Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing
We ARE nature. Our disconnection from it leaves us feeling incomplete. Rooted explores how connecting with nature helps us feel whole again—without leaving the lives we're living. Host Susan Morgan Bailey, a former science teacher and transformational coach with 25 years in organizational wellbeing, brings her expertise in ecosystem thinking and culture transformation to peer-level conversations with practitioners, researchers, and people who've found their way back to wholeness through nature. Each episode explores different pathways to nature connection, the wisdom nature teaches us, and how to integrate this essential foundation for wellbeing into modern life. From forest guides to researchers studying nature's impact on mental health, from rewilding educators to transformation stories—these conversations address root causes of disconnection, not just symptoms. If you've tried every wellness approach and still feel exhausted, if you sense something fundamental is missing, if you feel more yourself outside—this podcast is for you. No wilderness required. No dramatic life changes needed. Just curiosity about what might happen when we remember we ARE nature. New episodes release Wednesdays
info_outline
Walk with SMB: Grounded Hope
07/22/2026
Walk with SMB: Grounded Hope
Seeing images of the wildfires in Canada, I noticed fear rising. So instead of pushing the feeling away, I sat with it and found myself thinking about what years of observing the natural world have taught me about change. Nature is extraordinarily resilient. A landscape can be devastated and still hold the possibility of life. Forests change. Ecosystems adapt. Life finds a way to continue, although perhaps not in the same form that existed before. And because we are nature, I began to wonder: Is the resilience I see in the living world also something I can remember in myself? In this solo reflection, I explore what I mean when I talk about listening to nature, the difference between being smart and being wise, and the kind of hope that can emerge when we stay present with uncertainty rather than trying to immediately fix or escape it. Grounded hope isn't reassurance that everything will be okay. It's something steadier. It allows us to hold the paradox that destruction and regeneration can both be true. That grief and possibility can exist together. That we can be afraid of what is happening while still trusting in the resilience of life. When the landscape of your life changes, where do you look for hope? Maybe the Earth doesn't promise us that everything will be okay. Maybe she offers us something more honest: a reminder that life has been navigating change for a very, very long time—and that we are part of that life. Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey & Rooted Website: LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/42145220
info_outline
Walk with Brano Kaleta: The Psychology of Awe: What Happens When We Look Up
07/15/2026
Walk with Brano Kaleta: The Psychology of Awe: What Happens When We Look Up
We spend much of our lives looking down—at screens, sidewalks, and to-do lists. But what might change if we simply looked up? In this episode of Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing, Susan welcomes psychologist and PhD researcher Braňo Kaleta from the Centre for Positive Health Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Braňo's research explores cloudspotting, stargazing, nature connectedness, and the psychology of awe. While the science of cloudspotting and stargazing is still emerging, our conversation explores what psychology is already teaching us about attention, perspective, and why moments of wonder may play an important role in our wellbeing. Together, we explore how directing our attention toward the sky can invite curiosity, restore our focus, and help us reconnect with something larger than ourselves. We also discuss Attention Restoration Theory, the importance of nature connectedness, why winter skies deserve more appreciation, and simple ways anyone can begin cultivating more awe in everyday life. In this episode, we explore: • What psychologists mean by the emotion of awe—and why it matters for wellbeing • Attention Restoration Theory and how paying attention to nature may help restore our capacity to focus • Why cloudspotting and stargazing invite curiosity, perspective, and wonder • Nature connectedness and why feeling part of nature matters for both personal and planetary wellbeing • Practical ways to experience more awe in everyday life • Why winter skies deserve more appreciation One of Braňo's questions has stayed with Susan long after the conversation ended: "What brings you awe?" Perhaps that's a question worth carrying with you the next time you step outside. Connect with Braňo Kaleta LinkedIn: Connect with Rooted 🌿 Website: 🌿 Susan Morgan Bailey: 🌿 LinkedIn: If this conversation resonated with you, we'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with someone who could use a little more awe in their life. Thank you for walking with us.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41735715
info_outline
Walk with Martin Sampson: Rethinking Parks, Health, and Community
07/08/2026
Walk with Martin Sampson: Rethinking Parks, Health, and Community
