Episodes

  • How To Move Forward

    How To Move Forward

    · Unfurling

    It’s our season 2 finale! Join us, Elizabeth and Catriona, as we share this episode with Robbie Swale, a leadership coach and author of ‘How to Start When You’re Stuck’. Robbie helps us think about how each of us can move forward in a way that feels true - with creativity and persistence, and by choosing the next right steps.

     

    The conversation ranges from the philosophical to the practical. Robbie touches on his experience of creative hell, the importance of releasing our creative potential, taking actions towards who we want to become, and trusting in an emergent creative process. The episode concludes with Elizabeth and Catriona reflecting on the topic - inspired by Robbie and by some unusual trees. We also share a special announcement about Unfurling’s next right step!

     

    Robbie Swale is a writer and leadership coach whose work focuses on creativity, leading with honour, and the craft of coaching. Alongside his client work, he has run coaching, training and facilitation for organisations including Moonpig, the Royal Opera House, Swiss Re and the University of Edinburgh. He is the host of ‘The Coach’s Journey’ Podcast. 

     

    For more on Unfurling and to keep updated on our creative journey, please join our Facebook Group or visit our website.

     

    ~4: The Coach’s Journey

    ~5 & ~52: “How to Start When You’re Stuck” by Robbie Swale

    ~10: Robert Holden

    ~15: “The Happiness Hypothesis” by Jonathan Haidt

    ~20 & ~52: “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield

    ~20: Stephen Pressfield: “The more important a call to action is to our soul's evolution, the more Resistance we will feel about answering it.”

    ~21: Joel Monk

    ~27: “Show Your Work!” by Austin Kleon 

    ~28: Seth Godin

    ~30: “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman

    ~35: Olivia Owen

    ~37: “100 LinkedIn Articles - Key Lessons” by Alex Swallow

    ~39: Boyd Varty - The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life

    ~41: Hermann Hesse  

    ~44: Fred Kofman

    ~49: Free worksheet to design your own 12-Minute Method 

    ~49: The 12-Minute Method Facebook group

    ~50: Duolingo 

    ~51: Robbie Swale's website

    ~52: “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert

    ~59: Palmeral de Elche

    ~60: The Huerto del Cura Garden 

    ~62: Baobab trees


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  • Power: A Wider Lens

    Power: A Wider Lens

    · Unfurling

    Join us, Elizabeth and Catriona, as we explore Power - in ourselves, collectively, and in the natural world.  We look at the awe that power can invoke, the pitfalls of power, and the possibilities in thinking about power differently. 

     

    We learn from power in nature: from obvious (tsunamis, hurricanes, crocodiles) to lesser known examples (mantis shrimps, mites) and nuanced expressions (glaciers, rivers, forests, elephants). We touch on topics linked to power: language; narratives; creation; destruction; inner belief; control; respect; listening; empowerment; history; myths; inclusion; and leadership. And we consider what might be possible if we choose to think about and connect with power differently and wholeheartedly.

     

    For more on Unfurling, please join our Facebook Group or visit our website.

     

    ~2: Online Etymology Dictionary: Power

    ~6: Emily Dickinson

    ~7: Gorillas; eagles

    ~7, 13: Crocodiles, elephants, mantis shrimps, mites

    ~8: Hurricane Power

    ~12: “London” by William Blake

    ~14: Dalai Lama XIV

    ~15: “Empowerment” 

    ~15: Gloria Steinem

    ~16: “The Death of Nature” by Carolyn Merchant

    ~18: Girl Power

    ~19: The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

    ~21: Ralph Waldo Emerson

    ~24: Robert Ingersoll

    ~24: Lord Acton: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"

    ~24: Plato

    ~25: Harold MacMillan

    ~25: Ghanaian Proverb

    ~27: Viktor Frankl

    ~30: Mahatma Gandhi

    ~31: Woodrow Wilson

    ~34: The Butterfly Effect


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  • Soil: Magic Beneath our Feet

    Soil: Magic Beneath our Feet

    · Unfurling

    Join us as we dive into the magical world of soil!  We’ve become huge fans – did you know there are more microorganisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on the Earth?

     

    We explore what soil is, how it sustains life, and why it’s important for physical and mental health, and the climate. We draw on our own connections to soil, living in the country and city, and discuss what we can learn from soil about time, dormancy, patience, place, meaning, community, connection, communication, healing, complexity, and letting go.

     

    We look at the threats to soil, and so to the world’s health at large, and signpost efforts to protect and restore soil, from the individual level, to farming, to policy.

     

    Whether you’re new to this topic, or are an avid gardener or farmer, we hope you take something from the episode.  To explore this and other subjects, join our Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast' or get in touch via our website.


    References:


    ~1: Charles E. Kellogg, “USDA Yearbook of Agriculture”, 1938: “Essentially, all life depends upon the soil. There can be no life without soil and no soil without life; they have evolved together.” 

    ~1: Chief Seattle, 1852: “We are part of the earth and it is part of us. What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.” 

    ~2: Wendell Berry quote from “The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture”

    ~3: Definition of soil in Rainforest Alliance's “7 Fascinating Facts About Soil”

    ~7: Bedrock “weathering can take up to tens of thousands of years to form a mature soil”.

    ~7: “Soil and Soul: People versus Corporate Power” by Alastair McIntosh 

    ~10: Info on soil microbiome, & soil antidepressants in Rainforest Alliance link above

    ~12: Soil carbon stocks, EEA

    ~13: The South West Peatland Project

    ~15: Soil degradation, Conscious Planet

    ~16: Soil Association

    ~16: Nature Friendly Farming Network

    ~17: Soils for the Future

    ~18: Conscious Planet

    ~18: Article on Conscious Planet in The CSR Journal

    ~20: Open Farm Sunday

    ~21: “Bloom” by Nicola Skinner

    ~28: “Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Our Children from an Oversanitized World” by B. Brett Finlay & Marie-Claire Arrieta 

    ~29: Aldo Leopold, “A Sand County Almanac”


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  • Space to Think

    Space to Think

    · Unfurling

    As 2021 draws to a close, join us, Catriona and Elizabeth, for a short & sweet episode in which we create a space to think – for ourselves, for Unfurling, and for our listeners.  

     

    We explore our desire to 'unfurl' the unique ways of thinking and being each of us have, and how this might help us go deeper in ourselves and in our relationships with others and the wider world.  

     

    We discuss nuance, dialogue, learning, expansiveness, being responsive, inner and outer health, worth, the power of questions, and more. We touch on how we'd like Unfurling to create space for inner reflection as well as outer dialogue – through the podcast, and through new collectively-focused work in 2022. Finally we invite our listeners to create space to think - however, whenever, and wherever that may look.

     

    To explore this and other subjects further, join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast', or get in touch via our website.

     

    ​~0: "Stretch of time" from from Latin spatium as one definition for "Space", Online Etymology Dictionary

    ~5: Romain Rolland from "Above The Battle": "Discussion is impossible with someone who claims not to seek the truth, but already to possess it."

    ~6: Rebecca Solnit from "Men Explain Things To Me": "The language of bold assertion is simpler, less taxing, than the language of nuance and ambiguity and speculation.”

    ~7: Nancy Kline from "Time to Think": "Everything we do depends for its quality on the thinking we do first, and our thinking depends on the quality of our attention for each other."

