Serenbe Stories

When the world shut down in the Spring of 2020, Amy Mass and her husband Jared hit pause on their busy lives in Hollywood. Later that year, they piled into an RV with a few friends for what they imagined would be a relaxing Fall break in Serenbe - but like so many before them, they ended up under a contract for a house. 

Now, it’s almost impossible to imagine Serenbe without the hilarious - and festive - Mass family. From Halloween decorations and hoe downs to flash mobs and farm parties, Amy brings the fun wherever she goes. In this interview, Steve and Monica chat with Amy about slowing down to gain perspective, her career transition from television comedy writer to romance novelist, and raising a spunky, outdoorsy kid in Serenbe. 

Show Notes

• Serenbe Thriller Flash Mob
• Last Man Standing
• The Goldbergs
• Breaking In
• Serenbe Events Calendar
• Why Do Children Need Nature to Thrive? (Life at Serenbe Blog)

Key Words: Serenbe, Writing, Writer, TV Writer, Comedy, Comedy Writer, Television, Community, Family, Author, Novelist, Romance Novel, Romantic Comedy, Halloween, Neighborhood, Animation, Nature, Childhood, Raising Children, Children & Nature, Outdoors 

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

Stepping foot into the Hills & Hamlets Bookshop is like taking in a deep, calming breath. The atmosphere is warm and cozy and the shopkeepers couldn’t be friendlier or more knowledgeable. And even though the shop itself is on the smaller side, it’s packed to the brim with books from every genre you can think of including children's books, fantasy, art & architecture, urban planning, cookbooks - and even some rare & vintage finds for collectors. It’s truly something you can’t miss on your next visit. 

In this episode, Monica and Steve chat with Hills & Hamlets owner Josh Niesse about getting started in the bookselling business, opening a second location here in Serenbe, and why bookshops are a great ‘indicator species’ for the health of a community. 

Show Notes

• Hills & Hamlets Bookshop
• Underground Books
• Support Josh on Bookshop
• Libro.fm
• Chatt Hills Gallery
• Paige Crutcher 
• Home Therapy: Interior Design for Increasing Happiness, Boosting Happiness, and Creating Calm by Anita Yokota

Key Words: Book Store, Bookshop, Bookstore, Library, Literature, Reading, Bookworm, Serenbe, Community, Book Launch, Author, Nature, Rare Books, Vintage Books, Retail 

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

When Crystal Barrois and her husband drove down to Serenbe in late 2016, they knew they were home - despite the pouring rain. Since then, they’ve started a family here and watched their kids grow up as free range children, exploring the woods and community under the watchful eye of fellow neighbors, co-parents, and co-grandparents. It takes a village, as they say. At her day job, Crystal serves as a pilot with Delta. In an industry where women make up only 6% of the workforce, Crystal has led the charge to make aviation accessible. 

In this interview, Steve and Monica learn all about Crystal’s path to Serenbe, the important work she’s doing to make aviation an industry for everyone, and we explore the magic of a Serenbe potluck. 

Show Notes

• Serenbe Events Calendar
• Historic All-Female Delta Flight Inspires Young Girls in STEM
• Delta Tik Tok for Women’s History Month 
• Propel Pilot Career Path Program | Delta Airlines
• United Aviate Academy
• Playing in the Woods | Life at Serenbe Blog

Key Words: Women in Aviation, Aviation, Women Led, Delta, Delta Airlines, Family, Raising Kids, Community, Serenbe 

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

Philips McCarty and his family first came to Serenbe while searching for a getaway from bustling New York City life - particularly during the height of Covid, when people were longing for a connection to nature and access to open, outdoor spaces had never felt so important. Now the family splits their time between Serenbe and the city, where Philips serves as the Executive Director of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s FIT Foundation, leading initiatives in strategic philanthropy, social impact investment, and alumni affairs and engagement to support the college’s unique and unconventional heritage. He is also the founder of Good Scout, a social impact consultancy that helps companies, nonprofits, and philanthropists achieve their vision. 

In this interview, Steve and Monica chat with Philips about the importance of getting involved in your local community, giving back, access to nature, and his passion for the arts. 

Show Notes

• Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
• FIT Foundation
• Good Scout
• The Biophilic Institute
• The Art Farm at Serenbe
• Serenbe Events Calendar

Key Words: Fashion Institute of Technology, FIT, Philanthropy, Social Impact, Art, Nature, Biophilia, Serenbe 

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

Eleven years ago, a fateful Google search of ‘eco-conscious communities near Atlanta’ led Stephanie Walsh & Brandon Blanchard to Serenbe. In the intervening years, they’ve become integral members of the community. They’ve both worked here - Brandon in hospitality and Stephanie as an agent with Serenbe Real Estate - built a home here, lived in every hamlet in the community, and built lifelong friendships. In this episode, Steve and Monica catch up with Brandon and Stephanie to discuss their mutual love of the outdoors, the new home they’re planning to build using the Living Building Challenge as a guideline, and how residents of all ages bond over a shared love of great food & a good old-fashioned tailgate party. 

