Wild Talk

In this short episode, co-host Jay Erickson explores the value of embracing winter. He explores how winters can show up for us as individuals, organizations and social movements through three separate conversations in the wild with Josh Viertel, co-founder of Harlem Valley Homestead; Chloe Cockburn, lead for social justice at Open Philanthropy; and Zainab Salbi, renowned humanitarian and founder of Women for Women International.   

This winter, in the middle of the cultural winter we have been plunged into by the pandemic, how might we learn to slow down and cultivate the healing, repair and contemplation that winter can offer? How can we use this time to plan and see our lives and endeavors more clearly? What can be cleared to make space for the growth in the springtime? 

In her 2020 New York Times Bestseller, “Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat In Difficult Times,” author Katherine May points out:

“It’s a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order. Doing those deeply unfashionable things — slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting — is a radical act now, but it is essential. This is a crossroads we all know, a moment when you need to shed a skin. If you do, you’ll expose all those painful nerve endings and feel so raw that you’ll need to take care of yourself for a while. If you don’t, then that skin will harden around you.”

So grab a cup of your favorite hot drink and join us for a little meander into what it means to winter well.