Transform your life with nature as your guide. As the editor-in-chief of Atmos, Willow Defebaugh has dedicated her life to illuminating the wisdom of the natural world. In The Nature Of, she sits down with artists, scientists, and cultural pioneers—from Esther Perel to Maggie Rogers—to uncover what nature can teach us about creativity, connection, and change. Named one of Apple’s best podcasts of the year, new episodes are released biweekly on all streaming platforms.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
How to Be an Artful Fighter With Priya Parker
#39 trending · Nature
What if conflict is not something to be avoided, but something that can help us grow? This week, Willow sits down with author and conflict resolution expert Priya Parker
Sep 22 34 min
Are Plants Intelligent? Zoë Schlanger Has the Answer
What if plants are more intelligent than we've ever imagined? This week, Willow sits down with journalist and The Light Eaters author Zoë Schlanger for a conversation abo
Sep 8 43 min
Exploring the Edges of the Universe With Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
What if the universe is stranger and more full of possibility than we've been taught to imagine? This week, Willow sits down with cosmologist and The Edge of Space-Time a
Jul 21 28 min
Lindsay Mack: Growth Is a Spiral, Not a Line
Lindsay Mack spends their time helping people rewild and reconnect with their intuition—but not in the way you might expect. This week, Willow sits down with the teacher,
Hope isn’t found in looking to the future; it’s in the past. This week, Willow sits down with legendary writer and activist Rebecca Solnit for a conversation about uncert
Jun 23 39 min
Vivien Sansour: Saving the Seeds of Palestine
What can seeds teach us about memory, resilience, and the possibility of renewal? This week, Willow sits down with Vivien Sansour, seed keeper and founder of the Palestin
Jun 9 37 min
From Soil to Shelf: The Science of Beauty With Jorge Blanco
What does it mean for beauty to be part of ecology rather than separate from it? Willow sits down with Jorge Blanco, Davines' North America Culture & Creative Director, f
May 26 22 min
Maria Popova on Turning Matter Into Meaning
How do we stay open amid uncertainty? In this episode, Willow sits down with Maria Popova, writer and founder of The Marginalian, for a conversation about meaning, wonder
May 12 49 min
Pattie Gonia: How Nature Can Help Us Transcend Binaries
How can we see nature as an invitation to break down binary thinking? In this episode, Willow sits down with environmental drag queen Pattie Gonia to explore the outdoors
Apr 28 43 min
Artist Olafur Eliasson on Seeing What We’ve Been Blind To
How can getting in touch with our senses help us reconnect with the world around us? Nature has shaped the work of artist Olafur Eliasson for decades. From glowing suns i
Apr 14 30 min
Giuliana Furci Is Your Guide to the Enchanting World of Fungi
Beneath our feet, fungi connect forests, turn death into life, and quietly sustain the world we live in. Mycologist Giuliana Furci has spent decades studying and sensing
Mar 31 43 min
Uncovering the Holy Ordinary with Terry Tempest Williams
Note: This episode includes a brief mention of death by suicide. Please take care while listening.
Willow sits down with award-winning author Terry Tempest Williams to e
Mar 17 42 min
Suzanne Simard: How to Be a Mother Tree
What if the forest is not scenery, but kin? In this episode of The Nature Of, Willow speaks with forest ecologist, Suzanne Simard, about the hidden networks that connect
Mar 3 53 min
Death Doula Alua Arthur: Dying Is the Secret to Living
What if remembering we will die is what teaches us how to live? In this episode of The Nature Of, Willow is joined by death doula and New York Times bestselling author, A
Feb 17 51 min
Elizabeth Kolbert: Why Wonder Is Still Worth Searching For
This week on The Nature Of, Willow speaks with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author Elizabeth Kolbert about what it means to bear witness to a changing world. Dra
Feb 3 30 min
Stories from the Deep with Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen
What does it cost to truly document the natural world, and why do some people keep returning even when the risk is real? In this episode of The Nature Of, Willow sits dow
Jan 20 40 min
Baratunde Thurston on Natural vs. Artificial Intelligence
What does it mean to live in right relationship with intelligence, human, more than human, and now artificial? In this episode of The Nature Of, Willow sits down with wri
Jan 6 30 min
Robin Wall Kimmerer: The Land Loves You Back
In this week’s episode of The Nature Of, Willow sits down with Robin Wall Kimmerer, beloved scientist, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi
Dec 16 2025 49 min
Roxane Gay: How Feminism Grows From Here
Movements evolve the way ecosystems do—through tension, adaptation, and collective resilience. In this episode, Willow is joined by writer and cultural critic Roxane Gay
Dec 2 2025 45 min
Kate Marvel Will Change How You Feel About Planet Earth
In this episode, host Willow Defebaugh is joined by renowned climate scientist and writer Kate Marvel for a conversation about her book, Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel A
Nov 18 2025 41 min
Chart trend
Position in the Nature chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#10#18JulAugSepOct
#1
all-time peak
112
days in the top 3 since Mar 2025
Chart positions
Where The Nature Of with Willow Defebaugh ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 2, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
I was searching for shows where Terry Tempest Williams was guest to hear more about her latest book. Came across yours and I am here to stay! Great questions, and I love your voice.
Lin Gassaway · Aug 2026
I love this podcast! It’s akin to On Being in that all of the guests have fascinating perspectives and the host’s curiosity and deft questions draw out the wisdom. Taking this one on my walks for soul nourishment.
Cristy DLC · Aug 2026
Every episode of this podcast makes me think and feel in new—and much needed—ways. Every guest is a new ally in my self-discovery and I glean so much wisdom and courage from the conversations. This summer, concurrent with listening, I have been reading Gary Snyder’s essays, The Practice of the Wild, first published in 1990. It’s so interesting to sense the ongoing conversation, over decades, about what it means to live in integrity and reciprocity with nature, to cultivate and restore wildness in ourselves and our communities, and to “Stay together, learn the flowers, and go light” as he writes in his wonderful poem, For the Children. His writing in these essays resonates deeply with the themes of your show, especially the episodes with Robert MacFarlane, Rebecca Solnit and Terry Tempest Williams. Have you read these essays by Snyder? If not, I think you and your listeners would love them. Anyway, 5 stars and many thanks for this wonderful podcast! Please keep ‘em coming!
Cascara5 · Jul 2026
Willow asks such thoughtful questions, then engages with the guest in a conversation that seems to take on a life of its own. It’s the best balance for a podcast because you learn through the guest’s responses to her questions as well as her dialogue with the guest. I’m really grateful I found this and have passed it along to many friends. Thank you Willow.
Anaraye · Jul 2026
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
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About The Nature Of with Willow Defebaugh on Reason.fm
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of The Nature Of with Willow Defebaugh, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
