Serenbe Stories
141 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 69 ratingsA podcast for those seeking stories about having an impact and building a better life. From the original Serenbe story of how Founder Steve Nygren and his family discovered and developed the land that is now the leading wellness community, to stories featuring many of the people that inspired, encouraged and influenced how Serenbe was created. Steve Nygren and host Monica Olsen talk about how we resist or ignore issues out of fear vs. discovering common sense solutions and discuss the biophilic connection to nature and each other that is vitally important for individual and community wellness. Join us as we tell the story of Serenbe and interview friends, residents and leaders from around the world who are doing the essential work to build and grow thel biophilic movement.
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Episodes
Katie Kelly Bell Can't Wait to Travel Again
June 01, 2020 08:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBToday we're talking with freelance journalist Katie Kelly Bell, who has been writing about food, wine, and travel for the last 15 years. While the pandemic has changed how she's able to cover destinations, she describes herself as a pragmatic optimist who envisions travel coming back little by little over the coming months. In this episode, we talk about HOW we'll be able to travel, rediscovering your own back yard this summer, and the 3 S's of what people will want WHEN travel opportunities...
Terry Lin
May 25, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 44.6 MBToday we're talking with Terry Lin, the co-founder of Outer. The first DTC fully recyclable outdoor furniture line based out of California. We first interviewed Terry in Fall 2019, as the company's outdoor furniture line was ramping up for an appearance on Shark Tank. We talked about recycling, innovation, and how he came to create a company that exemplifies both, alongside sustainability. After the COVID pandemic set in, we reached out to hear how Outer was faring in this economic climate...
Outer Living with Terry Lin
May 25, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 44.6 MBToday we're talking with Terry Lin, the co-founder of Outer. The first DTC fully recyclable outdoor furniture line based out of California. We first interviewed Terry in Fall 2019, as the company's outdoor furniture line was ramping up for an appearance on Shark Tank. We talked about recycling, innovation, and how he came to create a company that exemplifies both, alongside sustainability. After the COVID pandemic set in, we reached out to hear how Outer was faring in this economic climate...
What Is An Eco-Enclave? With Gisela Willams
May 18, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 44 MBToday we are talking with journalist Gisela Williams, who's written for The New York Times, Elle Décor, The Financial Times, and Vogue among others. In her own words, she's always been interested in people who pursue humanitarian projects and make the effort everyday to be a better human. In her most recent article for Bloomberg Businessweek she writes about the people who are building for the future of community and features Steve Nygren and Serenbe. We discuss the article and why she thin...
Comedic Insight With Podcaster Pete Dominick
May 11, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 49.2 MBIn today's 2-part interview, our very good friend, comedian and podcaster Pete Dominick talks poignantly about big life changes and finding his way after losing his dream job. We recorded that conversation last Fall and he graciously agreed to chat with us again this April to talk further now that the world is going through some big "life" changes and we're all trying to find our way. We hope you will find comfort, common ground, and definitely a chuckle or two with Pete. So stick around f...
Respite From a Fast-Paced Life with Outside Magazine and Carrie Battan
May 04, 2020 08:00 - 45 minutes - 31.3 MBIn Carrie Battan's recent Outside Magazine article, she says she came to Serenbe to see if it truly offered respite from, as she wrote, "the exhausting effects of {her} fast-paced, digital, urban life." In this episode of Serenbe Stories, we talk with her about her visit to Serenbe in Fall 2019, her Outside article, and how her life has changed since the coronavirus has forced people away from public spaces and leaving her life in Brooklyn NY. We also talk about the positive effects on the e...
Nature, Beauty & Jennifer Walsh
April 27, 2020 08:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBToday's episode features a 2-part interview with Jennifer Walsh, who talks about her years in the beauty industry, her deep love of nature and her mission to connect us to the natural world. The first part of our interview was recorded Fall 2019 with the intention of kicking off our 3rd Season this Fall. But with everything happening in the world today we realized Jennifer's perspective and love of nature is the inspiration we could use right now as we are all sheltering-in-place. So we talk...