What role do parks play in the health of a community? For many of us, parks are places to walk, play, or spend time outdoors. But what if they're also part of the infrastructure that helps communities become healthier, more connected, and more resilient? In this episode of ROOTED, I sit down with Martin Sampson, CEO of the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association, to explore how parks and recreation contribute to wellbeing in ways that are often overlooked. We discuss why access to nature is more than a quality-of-life issue, the importance of investing upstream in prevention rather than waiting to respond to illness and crisis, and how parks create opportunities for connection, belonging, and resilience. Martin also shares the vision behind , a growing movement inviting people to step outside, connect with nature, and experience the simple act of being outdoors as a shared community experience. Throughout our conversation, I found myself returning to a question that has shaped much of my own work: What conditions help people thrive? As we explored everything from public health and equitable access to advocacy and community design, it became clear that parks are not simply amenities—they are places where people gather, heal, connect, and remember that we are part of the living world. Perhaps creating healthier communities begins long before someone walks into a doctor's office. Perhaps it begins by creating places where people can step outside together. Resources Mentioned Connect with Martin Sampson Canadian Parks and Recreation Association: Everyone Outdoors Together: LinkedIn: Connect with ROOTED Visit ROOTED online for episode notes, reflections, and additional resources: Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey: LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41966255
info_outline
Walk with SMB: Beyond Bouncing Back
07/01/2026
Walk with SMB: Beyond Bouncing Back
Resilience is one of the most common words in conversations about leadership, wellbeing, and life. We celebrate resilient people. We encourage one another to be more resilient. But what if we've unintentionally reduced resilience to simply "bouncing back"? In this Walk with SMB episode, I share a question that's been following me as I prepare a workshop on mental reset and resilience: What story are we telling ourselves about resilience? Drawing on my background in environmental science and organizational wellbeing, I explore what happens when we look at resilience through the lens of nature. Living systems don't avoid challenge—they adapt, recover, reorganize, and continue changing. What might we learn if we viewed our own resilience the same way? Along the way, I introduce six conditions I'm beginning to notice that seem to support resilience and thriving: environment, relationships, rhythms, recovery, meaning, and mind. This isn't a finished framework—it's an exploration. Together, we'll consider how mental resets create space to notice our stories, respond rather than react, and become more aware of the conditions that help us adapt and thrive. I'll leave you with two questions I'm still carrying: What story are you telling yourself about resilience? And perhaps an even more useful one... What conditions help you thrive? Connect with Susan Website: LinkedIn: ROOTED Podcast: If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear what stayed with you. Share your reflections on LinkedIn or leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Your stories help shape future conversations.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41914640
info_outline
Walk With Nevin Harper: We Didn't Go to Nature. We Lived in It.
06/24/2026
Walk With Nevin Harper: We Didn't Go to Nature. We Lived in It.
What if nature isn't somewhere we go, but something we live within? In this conversation, I sit down with Nevin Harper—counselor, professor, outdoor educator, and co-author of Nature-Based Therapy and Kids These Days—to explore how the environments we inhabit shape our wellbeing, relationships, and sense of belonging. Growing up in northern Canada, Nevin experienced nature not as a destination, but as the backdrop of everyday life. Forests, wildlife, long winters, and wide-open landscapes were simply part of being human. It wasn't until he left home that he realized many people experience nature very differently. Together, we explore nature-based counseling, the role of outdoor experiences in human development, why environments matter, and how nature can support connection, reflection, and healing. We also discuss Nevin's work with young people, the stories adults tell about "kids these days," and the powerful influence of the worlds we create for future generations. Throughout the conversation, one idea continues to surface: our relationship with nature is deeply shaped by the environments we grow up in—and by the environments we choose to create. If you've ever wondered what it means to live in relationship with nature rather than simply visit it, this conversation offers a thoughtful place to begin. Connect with Nevin Harper Website: LinkedIn: Connect with Susan Bailey Website: LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41735755
info_outline
Walk with Cheryl Thompson: The Stories We Tell Ourselves
06/17/2026
Walk with Cheryl Thompson: The Stories We Tell Ourselves
What happens when the path you carefully planned is no longer the path you're meant to follow? In this episode of Rooted, Susan sits down with friend, leadership advisor, and AI educator Cheryl Thompson for a conversation about career reinvention, burnout, self-agency, and the stories that shape our lives. Cheryl shares her journey from automotive manufacturing and engineering leadership to entrepreneurship, sound healing, and helping leaders navigate the emerging world of artificial intelligence. Along the way, she reflects on the lessons she learned as one of the few women in highly male-dominated environments, the challenge of asking for help, and the burnout that ultimately forced her to slow down and listen more closely to herself. Together, Susan and Cheryl explore questions that many of us face: • What story am I telling myself about who I need to be? • How do I know when it's time to change direction? • What happens when we stop proving ourselves and start paying attention to what energizes us? • How can nature help us reconnect to ourselves in an increasingly artificial world? This conversation is an invitation to consider where you may have more agency than you realize, what old stories you might be carrying, and how slowing down can create space for something new to emerge. Connect with Cheryl: Website: LinkedIn: Learn more about Susan and Rooted: Resources Mentioned: • Coaches Training Institute (CTI) • Sound Healing and Sound Bath Practices • Artificial Intelligence for Leadership and Career Development
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41641115
info_outline
Walk with Owen Wiseman: Nature, Health, and the Systems We Live In
06/10/2026
Walk with Owen Wiseman: Nature, Health, and the Systems We Live In
What if nature isn't simply good for us—but foundational to human health and wellbeing? In this episode of ROOTED, I sit down with naturopathic doctor and NatureQuant advisor Dr. Owen Wiseman to explore the growing evidence connecting nature exposure to better physical health, mental wellbeing, resilience, and quality of life. But this conversation goes beyond individual health habits. Together, we explore how cities, healthcare systems, schools, workplaces, and communities are shaped by access to nature—and what happens when generations become disconnected from the natural world. Owen introduces concepts like environmental generational amnesia and shifting baseline syndrome, explains how nature prescriptions are being integrated into healthcare in Canada, and makes a compelling case for viewing nature not as a luxury, but as essential infrastructure. If we are nature, what are the consequences of designing lives and systems that keep us apart from it? This conversation invites us to think differently about health, wellbeing, and the role nature plays in helping both people and communities thrive. Resources Mentioned NatureQuant NatureDose App PARX – Canada's Nature Prescription Program Shifting Baseline Syndrome Environmental Generational Amnesia Connect with Dr. Owen Wiseman Website: NatureQuant: LinkedIn: Connect with Rooted Visit Rooted online for episode notes, reflections, and additional resources: Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey: LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41566160
info_outline
Sit with SMB: Your Place in the Family of Things
06/03/2026
Sit with SMB: Your Place in the Family of Things
As we approach the summer solstice—the longest light of the year—nature offers a quiet reminder: belonging isn't something we earn. It's something we already have. In this Sit with SMB episode, Susan reflects on the loss of a beloved hundred-year-old white pine that stood in her yard for decades. A triple-topped tree with deep roots and a steady presence, it became an unexpected teacher about grief, gratitude, and the ways nature continues its cycles even when they don't unfold as we imagined. Drawing inspiration from the writings of Mary Oliver and her own experience saying goodbye to the tree long before it came down, Susan explores what it means to be part of "the family of things." The conversation moves through themes of belonging, nature's wisdom, interrupted cycles, and the permission we receive from the natural world to simply be ourselves. This episode is an invitation to consider how nature holds both endings and continuations at the same time—and how what appears to be loss may sometimes be transformation. As the solstice approaches, Susan leaves listeners with a gentle question: What in your life might be ready to change form? Resources Mentioned Mary Oliver, Wild Geese Mary Oliver, When I Am Among the Trees Connect with Rooted Visit Rooted online for episode notes, reflections, and additional resources: Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey: LinkedIn: If this episode resonated with you, consider following Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing and sharing it with someone who could use a reminder that they already belong.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41517855
info_outline
Walk with Breezy Nowlan: Creating Space for Belonging
05/27/2026
Walk with Breezy Nowlan: Creating Space for Belonging
After getting sober in her twenties, Breezy Nowlan found herself navigating the often-complicated world of recovery housing. That experience led her to create Taste Recovery, a platform that helps people find safe and supportive sober living options across the United States. But as the platform grew, something still felt missing. In this episode of Rooted, Breezy shares the question from her father that changed the course of her work: What do you love to do? The answer led her outdoors and eventually inspired Camp Sober Fest—a unique recovery community experience that combines camp activities, connection, personal growth, and belonging. Together, we explore the role of community in recovery, why environment matters, what happens when people feel safe enough to be themselves, and the courage it takes to create something that doesn't yet exist. While nature isn't the central focus of this conversation, it quietly supports the experiences Breezy has created—offering space for connection, play, challenge, and transformation. In this episode, you'll hear: How Taste Recovery began from Breezy's own recovery journey What sober living is and why it matters The story behind Camp Sober Fest Why belonging is such an important part of healing How play, challenge, and shared experiences build connection The simple question that helped Breezy discover her purpose Connect with Breezy Nowlan Taste Recovery: Camp Sober Fest: Instagram: @taste.recovery Connect with Rooted Website: Instagram: @susanmorganbailey If you enjoyed this conversation, please follow, rate, and review Rooted. It helps more people discover conversations about nature, wellbeing, connection, and living more fully rooted lives.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41419815
