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The Rooted Wild Podcast
A podcast for anyone curious about the joy of healing through leisure. We unpack the power of play, the wisdom of the outdoors, and the creative pulse that keeps us human — all in one curious, compassionate space.
Episodes
22 episodes
Guided Movement Practice: Safety Before Stretching
A gentle nervous system grounding and movement practiceThis guided practice is part of the Rooted Wild bonus series — short, supportive episodes designed to help you regulate your nervous system through grounding, breat...
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Nervous System Literacy for Real Life
Understanding stress responses, regulation, shutdown, and resilienceStress responses aren’t personal failures — they’re nervous system reflexes.In this first episode of Season Two, we build nervous system literacy for ...
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Trauma-Informed Movement: Safety Before Stretching
How to move your body in ways that support regulation instead of dysregulationMovement doesn’t always feel safe — especially when you’re living with chronic pain, burnout, trauma history, or nervous system overload.In thi...
Redefining Exercise: Movement as Medicine, Not Punishment
Rebuilding a healthier relationship with movement through recreation therapyFor many people, exercise has become associated with pressure, guilt, or performance — rather than support, regulation, or enjoyment.In this epis...
Chronic Pain, Identity, and Grief
Exploring how pain reshapes self-concept, relationships, and meaningLiving with chronic pain doesn’t just affect your body — it can change how you see yourself, how you connect with others, and how you participate in the world a...
Sensory Regulation Across the Day
Building a sensory diet for nervous system stabilityYour nervous system is constantly responding to the world around you — often without you realizing it.The lighting in a room, background noise, temperature, textures, an...
Leisure Access + Disability Justice
Why recreation and participation should be accessible to everyoneRecreation and leisure are often framed as optional — something we do only when time, money, or ability allow. But within recreation therapy, participation in mean...
Creativity in Times of Loss, Transition, and Change
Using creative expression to move through life’s shifting seasonsLife is full of transitions.Some changes arrive slowly, like the turning of seasons. Others arrive suddenly, reshaping the landscape of our lives in ways we...
Relationships, Boundaries, and Nervous System Safety
How connection and limits can support healing, not hinder itRelationships play a powerful role in shaping our nervous system.The way we connect, communicate, and set limits can influence how safe, regulated, and supported...
Rebuilding Trust with Your Body
Safety, self-trust, and learning to listen to internal cuesWhat happens when your body no longer feels like a place you can trust?For many people navigating chronic pain, stress, burnout, or trauma, the relationship with ...
What Healing Looks Like in Real Life
Integration, self-trust, and building a sustainable wellness practiceWhat does healing actually look like in real life?In this Season 2 finale of The Rooted Wild Podcast, we step back to reflect on the themes we’...
Welcome to Rooted Wild
This brief trailer introduces The Rooted Wild Podcast as a recreation therapy based pod for conversations on leisure benefits, coping strategies and lifestyle adjustments to increase overall life satisfaction. Stay tuned for more from The Roote...
What is Recreation Therapy? Restoring Wellness Through Play and Nature
If you’ve ever wondered what recreation therapy actually is — or how time outdoors, mindful play, and creativity can support your long-term wellness — today’s episode is the perfect place to start.In this kickoff episode, we break down t...
Coping with Holiday Overwhelm
A calming, evidence-informed grounding episode to support listeners facing holiday-related stress, sensory overload, grief, financial strain, or complicated family dynamics. Includes a guided check-in, nervous system science, coping strategies,...
The Science of Play: Why Joy Heals the Nervous System
If you’ve ever felt guilty for wanting more fun, rest, or creativity in your life… this episode is going to feel like a breath of fresh air. Today, we’re breaking down the science of why play isn’t optional — it’s a biological need that keeps y...
Leisure Education: Learning How to Rest with Intention
In this episode, we explore one of the most overlooked skills in modern wellness: how to rest with intention. Drawing from the evidence-based foundations of recreation therapy, Katherine breaks down why rest is more than “taking time off...
Nature as Co-Therapist
Nature is more than a backdrop for wellness — it’s an active participant in healing.In this episode, we explore how nature functions as a co-therapist, supporting nervous system regulation, emotional processing, and stress recover...
Creative Flow + Healing Expression
Why Art, Play, and Expression Regulate the Nervous SystemCreativity isn’t about talent — it’s about regulation, expression, and presence.In this episode, we explore how creative flow supports nervous system healing t...
Recreation Therapy for Chronic Pain + Stress: Leisure Coping, Fibromyalgia, and Living Well Within Real Limits
Living with chronic pain and chronic stress requires more than willpower — it requires compassion, adaptation, and nervous system–informed support.In this episode, Katherine Winkles, CTRS-BH, explores how recreation therapy...
Winter Recreation + Nervous System Care: Staying Connected When the Weather Isn’t Gentle
Winter can be hard on the nervous system.Shorter days, colder temperatures, disrupted routines, and increased fatigue can all impact mood, stress levels, and physical comfort — especially for people living with chronic pain, sensory sens...
Listening to Capacity & Pacing
Building Sustainable Energy, Trust, and Nervous System SafetyIn this episode of The Rooted Wild Podcast, we explore what it truly means to listen to your body — especially when energy, pain, stress, or burnout make capa...
Coming Home to Yourself: Integration, Reflection + Sustainable Wellness
In this season finale of The Rooted Wild Podcast, we slow down to reflect on what we’ve learned about nervous system care, nature-based regulation, pacing, play, creativity, rest, and sustainable wellness.Instead of adding more ...