Nature, Beauty, & Jennifer Walsh
April 27, 2020 08:00 - 58 minutes - 40.5 MBToday's episode features a 2-part interview with Jennifer Walsh, who talks about her years in the beauty industry, her deep love of nature and her mission to connect us to the natural world. The first part of our interview was recorded Fall 2019 with the intention of kicking off our 3rd Season this Fall. But with everything happening in the world today we realized Jennifer's perspective and love of nature is the inspiration we could use right now as we are all sheltering-in-place. So we talk...
Introducing Season 3 of Serenbe Stories
April 22, 2020 08:00 - 1 minute - 1.03 MBIn seasons 1 & 2, we heard from Steve Nygren and his personal journey of creating Serenbe, his vision for the future of community and we spoke to many of the people integral to Serenbe's success. Our next season, kicks off Monday, April 27, with an entire new set of guests and stories. We will move beyond Steve's story to talk with people who have experienced Serenbe - people who have visited, reported on or have deep relationships over the years with us. Our guests are journalists, influen...
Mayor Tom Reed, Start-ups, & The City of Chatt Hills
April 20, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 43.6 MBTom Reed considers himself a "start-up guy" not a politician, in fact he's been on the Inc. 500/5000 List 3x for different startups, but moving to Serenbe offered a unique opportunity to lead "start-up city" of Chattahoochee Hills as mayor. Ask yourself, How do you thrive financially while mindfully preserving? How many developers live in the city they've built? Imagine creating such an amazing quality of life that you're willing to stay, and your children and grandchildren live there too. T...
7 Generations of Peeks: How Chatt Hills Neighbors Make Community
April 13, 2020 13:00 - 39 minutes - 27.2 MBNed and Janice Peek were the first people Steve Nygren met when he moved to Chattahoochee Hills, and their table was the first he went to when he needed help protecting their shared rural paradise. Rodney Peek, their son, was on the first City Council after Chattahoochee Hills was incorporated, and his children are the 7th generation in their family to be born and raised in Chattahoochee Hills. The Peeks and Steve look back at a time when the Nygrens were the "city folk" moving next door, an...
How Serenbe Inspired Artist Tom Swanston
April 06, 2020 08:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBToday's guest, artist Tom Swanston, is regarded as Serenbe's first artist-in-residence, though he was he was a Serenbe resident before there was an official program. In fact, Tom was an integral figure in creating AIR Serenbe, which is the artist residency division of the Serenbe Institute. In this episode, Tom regales us with stories about finding his own farm south of Atlanta, what it was like to find his calling in the arts, and how Serenbe has inspired him to be the artist he is today.
Chad Epple on Engineering Serenbe
March 30, 2020 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.7 MBChad Epple says he's been a civil engineer since he started building tree houses as a kid. As the VP of Southeastern Engineering, he brought a creativity and willingness to join Steve in changing the rules to design Serenbe the way neighborhoods were built 75 years ago. In this episode, Chad and Steve look back at a time when Serenbe was only woods and remember what it was like to work with the land to maintain Serenbe's natural beauty while adding in modern infrastructure. People & Organi...
Chad Epple on Engineering Serenbe
March 30, 2020 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.7 MBChad Epple says he's been a civil engineer since he started building tree houses as a kid. As the VP of Southeastern Engineering, he brought a creativity and willingness to join Steve in changing the rules to design Serenbe the way neighborhoods were built 75 years ago. In this episode, Chad and Steve look back at a time when Serenbe was only woods and remember what it was like to work with the land to maintain Serenbe's natural beauty while adding in modern infrastructure. People & Organi...
Creating Art Out of The Ordinary with Robert Rausch
March 23, 2020 08:00 - 37 minutes - 26 MBOn this episode of Serenbe Stories we talk with Robert Rausch, the man who created the works of art that are Serenbe's street lamps, sidewalk benches, bike racks, and even trash cans. We talk about Robert, Steve Nygren, and famed landscape architect Ryan Gainey collaborating to create Serenbe's original branding, and how Robert and Steve have continued finding ways to bring art and creativity to community, turning the ordinary to extraordinary.
Southface Co-Founder Dennis Creech's Influence on National Sustainability
March 16, 2020 08:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBWhen Dennis Creech started Southface, energy wasn't even a part of the environmental conversation. He knew it would be one of the most significant issues our society would face, and in this episode he talks about the positive effects of green building and how Atlanta is leading the nation in reducing energy and water demand. Dennis also tells us about the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design on Georgia Tech's campus, and how it's changing the global conversation on conservation...
How The Serenbe Institute Drew John Graham In
March 09, 2020 08:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBWe are so glad that the Nygrens incorporated art into Serenbe, and today's guest was a major part of making that possible. Today we talk with John Graham, the founding executive director of the Serenbe Institute is engaging the metro Atlanta area, and the future of art and culture in this community. Definitions, People + Organizations Mentioned Sandra Storrar Garnie Nygren Janice Barton Serenbe Fellows Tom Swanston Gail Foster Daren Wang Decatur Book Festival Phyllis Bleiweis Mark...
Alfie Vick Eats Plants (And Talks Environmental Ethics)
March 02, 2020 09:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBIn today's episode, we talk with UGA professor Alfie Vick about eating plants, taking biophilic principals to all communities, environmental ethics and his deep understanding of the Southern Native American tribes. He talks about how their history, culture, and practices are an example in living a balanced life in-tune with nature. Alfie also talks about the thousands of native plant species in Georgia and designing natural spaces such as the Children's Garden at the State Botanical Gardens ...
Col. Mark Mykleby: How Sustainable Solutions Drive Economic Growth
February 24, 2020 09:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBYou might not see the connection between biophilic design and national security, but today's guest outlines how communities like Serenbe are imperative in our global defense strategy. We're excited for you to hear Monica Olsen and Steve Nygren's conversation with Colonel Mark "Puck" Mykleby. Puck talks about meeting Phyllis Bleiweis and coming to Serenbe, where he bonded with Steve Nygren over biophilia and pushed for the establishment of the Biophilic Institute. Puck also talks about the ...
Chef Nicolas Bour's Journey Back To Serenbe & Food Advocacy
February 17, 2020 09:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MBOn today's episode we're talking with Chef Nicolas Bour, who was at The Farmhouse during its early years nearly a decade ago before opening the famed Iris restaurant in Atlanta. He has worked in restaurants across the country, and even cooked for President Barack Obama for the first inaugural gala. Chef Nic is now back at Serenbe as the Executive Chef and VP of food and beverage over all Serenbe restaurants. We'll talk about his journey back to Serenbe, his deep relationship and passion for ...
Land Planning & Sacred Geometry's Influence with Phill Tabb
February 10, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 49.6 MBToday we're talking to Serenbe's master land planner, Dr. Phillip Tabb. Phill discusses sacred geometry and the spiritual and symbolic side of planning and architecture. He also reminisces about the all-nighter he pulled working on the Serenbe charrette - where the omega shape for the neighborhoods took hold - and the weekend he, The Nygrens, and many other friends came together to build Serenbe's stone labyrinth. Definitions, People + Organizations Mentioned Transect- Used by Biologists...
John Lanier Continues & Expands on Ray C. Anderson's Legacy
February 03, 2020 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBToday's episode features a incredible conversation with John Lanier about turning fear into passion for action, why we have to stop the "take, make and waste" economic model, and the regenerative highway making waves in south Georgia. We also talk about his new book, the reissued "Mid Course Correction" that shares the impact and legacy of his grandfather, Ray Anderson, founder of the sustainable carpet tile company Interface. John shares how Paul Hawken's words drove Ray to tears by show...
John Lanier Continues & Expands on Ray C. Anderson's Legacy
February 03, 2020 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBToday's episode features a incredible conversation with John Lanier about turning fear into passion for action, why we have to stop the "take, make and waste" economic model, and the regenerative highway making waves in south Georgia. We also talk about his new book, the reissued "Mid Course Correction" that shares the impact and legacy of his grandfather, Ray Anderson, founder of the sustainable carpet tile company Interface. John shares how Paul Hawken's words drove Ray to tears by show...
Richard Louv Wants Us to Reconnect with Nature and Animals
January 27, 2020 09:00 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MBThe Nygrens intuitively realized that nature was having a positive impact on their children, but reading Richard Louv's book Last Child in the Woods validated their decision to make the permanent move to Chattahoochee Hills. Richard wants people to connect with nature, and he believes a big part of that is connecting with animals. When he'd written Last Child in the Woods, he was able to find about 60 studies during his research that helped inform his writing. That information plus another...
Introducing Season 2 of Serenbe Stories
January 13, 2020 09:00 - 1 minute - 1.15 MBThanks for listening to our first season, where host Monica Olsen and Serenbe Founder Steve Nygren went back to the beginning, in his life and career and in Serenbe's history, to tell the in-depth story about how this community just outside of Atlanta came to be. If you haven't listened yet, now is the time to catch up on all the episodes of Season 1. We are kicking off Season 2 on Monday, January 27th with 14 brand new episodes. You'll hear from many of the people that were integral to Se...
Legacy & Hope: Advancing Biophilic Principles
November 25, 2019 09:00 - 37 minutes - 26 MBSerenbe’s design is based around Biophilia - the idea that humans have an innate tendency to seek connections with nature - and in the final episode of season 1, Steve Nygren talks about finding his purpose in building this utopia for his grandchildren and all the residents that have chosen to spend their lives here. The biophilic principles are meant to provide personal wellbeing, community engagement, national security and global balance. Those 12 principles are: Land Use, Education, Foo...
Steve’s Daughters Share Stories: Hear From Garnie, Kara & Quinn
November 18, 2019 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBBefore there was a community full of people and families, there was just "the farm" and the Nygren's. Garnie, Kara and Quinn Nygren join Steve Nygren to talk about what it was like to grow up in the woods and to tell stories from their childhood. They talk about their first jobs at Serenbe, how it changed when people started moving in, and their journeys away and then back to Serenbe as adults. Questions Answered Who are Garnie, Kara and Quinn Nygren and what roles do they play at Serenbe...
The Story Before Serenbe
November 11, 2019 09:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBNot many people find their career path at 18, but as soon as Steve Nygren saw how the restaurant business worked he knew he was in the right place. Between his freshman and sophomore years of college (where he thought he'd study architecture), Steve worked in a resort community in Colorado as a bus boy. Though he went back to school (now in hospitality), Steve spent more and more time working at Top of the Rockies, the Stouffer's restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. They didn't usually take peo...
The Story Before Serenbe: Steve Nygren's Early Years
November 11, 2019 09:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBNot many people find their career path at 18, but as soon as Steve Nygren saw how the restaurant business worked he knew he was in the right place. Questions Answered How does a hospitality guy end up placemaking in the woods? Why was Steve Nygren the right person to create a place like Serenbe? How did Steve go from bus boy to maitre 'd in one summer? What brought Steve to Atlanta? What was different about the Stouffer's Hotel in Atlanta? What was Steve's Big Splash marketing campaign fo...
Development: The New Patron of the Arts
November 04, 2019 09:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBWhat exactly is the Serenbe Institute for Art, Culture and the Environment and why did Steve Nygren start it? The first arts program, AIR Serenbe, an artist-in-residence program, kicked off the Institute, with big plans to fund a pottery studio. There was early success with the residency but no permanent home, artists stayed in resident’s extra bedrooms or garage apartments. Since then Serenbe partnered with Auburn University’s design build architecture program, Rural Studio, to build two de...
How Steve Nygren Convinced Serenbe's First Residents To Make The Move
October 28, 2019 08:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBHow did Steve Nygren get people to move to Serenbe when there was nothing here but trees and an idea? After investors balked at his idea and declined, he knew it was up to him to show people what Serenbe would be. Steve worked with Robert Rausch and Ryan Gainey to develop an image box with drawings, imaginations and descriptions of what he was building in Chattahoochee Hills. Questions Answered Why did the first residents choose to move to Serenbe? How did Steve Nygren show future residen...
Placemaking In The Woods
October 21, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 35.1 MBIn this episode, Steve Nygren talks about how he took his successful hospitality career and applied it to building a community from scratch. They were creating places through hospitality, and Steve knew when building Serenbe that they needed to have a place for people to gather around food. That first place was the Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop. Questions Answered What is placemaking? How does scale and massing in architecture contribute to the authentic feel of a place? What is a condition ...
