Brain on Nature

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I wake up on the road in intense pain. I don’t know what’s happened. Who are these people? Where am I? Why is my right shoulder killing me? But it’s only when I get home from the hospital that the extent of my injuries start to emerge. I can’t read, I can listen to music, I can’t be around my family. What's happening?Production creditsWriter and producer: Sarah AllelyCo-Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Ariana Martinezhttps://brainonnature.com/2019/09/05/the-accident-episode-1/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The injury makes me reflect on what the load on my brain was like before the accident. I’m a journalist, my head’s full of work. I manage our household, wrangle our kids – they’re two and five years old. We don’t have any other family in Australia. My partner’s frantic running his arts organisation. I still keep a busy social life. I love late nights out in hectic loud bars drinking with friends. But after the accident I can’t do any of this!Production creditsWriter and producer: Sarah Allely Co-Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Ariana Martinezhttps://brainonnature.com/2019/09/09/episode-2-the-waiting-room/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Finally, I get a diagnosis. The doctors tell me I have what they’re calling ‘a mild traumatic brain injury’. And there’s not much that they can do about it. They encourage me to just accept my situation. Then, some friends invite me on a bushwalk.Production creditsWriter and producer: Sarah Allely Co-Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Ariana Martinezhttps://brainonnature.com/2019/09/09/episode-3-if-symptoms-persist-accept/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I’m racing towards the finish line. I’m almost better! I try to get back to my normal life, but something’s still not quite right. And then, all of a sudden, things start to unravel. Surely this isn’t happening. I’m nearly better, remember? I find Cait Ward, who had similar experiences after being hit with a lacrosse ball.Production creditsWriter and producer: Sarah Allely Co-Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Ariana Martinez See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I’m depressed and anxious and the headaches are back. I have to dose myself up on nature again. I wouldn’t have considered heading into the bush alone before the accident. But now I’m known for turning up to school pick-ups in shorts and hiking boots. But why has no doctor told me to use nature? Or even encouraged me really?Production creditsWriter and producer: Sarah AllelyCo-Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Ariana Martinez See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The doctors are saying they want me to go back to work…gradually. But I’m not sure. I’ve lost my confidence. My brain injury rehab specialist says we won’t know until we try. He means I won’t actually recover properly until I go back to work. The neurons that fire together, wire together – he keeps saying. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While you wait for season two, here's an inspiring story from a father and daughter about their first overnight hiking adventure. As they hike into Utah's Bryce Canyon in late November, things don't go according to plan. But they both emerge positive about being pushed to the edge by nature's unpredictability. This story comes from HumaNature, a Wyoming Public Media podcast that tells real stories about humans in the natural world. You can find them wherever you get your podcasts, or here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A quick update about what’s been happening since we released season one. We're planning for a second season but need your help. It’s about how getting off screens back outside and into the natural world can change the brains of young people. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Indie podcast Out There explores big questions through intimate stories outdoors. In this award-winning episode, producer Sam Anderson goes hunting for the first time and finds it confronting. And as a vegetarian, so did I. But Sam explores his questions around what it takes to pull the trigger. Are we all capable of it? And if we can take a life, what does that say about us? How does Killing an animal change us? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every weekend, and some weekdays too, you'll find Mudcrabs along the banks of the Cooks River. Not crustaceans, although they're slowly returning as their habitat is restored, but a group of dedicated volunteers who are rehabilitating what was once the most polluted river in Australia. With prosthetic pincers, they pick up rubbish from in and around the river. They plant trees and shrubs to revegetate bushland that's been lost, and weed and protect the new bush. This episode documents how the Mudcrabs have rehabilitated the Cooks River, and how the benefits flow two ways. For many Mudcrabs, their work connects them with natural world and improves their own health and wellbeing too. This episode was made on the lands of the Gadigal/Wangal people. It was supported by an Inner West Council Environment grant. Special thanks to all the Mudcrabs we spoke to. To find out more about the Mudcrabs, and to get involved, visit www.crva.org.au/mudcrabs See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A playgroup in Sydney is turning despair about the planet's future into hope by taking action and connecting with people who share their concerns and motivations. Rosa Brown, mum and English teacher, set up the Inner West Families For Climate Action playgroup. She decided to foster connections with other new local parents, and hopes this group will encourage deeper conversations and committed action around climate and the environment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.