Nature, Nurture & Nonsense

We have reached our Season 2 Finale! Just before Rutendo prepares to have her baby, she and her sister, Mbiri, and brother Izwi take time to look back at another fun and successful season talking all things nature and family.

We recap our great guests and nature issues, and have some fun with some animal baby-themed facts.

As always, we're so thankful for the support of our listeners and followers, and we look forward to being back soon!

Production & Editing by Rutendo Shackleton

Sound & Music by Izwi Wazara

This week on the podcast we talk about the science of siblings - HOW ARE WE ONLY TALKING ABOUT THIS NOW!?!

Sibling bonds aren't just found in humans but in many other species across the planet. We talk about the many animals that find great benefit from knowing their brothers and sisters, and those that don't. And it's all backed by science!

And as a family of six siblings, this chat gives us a lovely opportunity to reflect, laugh and be honest about what it's like to have so many siblings!

Production & Editing by Rutendo Shackleton

Sound by Izwi Wazara

Rutendo and her siblings continue their chat about making adventure and exploration in nature. They talk about childhood adventure role models... or the lack there of!

And they discuss in further detail the importance of adventure in nature stories being told in every culture.

Production & Editing by Rutendo Shackleton

Sound by Izwi Wazara

This week, Rutendo is joined by her brothers, Tashinga and Izwi, and her sister Ishe for a sibling chat about adventure, adrenaline, and the outdoors. While recapping last episode's interview with filmmaker Anna Dimitriadis, the siblings explore whether they actually feel the same rush in nature that she does… and if not, whether that’s completely okay.

As usual, the conversation goes in very different directions — from Tashinga finding joy in caring for his cows, to Rutendo’s adventure FOMO, Izwi’s slightly delusional dream of wrestling a lion, and Ishe preferring her adventures safely contained within the pages of a J. R. R. Tolkien novel.

This week, Rutendo chats with Anna Dimitriadis, a BAFTA-nominated wildlife filmmaker and presenter whose work takes audiences deep into some of the world’s most remote environments — from beneath Antarctic icebergs to the jungles of Central Africa.

Best known for her work as a cinematographer and presenter on Big Cats 24/7, Anna combines cutting-edge technology with deep field experience to capture intimate — and sometimes never-before-seen — moments in animal behaviour.

In this episode, Anna opens up about exploring the outdoors as a child while imagining herself as a spy, her deep connection to the water, and how, after being told science “wasn’t her thing,” she carved her own path into wildlife filmmaking. She also shares the thrill of capturing never-before-seen footage — so intense it sets off the heart-rate monitor on her smartwatch — and why she wants to see more women behind the camera telling stories about the natural world.

This week, Rutendo and her sisters Tadiwa, Ishe & Mbiri talk about agreeing to disagree. How do we have fruitful debates about nature, conservation and everything in-between without ending up in an echo chamber or alienating each other? How do we avoid "click bait" arguments and make space for evolution of thought?

In the midst of that, they discuss the family's debating styles - from Ishe who hates confrontation, to Tadiwa who likes to tell it how it is. They also get into some friendly debate about who is the true King of the Jungle (the answer will surprise you), and which apocalyptic scenario is more likely - Jurassic World or Planet of the Apes?

Production & Editing by Rutendo Shackleton

Sound by Izwi Wazara

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by artist Lee Putman. We go from his Sundays spent with his Nan and Grandad—reading nature books and exploring the woods behind their house—to building @factsandfineliners, where he explores the beauty and tension in our relationship with animals through his art.

He shares how he navigates the contradictions in that relationship—caring deeply about animal welfare while recognising the ways we benefit from them—and why the answers aren’t always clean. Through his work and short films, he opens up those questions, inviting us to sit with the discomfort and think a little deeper about the lives we’re part of.

Production & Editing by Rutendo Shackleton

Audio by Izwi Wazara

In this episode, Rutendo and her siblings, Tashinga & Mbiri, tackle one of conservation’s most complex questions: what do we really mean by human–wildlife conflict—and is true coexistence even possible?

They explore the messy, nuanced reality of how people and wildlife share space, and why simple answers don’t hold up.

They also reflect on Rutendo’s interview with Greta Iori, unpacking her insights on embracing the grey areas of conservation and rethinking how we define coexistence.

Produced & Edited by Rutendo Shackleton

Sound by Izwi Wazara

Research by Maya Masters

On this week's episode, Rutendo is joined by international adviser, conservation expert, and accredited conflict mediator Greta Iori.

Greta is working at the forefront of global conservation—tackling the illegal wildlife trade, shaping nature–climate policy, and navigating the complex realities of human–wildlife coexistence. As a founding fellow of Women for the Environment Africa and former lead on human–elephant conflict strategies with the Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation, her work spans over 25 countries and sits at the intersection of ecology, policy, and social justice.

But beyond the titles, this is a conversation about rethinking conservation itself.

We talk about Greta’s childhood in Ethiopia, the moment she realised veterinary medicine wasn’t her path, and how her journey led her into political ecology. We also explore why the label “conservationist” can feel limiting, and why meaningful conservation work requires embracing nuance, complexity, and our full humanity.

This episode is about systems, identity, and what it really means to coexist—with each other and with the natural world.

Production & Editing: Rutendo Shackleton

Sound: Izwirashe Wazara

Aaaaannnddd we're BACK with season 2 of the pod! The Dr. Rutendo Shackleton and her siblings are together again this week reminiscing about their wild wild holidays!

There is no better way to enjoy nature and the outdoors than with the people you love most. They chat about their best wild holidays... and their WORST, and of course the nonsense they got up to. You'd think they weren't supervised - but they were!