The Regenerative Way

Rešoketšwe “Shoki” Mafogo is the Programme Manager for Pro-Nature Livelihoods at the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. Born and raised in this landscape, she brings a powerful, community-first approach to conservation - grounded in lived experience and a deep connection to place.This episode was filmed overlooking Blyde River Canyon - the third largest canyon in the world - within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. It’s an ecologically rich and socially complex region, shaped by generations of relationships between people and the land. Deep respect to those working across this landscape to steward both biodiversity and community wellbeing. In this conversation, we explore the realities of working in complex socio-ecological systems - what it takes to hold space for multiple perspectives, navigate competing priorities, and co-create solutions that last. We dive into the role of traditional knowledge, the importance of engaging women and youth, and the essential role of community-led approaches in building resilient landscapes.Shoki shares grounded, hard-earned insights from her journey - challenging top-down conservation and pointing toward a more inclusive, regenerative way forward.

Lutendo Mugwedi is the Chair of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in South Africa and an Environmental Sustainability professor at Venda University. His work is rooted in integrating community voice and diverse perspectives to address complex socio-ecological challenges.In this conversation, we explore human-wildlife interactions, sustainability, and the critical role of traditional knowledge in shaping more resilient futures. Lutendo shares insights from his own journey, reflecting on what a life deeply connected to the natural world has taught him as a transdisciplinary practitioner supporting the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. A huge thank you to TRANSECTS, the Transdisciplinary Education Collaboration for Transformations in Sustainability, for collaborating on this episode and helping bring it to life. Hosted by the University of Saskatchewan and supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, TRANSECTS is rethinking how sustainability education is approached around the world.

This episode is a window into what’s coming - and the foundation being set for The Regenerative Way.Recorded in the wake of my time in South Africa, this conversation reflects on the people, landscapes, and experiences that shaped a series of upcoming episodes. From time spent in the field to conversations with conservationists, researchers, and individuals devoted to reimagining a better tomorrow, my month in South Africa reshaped how I see purpose, legacy, and stewardship.The stories that follow carry weight, complexity, and truth - grounded in our relationship to the natural world and the humanity it calls us back to.

Stephanie Peacock is an ecologist, mom, and outdoor enthusiast based in Whitehorse, Yukon, on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council. Her work focuses on using mathematical models to make sense of complex, noisy ecological systems.Through her research on northern species like Pacific salmon, caribou, and muskoxen, Stephanie has come to appreciate not only what science can reveal—but also its limits, and the essential role of local and Indigenous knowledge in understanding ecosystems. When she’s not crunching numbers, you’ll usually find her outside, paddling her canoe or skiing whenever she gets the chance.

Credit: All landscape, wildlife, and enhanced video by Nature 360 Productions and Wolfhouse ProductionsAdventure Guide, Polar Bear Guide, Documentary Producer and Radio HostKarine Genest is an expedition guide, polar bear guide, and documentary producer with over 25 years of field experience in northern environments. A resident of the Yukon for more than 20 years, she has built her career around a deep respect for nature and a commitment to human–wildlife coexistence.A graduate in Tourism from Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Karine specializes in rafting, trekking, and polar bear observation. She is a sought-after speaker and a frequent radio guest, where she shares her expertise on bears, wilderness safety, and conservation, helping to demystify bear behaviour and promote responsible practices in bear country. She also hosts the radio program Rencontre, which highlights inspiring voices connected to nature and the human experience.Karine has appeared in international television series such as Polar Bear Town (Smithsonian Channel) and is the producer, director, and host of award-winning nature documentaries, including The Spirit of the Bears (TV5) and Arctic Oasis (Radio-Canada).

Warren has lived his entire life in Calgary on Treaty 7 land and considers himself to be an educator always in transition: he is searching for ways to reconnect young adults and educators to the natural world. He started a 30 year teaching career at Canmore Collegiate High School in 1995 and retired in June 2025 at Robert Thirsk High School in Calgary. Warren worked to build bridges in a classroom setting to support use-able biological knowledge and finished his career after creating a unique Natural Science program to reconnect high school students to the natural world. It is in this aspect that Warren joined the Howl Experience full-time in July 2025 - to continue creating experiences in the Yukon where he has been taking high school student groups since 2018. He continues to develop a burgeoning experiential land-based journey in the North for High School students, young adults and educators. The journey to shine a light on this unique and important ecosystem will continue to be a challenge that shifts and flows with the topics that abound in environmental education, reconciliation, outdoor adventure and in the need to build a greater sense of nature literacy with participants.

In this short intro, I lay out some of the inspiration and vision for The Regenerative Way. It's been a long time in the making - I'm ready to dive all in!