info_outline
Walk With SMB: More Good Days, Small Doses of Nature
05/20/2026
Walk With SMB: More Good Days, Small Doses of Nature
In this WALK episode of ROOTED: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing, Susan Morgan Bailey reflects on her personal experience with stress, burnout, anxiety, and the role nature has played in helping her reconnect with herself. Inspired by Mental Health Awareness Month and this year’s theme — More Good Days, Together — Susan explores how chronic stress can quietly become normalized, especially for high-functioning people who are used to pushing through. In this episode: Susan shares her journey through near burnout, physical stress symptoms, and anxiety awareness explores how modern built and artificial environments affect the nervous system explains why time in nature helps the body soften and regulate introduces simple nature-based interventions that support wellbeing offers practical ways to reconnect through small “doses” of nature From birdsong and nature snacks to walking the Camino in Spain, this episode is an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and create more good days through small repeated moments of connection. Nature is not presented as a cure-all or replacement for mental health support — but as one meaningful part of an ecosystem of care. Visit Susan online at
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41356030
info_outline
Walk with Jen Roberts: Seeing Nature, Place, and Belonging Through a Wider Lens
05/13/2026
Walk with Jen Roberts: Seeing Nature, Place, and Belonging Through a Wider Lens
Modern life makes it easy to assume that access to nature is simply about proximity. A nearby park. A trail down the road. A place to go. But what if access is more complicated than that? In this conversation, I sit down with public health researcher Jen Roberts to explore the intersection of nature, equity, and belonging. Together, we look at how our environments—both built and natural—shape not only our ability to be outside, but whether we feel like those spaces are actually for us. Jen shares how her work in active living and public health led her into the nature space, and how that work expanded to include a deeper question: who has access to nature, and who feels welcome once they get there? We also explore the story of Buffalo’s historic parkways—once designed for connection and movement—and how their removal reshaped both land and community. This conversation invites a wider lens. Because access to nature isn’t always as simple as it seems—and sometimes, the deeper question is whether we feel like we belong there at all. Walk with us. This conversation is part of Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing — an exploration of how connecting with nature helps us feel more whole in the lives we’re actually living. For episode transcripts, resources, and additional reflections, visit the ROOTED podcast blog at .
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40922285
info_outline
Walk with SMB: Awe, Wonder, and the Things We Almost Miss
05/06/2026
Walk with SMB: Awe, Wonder, and the Things We Almost Miss
A ten-minute break outside turns into a reflection on awe, wonder, and the quiet intelligence of the natural world. In this solo Walk with SMB episode, Susan shares how spotting a perfectly camouflaged sphinx moth on a tree outside her home shifted her attention completely away from work, stress, and mental noise — and back into observation, curiosity, and presence. Through stories of a robin building a nest, maple seeds emerging in spring, and a green turtle gliding through the ocean, this episode explores how nature invites us to slow down enough to notice what we often overlook. Susan also shares research on awe and wonder, including how these experiences may support nervous system regulation, attention restoration, and a deeper sense of connection. Sometimes the moments that root us most deeply are the ones small enough to miss. This conversation is part of Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing — an exploration of how connecting with nature helps us feel more whole in the lives we’re actually living. For episode transcripts, resources, and additional reflections, visit the ROOTED podcast blog at .
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/41171075
info_outline
Walk with Ryan Conklin: Grief, Initiation, and Being With What Is
04/29/2026
Walk with Ryan Conklin: Grief, Initiation, and Being With What Is
I expected this conversation to be about coaching and vision quests. It became something else entirely. Early on, Ryan said something I couldn’t move past: There is grief in the gap between who we say we want to be and who we are becoming. What followed was a grounded, honest exploration of grief—not as something to fix or move past, but as something to be with. Ryan is a transformational coach and wilderness guide who leads vision quest experiences—modern rites of passage that invite people to step away from their daily lives and listen more deeply. In this conversation, we explore: What it means to “be with” your own experience Why modern life leaves so much grief unprocessed The role of nature as a container for reflection and transformation How initiation and rites of passage create space for real change This is not a conversation about escaping your life. It’s about learning how to be more fully present within it. Walk with us. This conversation is part of Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing — an exploration of how connecting with nature helps us feel more whole in the lives we’re actually living. For episode transcripts, resources, and additional reflections, visit the ROOTED podcast blog at .
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40922220
info_outline
Sit with SMB: Coming Home to Earth (An Earth Day Meditation for Any Day)
04/22/2026
Sit with SMB: Coming Home to Earth (An Earth Day Meditation for Any Day)
Today is Earth Day. And while this practice is offered in honor of this moment, it’s not limited to it. This is something you can return to any day you feel the need to slow down… to reconnect… to remember that you are part of the living world. This guided walking meditation is an invitation to pause and remember something easy to lose in the rhythm of modern life — that we are not separate from the earth. We are part of it. Through breath, imagery, and sensory awareness, you’re invited to feel the ground beneath you, reconnect with your body, and experience the quiet steadiness of the living world around you. You can listen while walking outside, sitting on a porch, or even indoors. The connection is still there. This is not about doing it perfectly. It’s about noticing. If you’ve been feeling tired, disconnected, or like something is missing beneath the surface of daily life, this practice offers a way back into relationship — with the earth, and with yourself. You can come back to this practice anytime — not just on Earth Day, but on any day you want to feel more grounded, more connected, and more at home here.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40922260
info_outline
Walk With Cory McGowan: Nature as a mirror for leadership and self
04/15/2026
Walk With Cory McGowan: Nature as a mirror for leadership and self
What happens when you step out of the environment that shaped you — and into one that reveals you? In this conversation, I sit down with Cory, a leadership coach based in rural Japan, whose work brings individuals and teams into nature not as an escape, but as a catalyst for clarity. After years in Tokyo’s corporate world, Cory found himself living and working in the mountains of Minakami — a place of shifting rivers, deep seasonal rhythms, and what he describes as a quiet “homecoming.” What emerged wasn’t just a lifestyle change, but a different way of working with leaders. We explore how nature acts as a co-facilitator in leadership development, why many of us “armor up” to function in modern environments, and what becomes possible when that armor starts to loosen. This conversation also holds an important tension: not everyone is meant to leave their life behind. The real work may be learning how to live more fully where you already are. If you’ve ever felt the pull of nature — or wondered what it might reveal about who you are — this episode offers a grounded place to begin. This conversation is part of Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing — an exploration of how connecting with nature helps us feel more whole in the lives we’re actually living. For episode transcripts, resources, and additional reflections, visit the ROOTED podcast blog at .
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40820875
info_outline
Walk with SMB: Conditions Shape Everything
04/08/2026
Walk with SMB: Conditions Shape Everything
As the seasons begin to shift, it’s a reminder that change doesn’t always come from trying harder — sometimes it comes from changing conditions. In this solo walk episode, Susan reflects on how much our wellbeing is shaped not just by what we do, but by the environments we’re part of. Drawing on both nature and her experience in organizational wellbeing, she explores a different lens: what if feeling “off” isn’t something to fix within ourselves, but a signal about the conditions we’re operating in? This episode invites a simple but powerful question — what are the conditions you’re living in, and how are they shaping how you feel?
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40767135
info_outline
Walk With Jessica DeAngelo: Finding Clarity, Creativity and Yourself Outside
04/01/2026
Walk With Jessica DeAngelo: Finding Clarity, Creativity and Yourself Outside
Jessica DeAngelo joins me for a conversation about what happens when we step outside, move our bodies, and give ourselves space to think differently. After a pivotal moment with her young daughter, Jessica began a simple experiment: 30 minutes a day in nature, without technology. What followed wasn’t a quick fix, but a shift — from scattered attention to clearer thinking, from constant input to something more grounded. In this episode, we explore how movement and time outdoors support creativity, why stepping away from screens can help us refocus on what actually matters, and how a consistent, accessible practice in nature can change the way we show up in both our work and our lives. This conversation is for anyone who feels mentally full, stretched thin, or stuck — and is curious what might open up with a little more space, movement, and time outside.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40635585
info_outline
Walk with SMB: Imaginal Cells & the Messy Middle
03/25/2026
Walk with SMB: Imaginal Cells & the Messy Middle
