Listen to over 110 Episodes of Serenbe Stories from the past 10 seasons
The Serenbe Stories podcast is celebrating its 10th season.Since its inception in September 2019, the series has reaped close to 100,000downloads. The concept was developed as a way to capture the story of Serenbe’s foundation, building a community from scratch, balancing conservation and development, and welcoming the first group of Serenbe residents. The first season kicked off with interviews between Serenbe Founder andCEO Steve Nygren and CMO, Monica Olsen, who both live in Serenbe, as a way to capture the story of the community’s beginnings and what it’s like to live here. The show’s content has evolved over the seasons to incorporate topics ranging from natural approaches to land management to designing sustainable homes and features a range of personalities, including visiting artists, business owners, friends of the community and neighbors. Its compelling narratives now draw listeners from all over the world.
One of the most popular episodes is the very first, “What Is Serenbe?”. Everyone who hears about the community for the first time asks this question. Olsen and Nygren sat down to discuss the unique development model and intentional design, as well as how some people visit for a day and others decide to stay for a lifetime. Another highly streamed episode in the first season brought in the voices of Steve’s three daughters: Garnie, Kara andQuinn. They share their experiences as the first residents of Serenbe, living in a farmhouse (which is now The Inn) and what it was like leaving Atlanta to grow up in the woods of Chattahoochee Hills.
Season 2 continued to explore Serenbe’s distinctive, thoughtful features and expanded from one-on-one interviews with Steve to include many of the people who had a hand in building Serenbe. Some of the key figures who helped turn the vision into reality include architect Phill Tabb (S2,Ep3), who designed Serenbe’s master plan using the principles of sacred geometry; artist Robert Rausch (S2, Ep8), who designed Serenbe’s whimsical street lamps, benches and bike racks; Dennis Creech (S2, Ep9), a sustainable building expert and founder of SouthFace; and Chad Epple (S2, Ep10), the sustainability engineer who turned imagination into infrastructure.
The third season highlighted many stories from the wider community of Serenbe friends, including journalists, chefs and influencers who have been deeply impacted by visits. Media personality, author and green living expert Danny Seo shared insights on living“Naturally Stylish & Sustainable” (S3, [1] [2] [3] Ep10). Other stories were shared from restaurateur Ford Fry (S3, Ep7), comedian and podcaster Pete Dominick (S3, Ep3)and NewYorker journalist Charles Betha (S3, Ep8).
Given Serenbe’s deep connection to biophilia, a philosophy that centers around reconnecting people to nature, it was natural that Season 4 featured experts in this field. Biophilic thought leaders, such as green building expert Bill Browning (S4[4] , Ep6), Tim Beatley of Biophilic Cities (S4, Ep3), “Queen of Green” Yoli Ouiya (S4, Ep7) and authorFlorence Williams (S4, Ep11) each discuss nature’s profound effect on human wellbeing, how Serenbe facilitates that connection and their personal experiences within the community. If you need a primer on biophilia, listen to one of the leading biophilic design educators, Elizabeth Calabrese, as she highlights the history of the term and shares how its definition and practice has involved both philosophical circles and the building industry in “Hope Rises OnIts Current: Defining Biophilia” (S4, Ep1).
As the podcast moved into Season 5+, more and more resident stories came into play. Each one told a unique story of how they discovered the community and why they chose to uproot their lives and move here. Common threads included a desire to slow down, reconnect with nature and raise kids in a safe environment with lots of community ties. Listeners of the podcast will know to stay to the very end of episodes because all of the guests share their favorite things to do, see, eat and experience at Serenbe when answering the question, “If someone is visiting for the first time, what is the one thing they should do while they are here?”.
Ten seasons in, the podcast has found its rhythm, telling the stories of residents, employees and everyone with a Serenbe Story. The latest season launched in March and features new neighbors fromCalifornia, an artist in residence, a conversation about Serenbe at 20 years with Steve and much more.
Listen everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and more, leave a comment and give us a 5-star rating if you feel so inclined. You can also listen to the 110+ episodes including Season 10 at serenbe.com/serenbe-stories.
10Essential Episodes
Season1 Episode 1: What Is Serenbe?
Season 1 Episode 11: Steve’s Daughters ShareStories: Hear From Garnie, Kara & Quinn
Season 2 Episode 3: Land Planning & SacredGeometry’s Influence with Phill Tabb
Season 3 Episode 10: Naturally Stylish &Sustainable with Danny Seo
Season 4 Episode 1: Hope Rises On Its Current:Defining Biophilia with Liz Calabrese
Season 5 Episode 14: Always Designing withMister + Mrs Sharp
Season 6 Episode 10: Building Human CenteredBusiness with Tyler Scriven
Season 7 Episode 10: Pollinators, Songbirds,and Creepy Crawlies with Thomas Peters
Season 8 Episode 1: Lifelong Friends &Sustainable Living with Stephanie Walsh and Brandon Blanchard
Season 9 Episode 10: Embracing Wellness &All Thing Serenbe with Frank & Christine Egan