Building A Community From Scratch
October 14, 2019 08:00 - 58 minutes - 40.1 MBSteve Nygren dives into how to actually begin the build process when you're starting from nothing. He knew he had to save his backyard and had worked with his neighbors to go to the state to make the laws work for Chattahoochee Hills, but he didn't yet know he was going to create the Serenbe community. That realization was never a moment, but rather over a gradual course of time. Questions Answered How do you build a neighborhood from scratch? If not you, who? If not now, when? When did...
Saving Nature: Balancing Development & Conservation
October 07, 2019 08:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBAfter Steve Nygren brought small and large land owners in Chattahoochee Hills on board his development plan, it was time to take the project to the state. Three state foundations and a few private citizens had pledged money to invest in the project, and Governor Barnes was ready to push legislation through to allow Chattahoochee Hill Country to change land rights in the region. When Barnes didn't get re-elected, most of these investments disappeared. One person stayed in, and that money was ...
Balancing Development And Preservation To Save Nature
October 07, 2019 08:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBAfter Steve Nygren brought small and large land owners in Chattahoochee Hills on board his development plan, it was time to take the project to the state. Three state foundations and a few private citizens had pledged money to invest in the project, and Governor Barnes was ready to push legislation through to allow Chattahoochee Hill Country to change land rights in the region. When Barnes didn't get re-elected, most of these investments disappeared. One person stayed in, and that money was ...
Dinner Parties And Peach Cobbler
September 30, 2019 08:00 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MBSteve Nygren knew he had to protect the land that was his backyard, but he didn't yet know what that looked like. Always the hospitality man, Steve brought his neighbors together over dinners and homemade desserts to create the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance, which started the process of determining what everyone wanted and what their best option was for preservation and development. Questions Answered What was going on globally, nationally in 2000? When you knew you were going to b...
Dinner Parties And Peach Cobbler
September 30, 2019 08:00 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MBSteve Nygren knew he had to protect the land that was his backyard, but he didn't yet know what that looked like. Always the hospitality man, Steve brought his neighbors together over dinners and homemade desserts to create the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance, which started the process of determining what everyone wanted and what their best option was for preservation and development. Questions Answered What was going on globally, nationally in 2000? When you knew you were going to b...
Catalyst To Create Serenbe
September 23, 2019 08:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MBMonica Olsen and Steve Nygren go into detail about the pivotal moment in Steve and Serenbe’s beginning. Steve and his daughter, Garnie, came upon a bulldozer taking out trees while they were running trails on their 300 acres. Steve worried about urban sprawl in their paradise and immediately made calls to land owners in Chattahoochee Hills, asking them to call if they ever decided to sell. The three largest parcels that touched the Nygren farmhouse had to sell for different reasons, and in 5...
Finding the Farmhouse, Reconnecting to Nature
September 16, 2019 08:00 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBSometimes the groove we’re in is actually a rut. That’s how Steve Nygren describes his feelings when he decided to step off the corporate treadmill and make the move to Chattahoochee Hill Country. Before Serenbe’s homes, shops, restaurants and events, there was the discovery of open, rolling hills and a 1904 farmhouse. In this episode, Steve Nygren shares about his family’s life in Atlanta and the value shift that brought them to the country full time. Steve also discusses opening a bed & br...
What Is Serenbe?
September 09, 2019 10:00 - 40 minutes - 27.5 MBMany people wonder “What is Serenbe?” Host Monica Olsen introduces Serenbe founder, developer and CEO Steve Nygren as they sit down to talk about why he created Serenbe, and what Serenbe is today. Interview took place September 2019. Questions Answered What is Serenbe? What else is here other than people and trees? Who lives here? What drove you to build Serenbe? What should we know about Serenbe’s neighborhoods? What is a well-lived life? What can I do here? People + Organization...
Introducing Serenbe Stories
August 30, 2019 17:00 - 1 minute - 1.31 MBWelcome to Serenbe Stories, a podcast chronicling life in the leading wellness community. Hosted by Monica Olsen, we are thrilled to share this 12 episode season capturing the story of Serenbe, directly from the founder, Steve Nygren. We had this seed of an idea over a year ago and over the past 6 months, we have taken this journey of recording and producing our very first podcast in-house and are excited to invite you along. We're so proud of the team for taking on this challenge of bri...