On a morning walk, three blue jay feathers stop Susan in her tracks — a small moment that opens into a deeper reflection on change and possibility. In this solo episode, she shares the story of imaginal cells — the cells inside a caterpillar that carry the blueprint for a butterfly. During transformation, the caterpillar doesn’t simply change form. It dissolves completely before something new begins to organize. Through this lens, Susan explores how periods of uncertainty in our own lives may not be signs that something is wrong, but part of a natural process of reorganization. She reflects on what it means to speak what feels true, how connection is created through that honesty, and why paying attention to what’s quietly emerging matters — even when it’s not fully formed. If something in your life feels undefined or in transition, this episode offers a way to hold that space with a bit more curiosity.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40601340
info_outline
Walk With Jay Maddock | The Science Behind Time in Nature
03/18/2026
Walk With Jay Maddock | The Science Behind Time in Nature
Nature is often treated as a luxury — something we visit when we have time. But public health researcher Jay Maddock has spent years studying something different: what actually happens in the body when we spend time outside. In this conversation, Jay shares the research behind what many of us intuitively feel. Within minutes of stepping outside, blood pressure drops, mood improves, and our nervous system begins to reset. Over longer periods, time in nature may even strengthen immune function. Jay’s work sits at the intersection of public health, behavioral science, and environmental psychology. From leading the Center for Health and Nature at Texas A&M to helping launch the Nature and Health Alliance, he is helping build the research infrastructure behind what many people already sense: nature isn’t an escape from life — it’s part of how human health works. Susan and Jay explore micro-doses of nature, weekend “macro doses,” nature prescriptions in healthcare systems, and why the biggest shift often comes simply from moving from no nature to some nature. The conversation is both scientific and practical — a reminder that even small moments outside can have meaningful effects on how we feel and function. In our conversation we explore: • Why even 10 minutes outside can shift how we feel • The idea of “micro-doses” and “macro-doses” of nature • Research linking greener neighborhoods with better mental health • The growing movement of nature prescriptions in healthcare • How nature can help restore attention and reduce burnout One of the most important insights Jay shares is simple: The greatest benefit from nature often comes from moving from no exposure to some exposure. Small moments outside may matter more than we think.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40475405
info_outline
Walk with SMB: The Three Environments We Live In
03/11/2026
Walk with SMB: The Three Environments We Live In
What environments shape your day? In this walk episode of Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing, Susan explores a simple but powerful idea: most of us move through three environments every day — the natural environment, the built environment, and the artificial environment. Nature surrounds us with living systems that regulate and restore. Built environments provide the structures that organize our lives. Artificial environments — screens, platforms, and digital tools — increasingly hold our attention. Each environment serves a role. But they operate in very different rhythms. Through reflection and the story of the alder tree, a species known for quietly strengthening the ecosystems around it, Susan considers how these environments influence our attention, energy, and sense of grounding. Rather than offering prescriptions, this episode begins with a simple practice: noticing the environments we move through and what we experience in each one. Sometimes the first step toward feeling more rooted is simply paying attention. 🌿 Reflection for listeners: Over the next few days, notice the environments you move through. When are you in the natural environment? The built environment? The artificial environment? What shifts in how you feel as you move between them?
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40358635
info_outline
Walk With Claudia Kraut: Start Where You Are - Small Steps Back to the Natural World
03/04/2026
Walk With Claudia Kraut: Start Where You Are - Small Steps Back to the Natural World
What if you've never been a "nature person" - but nature is exactly what you need? Claudia Kraut spent decades in organizational health and wellbeing, just like Susan. She called herself an "interior gal" - someone who only went outside when she was made to. Then at 50, she tried something new: a trail run. It changed everything. In this conversation, Susan and Claudia explore how there are so many ways to connect with nature, and you can start exactly where you are. Maybe it's an app that helps you find trails nearby. Maybe it's a few minutes of fresh air on your lunch break. Maybe eventually it's a trail run, or a daily sit spot, or just noticing the seasons shifting outside your window. You don't have to become someone you're not. You just have to start where you can. Claudia shares her lived experience of bringing more nature into her life - how she does it, why it matters, what changed for her. Susan and Claudia talk about the research showing nature's impact on wellbeing, but more importantly, they explore the practical, accessible ways people can begin connecting with nature right now. They also discuss how technology can help rather than hinder our connection to what's real, how organizations can integrate nature into workplace wellbeing strategies, and why nature isn't just essential to wellbeing - it's foundational. If you've been curious about nature but weren't sure where to start, or if you think "I'm just not a nature person," this conversation is for you.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40272405
