The Most Overlooked Tool for Nervous System Regulation | How Nature Teaches Identity, Confidence, and Calm

What if peace isn’t something you have to chase… but something waiting right outside your front door?

In this Best Of episode of Raising Wild Hearts, Ryann Watkin revisits a grounding conversation with Danisha Dumournay—author of Teachings of the Great Outdoors and Exploring Nature: Robin Finds Herself—about self-discovery, identity, and the healing power of nature. 

Danisha shares how growing up Haitian-American—shaped by her grandmother’s wisdom and herbal traditions—helped her see the world through a wider, more rooted lens. 

She also tells the story of a pivotal hike up a volcano in Guatemala, where she felt something she still chases (in the best way): relief, pride, calm—and the sense that nature was supporting her all along. 

Together, you’ll explore why nature makes us feel more human, why simplicity is the antidote to “more, more, more,” and how even a patch of grass can help you regulate, reconnect, and return to yourself.

In this episode, we talk about:

🌱Nature as a fast, simple reset for overwhelmed parents and kids 

🌱Cultural identity, ancestral wisdom, and the power of elders 

🌱“Even when you can’t see the sun, it’s still there” (and why that matters) 

🌱Teaching kids breathwork + meditation for emotional regulation 

🌱Why your self-care ripples into your relationships (“my me time is your time”) 

If you’ve been craving calm, clarity, and a return to what’s real—this one will meet you there.

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Transcript

Ryann 0:00

Welcome back to the Raising Wild Hearts podcast. This is episode 151. The question I'm pondering after having this conversation is: what if peace is something you don't have to chase? What if it was right outside your front door? Today we're revisiting one of our most grounding and soul-stirring conversations I've had on the podcast. A beautiful reminder that sometimes the answers are much simpler than we think they are. Today is a best of Raising Wild Hearts episode with Danisha Dumournay, whose work explores self-discovery, identity, and healing through our connection to nature. Danisha is author of Teachings of the Great Outdoors, Exploring Nature, Robin Finds Herself. You guys, I love this book. It's beautifully illustrated, it's beautifully written, and it really mirrors the lessons that Danisha learned through nature growing up and continuing into her adult years. If you have babies or kids and you've noticed how as soon as you walk outside with a fussy baby or child, their mood completely shifts. You know the power of the natural world to help us calm in and ground into our experience and ultimately how reconnecting with nature can help us reconnect with our own hearts and minds. One of the first things you mentioned in your bio is that you're a Haitian American. I'd love to talk about your experience growing up and how that has had an impact on who you are now.

Speaker 1 1:45

I lived with my whole family, my mom, my dad, my grandmother, and my siblings. And so much of that experience was like my parents teaching me about American culture, but then my grandmother, who was like a very, you know, an older Haitian woman who was like, I am a Haitian woman first. I am teaching my grandchildren about the Haitian culture. So we were always navigating the two cultures in our home. And with that came a lot of richness. You know, I'm able to speak Creole. I'm able to understand the different foods that are important to my culture. And more importantly, in this experience, my grandmother, she was very connected to herbal medicine and herbal foods. And so growing up, she would always put a huge importance on, you know, make sure you understand what you're eating, make sure you know where these come from, what the roots are. And so all of that learning, you know, I didn't see all of that in American culture. That's not really what we were going to school and hearing about, right? So the different kinds of learnings and abilities to kind of get these two very different worlds at once, while sometimes very challenging, was honestly what has made me so open-minded today about like pretty much any experience I'm having is because of all of the different cultures that really do come into play at the origin of any story, of any dish, of anything we're interacting with. And so being a Haitian woman is important to me, especially now. You know, the country is going through a lot of political unrest. And I always want to make sure that people know that we exist, that we are here, that we are resilient, that we are trying to forge our past through this very tumultuous time for our country, and that our culture is beautiful. And so I always make sure to advocate for that in any platform that I can. And so, yeah, being being a part of the community is really special to me.

Ryann 3:36

I love your grandma. I just the wisdom of the elders is, you know, like none other. And I think we don't value it enough in our culture as a whole. So that was a beautiful ode to that elder wisdom. Thank you.

Speaker 1 3:50

Yes, I know. I'm sure she's, you know, she's always with me. And so I know that she's happy that I can share this as well.

Ryann 3:58

Yes. Thank you, Grandma. You're in my heart too. That's beautiful. Why the emphasis on nature for you? Where did it come from? Did you always value nature?

