Birds & Nerds | Americans feel isolated, invisible, and insignificant and it's hurting our health
Release Date: 11/25/2025
Birds & Nerds | Animal Parenting Is Wild: What Crows, Monkeys, & Spiderlings Can Teach Human Parents
Birds & Nerds Podcast
Think human parenting is exhausting? Wait until you hear what happens in the animal kingdom. In this special summer episode of Birds & Nerds, host Ramona Schindelheim talks with science journalist Elizabeth Preston, author of "The Creatures' Guide to Caring," about the surprisingly tender—and sometimes deeply unsettling—world of animal parenting. Some animal parents cooperate, sacrifice, and support each other in ways that feel shockingly familiar to exhausted human moms and dads. But nature also has a darker side: spiderlings that eat their mothers and birds that make brutal survival...
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Birds & Nerds at SXSW 2026 | It All Begins With Birds | Ramona Schindelheim & Dr. Elizabeth Gray
Birds & Nerds Podcast
This episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast was recorded live on stage at SXSW 2026 in Austin, featuring Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the National Audubon Society, and podcast host and journalist Ramona Schindelheim. This conversation explores how birds serve as vital indicators of planetary health, powerful drivers of conservation, and sources of personal wellbeing, creativity, and community. National Audubon Society CEO Dr. Elizabeth Gray explains that birds are often the first species to disappear from degraded habitats and the first to return when areas are restored, making them key...
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Birds & Nerds | Bestselling Author Amy Tan on Finding Hope and Beauty in Your Own Backyard
Birds & Nerds Podcast
Bestselling author Amy Tan says ten years ago she was so overwhelmed with despair at the state of the world, she turned to the natural beauty in her own backyard — specifically birds — in search of hope. Her book The Backyard Bird Chronicles is a beautiful collection of sketches and reflections on that personal journey. In this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Ramona Schindelheim, Tan shares her creative journey, exploring the transformative power of writing and the influence of her family relationships. She discusses how despair led her to find...
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Birds & Nerds | The Transformative Power of Music and Birdsong | Eric Alper
Birds & Nerds Podcast
A specific song can be our own powerful time machine — reminding us of a past experience — good or bad. And it can also help us make sense of the current world around us. In this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast, host Ramona Schindelheim is joined by the always delightful Eric Alper — a music publicist and industry expert — who has spent his career exploring what it takes to create that magic through the right combination of notes and lyrics. Musicians often take their inspiration from birds, both figuratively and literally — think Blackbird, Fly Like and Eagle, When Doves...
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Birds & Nerds | Expats and Birds Take Flight
Birds & Nerds Podcast
Have you ever fallen in love with a city hours after you first stepped off the plane? Did it make you want to pack your bags and move there, even if it was in another country? That happened to Mike Huckman, former journalist and now principal of life sciences consulting company Huckman Group. In this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast, Mike and journalist and host Ramona Schindelheim discuss what attracted him to San Miguel de Allende, a small town about three-and-half hours from Mexico City with a thriving expat community. If you're thinking about taking flight yourself, Mike shares how...
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Birds & Nerds | Birds Are Dinosaurs!
Birds & Nerds Podcast
Did you know that birds are living dinosaurs? 66 million years ago, a huge asteroid struck Earth, triggering earthquakes, tsunamis, and global wildfires, plunging the planet into darkness, and wiping out most species, including non-bird dinosaurs. In this episode of Birds & Nerds, we're asking why did birds survive the KPG impact and what else can we learn from this catastrophic event. Paleontologist Roger Benson of the American Museum of Natural History is the lead curator of the museum's new exhibit IMPACT: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs. He joins me to talk asteroids, dinosaurs, and,...
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Birds & Nerds | Birds! Birds! Birds! This one is ALL about birds!
Birds & Nerds Podcast
If you love birds, you're going to love this episode of the Birds & Nerds podcast. National Audubon Society CEO Elizabeth Gray joins host Ramona Schindelheim in a discussion about what's behind the boom in popularity of birdwatching in the United States — 96 million people self-identify as bird lovers! They also look at the alarming decline of bird populations in North America and what Audubon is doing to reverse it. Elizabeth shares how everyone be a part of the effort to protect birds and their natural habitats, including through community science projects like the upcoming Christmas...
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Birds & Nerds | Americans feel isolated, invisible, and insignificant and it's hurting our health
Birds & Nerds Podcast
America is in the midst of a loneliness crisis. People of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds are feeling isolated, invisible, and insignificant. Social disconnection and digital isolation are rampant. In addition to taking a toll on us mentally and emotionally, it is hurting us physically and economically. Studies show stress can decrease our longevity and can manifest in physical symptoms, which can lead to more trips to the doctor. In this conversation, I am joined by Jean Accius, president & CEO of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, to explore the emotional, mental, and physical...
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Birds & Nerds | A pencil is just a pencil... unless it is a Blackwing
Birds & Nerds Podcast
A pencil is just a pencil… unless it’s a Blackwing. Welcome to the Birds & Nerds podcast. In each episode, we explore a random topic — today, we’re all in on the best pencil EVER made — and, as always, we find the connection to birds. The legendary Blackwing 602 pencil was first manufactured in the 1930s and was favored by the likes of John Steinbeck, Chuck Jones, Steven Sondheim, Quincy Jones and so many more writers, musicians, and artists. A broken piece of machinery brought a half-century of production to a halt until 15 years ago when California Cedar Products revived the...
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Birds & Nerds | There's strength in numbers: Lifting up the most vulnerable is good for everyone
Birds & Nerds Podcast
Did you know that 55% of Americans don't have enough savings to simultaneously weather a loss of income and a rise in expenses? In this episode of Birds & Nerds, we're talking about ways to financially strengthen vulnerable Americans, providing them with the financial security they need to reach their full potential. And, as always, we find examples in nature where protecting and lifting up the most vulnerable in the flock makes a stronger community. "In our country, we tend to think we can make everyone better off just by income. But it's actually the combination of income, benefits, and...
info_outlineAmerica is in the midst of a loneliness crisis. People of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds are feeling isolated, invisible, and insignificant. Social disconnection and digital isolation are rampant. In addition to taking a toll on us mentally and emotionally, it is hurting us physically and economically. Studies show stress can decrease our longevity and can manifest in physical symptoms, which can lead to more trips to the doctor.
In this conversation, I am joined by Jean Accius, president & CEO of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, to explore the emotional, mental, and physical state of health in the United States. It is all connected and we're looking at ways to significantly improve the feeling of community and connections to address this crisis.
Nature can aid the healing. Building connections can alleviate loneliness. Jean and I discuss the therapeutic benefits of nature and community engagement, particularly through shared interests such as birdwatching. Jean shares that he just recently started pausing to observe birds on his walks and runs and how that has changed his perspective about several things. I share how watching an eagle nest cam connected me to a new community during COVID, one that continues to thrive today.
You can watch the episode on our YouTube channel here: Birds & Nerds Podcast
Watch now for these and more stories. Learn more about CHC: Creating Healthier Communities: https://chcimpact.org/
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Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonaschindelheim/
BONUS: Here is the link to the eagle nest camera: https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/eagles/