info_outline
Sit with SMB: Finding Steady Ground in an Changing World
02/25/2026
Sit with SMB: Finding Steady Ground in an Changing World
What if the steadiness you've been searching for isn't somewhere you need to go — it's something you already are? A lot is changing right now. For many of us, it feels like standing in a rushing river, the current pulling harder than we expected. The instinct is to move faster, do more, strategize harder. But what if the most powerful thing you could do is plant your feet? This is a Sit episode — something a little different from a typical podcast. No guest. No interview. Just host Susan Morgan Bailey guiding you through a short, grounding experience using breath, the senses, and whatever nature is available to you right now. Even if that's only a window. Susan is a former science teacher, current transformational coach, and 25-year veteran of organizational wellbeing. In this episode she introduces the sit spot — a simple practice of returning to the same place in nature each day to listen, observe, and arrive. It's one of the most accessible and quietly powerful tools she knows for finding what she calls peaceful steadiness: the place inside you that doesn't move the way the world is moving. In 20 minutes, you'll settle your breath, open your senses, and remember something that tends to get lost in the noise — that you are nature, not separate from it. And that belonging doesn't go anywhere, even when everything else seems to. No wilderness required. No special conditions. Just willingness and a place to be still. If you've been feeling the pull of everything that's changing and need somewhere to plant your feet — this episode is for you.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40209810
info_outline
Walk With Micah Mortali: Rewilding as Remembering
02/19/2026
Walk With Micah Mortali: Rewilding as Remembering
Micah Mortali, founder of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership, introduces the concept of rewilding—not as running off to live in the woods, but as reclaiming lost connections with our natural habitat. In this conversation, Micah shares the idea of nature as "the green mirror"—a counterbalance to the black mirrors of our phones. When we look into the green mirror, we see who we actually are, not a curated artificial version. Susan and Micah explore how rewilding addresses root causes of disconnection, why simply being outside shifts our nervous system in ways no app can replicate, and the accessible practices anyone can use to begin—no wilderness required. This conversation will help you see rewilding not as something extreme, but as remembering what's been there all along. Learn more about Micah's work at Kripalu.org and find his book "Rewilding: Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature."
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40109140
info_outline
Walk With SMB: Remember You ARE Nature
02/18/2026
Walk With SMB: Remember You ARE Nature
What if the deepest root cause of burnout isn't just stress or workload—but forgetting something essential about who we are? In this opening episode, Susan shares the Camino revelation that sparked this podcast: We ARE nature. Not separate from it. Not visitors to it. When we lose connection to the natural world, we feel incomplete—tired, lonely, half-present. This is the story of how patience, observation, and remembering changed everything. It's an invitation to explore what might shift when you stop trying to optimize your way to wellbeing and start reconnecting with the nature you already are. If you've tried all the wellness strategies and still feel exhausted, start here.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40108960
info_outline
Rooted: Why We're Here and Where We're Going
02/11/2026
Rooted: Why We're Here and Where We're Going
Welcome to Rooted: A Podcast About Nature & Wellbeing. If you've been following along, you might notice something's different—we have a new name. What started as The Growth Collective has evolved into Rooted. In this episode: Why the shift from Growth Collective to Rooted happened The Camino revelation: we ARE nature, not separate from it What "rooted" actually means and why it matters now Where the podcast is headed and what's staying the same This isn't just a rebrand. It's a deepening—a recognition that this work is about remembering our essential connection to the natural world and reclaiming wholeness, grounding, and renewal. The conversations aren't changing. We're still exploring nature connection, wellbeing, and what it means to thrive as natural beings in an increasingly artificial world. Same curiosity, same peer-level dialogues, same commitment to root causes over surface solutions. If you've been here from the beginning—thank you for walking with me. If you're just discovering this podcast—welcome. Next episode: I'll share the full foundation of what Rooted is about—the frameworks, the invitation, and why this work matters now.
