A trailer for the new season of Life-Centered.

Welcome to Life-Centered, a podcast about how looking to the natural world is impacting technology, society, and how we live our lives.

I’m Tim McGee, and in this episode Amelia Tracy and I had a chance to talk with Markus and Katherine Ottmers. We first learned of the Ottmers from the book Water in Plain Sight by Judith Schwartz - and reached out to learn more about how they have learned from nature to create a thriving life in the desert.

Together they run Ottmers & Ottmers a mom and pop business centered around local economy and local food, providing “Solutions Based Education Service.” We dive into their approach learning from the land, connecting with people, and creating positive impact as a keystone species in the world.

Welcome to Life-Centered, the podcast about how looking to the natural world is impacting technology, society, and how we live our lives. I’m Tim McGee, and in this episode Amelia Tracy and I talk with Scott Sampson. Scott is best known as Dr. Scott, from the popular television show Dinosaur Train where he served as science advisor and on air host. In real life Dr. Sampson (or Scott as we call him) is a dinosaur paleontologist, science communicator, and passionate advocate for connecting people with nature. We were able to catch up with Scott in Vancouver B.C., where he president and CEO of Science World British Columbia. In this conversation we dug into his insights around how we can create a thriving world as an embedded part of nature. We touch on the subtle but important difference between biophilia and topophilia, the integration of high tech and deep tech, and the nuances of mentoring vs. teaching. We also discuss his new book ‘How to Raise a Wild Child’ and along the way get to learn where Scott would spend one hour if he could travel through time, train or no train. Enjoy.

In this episode Amelia Tracy and I talk with Tariq Al Olaimy. I first met Tariq years ago at a biomimicry workshop, and have been following his globetrotting career with a sense of wonder. If you follow Tariq on Instagram or twitter (and I suggest that you do) you begin to realize his passion, energy, and peace towards the world is infectious. With his sister Leena, Tariq is the co-founder of the Bahrain based Think & Do Tank 3BL associates, and as a result he finds himself squarely at the crossroads of connecting people, organizations, and the natural world for a more peaceful and prosperous future. This has been one of my favorite episodes to edit, in part because every time I listen through the audio- I learn something new. The conversation is rich with links to big projects and ideas that are changing the world - from resources that help social entrepreneurs find a wellspring of wellbeing, to the emerging legal, social, and business implications of partnering with natural systems like a river or a forest. Enjoy.

This weeks short in-between episode is a short experiment of sorts. If you like it, please let us know in the comments or on our new patreon page which you can find linked in the show notes. The following letter was Inspired by the stoic writings of Marcus Aurelius, yet with a twist. Instead of seeking wisdom from the ancients, we look to a much older source of wisdom, nature itself. In this episode we hear from the oak tree, counseling us on how to save time.

Hello Friends, and welcome to back to Life-Centered. This year’s guest list for the podcast is already looking incredible, and to kick things off I was recently able to sit down with Bryony Schwan. I first met Bryony while she was the director of the biomimicry Institute, and I consider myself lucky to have had her as a leader and mentor over the past decade. In our wide ranging conversation, Bryony and I jump into the realities and importance of finding Joy in our work, useful tips for meditation, her childhood in Zimbabwe, women in social justice, how to build trust in order to create change, and much more.

In this episode I’m joined by the incredible Betsy Hinze. Betsy's work uses the natural world as inspiration and fodder to evoke a sense of magic, a sense of place, and to build wonder in those who are lucky enough to cross the threshold into her world. Betsy describes herself, in what I think is one of the best titles ever; Wondersmith. We talk about the benefits of asking bizarre questions, the realities of encouraging people to explore what is uncomfortable or new, the power of magic, edible poetry, and much more.

I’m Tim McGee, and in this episode I’m joined by Mark Dorfman, one of the world’s rarest creatures, a true New Yorker who works in Montana. Mark spends his time at Biomimicry 3.8 inspiring fortune 500 companies to rethink how they make products, and educating people on the value of looking to nature to solve some of our toughest problems in chemistry and materials. Mark is also a world traveler, a thoughtful proponent of living with less (from his 300 sq foot apartment), and a great storyteller. In this episode we get a chance to talk about the importance of thriving cities, the interesting advances in how technology is changing how we can perceive chemistry, the impact of genetic engineering and much more.

Welcome to Life-Centered, a podcast about how looking to the natural world is impacting technology, society, and how we live our lives. I’m Tim McGee, and in this episode Amelia Tracy and I reflect on the past 6 episodes, as well as dip into the big trends we are seeing in Life-Centered Design.

Kathy is founder of the Austin Texas based company Holos, and as Strategy and Systems Designer she has worked with some of the most progressive architecture and design firms on the planet. She is also founder of Biomimicry Texas, a regional network that brings together people to be inspired by and stimulate biomimicry within education and enterprise. I consider myself lucky to have known and worked with Kathy for years, and today we talked about the importance of storytelling, finding time to slow down in Nature, and a messages of hope all children need to hear.