PODCAST: From Saving the Earth to Being Healed by It

This week’s Enlightened Omnivore Podcast may be the most quietly powerful conversation I’ve had all year. I didn’t want to stop chatting with forest therapy guide, Sarah Abu-Absi about the healing power of nature. And I don’t think you’ll want to stop listening.Sarah wasn’t always a self-proclaimed “tree hugger.” She spent more than a decade working in a high-stress job for the City of Chicago—fast-paced, big stakes, constant urgency. Then her entire department was shut down. Overnight, Sarah was unemployed with two young kids. Worse yet, her body was breaking down from what would eventually be diagnosed as chronic Lyme Disease.Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Doctors, specialists, medications—some helped, most didn’t.What did help?Being outside.On the beach with no phone, strolling the woods with no agenda; in nature Sarah’s nervous system could relax, release, recharge.Over the next several years, Sarah learned that she wasn’t the only one who experienced this relief. There was a school for Guided Forest Therapy that trained people to help others feel better outside. Now Sarah makes a living at what she jokingly calls:“Convincing strangers to meet me in the woods so we can sit around and do nothing.”But it’s not nothing.Forest therapy isn’t hiking or a mindfulness exercise. It’s a gateway to remembering something most of us have forgotten. We are nature, too.In our conversation, we discuss:* Why slowing down outdoors rewires our nervous systems* How nature reduces stress, boosts immunity, and even turns down the “pain dial”* The loneliness epidemic—and why the forest never asks who you are* How reciprocity, not fear, might be the real path to protecting the planetSarah quotes writer J. Drew Lanham, who said:“In all my time wandering, I’ve yet to have a wild creature question my identity.”Tell me a more comforting sentence—I’ll wait.If modern life has you fried, numb, or disconnected, this week’s Enlightened Omnivore Podcast is a gentle invitation back to yourself. People Places and Things mentioned in this week’s podcast:* Sarah Abu-Absi (Sarah Abu-Absi) – Forest therapy guide & pain recovery coach, founder of That Forest Feeling; Instagram, Facebook, 7-minute sample forest therapy* Robin Wall Kimmerer (Robin Wall Kimmerer) – Indigenous botanist and author (esp. Braiding Sweetgrass)* J. Drew Lanham (J. Drew Lanham) – Writer, ornithologist, author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature* The Japanese call it Shinrin-yoku* Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs (ANFT) – Sarah’s training organization* Forest Bathing Finder – Directory to find forest bathing / forest therapy guides* Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials on forest bathing benefitsGive the Gift of Enlightened OmnivoreFinding the perfect gift is about as fun as untangling Christmas light strands and checking for burned-out bulbs. I hope to make your holiday season a little easier with a special offer this year. Give the gift of Enlightened Omnivore for the holidays.I’d love to have more curious food folks join our slightly obsessive Omnivore community. Whether you’re gifting a subscription to your favorite foodie or treating yourself, all paid subscribers get:* The full story archive (120+ articles and podcasts including Space Mushrooms!)* Upcoming paid subscriber-only chats with me!* Pro-level butcher secrets that took me decades to learn* 20 archived recipes and new monthly recipes that actually work (I test them, so you don’t have to)* Access to the comment section, where we debate important topics like whether pineapple belongs on pizza, and to baste or not to baste that turkeyLet’s Stay Connected* Follow along on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok for video content, reels, and behind-the-scenes thoughts. I’m also on Facebook and LinkedIn.* Like the podcast? Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen. It helps so much.* Say hi on Substack Notes—I’m posting almost every day about my random reflections on life.* Join me in Chat. It’s a space just for subscribers, kind of like a group text but less embarrassing. Download the app, tap the Chat icon (it looks like two speech bubbles at the bottom), and find the latest “Enlightened Omnivore” thread.Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe