7 Green Podcasts to Inspire and Awaken Us

paradigm shift podcasts transformation wake up Feb 01, 2021
Zac Wolff

When listening to podcasts about the living world, I need more than just old ideas about sustainability or keeping up the status quo of the systems already at work.

Instead, I want to learn about shifts in our paradigm from human supremacy to earth-honoring worldviews or transformations within the intersections of social and environmental justice.

I want to hear voices that open my mind and make me think entirely different about a subject—liberating some assumption or long-held belief.

I want to listen to something that will educate, awaken, and deeply dismantle something inside of me. 

For those of you who are looking to radically challenge and disrupt how you live and interact as a human being on this planet, here are seven podcasts that will support you on this journey:

For the Wild

Smart and beautifully produced, For the Wild has been my favorite podcast for some time now. Host Ayana Young is warm, thoughtful, and brings her whole heart to her interviews. Guests are visionaries and thought leaders who are doing major planet-transforming work in their fields. I love that this podcast gives space for a multitude of voices and perspectives that wouldn’t be told otherwise.

For the Wild aims “to produce an anthology of the Anthropocene, but it also strives to support a new paradigm of earth renewal through conservation and restoration ecology.” Some of my favorite episodes are “Deeply Rooted: Declaring Interdependence with Milla Prince,” and “Dr. Natasha Myers on Growing the Planthroposcene,” but I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

Accidental Gods

Created by contemporary shamantic practitioner and author Manda Scott, Accidental Gods seeks to “explore the liminal space between science and spirituality, philosophy and politics, art, creativity—working toward the conscious evolution of humanity.” Accidental Gods invites quite the mixture of guests, many from the U.K., who speak about anything from regenerative farming and spiritual activism, all the way to radical inclusivity and the future of democracy. Scott is a grounded, deeply knowledgeable host who is invested in the exploration of humanity’s next evolutionary steps.

A New and Ancient Story

Charles Eisenstein, the author of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible, is the host of these interviews, seeking to understand the next story for our civilization. This podcast features Eisenstein in conversation with “a series of extraordinary guests: activists and healers, scientists and spiritual teachers, artists and entrepreneurs, Indigenous people, and the elite.” The guests are really fascinating and diverse on this podcast, and Eisenstein has this way of continually exploring issues from a subversive, transformational lens. 

Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature

The podcast of the internationally-known Bioneers conferences features in-depth interviews with leading social and scientific innovators. According to their website, they “highlight diverse voices of grassroots leaders and voices that are often marginalized or excluded by corporate media. The programs cover a wide range of topics, including intelligence in nature, climate justice, food and farming, gender equity, Indigenous knowledge, reigning in corporate power, and youth activism.” A tremendous resource of knowledge and insight, you could stay busy for a long time listening to all of these great interviews. 

Green Dreamer

Guided by host Kamea Chayne, Green Dreamer is “a podcast and multimedia journal exploring our paths to holistic health, ecological regeneration, and true abundance and wellness for all.” The overarching message of this podcast is to empower ourselves in stories of hope and resilience, instead of overwhelm. There are so many intriguing episodes here but a couple of my favorites are “Relearning the language of Earth embodiment,” with Farmer Rishi, and “Empowering farmers of color and dismantling racism in the food system,” with Leah Penniman. 

Breaking Green Ceilings

Host Sapna Mulki’s podcast amplifies the voices of environmentalists from historically underrepresented communities including disabled, queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and POC. The mission of these interviews is to embrace a diversity of thought in order to create a more inclusive environmental movement. Mulki aims to increase “representation for all and be heard more by our communities and workplaces to eventually break through those green ceilings!”

The Future is Beautiful

Amisha Ghadiali’s podcast was inspired by her book of the same name. She asks the question, “How do we create beauty in the world, especially within the relationships of politics, spirituality, creativity and sustainability?” Interviews alternate every week between male and female guests, “seeking to bring real diversity to the show, both in terms of people from different cultures and backgrounds as well as people that you’ve heard of and unsung heroes you have not.”

All seven of these podcasts are rich with substance, each interview exploring some angle or insight into this new world we are creating together.

Enjoy, and I would love to hear which episodes are your favorites!

 

Published on Elephant Journal 1/31/21.