In this episode of the Breath of Life podcast, Yulia talks with Wendy Peterman, a forest soil scientist and conservationist with over 20 years of experience working in land management and environmental systems.

We explore what forests can teach us about regeneration, resilience, and working with complexity rather than against it. The conversation moves between science and lived experience touching on nature connection, empathy, leadership, conservation work, and what happens when human systems forget they are part of living systems.

00:00 Growing up in forests and early belonging
04:20 Nature connection and “nature deficit disorder”
07:40 Soil, humus, and the role of decomposition
10:30 Forests as home, regulation, and perspective
14:10 Complexity, interdependence, and forest systems
18:00 Science, empathy, and holistic thinking
22:45 Human systems vs. living systems
27:05 Leadership, listening, and adaptability
31:20 Forests, resilience, and learning from failure
35:30 Apex predators, balance, and power
41:45 Disconnection, domination, and modern culture
46:00 Forest Thinking and practical applications
52:10 Closing reflections

Wendy Peterman is a forest soil scientist and conservationist with more than two decades of experience working in land management and environmental systems. She grew up in the forests of Northern California and has spent her career studying soil, forest ecology, and complex living systems. Today, she supports grassroots and conservation organizations in developing resilient structures that honor relationship, balance, and regeneration. She is the author of Forest Thinking.

→ Wendy on Substack: https://substack.com/@wendybrd

→ Pattern Synthesis webpage: https://patternsynthesis.com/

Stay in touch:
→ The Breath of Life on Substack
https://substack.com/@yuliabogdanova

→ Connect on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliabogdanova/

→ Nature Flow Lab
Outdoor, experiential sessions for teams to approach complex challenges through engaging with nature and a shift in mental state.
https://natureflowlab.com/

In this Life in Flow episode, I spoke with Kat van Oudheusden about non-duality—the idea that the “separate self” we work so hard to manage might not be real. And on ways to step beyond the illusion of a separate self.

Time codes:

00:00 Introduction & What Is Non-Duality?

06:00 The Illusion of Separation

09:00 Awareness and the Nature of Reality

14:57 Leadership and Letting Go of Control

20:55 Thinking, Identity & the Role of Inquiry

27:13 Living Beyond the Illusion

32:58 Final Reflections & Closing

🔗 Links & Resources:
→ Kat on Substack: https://dailynonduality.substack.com/

Stay in touch:
→ The Breath of Life on Substack
https://yuliabogdanova.substack.com/about

→ Berlin Breath Walks
Slow walks using breath and forest presence to recalibrate your nervous system.
https://yuliabogdanova.substack.com/p/berlin-breath-walks

→ Nature Flow Lab
Outdoor, experiential sessions for teams to approach complex challenges through engaging with nature and a shift in mental state.
https://natureflowlab.com/

In this episode, Yulia talks with philologist, philosopher, and writer Eugene Terekhin about the energy and other unseen powers of spoken language.

They explore how words are more than data, how sound shapes matter, why language can act like spells, and how Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the Inklings saw language as a doorway into the unseen. The conversation weaves together philosophy, creativity, spirituality, and practices for re-enchanting our daily lives.

00:00 The Energy of Spoken Language
06:49 Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the Inklings on Language
11:16 Words as Living Energy
16:00 Attunement and Sensing Through Language
22:20 Magic, Technology, and Elvish Tongues
30:59 Sub-creation and Creativity
39:01 Prayer as Breath and Response
43:45 Words as Spells
47:09 Re-enchantment Practices

About the guest

Eugene Terekhin is a philologist, philosopher, and translator with a background in English and German linguistics and philology. Author of Eleven Hidden Gems in the Works of the Inklings: The Music of Iluvatar in the Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Owen Barfield

→ Eugine on Substack: https://eugeneterekhin.substack.com/

→ Eugine’s bookstore: https://restandtrust.org/

Stay in touch:
→ The Breath of Life on Substack
https://yuliabogdanova.substack.com/about

→ Berlin Breath Walks
Slow walks using breath and forest presence to recalibrate your nervous system.
https://yuliabogdanova.substack.com/p/berlin-breath-walks

→ Nature Flow Lab
Outdoor, experiential sessions for teams to approach complex challenges through engaging with nature and a shift in mental state.
https://natureflowlab.com/