Show Notes & Further Reading 

• Serenbe Real Estate
• Heritage Supper Club
• Living Building Challenge
• Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech

Key Words: Nature, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Sustainability, Regenerative, Living Building Challenge, Hospitality, Culinary, Real Estate, Yoga, Serenbe, Serenbe Real Estate

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

Serenbe Stories will be back for its 8th season on Monday, May 15th. In this new season, we’re putting the spotlight on the people who make Serenbe, well, Serenbe - from residents who have developed their own thriving businesses to the local business owners who have set up shop in the community. We’ll have new weekly episodes on Mondays dropping through mid July.

You can catch up on the first 7 seasons of Serenbe Stories anywhere you listen to podcasts and be sure to tune in for Season 8 on May 15th. Subscribe and Follow so you don’t miss an episode.

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

In this special bonus episode of Serenbe Stories, Steve shares a quick tour of the Inn property, diving into the history of the old Farmhouse, the early days of the surrounding cottages, and how the property transitioned from weekend getaway to family home to luxury retreat. 

We’ll meet at the Farmhouse, walk out onto the wraparound porch, through the Inn grounds, and end up over by the Pavilion.

Show Notes & Further Reading 

• The Inn at Serenbe
• The Inn at Serenbe History
• The Farmhouse
• Animal House (Life at Serenbe blog)
• Mary Mac’s Tea Room
• Chartres Cathedral 

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

Artist Kristine Mays’ first introduction to Serenbe happened totally by chance, when Steve attended the opening of her exhibition, Rich Soil, at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Now, Serenbe is the latest stop in this stunning traveling show, which comprises 29 metal wire sculptures, all of which are full of life and movement. Set in the woods at Deer Hollow Park, these pieces are meant to evoke a number of things - feminine energy, agriculture, nature, soil - with meanings as varied as the viewers themselves. In this episode, Steve and Monica catch up with Kristine about finding rejuvenation in nature, the path that led her to becoming a full-time artist, and where Rich Soil will travel next. 

Show Notes

• Kristine Mays
• Kristine Mays Instagram
• Art Farm at Serenbe
• Glo 
• Atlanta Botanical Garden
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
• Filoli Historic House & Garden
• Hillwood Estate Museum & Garden
• Blue Eyed Daisy

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

All October long, Serenbe might as well be known as Halloweentown. As you walk through the neighborhood, you’ll see homes decorated with gravestones, inflatable pumpkins and monsters, zombies, and more than a few ghosts. On Halloween itself, there are costume contests, kids and parents alike bobbing for apples, and one of our favorite shops, Hamlin, is especially famous for creating immersive Halloween experiences year after year. In the latest Serenbe Kids podcast, Reese chats with her buddy Lily about all of the traditions that make this such a noteworthy Serenbe holiday, the trick-or-treating route of champions, and the hallmarks of a successful, spooky costume. 

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. 

This week on Serenbe Stories, we’re chatting with Thomas Peters, Sernebe’s Director of Landscape and Horticulture, all about the creatures that call Serenbe home - from songbirds and butterflies to snakes and other creepy crawlies (Halloween is just around the corner, after all). Thomas joined the Serenbe team in 2017 after receiving his Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia. In his time here, he has played a central role in implementing natural approaches to landscape management, planting pollinator habitats for a thriving local ecosystem, and ensuring that Serenbe remains a place where people embrace the natural world. In addition to our discussion about Serenbe’s wildlife, we also talk about Thomas’s lifelong passion for the outdoors and how we can all learn to value nature in its many forms. 

Show Notes & Further Reading

• Landscape Architecture at the University of Georgia
• R. Alfred “Alfie” Vick (University of Georgia)
• Art Farm Environment
• Chattahoochee Hills is now an official bee city (Art Farm at Serenbe)
• The Well Placed Weed by Ryan Gainey
• Birding Georgia by Giff Beaton
• A Time to Sow (Life at Serenbe Blog)
• Losing the Lawn (Life at Serenbe Blog)
• Every Day is Earth Day at Serenbe (Life at Serenbe Blog)

The new book, Start In Your Own Backyard, is out and available for ordering. 

Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!

Learn more about Serenbe and see our Events Calendar. Order your copy of Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.