    ~8: "It All Turns on Affection" by Wendell Berry

    ~18: "Writers' Hour" with London Writers Salon


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  • Economics: Doughnuts and Doing things Differently

    Economics: Doughnuts and Doing things Differently

    · Unfurling

    We explore how the natural world can inform and inspire us on the topic of Economics. Guided by Peter Lefort, we look at one way to think differently about Economics in the 21st Century: Doughnut Economics.  

     

    At the core of the approach is the ‘Doughnut’ consisting of two concentric rings: a social foundation, to ensure that no one is left falling short on life’s essentials, and an ecological ceiling, to ensure that humanity does not collectively overshoot planetary boundaries. Between these two sets of boundaries lies a doughnut-shaped space that is both ecologically safe and socially just: a space in which humanity can thrive.

     

    We delve into the theory of Doughnut Economics as well as real-life applications: the Doughnut is being used on a county-scale in Cornwall Council, city-scale in Amsterdam, and nation-scale in Costa Rica. 

     

    Peter Lefort is a Network Facilitator and Doughnut Economics Practitioner.  He runs the University of Exeter’s Green Futures Network, connecting communities and organisations to the latest environmental research and resources. He has previously worked on the implementation of doughnut economics within the decision making processes of Cornwall Council, and is a founder member of the Cornwall Doughnut Collective. Peter is also a freelance facilitator and trainer, and is Co-Chair of the Transition Network.

     

    Whether you’re an Economics expert or newbie, we hope you enjoy this episode in which we touch on the links between Economy and Ecology and subjects including the importance of home, permission, mindset, systems, complexity, patterns, growth -- and Starling murmurations!

     

    To explore this and other subjects further, join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.

     

    ~1: “Coaching through the Lens of Nature”

    ~6: Dasgupta Review documents 

    ~9: Peter Lefort

    ~10: Green Futures Network

    ~18: “Doughnut Economics” by Kate Raworth

    ~22: Doughnut economics at Cornwall Council

    ~34: Doughnut Economics Action Lab

    ~42: Emergent Strategy” by Adrienne Maree Brown

    ~46: Andy Stirling 

    ~55: Doughnut Economics in Amsterdam  

    ~55: Doughnut Economics in Costa Rica


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  • Language: Relating with the World

    Language: Relating with the World

    · Unfurling

    Join Elizabeth and Catriona for a thought-provoking conversation with our episode guide Philippa Bayley as we delve into how language can help us relate with ourselves, other people, and the earth, and provide fresh perspectives and energy on topics such as climate change. 

     

    Philippa is a research scientist turned public engagement practitioner and research manager with a passion to create unique spaces that help people think differently, whether that is 1:1 or in large-scale public events. She has worked across a range of disciplines from neuroscience to cybersecurity, but the heart of her work lies in rethinking our relationship with the earth. 

     

    As part of our time together, we showcase ‘living-language-land’, which Philippa is one of the Creative Producers of. A recently-launched global nature language project for COP26, living-language-land experiments with how an expanded lexicon for our relationship with land and nature can both honour minority and endangered languages, and offer fresh inspiration for tackling our environmental crisis.

     

    We hope you enjoy this wide-ranging episode in which we touch on topics such as empathy, responsibility, right relationship, science and indigenous wisdom and learn new words from around the world.

     

    If you'd like to explore this and other subjects further, you're very welcome to join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.


    References (with hyperlinks): 


    ~0: Unfurling Podcast Facebook group

    ~1: Unfurling One-Year Celebration LinkedIn Post

    ~2: Philippa Bayley

    ~2: “Language: Singing Land Back Into Being”, Unfurling Podcast

    ~4: Elle Harrison

    ~6: PhD in Neuroscience at UCL (brain development in embryonic zebrafish)

    ~7: Cabot Institute for the Environment

    ~7: Neville Gabie

    ~11: living-language-land

    ~ 12: “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer 

    ~13: Noongar, Western Australia

    ~14: Jessie Little Doe Baird, Wampanoag Language Revitalisation Project

    ~17: Sardak: “the ancestors and owners of the land” from Ladakhi language, Ladakh, India

    ~18: ƛaff: “track; print; unexpectedly, it turns out to be” from Mehri language, Southern Oman

    ~19: Hyká: “name; stone; speech” from Mysk Kubun language, Central Colombia

    ~20: Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Lakota, USA

    ~24: Jessie Little Doe Baird: “In our language they left all the lessons for us.” 

    ~27: British Council’s COP26 Creative Commissions programme

    ~29: The Forgiveness Project

    ~31: “A Counter-Desecration Phrasebook” as “a glossary of enchantment for the whole earth, which would allow nature to talk back and would help us to listen” in “Landmarks” by Robert Macfarlane

    ~32: “Cultural and spiritual significance of nature”, IUCN

    ~35: COP26

    ~35: Partners, living-language-land

    ~37: Lakota idea of children being born with confidence with the earth and growing that over time

    ~39: living-language-land website

    ~40: Robin Wall Kimmerer

    ~41: Robert Macfarlane 

    ~41: Barbara Kingsolver

    ~41: How can you get involved? Living-language-land

    ~48 : Nelson Mandela: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

    ~50: Ïe cho: “good path” from Mysk Kubun language, Central Colombia

    ~50: Devon Pilgrim project 

    ~50: Jeremiah, 6:16: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

    ~54: “Climate Change (Pt 2): "Start with Strong"”, Unfurling Podcast

    ~54: “The Lost Words” by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

    ~55: “Landmarks” by Robert Macfarlane: “In both Lewis and Arizona, Language is used not only to navigate but also to charm the land. Words act as compass; place-speech serves literally to en-chant the land - to sing it back into being, and to sing one’s being back into it.”

    ~57: The African Grey Parrots at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo

     

     


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  • Relocation: Beyond A to B

    Relocation: Beyond A to B

    · Unfurling

    Relocation: Beyond A to B  


    Unfurling co-host Elizabeth has moved house!  And this life event has prompted a curiosity in us about “Relocation” and what we can learn from the natural world about this topic. In this episode, we touch on:

    The concept of “home”Possible drivers (and degrees of choice) for relocationHow relocation can play out in different systems Themes of instinct, trust, hope, stillness, legacy and contributionExamples from the natural world, including monarch butterflies, shearwaters, trees, bison, Tasmanian devils, and translocation programmesHolding different spaces and energies - from embracing slowness to acting now; from rooting ourselves in the local to understanding global realities; and triangulating self and wellbeing with collective identity and the natural world

    We hope you enjoy the episode - if you'd like to explore this and other topics further, you're very welcome to join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.

     

    References (with hyperlinks): 


    ~3: “Relocation”, Online Etymology Dictionary: 1746, in Scottish law, "renewal of a lease"

    ~x: “Relocation”, Cambridge Dictionary: “the act of moving or moving something or someone from one place to another”

    ~5: UK Stamp Duty tax

    ~7: “Living on a Remote Island” by Sarah Boden (re. Eigg) in “On Nature: Unexpected Ramblings on the British Countryside”

    ~12: “Hiraeth”

    ~13: Monarch butterflies, National Geographic 

    ~16: “Nature’s Most Impressive Animal Migrations”, National Geographic Society

    ~16: “Shearwater” (Chapter 7, featuring Catriona’s Dad, Geoffrey Matthews) in “The Seabird’s Cry” by Adam Nicolson

    ~17: Skokholm

    ~18: “Wandering: Notes and Sketches” by Hermann Hesse: “Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.”