Speaker 1 4:06

I grew up in Massachusetts and we lived adjacent to some farmland. And so I was really lucky because the people who lived on the farm, one of the children in the household was also in my grade and at my school. So we became very, very close. And we would always go outside and I would always be able to go on his farm. And there was like these like lush, really nice like land surrounding, even some marshland around the area. And we would just go on these like mini adventures and just kind of find things and see things. And this is before like I did not have a cell phone. Like I was definitely like outdoors and just like looking at things, and thankfully that never went wrong for me. Like I never touched something that I wasn't supposed to. But I just, you know, was curious and had a partner in curiosity. Now, again, I mentioned I grew up in a Haitian household. While Haiti is a very lush and beautiful, like forest-filled land, and unfortunately has experienced some deforestation, but is naturally a very, you know, lush land. My parents were like, you can totally go outside and do that, but we're gonna like leave that stuff outside. Like nothing comes home with you. Like you kind of just, you know, we're happy to let you explore, but like just don't bring it in the house, essentially. Leave the sticks and rocks outside, right? Exactly. So that's a lot of what I did with my friend. We would love, like, you know, we had like these kitty pools in my backyard and like they would fill up with like tadpoles and like we would like watch the tadpoles grow. You know, we would pick up like sticks and just bits and bobs and rocks, and like it was just so fun then. And you know, I think it's so funny because I try to get my current like nephews and nieces to like be interested in this type of thing, and they're like, Okay, this is like definitely an interesting activity, but you know, we're gonna lean into it because you know, it's I'm not, so they're gonna like try and appease me at some points, and and sometimes they won't. But yeah, like I just was really lucky to have you know that adjacent farmland and be in an area where it was so accessible for me to just go outside and and play and be curious. So that happened a lot in my childhood, and I had a pretty pivotal experience in my mid-teens where I went on a trip to Guatemala and I went with a group, it was uh an excursion group for a high school summer trip. And that was the first time I had really got on a real intensive hike. And we hiked um a volcano in Guatemala, and it was, you know, at the beginning of the journey, I was really excited, but very quickly understood how hard hiking was. And this again was like my first experience really going on a hike without my family, with new people, and really experiencing like, what does this do for me? Like, what is the feelings I get from kind of being able to go up a mountain and having this journey through um, you know, just so many stages of like vegetation and just the people that were there. It was all just so new to me. And when I got to the top, I just remember feeling like, wow, like I want to feel like this way more than I like can ever, you know, like do in my day-to-day life. And so that was like the beginning of my love for hiking. After that trip, I had like made it a point to do any other like excursion trips that allowed me to be outside, that allowed me to visit, you know, hills and mountains, which led me into my early 20s. And I had started organizing hikes with friends. And then I found an organization in Boston that actually organized hikes for people in the greater Boston area. So I started facilitating hikes. So it really did kind of weave throughout my pretty much entire life of just like being really connected and finding space and being creative with what I could find in nature and what that really brought to me. Um so yeah, I've carried that for a long time and I'm I'm really glad that that's you know something that's stuck with me.

Ryann 7:50

Yeah. So you get to the top of this volcano in Guatemala. You're a high school teenager, you're like, you're a kid, basically, right? Do you remember like what that inkling of a feeling was? Was it like wonder? Was it joy? Was it awe? Was it bliss? Like, do you remember what the tangible feeling was for you?

Speaker 1 8:09

I'm not gonna even lie. At first I was like, I'm glad that I made it uphill because holy crap, that was really hard. Relief. It was just relief. Yeah. Trying to catch my breath. And then when I finally, like, when it set in, I was like, okay, I made it. Like, we can like now regulate the rest of the emotions around this experience. I think I just was one, so proud. Like, obviously, I'm just like, this is the first time I've ever done anything like this. I'm not with anyone I've really known. And it's an adventure that like not many people have access to. So I was just really proud of myself for taking a chance and like doing this really new thing. And then I think secondly, I was just feeling like such a calm. You know, at that point in time in Guatemala, I think it was just about rainy season. So it was a bit cloudy, but there was something so comforting about the clouds. Like it was like I was up atop everything, and I couldn't really see a ton out ahead of me, but I still felt really safe and grounded. And like that in itself is an experience in nature that I think is so beautiful. And every time I go on hikes now, like I think we think of like the climax and the apex of a hike, and we're like sunny skies, like mountain range everywhere around us. But sometimes you won't get that. And there's still something beautiful and moving to be felt about being kind of at this top of an, you know, the top of your world at that very moment, and really just taking in the world around you and knowing that like the ground supported you to make your way up this mountain and that you were able to support yourself up this mountain. Um, so yeah, I think I just felt a ton of like gratitude and just like recognition of like how proud I was. And and yeah, I think all in all, like nature just really for me just brings up so many emotions of of just just happiness and truly like, you know, like that like bit of endorphin rush, and like you're just feeling like, wow, like I just I just did this and I did it in a supported structure that has always been here for us that we don't always get to acknowledge that has been here for us. And so that was the first time I think I really acknowledged that nature was supporting me. That's beautiful.

