an absolute gift for words. Marco lives in the rural Southern Downs Region of Southern Queensland like myself. Today he shares some of his widely acclaimed bush verse with us, "The Million Stars Motel" including what inspired him to write this poem. Marco also chats about his favourite ways to connect with nature at home and on his extensive travels across Australia.
LINKS
Read the transcript via Kathryn's blog
Contact Kathryn via her website
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
âYour Personal Day of Retreat: A guide to planning self-care and stress management that really worksâ e-book
Music by Twisterium from Pixabay -
Today, you'll hear from my friend Julia Keogh, who shares with us that the outdoors inspires her to keep moving because however you look at it, the outdoor world is ever changing, it's always moving. And she says having that connection with the natural environment is the best health tonic you can have.
LINKS
Contact Kathryn via her website
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Read the blog post "Nature: The Best Health Tonic You Can Have"
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
âYour Personal Day of Retreat: A guide to planning self-care and stress management that really worksâ e-book
Music by Twisterium from Pixabay -
In today's episode, you'll hear from my friend Helen Lewis who speaks about awe. Helen lives on a farm near Warwick in southern Queensland where her lifestyle is intimately connected with the outdoors. You'll hear Helen share her sense of awe and her wonder about the natural world around her, the changes that she sees day to day and season to season, and the special spaces and the experiences that inspire her.
LINKS
Contact Helen Lewis at Picots Farm
The power of feeling small: how awe and wonder sustain us | Julia Baird | TEDxSydney
Phosphorescence: On Awe Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird
Contact Kathryn via her website
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Read the blog post "Awe in Nature"
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
âYour Personal Day of Retreat: A guide to planning self-care and stress management that really worksâ e-book
Music by Twisterium from Pixabay -
Bushfire recovery, like any disaster recovery, is a journey that takes place over time. In 2019 and 2020 the Southern Downs region in southern Queensland was one of many areas across Australia that was impacted by bushfires in the midst of a severe drought. The emotional, economic and environmental impacts on the region's residents and workers has been huge. In recent months I've been leading a community podcast project that's sharing stories and mental health information to support people on their recovery journey.
In this episode you'll hear some little gems from the community podcast that we called Speak Out Loud: Stories of Strength from the Southern Downs. I've simply loved being able to combine my passion for the outdoors with promoting mental health and wellbeing through this project!
You'll hear words of advice from mental health workers, community workers and residents about sleep, nutrition, stress, psychological strategies, financial stress, where and how to access resources, services and supports, the importance of preparation, expressing gratitude, building hope and more. If you find any benefit in the little soundbites, you can listen to each of the episodes in full on the podcast app you're using now or you can listen in online.
LINKS
Speak Out Loud: Stories of Strength from the Southern Downs podcast
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Contact Kathryn via her website
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
Today's episode will inspire you to connect with nature to improve your health and wellbeing. You can be intentional about the time you spend with nature whether you love to go away on epic adventures off the beaten track far from the cities and towns, or whether you connect with nature in ordinary everyday ways. Did you know that it's possible to connect with nature and enjoy the benefits even if you can't get outside? And the way you prefer to connect with nature might be different to the way others connect and thatâs completely ok.
Connecting with nature benefits our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Nature is a place and space to feel fully alive whether itâs through stillness or activity and nature is a judgement-free zone. Where else do you experience that kind of freedom?
Nature also has ways of talking us, but not in the usual way that you hear this podcast or read words in a blog. Nature's language is symbolic and can be felt deep in your heart. You simply just need to be there, immersed in a natural environment or with one of nature's gifts to feel supported, connected and understood. It's a space to process your inner and outer life and it reminds you that you're part of a much bigger world.
You can also use your imagination to help you connect with nature when you can't be outside. Visualisation practices are the ultimate virtual reality that can connect you with nature no matter where you are!
LINKS
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Read the blog post How to Connect with Nature
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Contact Kathryn via her website
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
My friend and 'Outdoors is my Therapy' Ambassador, Jessica Carey (from ARISE with Jessica Carey) recently joined me for a Nature Escape Day in which we navigated off track and immersed ourselves in the expansiveness of the incredible Granite Belt region in southern Queensland, the traditional lands of the Kambuwal people. Jessica and I chat about:
going off the beaten track on a bush walk, but also in business and personallythe benefits of spending time in nature for mental health and wellbeingwhat itâs like to create your own pathway in lifethe importance of preparednessthe importance of moving to the edge of fear, embracing vulnerability and trusting your internal navigation systemLINKS
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Download Jessica Careyâs free Rise + Shine Meditation
Purchase Jessica Careyâs Rise + Shine Morning Guidebook
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Contact Kathryn via her website
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
Have you ever taken yourself away for the day, all by yourself, for a day of peace and quiet in nature? Maybe to the beach, or rainforest or a National Park or maybe a river or lake? There are lots of obstacles that can get in the way of being able to kick back, relax, and reconnect with your inner self. Kathryn guides you with some tried and true strategies to overcome the obstacles, and then she takes you step by step through a simple process so that you can incorporate Nature Escape Days into your routine too. You can also grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day (for a limited time) when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter.
LINKS
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Read the blog post "Nature Escape Day"
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Contact Kathryn via her website
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
Living life in the fast lane can be very satisfying. Running on adrenaline keeps you energised and buzzing but it has drawbacks too. In the hectic pace of living a busy life, even one you love, your stress hormones are circulating constantly through your body and this can have a significant impact on your longer term health. You might not feel it in the moment, but over time the impact can affect your health including your mental health. There can be silent wear and tear going on in the background affecting your gut, your nervous system and other systems in your body.