    ~20: Migrating bison, Vincennes Trace

    ~21: “Maria Island Tasmanian devils thriving at expense of other species”, ABC News Australia

    ~24: Climate refugees: the world’s forgotten victims 

    ~26: Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill, UK

    ~30: “What's for animal conservation translocation programmes: Soft- or hard-release?” (Video) by Journal of Applied Ecology 

    ~30: “What is better for animal conservation translocation programmes: Soft- or hard-release? A phylogenetic meta-analytical approach” by Paloma S. Resende et al in Journal of Applied Ecology

    ~31: Lindsey Chapman on Unfurling “Waiting and Patience” episode

    ~33: “Stand in the Tragic Gap” by Parker Palmer: “If we want to live nonviolent lives, we must learn to stand in the tragic gap, faithfully holding the tension between reality and possibility.”

    ~34: Benjamin Franklin: “All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.” 

    ~35: “Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own” by U2: “A house doesn’t make a home.”

    ~36: “The Work that Reconnects” based on the teachings of Joanna Macy, who co-wrote “Active Hope” with Chris Robertson 


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  • Beauty: Realising Beauty

    Beauty: Realising Beauty

    · Unfurling

    Welcome to season 2 episode 4 of Unfurling, in which we explore the topic of Beauty. We look from various perspectives, and the theme is illuminated by learnings from the natural world and from our 'guides'. Here's what's in the episode:

    ~0: We share what’s drawing us to look at Beauty.~10:00: We join our first guide, Nina Flowers, a creative brand strategist who collaborates with organisations that are looking to bring about positive environmental or social changes through their work. Working remotely from Barcelona, she's collaborating with a UK charity and the Mood Project in Spain. Nina also founded a nature-inspired skincare company called Artamay, which she is developing with her sister Emily in Wiltshire, UK. It’s small-batch skincare that’s organic, vegan, and natural with the philosophy of achieving healthy skin whilst 'protecting your wild'. http://www.artamay.co.uk / Insta: @artamayskincare and http://www.ninaflowers.co.uk / Insta: @ninaflow__~30:00 We consider themes from our time with Nina, including the role of nature in sparking creativity, adventure, and wellbeing; authentic beauty and ageing; language; and 'protecting our wild'.~33:00 We move to our second guide, Dr Tony Juniper CBE, who is Chair of Natural England, the statutory body that works for the conservation and restoration of the natural environment in England. Before taking up this role in April 2019 he was Executive Director for Advocacy and Campaigns at WWF-UK, a Fellow with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and President of the Wildlife Trusts. Until January 2018 he was an independent sustainability and environment advisor, including as Special Advisor with The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit. A campaigner, writer, and a well-known British environmentalist, Tony has, for more than 35 years, worked for change toward a more sustainable society at local, national and international levels. https://www.gov.uk/government/people/tony-juniper and https://www.tonyjuniper.com/about~64:30 We reflect on our learnings from our time with Tony, including the place of beauty in a multi-layered approach to nature recovery; the importance of co-design and building metaphorical bridges; nature’s inspiration; and how context augments beauty.~69:45 We close by drawing together our learning and themes for further reflection, and we share a poem.

     

    To explore this and other topics further, please join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.


    ---

    References:


    ~1: Sheela Hobden

    ~1: VIA Survey of Character Strengths 

    ~4: Mental Health Foundation: Mental Health Awareness Week

    ~5: Merriam-Webster: “Beauty”: “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit”

    ~6: International Dawn Chorus Day

    ~22: Artamay Dusk & Dawn Cleanser

    ~24: Artemis

    ~33: Resurgence & Ecologist

    ~38: National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949

    ~39: Natural England 

    ~42: Yorkshire Dales National Park Hay Meadows

    ~43: Nature Recovery Network

    ~43: England Coastal Path

    ~45: East Devon AONB

    ~46: The Wildlife Trusts

    ~46: The National Trust

    ~47: Wildbelt, The Wildlife Trusts

    ~47: Greenbelt, UK

    ~50: Local Nature Recovery Strategies as part of the Nature Recovery Network

    ~51: Landscape Institute

    ~51: Nature for Climate Fund

    ~52: National Design Guide

    ~55: “Conservation is a social process informed by science”, Flora and Fauna International

    ~58: “What Has Nature Ever Done for Us?” by Tony Juniper

    ~60: Final Report of the Independent Review on the Economics of Biodiversity led by Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta

    ~1:02: “Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World” by H.R.H. Prince of Wales, Tony Juniper, Ian Skelly 

    ~1:02: Friends of the Earth

    ~1:06: Areas of Natural Beauty

    ~1:06: Cotswolds AONB

    ~1:07: “How mandarin ducks became a Chinese symbol of love?” in China Daily

    ~1:10: Ansel Adams: “Art is both the taking and giving of beauty.”

    ~1:12: “A Thing of Beauty” by John Keats 


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  • Adaptation: “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails

    Adaptation: “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails"

    · Unfurling

    Welcome to a shorter-than-usual (!), more spontaneous episode featuring us (co-hosts Catriona and Elizabeth) as its guides! We had planned to release an episode on Beauty - but events beyond our control meant we’ve had to postpone this. However, we decided to embrace the change of plans, and pulled out our mics to explore the timely concept of Adaptation. We touch on:


    Questions around individual and collective adaptations to new circumstances, both in our lifetimes and with future generations in mind.

    The role of conscious choice and the ability to influence when considering if and how to adapt.

    Examples from the natural world, including Emperor penguins, ants, and the human genome. 

    Reflections on how we may want to adapt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and how vision, creativity and resilience may play a part. 


    Enjoy! And if you'd like to explore this and other topics further, you're very welcome to join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.


    ---


    References:


    ~ Episode quote by Dolly Parton: “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”

    ~3: “Adapt”, Online Etymology Dictionary: Early 15c. "to fit (something, for some purpose)", from Old French, from Latin. Intransitive meaning "to undergo modification so as to fit new circumstances" is from 1956.

    ~4: Bruce Lee: “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

    ~5: “Circle of Influence” mentioned in “Habit 1: Be Proactive” of the book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey.  

    ~6: George Bernard Shaw: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

    ~7: “A Project Supported by Bill Gates Is Set to Temporarily Dim the Sun” in Entrpreneur.com

    ~9: “Adaptation” in National Geographic Resource Library

    ~10: Types of Adaptations in “Adaptations” in BBC Bitesize 

    ~12: Viktor E. Frankl in “Man's Search for Meaning”: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” 

    ~13: Ant behaviour in Royal Society Journal ‘Interface’, and specifically about behaviour in water in PBS blog ‘Nature’.  

    ~14: “Emergence” chapter in “So Far from home: Lost and Found in Our Brave New World” by Margaret J. Wheatley.

    ~18: “Why projects to adapt to climate change backfire” in News by the University of Oxford

    ~20: Carbon offset projects that can harm, e.g. World Bank and UN carbon offset scheme 'complicit' in genocidal land grabs - NGOs and Offsetting carbon emissions: ‘It has proved a minefield’

    ~22: “Himalayas seen for first time in decades from 125 miles away after pollution drop” in The Independent 

    ~24: “Why 2020 Has Reminded Us To Play The Infinite Game”, Forbes 

    ~24: Simon Sinek’s “Infinite Mindset” and “Infinite Game”. Note: The importance of a “just cause”. 