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/40068110
info_outline
HR Transformation @ Grand Valley State University: A conversation with Mychal Coleman and Lindsey DesArmo
06/27/2023
HR Transformation @ Grand Valley State University: A conversation with Mychal Coleman and Lindsey DesArmo
This episode features an organization that is truly doing the deep work necessary to evolve culture. My guests, Mychal Coleman Associate Vice President of Human Resources at Grand Valley State University and Lindsey DesArmo, Interim Director of Talent Management at GVSU, began the journey of culture evolution when they realized a few years ago, they were losing what had made their organization great for so many years and it was time to review and reset with a goal to reach higher by 2025. In this episode, Lindsay and Mychal walk through the steps their team took to evolve their approach to HR and strategy resulting in evolution of the role of HR within the organization and further establishing wellness into the employee experience. What I love about this episode is how it brings the beginning of culture evolution to life. From the need to have senior leadership on board and involved in the conversation to the reality that change takes time and can be uncomfortable for some, yet when worked through intentionally it delivers a reward worth investing in… a culture that supports thriving humans and organizational sustainability. Connect with Mychal Coleman Email: Website: LinkedIn: Connect with Lindsey DesArmo Email: Linkedin: Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey Email: LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/27272592
info_outline
For the Culture: A conversation with people-mover Marcus Collins
04/30/2023
For the Culture: A conversation with people-mover Marcus Collins
Dr. Marcus Collins is back on the podcast to talk about his new book For the Culture: the power behind what we buy, what we do, and who we want to be. Listen in a Marcus highlights why it’s essential to be clear on what you stand for as an organization and the importance of being intentional about building culture; why we buy the things including why we buy including the idea that showing up to a job every day is a worthwhile endeavor beyond a paycheck; and, the power of the too often neglected role of storytelling in the workplace to motivate. Connect with Marcus Collins Email: Website: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marctothec/ Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey Email: LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/26697273
info_outline
Become a Better Business Citizen: A conversation with Victor Cho
03/21/2023
Become a Better Business Citizen: A conversation with Victor Cho
My guest for this episode is Victor Cho. A passionate consumer advocate, Victor was most recently the CEO at Evite where he led the company successfully through COVID-19 and returned it to growth, financial health, and a successful corporate buy-out. He is also the creator of the 4th Stakeholder Framework on improving stakeholder capitalism. Victor believes for society to thrive, we must shed what he calls the Mercenary Business approach and embrace a more balanced stakeholder model. Unfortunately, many organizations find it hard to balance even just the first three primary stakeholders (Shareholders, customers, and employees). When you add Society (the 4th stakeholder) to the mix, that balancing act becomes even more challenging. Gratefully, Victor has developed a framework to help organizations maximize impact and overcome the challenges that stand in the way of achieving balance between all the stakeholders. Listen in as we discuss a bit about the history of business and capitalism, the power of listening to stakeholders and the idea that considering the relative impact of various actions in combination with thinking about the broader whole can equal more than the sum of its parts. Connect with Victor Cho LinkedIn: - Free leadership frameworks and courses - A practical framework to help businesses become better citizens Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey Email: LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/26288997
info_outline
If People Feel Replaceable, They’ll Act Replaceable: A conversation with Zach Mercurio, PhD.
02/28/2023
If People Feel Replaceable, They’ll Act Replaceable: A conversation with Zach Mercurio, PhD.
50 years of research has shown an individual’s sense of purpose and understanding of how they matter to an organization predicts motivation, productivity and the performance of an individual and the overall business. A lack of feeling relevant and connected to the purpose within a job or organization is one of the drivers of the Great Resignation, Quit Quitting or whatever term is being used to refer to good old fashioned disengagement. This suggests that one of the most important steps an organization can take to engage and attract great talent is to help them understand how they matter to the organization, the people they work with and the work that is done. is back on the Growth Collective podcast for a third time to talk about lessons he’s learned through his own research and the work he has done with hundreds of companies to help them cultivate positive cultures that enable more meaning, mattering, motivation, wellbeing and performance. Listen in as we talk about how mattering sounds touchy feely but it’s not, the power of making sure employees feel seen, the incredible impact of creating a culture that humanizes, dignifies and grows people and considerations for organizations navigating the hybrid/return to office world. Website: LinkedIn : Twitter: @zachmercurio Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey Email: susan.bailey@marshmma.com LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/26063274
info_outline
Opportunities for Thriving in the Multigenerational Workplace: A conversation with Dr. Jean Accius
02/11/2023
Opportunities for Thriving in the Multigenerational Workplace: A conversation with Dr. Jean Accius
People are living longer and that can mean they are working longer. Where there was once a 1st act – work and then a second act – retirement, there now may be a 3rd or even 4th act. The effort to attract and engage great talent has pushed organizations to invest in the wellbeing and growth of all of their people – meeting them where they are at and offering them more of what they want – opportunities to learn and earn longer. This conversation features Dr. Jean Accius. At the time of this interview, he was serving as Senior Vice President of Global Thought Leadership at AARP. AARP is the largest non-profit in the US focused on empowering people to choose how they live when they age with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. They provide a range of resources for people over 50 and advocating for this population is at the heart of their mission. Jean is a passionate champion and catalyst for changing how the world sees and values aging. He is an internationally recognized thought leader on aging, longevity, equity, health systems transformation and modernizing the delivery and financing of long-term care. Listen in as we discuss a range of topics around building a competitive future for all through the workplace, highlighting new ways of thinking about mentoring, the benefits of investing in learning and development and the need to reinvest and reinvent organizations to align with the evolving talent market. Connect with Jean Accius Email: LinkedIn: Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey Email: LinkedIn:
/episode/index/show/thegrowthcollective/id/25899450