Bringing a slower pace to your life, even for just a small part of your day, can invite a healthier balance for your body and mind. Just a few minutes a day connecting with nature is a perfect way to start a new habit of resting and re-energising and restoring your inner balance.
In this episode Kathryn shares a simple daily routine to connect with nature that helps you to draw on the benefits of slower living.
LINKS
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time only)
Read the blog post Slower Living
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Contact Kathryn via her website
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
This amazing planet that we live on has sustained life for many millions of years. Itâs a world filled with incredible cycles in nature and in our own lives as humans. When we sit back and observe these cycles, we grow in understanding about our world and ourselves, and we learn that hope helps us to deal with the endings and beginnings that are part of life. Kathryn shares some stories about cycles in nature including a family of birds over the summer, a pot of colourful petunias, and the evolving cycles of the Outdoors is my Therapy initiative.
LINKS
Grab your free Guide to a Perfect Nature Escape Day when you subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter (limited time)
Read the blog post
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Contact Kathryn via her website
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
We all have seasons in life, just as the climate has seasons. In this episode Kathryn reflects on letting go of some aspects of her life that she no longer needs. Itâs the season of autumn (or fall) and it feels so much lighter! By allowing things to fall away you can create more time, space and energy to focus on what matters most to you at that particular point in your life. As you hunker down through winter and quietly work on projects behind the scenes, all will be revealed in spring time when your hard work blossoms and is revealed to those around you. Kathryn asks âWhat season are you living in right now?â
LINKS
Contact Kathryn and listen to other podcast episodes via her website
Read the blog post "Seasons in Life"
Subscribe to the Grounded Inspiration newsletter for more inspiration (approx 2 newsletters per month)
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
Whilst exercise is fabulous for so many reasons, it must be built on a foundation of general movement throughout the day. Nature can give you a helping hand to get a routine of more activity into your day. In todayâs episode Kathryn shares some suggestions with you so that youâll feel motivated to move more and sit less, find more joy in life, and discover the unending little treasures when you connect with nature on a daily basis.
LINKS
Read more in the blog post "How to get motivated to get outdoors"
Check out Kathrynâs website
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
There are many ways that nature can help you to relax. In todayâs episode Kathryn steps you through a simple and practical exercise thatâs based on developing a relaxing association with something from nature that gives you joy. Listen, learn and practise as Kathryn guides you to select an item from nature that you can use as the focus for this activity. You will learn how to relax your body and mind in ways that counteract the stress response and trigger an effective relaxation response. Once youâve learned how to do this for yourself, youâll be able to teach other people, including children, how to use nature to relax too.
LINKS
Read more in the blog post
Check out Kathrynâs website for more outdoors goodness and subscribe to "Grounded Inspiration" to be notified about the latest podcasts, blogs, adventures and resources for women's wellbeing!
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group where we're sharing inspiration and information about how to live your best life in the outdoors!
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
The Adventure Therapy Project has been inspiring and skilling women to make healthy choices for themselves by valuing self-care, spending time outdoors, challenging themselves in new ways, and being physically active. Throughout 2019 and 2020 the project offered amazing fun and free activities for women in girls in the Southern Downs Region of southern Queensland including bushwalks, gentle nature walks, birdwatching, trail yoga (outdoors yoga), mountain biking, canoeing, bouldering, nature craft workshops and camping. The project supported the drought affected community to improve mental health and wellbeing, reduce stigma and connect women with local resources and with each other through outdoor activities.
LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION
Read more in the blog post
Read about the Hike and Camp Weekend for Women that featured in Episode 22
Check out Kathrynâs website
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
Today Iâm sharing with you the value of regularly spending time outdoors for your health and wellbeing. Youâll hear about the Hike + Camp weekend that I recently ran with a small group of women and the joys, benefits and learnings we experienced. As a long term bushwalker and camper, I know first hand how valuable it is to get out there into nature, challenge yourself physically but also to rest and heal and rejuvenate in nature. So itâs pretty special for me to share this experience with others and know what a difference it has made, and that it will keep making in other parts of their lives too. Immersing yourself in nature for a weekend, removed from your usual distractions and responsibilities, sets you up to connect with nature in ways that are meaningful, for example, listening to the waterfall was a great reminder to all of us to spend more time doing those things that revive us.
LINKS
Read more in the blog post
Check out Kathrynâs website
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
Today Iâm sharing with you some tips on how to get started bushwalking. There has been a constant stream of questions since COVID disrupted our lives with many people seeking experiences in nature so I wanted to answer some of your questions here including:
What equipment do I need to go bushwalking?How much water do I need to take?How much food and what type of food should I take?Where can I go bushwalking?How much does it cost to go bushwalking?Is it safe to bush walk alone?What apps do you use?How can I find someone to walk with?LINKS
Read more in the blog post How to get started bushwalking
Check out Kathrynâs website
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton -
I get lots of queries about where you can mountain bike on the Southern Downs and Granite Belt in south east Queensland. In this episode I share with you some of my favourite places to ride close to my home including Mt Marlay in Stanthorpe and the nearby state forest and National Park trails that are open to MTB.
Read the blog post which includes all the links mentioned in this episode Where to Mountain Bike on the Southern Downs
Check out Kathrynâs website for more information about bush adventure retreats and activities
Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group
Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton - Show more