    ~25: The Foot of Cupid from the BBC television series “Monty Python's Flying Circus”

    ~25: “What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want” by Rob Hopkins 

    ~28: The 17 Sustainable Development Goals

    ~28: One Health concept


     


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  • Climate Change (Pt 2):

    Climate Change (Pt 2): "Start with Strong"

    · Unfurling

    We revisit Climate Change, this time exploring how we can draw on our individual and collective strengths in tackling it. We learn from UK- and Kenya-based guests - our “guides” - who span local government, community projects, and global business. They share their journeys; their successes, challenges, and learnings; and what strengths have empowered them, their work, and their worlds.  

    Start: We share what’s drawing us to the topic again, and what we mean by strengths.  ~12:15: We join our first guide, our very own Elizabeth Wainwright, who focuses on her experiences as a District Councillor in the UK, and specifically her work leading the climate change portfolio. As well as a Councillor, Elizabeth is a freelance writer, and a coach for individuals and organisations, including Arukah Network; an international charity that she developed. She is a RSA Fellow, and holds degrees in International Development and Biology. She is training to lead hiking groups and offer coaching outdoors. ~46:50: We then move to Kenya and meet Robins Ochieng Odiyo and Nicholas Keter who tell us about the impact of climate change in Kiptere and how they drew on the strengths of the community to realise a reafforestation and water project there. Robins says: “I’m a social change agent, who believes everyone has potential, all we need is opportunity. I work with Arukah Network as a Cluster curator and also volunteer in supporting transformation at the grassroots.” Nicholas is Group Secretary at Kiptere Youth Group. He plans and facilitates community stakeholder meetings, e.g. relating to training people on tree planting and spring protection. These meetings include factories and schools to help reach out to many people in different areas. His work has included planting trees in schools and with a factory.~1:14:30: Returning to the UK, we meet Anna Westall who shares her personal and professional journey into climate action and the strengths she has drawn on. She talks about the place of business in climate action and how her employer, Ørsted, moved away from black energy to become the world’s most sustainable energy company. Anna is part of the European commercial team at Ørsted, the leading developers and producers of offshore wind.  She leverages experience from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and of exploring sustainable growth equity with a world-class team of sustainability experts.~1:39:00: We close by drawing together our learning and themes for further reflection. 

     

    If you'd like to explore this and other topics further, you're very welcome to join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.

     

    ----

    References:

     

    ~2: 2021 G7 Summit

    ~2: UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26)

    ~3: Reports, e.g. UNEP Making Peace with Nature; UK Climate Change Commission 6th Carbon Budget

    ~4: Climate Coaches Alliance

    ~5: “Strength”, Online Etymology Dictionary 

    ~7: CTI: “Natural Creative, Resourceful, and Whole”

    ~7: Arukah Network

    ~8: Cormac Russell re. starting with what’s strong not what’s wrong

    ~13: Elizabeth Wainwright on LinkedIn or website 

    ~21: MOE Foundation

    ~28: Hill & Moorland Leader training 

    ~50: Robins Ochieng Odiyo and Nicholas Keter 

    ~1:14: Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

    ~1:14: Kiptere.ch Youth Group Facebook page

    ~1:15: “What happened when we all stopped”, narrated by Jane Goodall, written by Tom Rivett-Carnac

    ~1:17: Anna Westall

    ~1:18:  Ørsted

    ~1:26: Steve Jobs non-linearity quotation

    ~1:28: Henrik Poulsen

    ~1:32: Quotation attributed to Henry Ford 

    ~1:36: Isabella Tree of the Knepp Estate ‘Rewilding’ project

    ~1:39: Rainforest Action Network

    ~1:39: Share Action

    ~1:39: Carbon Tracker Initiative

    ~1:40: Olga Miller and SmartPurse 

    ~1:48: Chief Seattle: “Humankind has not woven the web of life - we are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”



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  • Waiting & Patience:

    Waiting & Patience: "The Pace of Nature..."

    · Unfurling

    Welcome to Season 2! In this Season, we’ll set off on a journey in each episode to explore a particular topic using a nature lens. Like last season, we’ll share our own thoughts and learning, but this time round we’ll also stop off along the way to learn from guests, who we see as “guides”.  Through our explorations, we hope to inspire new thoughts and ideas in ourselves, and our listeners.


    In episode 1 of Season 2, we explore the concepts of Waiting and Patience:

    Start: We share our new approach to Season 2 and what’s drawing us to the topic of Waiting and Patience, as well as explore “What’s In a Word?” ~08:10: We join our first guide, Hamish Mackay-Lewis, a leadership and life coach, facilitator and meditation teacher. He has varied international experience working with people from all walks of life in business, the armed forces and not-for-profits. His passion is to work with groups and individuals to create space for reflection, renewal and reconnection with the wisdom of nature. He strongly believes that personal and spiritual development and reconnection to nature are prerequisites for societal and environmental regeneration.  He aspires to a life of adventure, wilderness and exploration of the nature of consciousness and indigenous wisdom from around the world. Hamish shares more at http://www.hamishmackaylewis.com.~28:50: We reflect on what Hamish shared and bring in our own experiences and reflections around waiting and patience, drawing from the natural world, including 31,800 year old germinating seeds, and gestation lengths in creatures.~36:15: We move to our second guide, Lindsey Chapman, a TV and Radio presenter on BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 5 and Radio 4. Passionate about people, arts and the natural world, she has tackled complex subjects from climate change to the power of poetry. Brought up in rural East Yorkshire, Lindsey grew up with a deep appreciation of nature and green space.  Lindsey shares more about her work and the charities and projects she supports here: http://www.lindseychapman.co.uk.~63: We look at what we took away from our time with Lindsey as well as common themes brought up by both guides. We finish our journey by thinking about where we are now in terms of waiting and patience and how we want to be, going forward. We also pose some questions for our listeners to consider.

    We hope you enjoy it (...despite Elizabeth's dodgy mic / audio quality in this episode!).


    If you'd like to explore this and other topics further, you're very welcome to join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.

     

    ---

    References:

    ~5: “Waiting”, Online Etymology Dictionary: Multiple entries including to watch, to guard, to be awake

    ~5: “Patience”, Online Etymology Dictionary: “The quality of suffering or enduring; submission”

    ~7: Joyce Meyer: “Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting.”

    ~8: Hamish Mackay-Lewis

    ~18: John P. Milton’s “Way of Nature” 

    ~23: Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

    ~25: Brian Swimme: “If you let hydrogen gas alone for 13 billion years it will become giraffes, rose bushes and humans.”

    ~26: The Biggest Little Farm

    ~26: “The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World” by Wade Davis 

    ~31: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America: “Regeneration of whole fertile plants from 30,000-y-old fruit tissue buried in Siberian permafrost” 

    ~35: Animal gestation periods 

    ~37: Lindsey Chapman

    ~40: “Wild Animal Rescue Wins RTS Award” 

    ~41: Chris Packham 

    ~1:01: The Cloud Appreciation Society 

    ~1:07: Fulton J. Sheen: “Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is "timing".  It waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.”

    ~1:10: The poem “Patience” by Rabindranath Tagore

    ~1:15: Jill Biden: “Life is difficult, and if you sit around waiting for fun to show up, you'll find yourself going without it more often than not."


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  • Season 1 Finale:

    Season 1 Finale: "Celebrate Endings -- For They Precede New Beginnings"

    · Unfurling

    Our tenth episode of Unfurling, and the end of season 1!


