The Nature Of with Willow Defebaugh

• Maggie Baird on The Nature Of Food as an Act of Compassion

  In this episode, we explore the nature of food as a profound act of care—with the power to transform not only our health and the planet, but the very systems we live within. Maggie Baird, longtime activist, founder of Support + Feed, and mother of artists Billie Eilish and Finneas, joins Willow for a conversation rooted in compassion for humans, animals, and the Earth. From her early awakening to animal welfare to her family’s shared commitment to cultural and climate transformation, Maggie shares how plant-based food offers a hopeful path forward. Willow and Maggie discuss the myths that persist around veganism, the spiritual cost of industrial agriculture, and how joy and justice can help flavor the way we eat—for good.Podcast production by Magnificent NoiseSeries photography by Camila FalquezEpisode photography by Arianna LagoExecutive Producers: Willow Defebaugh, Theresa Perez, Jake SargentSpecial thanks to Karen Gray, Jasmine Hardy, Tessa Forrest, Ásta Þrastardóttir, Jonas Woost, Kattie Laur

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• Bayo Akomolafe on The Nature Of Possibility in Uncertain Times

  What if the rupture of these tumultuous times is not an ending, but an opening? In this episode, Willow speaks with Bayo Akomolafe, philosopher, poet, and thinker whose work challenges us to step beyond binaries and into the fertile, unpredictable space of emergence. They dig into how transformation doesn’t come from rigid certainty or oppositional thinking, but from the cracks—where new possibilities take root. Nature does not resolve tension; it composts it, making way for something unexpected to arise. Bayo invites us to see the turbulence of our moment not as a problem to be solved, but as an invitation to step out of fixed ways of being and embrace the "third way"—the space between and beyond, where new ways of relating, knowing, and becoming can unfold.Podcast production by Magnificent NoiseSeries photography by Camila FalquezEpisode photography by Arianna LagoExecutive Producers: Willow Defebaugh, Theresa Perez, Jake SargentSpecial thanks to Karen Gray, Jasmine Hardy, Tessa Forrest, Ásta Þrastardóttir, Jonas Woost, Kattie Laur

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• Steph Speirs on The Nature Of Capital and Ensuring Life Thrives

  Wealth is often defined by accumulation—but what if it was instead measured by what we sustain, regenerate, and share? In this episode, Willow speaks with Steph Speirs, co-founder of Solstice and board member of the Sierra Club Foundation, about how capital—in all its forms—can be stewarded to better support a flourishing planet. Together, they explore the shifting definition of wealth beyond money, the power of community in the clean energy transition, and how movements like the Sierra Club Foundation’s Shifting Trillions initiative are working to redirect financial flows from extraction to regeneration. At the heart of their conversation is a question both urgent and hopeful: What does it look like to resource a future where people and ecosystems thrive together?Season one of The Nature Of is made possible in part by funding from the Sierra Club Foundation.If you’re interested in learning more about the Sierra Club Foundation, check out their website and other projects they’re supporting:Shifting Trillions - sierraclubfoundation.org/shifting-trillionsSage Development Authority - anpetuwi.comSolar Holler - solarholler.comNavajo Power - navajopower.com

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• adrienne maree brown on The Nature Of Transformation and Everyday Alchemy

  Transformation is both a personal and collective spell—one cast through intention, practice, and the courage to embrace change. Here, Willow is joined by adrienne maree brown, writer, activist, and emergent strategist, for a conversation on alchemy, witchcraft as resistance, and the magic of small, everyday acts that create lasting change. Together, they examine adrienne’s philosophy that small is all, the ways we can embody transformative justice in our relationships, and her latest book, Loving Corrections, which offers a radical vision for accountability rooted in care, not punishment. How can we transmute harm into healing? What does it mean to be in right relationship with ourselves and others? This episode is an invocation, and a call to step into our power as co-creators of the future.To see a transcript of this episode: https://atmos.earth/podcast/adrienne-maree-brown-on-the-nature-of-transformation-and-everyday-alchemy/

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• Janine Benyus on The Nature Of Biomimicry and Designing Life

  Nature is not just a place—it’s a teacher, a guide, and a blueprint for innovation. Willow is joined by Janine Benyus, biologist, author, and co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute, whose groundbreaking work has transformed the way we think about designing with nature rather than against it. Together, they outline the principles of biomimicry—the practice of looking to ecosystems, organisms, and natural patterns for sustainable solutions to human challenges. From the way forests manage resources to the aerodynamics of fish, Janine reveals how nature has already solved many of the problems we face today. The question then becomes: how can we align ourselves with life in every choice we make?To see a transcript of this episode: https://atmos.earth/podcast/janine-benyus-on-the-nature-of-biomimicry-and-designing-life/

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