A thoughtful meditation on why the stories we tell matter.

As the year comes to a close, Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds are joined by Michelle Fullner, host of the Golden State Naturalist podcast, for a reflective and wide-ranging conversation about growth, attention, storytelling, and intention.

This conversation looks back on a year of experimentation, iteration, and unexpected connections. Together, Bill, Anders, and Michelle explore what it means to pay closer attention to the natural world, to open ourselves to discomfort and heartbreak without losing hope, and to tell better stories that inspire care and action.

We don’t offer tidy answers; instead, our conversation explores vulnerability, curiosity, and purpose. Listen in for a thoughtful meditation on why the stories we tell matter, how we show up for them, and what it means to move forward with intention in an uncertain time.

Questions we explore:

• What does it mean to iterate rather than perfect, especially in creative and conservation work?
• How can paying closer attention change the way we relate to landscapes, policies, and one another?
• Why is opening ourselves to discomfort and heartbreak essential to meaningful storytelling?
• How can podcasts become a two-way conversation instead of a one-way broadcast?
• What role do stories play in helping people see themselves in public lands and conservation?
• How do we move from reflection to resolution without losing nuance or care?

Links & Resources:

Connect with Michelle:

• Golden State Naturalist Podcast
• Social media:
  • Instagram

Books

• Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World by Barry Lopez
• Edward Abbey, “Benedictio” (poem)

Michelle Fullner is an educator, California Naturalist, parent of two woodland sprite daughters, and host of the Golden State Naturalist podcast, which is now ranked in the top 1% of podcasts globally. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from San Jose State University and a Master’s in English: Composition and Rhetoric, from California State University, Sacramento. As an educator, she taught middle and high school English in California public schools for ten years before transitioning to her life as a full-time admirer of acorns, California newts, redwood sorrel, and tide pools.

The Wild Idea is independently produced by Wild Idea Media. If you believe conversations like this matter, you can help us keep them going by subscribing, leaving a review, sharing the episode, or signing up for our newsletter at thewildidea.com. Together, we can protect what connects us.