    In this episode, we take inspiration from a coaching 'completion' session, and think about:

    Our takeaways and highlights from having created episodes 1-9 (our listeners are a definite highlight!).The challenges we've experienced in making Unfurling, like technology and imposter syndrome.What we want to let go of as we look ahead; what we trust in; and what we're grateful for. Our thoughts on how season 2 might look a bit different -- namely, a new format with different segments and featured guests.Our hopes for Unfurling.

    If you'd like to connect with others, or share ideas and resources, you're welcome to join our private Facebook group, here.


    Thank you for listening -- and we hope to reconnect with you for season 2, in 2021.


    -----


    Please excuse Elizabeth's poorer than usual sound quality in this episode -- the microphone had clearly decided to try out the 'strategic non-action' that we mention in the episode ;-)


    -----


    References & quotes:


    ~3: Jonathan Lockwood Huie: “Celebrate endings - for they precede new beginnings.”

    ~5: Episode 5 (Confidence): Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Eclectus Parrots, Praying Mantises

    ~5: Episode 9 (Language): Prairie Dogs

    ~5: Episode 1, 3, 4, 9: References to Suzanne Simard’s work on underground forest networks, and how trees “talk” to each other 

    ~6: Episode 6 (Connections & Networks): “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 

    ~8: Trailer

    ~9: Episode 4 (Listening): Eco-Acoustics and recording 3D sound portraits of primary equatorial rainforests

    ~10: Episode 4 (Listening): Henry David Thoreau: “It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear.”

    ~12: Episode 2 (Climate Change): David Wallace-Wells: “When it comes to contemplating real-world warming dangers, we suffer from an incredible failure of imagination.” 

    ~12: Episode 1 (Joy and Wonder): “The Overstory” by Richard Powers

    ~16: Episode 8 (Place): John Burroughs: “Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars, every place is the center of the world.”

    ~20: Bonus Episode (About Unfurling & Us): E. O. Wilson: "We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesisers; people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.” 

    ~27: “My Heart Leaps Up” by William Wordsworth: 

    “My heart leaps up when I behold 

    A rainbow in the sky:

    So was it when my life began; 

    So is it now I am a man; 

    So be it when I shall grow old, 

    Or let me die!

    The Child is father of the Man;

    And I could wish my days to be

    Bound each to each by natural piety.”

    ~28: Episode 1 (Joy and Wonder)

    ~29: Development”: “mid 17th century (in the sense ‘unfold, unfurl’): from French dĂ©velopper, based on Latin (from Google / Oxford Languages)

    ~30: Quagga -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quagga

    ~36: “The wisest and noblest teacher is nature itself.” -  Leonardo da Vinci

    ~36: “An Old-World Thicket” by Christina Rossetti: 

    “Such mirth they made, such warblings and such chat

    With tongue of music in a well-tuned beak,

    They seemed to speak more wisdom than we speak,”

    ~40: Wu Wei (Strategic Non Action) from the Tao Te Ching (“Do that which consists in taking no action and order will prevail,” -- https://qz.com/876067/the-chinese-principle-wu-wei-eliminates-the-need-for-lifehacks/

    ~c. 41: Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche” by Bill Plotkin -- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soulcraft-Crossing-Mysteries-Nature-Psyche/dp/1577314220

    ~41: Episode 9 (Language):  “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix.

    ~43: “Feeling Good by Nina Simone”: “It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, and I'm feelin' good.” -- https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ninasimone/feelinggood.html



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  • Language: Singing Land Back Into Being

    Language: Singing Land Back Into Being

    · Unfurling

    * Episode title adapted from “Landmarks” by Robert Macfarlane. See ref. 19 below for quote.


    In episode 9, on ‘language’, we touch on:

    How language in humans is ever-evolving, with the power to generate new meaning, identities, and relationships, or, to undermine these, and to divide.  How nature words are being lost in childhood and adopted by technology and finance.Whether language is a human-only phenomenon and how this may influence how we interact with the natural world.Examples of language and/or communication within and between species, including prairie dogs, trees, octopi, and swans.How language, poetry and stories can help us reimagine ourselves, the natural world, and our connection to it; and how this may help us tackle climate change and promote conservation

    If you'd like to explore this and other topics further, please join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.


    ----


    References:


    ~3: “Language”, Cambridge Dictionary: “a system of communication consisting of sounds, words, and grammar, or the system of communication used by people in a particular country or type of work”, “a system of communication by speaking, writing, or making signs in a way that can be understood, or any of the different systems of communication used in particular regions”, “in computer programming, a language is a system of writing instructions for computers.”

    ~5: “Language”, Online Etymology Dictionary: “speech, words, oratory; a tribe, people, nation" from Vulgar Latin linguaticum; "tongue," from Latin lingua, see here.

    ~6: History of the word ‘poet’

    ~6: The ’pepeha’ is a Maori way to introduce yourself. Short film here.

    ~7: Ralph Waldo Emerson, as quoted in “Landmarks”: “Language is fossil poetry
”

    ~8: “The History of the Countryside” by Oliver Rackham: how ‘landscape is lost’ through the loss of beauty, the loss of freedom, the loss of wildlife and vegetation and the loss of meaning, as shared in “Landmarks”.

    ~9: Words concerning nature culled in the 2007 “Oxford Junior Dictionary” as shared in “Landmarks”.

    ~10: “The Lost Words” by Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris -- https://www.thelostwords.org/lostwordsbook/ 

    ~14: “Speaking Nature’s Language”, The National Trust -- https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/press-release/speaking-natures-language

    (Research conducted by Dr Robbie Love, May-June 2019, from British language corpora)

    ~17: Definition and information about ‘natural resources’ here.

    ~19: “Landmarks” by Robert Macfarlane: “In both Lewis and Arizona, Language is used not only to navigate but also to charm the land.  Words act as compass; place-speech serves literally to en-chant the land - to sing it back into being, and to sing one’s being back into it.”

    ~20: “'Dreich' is named most popular Scots word by Scottish Book Trust” -- 

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-50476008

    ~23: Excerpt from “Four Quartets” by T.S.Eliot: “For last year's words belong to last year's language, And next year's words await another voice.”

    ~25: Excerpt from “There is a Word” by Emily Dickinson: “There is a word, Which bears a sword, can pierce an armed man
”

    ~25: Nonviolent Communication, see here.

    ~26: “Can Prairie Dogs Talk?”, The New York Times Magazine -- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/magazine/can-prairie-dogs-talk.html

    ~30:  “Exploring How and Why Trees ‘Talk’ to Each Other”, Yale Environment 360, here.  

    ~31: “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix.

    ~33: “Geoffrey Matthews Obituary”, The Telegraph -- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/science-obituaries/9838073/Geoffrey-Matthews.html

    ~34: Bushmen in Southern Africa -- https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/bushmen 

    ~35: “Wild Signs and Star Paths” by Tristen Gooley

    ~39: “Are We Losing Nature Language?”, The National Trust -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbCCR4kClIc&feature=emb_logo

    ~40: Audrey Hepburn: “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”


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  • Place:

    Place: "Every Place is Under the Stars"

    · Unfurling

    In episode 8, we explore the concept of Place. We touch on:

    How “place” weaves in physical location, locale, relationships and emotion; and traverses space and timeHow we, as humans, orientate ourselves with places in diverse ways -- from nomadic living to long-standing local communities; from cities to Areas of Natural BeautyHow place is neurologically important for our emotional wellbeing, and how habitat loss may impact thisWhat we may learn from the natural world -- including species which return to their birthplace to reproduce; and species which are endemic to a specific areaHow respecting and protecting, bridging and listening are important for human communities, and the natural world in relation to placeHow you may want to explore what place means to you and how you might contribute to help places thrive

    If you'd like to explore this and other topics further, you're very welcome to join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'.


    ---


    References:


    Title is from John Burroughs: “Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars, every place is the center of the world.”


    ~8: “Concept of Place”, National Geographic Resource Library -- https://www.nationalgeographic.org/topics/resource-library-concept-place/

    ~12: What3Words -- https://what3words.com/about-us and https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_sheldrick_a_precise_three_word_address_for_every_place_on_earth/reading-list

    ~14: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) -- https://landscapesforlife.org.uk/ 

    ~16: “A Field Guide to Getting Lost” by Rebecca Solnit -- https://canongate.co.uk/books/446-a-field-guide-to-getting-lost/ 

    ~20: Natal homing -- http://www.jspayne.com/php/SummaryGet.php?FindGo=Natal%20Homing

    ~22: “Places That Make Us” by The National Trust - https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/places-make-us 

    ~24: Lemurs -- https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-lemurs/

    ~28: “Topophilia”: “Love of place” (Greek) 

    ~29: Survival International -- https://www.survivalinternational.org/progresscankill

    ~31: Gary Snyder: “Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”

    ~32: John Muir: “Few places in this world are more dangerous than home. Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action.”

    ~33: John Muir: “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”

    ~34: “Wild animals are reclaiming cities and streets during coronavirus lockdown” -- https://nypost.com/2020/04/17/wild-animals-are-reclaiming-cities-during-coronavirus-lockdown/

    ~35: “Animal Geography”: “the study of the complex entanglings of human-animal relations with space, place, location, environment and landscape” -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_geography

    ~36: Homeward Bound (film) -- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107131/ 

    ~36: Greyfriars Bobby -- https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Greyfriars-Bobby/

    ~36: March of the Penguins (documentary)

    ~38: Wendell Berry: ““There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.” (From 'How To Be A Poet')

    ~39: Genius loci: “the protective spirit of a place.” 


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  • Renewal: Cherishing & Fostering Renewal

    Renewal: Cherishing & Fostering Renewal

    · Unfurling

    In episode 7 of Unfurling, we spend time thinking about Renewal. We touch on:


    ·      Possible dimensions of renewal -- psychological, emotional, physical, social, ecological and spiritual

    ·      Renewal of us as individuals, and as a society

    ·      Where we might need to foster -- or learn from -- renewal of the natural world, including in soil, rainforests and animals

    ·      The role of destructive forces like fire in renewal

    ·      How renewal isn't a given, and what this means for us

    ·      The role of Sabbath - and similar concepts - in renewal

    ·      Ways you might explore renewal in your own life


    If you'd like to explore this and other topics further, you're very welcome to join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast' -- click here.


    ---


    References:


    ~4: Cambridge Dictionary -- “Renewal”: “the act or process of making changes to something in order to improve it so that it becomes more successful” and “a situation in which something begins again after having stopped for a period of time”

    ~7: The Natural Academy -- https://www.naturalacademy.org/: “Wellbeing is a personal state and experience related to holistic health outcomes: These holistic outcomes are the sum of our psychological, emotional, physical, social, ecological and spiritual health.”

    ~11: “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien” by J.R.R. Tolkien: "Certainly there was an Eden on this very unhappy earth.” 

    ~12: “Keeping the Sabbath to keep the earth” (references Hebrew word ‘shamar’ as ‘loving care’) -- https://earthministry.org/keeping-the-sabbath-to-keep-the-earth/ 

    ~14: Wendell Berry: “The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”

    ~16: “Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues” -- https://www.scientificamerican.com/articdale/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/ 

    ~17: “To restore our soils, feed the microbes” -- https://theconversation.com/to-restore-our-soils-feed-the-microbes-79616

    ~18: Soil as a Carbon Storehouse: https://e360.yale.edu/features/soil_as_carbon_storehouse_new_weapon_in_climate_fight

    ~19: From “Little Gidding” by T.S.Eliot: "To be redeemed from fire by fire”.

    ~20: Fire-activated seeds -- https://www.britannica.com/list/5-amazing-adaptations-of-pyrophytic-plants 

    ~22: “Deforested parts of Amazon 'emitting more CO2 than they absorb'” --

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51464694

    ~27: Greenpeace -- https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/

    ~30: “Taking the Elephant out of the Room” -- https://conservationaction.co.za/media-articles/taking-the-elephant-out-of-the-room/

    ~32: United Nations information on the Reintegration of Child Soldiers -- https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Reintergration-brochure-layout.pdf

    ~33: Sabbath and the idea of rest in the Bible, e.g. Genesis 2:2 “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”

    ~35: More audible birdsong -- https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/a32232860/dawn-chorus-lockdown

    ~38: Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

    ~39: “Does your body really replace itself every seven years?” -- https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/does-body-really-replace-seven-years.htm

    ~42: “7 Chakra Life Cycles and Crisis Years We All Go Through” -- https://www.learning-mind.com/7-chakra-life-cycles-and-crisis-years/

    ~43: “Neuroplasticity”, Psychology Today -- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroplasticity

    ~44: Carol Dweck's 'Growth Mindset’ -- https://fs.blog/2015/03/carol-dweck-mindset/

    ~48: “Hibernation Works for Bears. Could It Work for Us, Too?” --

    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/science/hibernation-bears-winter-health.html 

    ~49: Harper Lee: "Things are always better in the morning” 

    ~52: “Metamorphoses” by Ovid: “As wave is driven by wave
”



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  • Health:

    Health: "Nature Itself is the Best Physician"

    · Unfurling

    We explore health - at the individual, collective and planetary level. It’s a big topic, and we offer personal reflections as well as findings, ideas, and prompts from the natural world to inform and inspire you as you reflect on what health means for you – as an individual, organisation, or community. 


    We touch on:

    How individual and collective health intertwineHow we might get into a more reciprocal relationship with the natural worldStress, from short term to chronic, personal to systemicModern thinking as well as traditional and indigenous approachesThe physical and psychological benefits of various forms of nature connectionThe role of the land in our health, and the health of the land, including farming and tribal landsIdeas to help you reflect on your own health

    To carry on the conversation, join our Facebook group “Unfurling Podcast”: https://www.facebook.com/groups/313645743154222/


    ~~~~~


    References:


    ~2: “All Across the Land” by Helen Macdonald, Vogue, August 2020

    ~2: Hippocrates: “Nature itself is the best physician.”

    ~3: T.S. Eliot: “The whole world is our hospital.”

    ~5: The Natural Academy -- https://www.naturalacademy.org/

    ~6: World Health Organisations: “Health”: “the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

    ~7: Arukah Network -- https://www.arukahnetwork.org/: “Arukah”: “A Hebrew word meaning health, healing and restoration, whether physical, mental or spiritual.”

    ~11: Farmers’ mental health and suicide, various articles e.g. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/23/farmers-and-mental-distress-im-still-a-bit-ashamed-about-my-story 

    ~14:How Hospital Gardens Help Patients Heal, Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nature-that-nurtures/ 

    ~14: The Healing Power of Nature, TIME magazine (hypertension reference). https://time.com/4405827/the-healing-power-of-nature/ 

    ~16: Richard Louv as quoted in “Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health” by Jim Robbins, Yale Environment 360 --

    https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health

    ~17: “Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing” by Mathew P. White et al, Nature --

    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44097-3

    ~18: Forest bathing -- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/08/forest-bathing-japanese-practice-in-west-wellbeing

    ~19: “Out of the Woods” by Luke Turner

    ~20: “Croyde's cold water swim tackles mental health” -- https://www.radioexe.co.uk/news-and-features/local-news/cold-water-swimming-trail-to-beat-mental-health/

    ~23: “The short-term stress response – Mother nature’s mechanism for enhancing protection and performance under conditions of threat, challenge, and opportunity”, ScienceDirect -- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091302218300293

    ~24: English Pastoral by James Rebanks

    ~26:  â€œOnly 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues” -- https://www.scientificamerican.com/articdale/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/ 

    ~29: Survival International -- https://www.survivalinternational.org/progresscankill

    ~31: “Indigenous wisdom can heal the planet” -- https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/497849-indigenous-wisdom-can-heal-the-planet

    ~32: “Alcohol and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”, Australian Government Department of Health -- https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/alcohol/alcohol-throughout-life/alcohol-and-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples

    ~34: Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index (2019) in “These Are the World’s Healthiest Nations” -- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-24/spain-tops-italy-as-world-s-healthiest-nation-while-u-s-slips

    ~45: Rachel and Stephen Kaplan’s “Attention Restoration Theory” -- https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health

    ~46: “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry



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  • Confidence: A Daring Adventure

    Confidence: A Daring Adventure

    · Unfurling

    Join us as we explore the subject of confidence - in and with ourselves, others, and the wider world. We offer facts, ideas and prompts from the natural world to inform and inspire you as you reflect on what confidence means for you – as an individual, organisation, or community. 


    We touch on:

    How confidence can take many guises -- internal, external, authentic, projected, individual, collectiveHow confidence can be intertwined with courage, values, trust and relationshipsExamples of confidence in the natural world that might help us to think creatively about what’s possible (we draw on swallows and geese; peacocks; cuttlefish; bowerbirds; parrots; praying mantises; and natural rhythms and cycles)Ideas to help you experiment with your confidence -- whether you’re based in the countryside, city or somewhere in between!

    To carry on the conversation, join our Facebook group, “Unfurling Podcast”: https://www.facebook.com/groups/313645743154222/


    -----


    References:


    ~4: Swallow migration -- https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swallow/migration/

    ~6: Geoffrey Matthews Obituary (Catriona’s Dad) -- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/feb/10/geoffrey-matthews

    ~6: Co-Active Training Institute -- https://coactive.com/

    ~8: Cambridge Dictionary: “Confidence” (Certainty): “The quality of being certain of your abilities or of having trust in people, plans, or the future”; Confidence (sure feeling): “A feeling of having little doubt about yourself and your abilities, or a feeling of trust in someone or something”

    ~9 Online Etymology Dictionary: “Confidence” from Latin confidentem: "firmly trusting, bold" 

    ~9: Helen Keller: "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light".

    ~13: Peacocks -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peafowl

    ~14: “This cuttlefish is flamboyant on special occasions only”-- https://phys.org/news/2020-08-cuttlefish-flamboyant-special-occasions.html

    ~16: Bowerbirds -- http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20141119-the-barmy-courtship-of-bowerbirds

    ~16: Eclectus Parrots -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclectus_parrot

    ~19: “It's Praying Mantis Mating Season: Here's What You Need To Know” -- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/09/praying-mantis-mating-cannibalism-birds-bite-facts-news/

    ~23: Geese: “Flock co-operation: Birds take it in turns to lead” -- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31060155 

    ~25: “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv

    ~25: “Wild Child: Coming Home to Nature” by Patrick Barkham

    ~27: “Spending time in nature can improve children's confidence” by Rowan Walker, UCL -- https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-11-nature-children-confidence.html

    ~28: Simon Sinek: “Courage comes from those around you”

    ~30: “Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues” -- https://www.scientificamerican.com/articdale/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/ 

    ~32: Forest Schools -- https://www.forestschoolassociation.org/

    ~32: Wild in the City -- https://wildinthecity.org.uk/about/

    ~37: Helen Keller: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”

    ~38: Matthew 6: 25-30: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them [...] Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these
”

    ~41: Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "That's what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for one's self but for one's community."

    ~41: Helen Keller: “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

    ~46: Marianne Williamson: “And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”




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  • Listening:

    Listening: "The Earth Has Music For Those Who Listen"

    · Unfurling

    Join us as we explore a seemingly simple, yet powerful, subject: listening. We offer a kaleidoscope of lessons, ideas and prompts from the natural world to inform and inspire you as you reflect on the topic of listening – as an individual, organisation, community and world. It's a slightly longer episode than usual -- there was lots we wanted to draw on and share!


    In the episode, we touch on:

    ·      How listening is core to our work in international development, local politics and coaching

    ·      Where we see listening working well - and less well

    ·      What's available, and what could be possible, as we listen more deeply to ourselves, each other, and the natural world 

    ·      How examples of listening in / to the natural world might help us to think creatively (we draw on bats; owls; evening primroses; dolphins; forests; and ecoacoustics in biodiverse ecosystems)

    ·      What we can learn from collective listening, and silence, including in nature 

    ·      Ideas and resources to help you experiment with, enhance, and enjoy your listening


    Listeners who wish to dive deeper can join our Facebook group, “Unfurling Podcast”, a community for asking questions and sharing reflections, ideas and resources: https://www.facebook.com/groups/313645743154222/


    ~~~~~


    References:


    ~1: Undetermined source: “The Earth Has Music For Those Who Listen”. 

    ~6: Bernard Baruch: "Most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking." 

    ~6: Henry David Thoreau: “It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear.”

    ~8: “Levels of Listening” in “Co-Active Coaching - 4th edition” by Henry Kimsey-House, Karen Kimsey-House, Phillip Sandahl, Laura Whitworth 

    ~16: Owl hearing -- https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/project-owl/learn-about-owls/owl-hearing and bat hearing -- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-bats-echolocate-an/

    ~22: “Flowers can hear buzzing bees—and it makes their nectar sweeter”, National Geographic (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/01/flowers-can-hear-bees-and-make-their-nectar-sweeter/)

    ~26: Film: ‘Climate of Concern’ by Royal Dutch Shell, 1991 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VOWi8oVXmo 

    ~31: “Dolphin Communication”, Dolphin Research Center (https://dolphins.org/communication) and “Dolphin Echolocation”, Dolphins World (https://www.dolphins-world.com/dolphin-echolocation/)

    ~34: Diogenes Laertius: "We have two ears and only one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less."

    ~35: “Nature’s Internet: How Trees Talk To Each Other In a Healthy Forest” by Suzanne Simard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=breDQqrkikM) 

    ~43: Listen First Project (http://www.listenfirstproject.org/)

    ~46: Larry King : "I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening."

    ~47: Fragments of Extinction (https://www.fragmentsofextinction.org/mission/)

    ~50: “A Wizard of Earthsea” by Ursula K. Le Guin: “For a word to be spoken, there must be silence. Before, and after.” 

    ~50: “The Power of Silence: The Silence That Lies Within” by Richard Turner

    ~52: “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking” by Susan Cain

    ~53: Noise level and silent contemplation figures from “NG Live!: The Ragged Edge of Silence” (https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/00000144-0a37-d3cb-a96c-7b3fbe600000)

    ~54: Sarah Broscombe and silent retreats (http://sarahbroscombe.com/)

    ~55: John Francis in “Walk The Earth...My 17-Year Vow of Silence” (https://www.ted.com/talks/john_francis_walk_the_earth_my_17_year_vow_of_silence)

    ~59: “How To Listen – 10 Expert Tips”, Arukah Network (https://www.arukahnetwork.org/post/211118#!)

    ~62: Stephen R. Covey: "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply."

    ~63: “Dusk Chorus” documentary (https://www.fragmentsofextinction.org/dusk-chorus-film/)

    ~65: Dorothy Sarnoff: "Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.”


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  • Connections & Networks: “A Thousand Fibres Connect Us”

    Connections & Networks: “A Thousand Fibres Connect Us”

    · Unfurling

    “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.” - Herman Melville, Author


    Join us for episode 3 of Unfurling as we delve into a topic dear to us - Connections and Networks. Through discussion, we offer a kaleidoscope of lessons, ideas and prompts from the natural world to inform and inspire you as you reflect - as an individual, leader, organisation, and/or community.     


    We touch on:

    How connections & networks have been key to us professionally, from job creation to fundraising, from local government to building a global community networkWhere we see connections and networks working well - and less well, especially at this time of COVID-19What could be possible for individuals, and as a collective, with enhanced connections and networks (from wellbeing, information sharing, and depth of relationship, to work, communities and society)How examples of connections and networks in the natural world might help us to think creatively (we draw on lung alveoli; forests and underground fungal networks; coral reefs; and the animal kingdom). 

    If you'd like to explore this further, we encourage you to join fellow listeners in our Facebook group, “Unfurling Podcast”, a community space for asking questions and sharing thoughts, ideas and resources about episodes and the power of the natural world to inform and inspire: https://www.facebook.com/groups/313645743154222/


    ----


    References:


    ~0: Herman Melville: “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”

    ~9: BrenĂ© Brown: â€œI define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”

    ~14: “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 

    ~15: “Grief and the Lungs” (https://www.chinesemedicineliving.com/philosophy/the-emotions/grief-the-lungs/)

    ~16: “The Alveoli in your Lungs” (https://www.healthline.com/health/alveoli-function)

    ~20: Arukah Network (https://www.arukahnetwork.org/)

    ~21: “How Trees Talk To Each Other In a Healthy Forest” by Suzanne Simard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=breDQqrkikM) 

    ~26: “Fantastic Fungi - The Magic Beneath Us” - A film by Louie Schwartzberg (https://fantasticfungi.com/)

    ~27: Facts on coral reefs extracted from “Scientists are trying to save coral reefs. Here's what's working.” in National Geographic (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/06/scientists-work-to-save-coral-reefs-climate-change-marine-parks/)

    ~31: Chaos Theory: “
something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.”

    ~32: The recommendation to be famous for 15 miles is attributed to the poet Gary Snyder (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/10/social-media-24-hour-news-cycle)

    ~33: Facts on elephants extracted from “Elephants are Socially Complex” in Elephant Voices ( https://www.elephantvoices.org/elephant-sense-a-sociality-4/elephants-are-socially-complex.html)

    ~37: A selection of research on social media: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns

    ~41: Steve Jobs: “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

    ~42: Books: 

    “Entangled Life: How Fungi make our worlds, change our minds, and shape our futures” by Merlin Sheldrake

    “Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success” by Adam Grant 


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  • Climate Change (Pt 1)

    Climate Change (Pt 1)

    · Unfurling

    In our second episode of Unfurling, we look at Climate Change. We hope you might take away some information - and perhaps even inspiration - as we draw on lessons from the natural world.


    Starting with why the topic is important to us personally, we go on a journey exploring:

    the current reality when it comes to Climate Change;what could be possible as individuals, and as a collective; some of the things we might want do in response as we move into the future - as individuals, especially around our mindset; and as leaders and organisations, by drawing on principles found in nature;other actions we might take.

    We share ideas, research, leaders, organisations, books and quotes to explore throughout the episode. 


    Given Climate Change is such a big topic, we plan to revisit it again in the future, so this is part one. For now, we would love to hear your reflections on this episode and encourage you to join fellow listeners in our Facebook group, “Unfurling Podcast”, in which we share questions & resources, and encourage conversation about episode themes: https://www.facebook.com/groups/313645743154222/


    Thanks for listening!


    References


    Sir David Attenborough at COP24: “We are facing a man-made disaster on a global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change”. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46398057)


    IPCC Fifth Assessment Report: “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.” (https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/05/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full_wcover.pdf)


    Stefan Rahmstorf, Potsdam University: “In just 100 years, fossil fuel use has more than undone 5000 years of natural cooling...” (https://twitter.com/rahmstorf/status/1220699044181368838)


    Europe’s warmest year on record (2018) and the second warmest (2019) (https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global-regions/) 


    Friederike Otto, University of Oxford: “These records will be broken in a few years.” (https://www.scientistsforxr.earth/faq)


    Temperature rise should be kept below 1.5°C, but is on track for 4°C or higher (https://www.wwf.org.uk/climate-change-and-global-warming)


    “The Uninhabitable Earth” by David Wallace-Wells 


    Professor James Hansen: “We have a planetary emergency.” (https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/news/we-have-planetary-emergency) [Note -- Catriona misquoted this as “We are in a planetary emergency.”]


    Dr Rowan Williams: “The future of the human race is now at stake.”


    Facts on Devon’s reduction in carbon emissions (23%) and air particulates (50%) during the Covid19 lockdown (https://www.devonclimateemergency.org.uk/effect-of-covid-lockdown-on-carbon-emissions/)


    “In the UK, the lockdown led to traffic falling to 1955 levels while fine particle and NO2 pollution fell by up to half in cities.” (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/04/cleaner-air-during-uk-lockdown-relieves-asthma-for-millions-lung-conditions-coronavirus)


    “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson


    Greta Thunberg's TED Talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/greta_thunberg_the_disarming_case_to_act_right_now_on_climate_change)


    “Ants Use Great Teamwork Skills” (https://www.timesofisrael.com/ants-possess-astonishing-teamwork-skills-study-finds/)


    Climate Change Coaches (https://www.climatechangecoaches.com/startyourjourney)


    Alarmed to Activated Workshop:

    Offered for free to the MOE Foundation by us as a beta test for Climate Change Coaches: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/alarmed-to-activated-a-free-virtual-workshop-additional-date-tickets-101448017752# Content Package download for this 2 hour Online Workshop will be available to buy from Climate Change Coaches soon: https://www.climatechangecoaches.com/coursedetails

    “The Optimism Bias” by Tali Sharot (https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82206010.pdf)


    UK Student Climate Network (https://ukscn.org/)


    Clover Hogan and Juliet Brooks at Force of Nature (https://www.forceofnature.xyz/)


    David Wallace-Wells: “When it comes to contemplating real-world warming dangers, we suffer from an incredible failure of imagination.” (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/14/facts-matter-but-stories-can-persuade-us-to-change-our-world) - [Note -- Elizabeth misattributed this to Richard Powers]


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