Ryann 10:15

There's something so sacred about a cloudy day because like the sun is still out. Like, you know, the sun's still there, it's still shining.

Speaker 1 10:24

I actually recently posted an affirmation about this of like, even when I can't see the sun, it's still there. Like the sun is still shining, there is still light, and that to me just feels so securing and just again makes me feel very grounded and like knowing that everything is around me at all times.

Ryann 10:42

Yeah, me too. I love that. So you say that you explore happiness and humanity through the lens of nature. How did you come to this like conclusion that you're exploring these two really big concepts through this other thing that's all around us that we're part of? Like, where did that come from?

Speaker 1 11:03

Yeah, again, I think it really does come from that that feeling that I would feel in mountaintops. And I think also, you know, there's this huge recognition and acknowledgement of, you know, groups of peoples, indigenous peoples who had learned this so much longer before we did, that like the earth was truly something that we're supposed to be coexisting with and really learning from. And so I think I just drew on a lot of that understanding is like this is not a necessarily new concept. It's just something that I want to honor and recognize in my community. That again, we're socialized in an environment with like social media and like all these different what I sometimes feel is like a distraction, that it has to be a little bit more complex or it has to be flashy. But actually, I think we need a calling to do the complete opposite and make it much more simple. And I think that's a part of again the unlearning and the the bridging of gaps that I'm hoping to do, which is like remind people that if you find a patch of grass, like you can ground and you can feel good, like very like it can happen very fast for you, and you'll be so surprised. But it's just showing images of people like me that I'm hoping will help generate that understanding.

Ryann 12:17

It's so calming when you just say, Yeah, all you need is a patch of grass to go ground. And we as a culture, as a society, are pushed towards the hustle and the bustle and the shiny and the new consumerism, you know, all these things that we think will make us happy, fulfilled, calm. In reality, it's just slowing down enough to be able to be present. And I think so much of what we can learn, so many lessons in life are can be bounced off of nature. So when I look at my kids playing outside and they find a butterfly cocoon and they find, you know, the caterpillar that's gonna turn into the cocoon, and they, you know, have seen one of the butterflies die. Like it's just like, but you know, I just think there's so much to be learned. Very simple yet profound life lessons.

Speaker 1 13:10

A lot of the time I spent in nature has made me think like, what am I doing in the the rest of my life? Like, and does it embody these less these great lessons that I know are true to me? Am I bringing these back with me into the other activities? Like, am I really truly engaging with these messages? Or are they just easy to remember when I'm in nature? And so it's like, how do we draw the connection points back to some of the things we're experiencing in our day-to-day lives that, you know, because not everyone can just like sit on a patch of grass all day. Though that sounds like amazing, like I would love to just like bring some tea outside and like spend most of my day grounding. Sure, that would be really good for my mental health. But it's unfortunate that, like, you know, some of us don't have even more than 20 minutes. So I'm always grateful for whatever I can find. But I do really try to make sure that I'm drawing a parallel to how I react in my personal relationships, my working relationships, basically every aspect of my life I want to make sure is acknowledging and recognizing these pieces that I'm learning because otherwise it's just only helpful for those moments, but I want it to be helpful for every moment. And I want to be able to just kind of train my brain to go to those moments when I need it the most.

Ryann 14:24

As parents and people who are interested in personal development, we have these stacks of books everywhere, but actually integrating, so practicing the things that we learn in the books is the key. It's not just more, more, more, more, more information and knowledge. It's let's learn one thing and then practice it in a day-to-day capacity. So I think that's a beautiful point that you brought up about taking that experience in nature back into our work and our home life and our relationships and our the way we show up for ourselves and the way we observe culture and humanity and the way we show up in the grocery line, you know, to greet the person who's checking us out and the the way we do everything, you know?

Speaker 1 15:11

Yeah, I think sometimes we get a little nervous because we know that change will couple with that, with that, you know, that newfound understanding, we're gonna confront some types, types of change. And I think for me, what's resonated the most is like helping my family see me in this light has probably one of been one of like the bigger of challenges because they're just not really into nature like I am. So I'm always like, let's like go for a walk. And they're just like, okay, Tunisia, like maybe another time, or like, you know, putting it off. But it's like now that they see, you know, me embodying this, like I think it is giving them this like you know, renewed understanding of like what's important to me. And that's helpful because they can know how to, you know, be a part of my life in a way that like I would love them to interact, and and vice versa. Like, I want to interact in their lives with this new understanding that I'm really grasping from the world around me. And so yeah, I think it, I think the point is that everything happens in community. And I always say like my me time is my you time, and I say that because everything that I'm doing for myself is truly a reflection of how I want my community to feel and how I want my community to interact with themselves. And so I keep telling myself, like, if I do this and I can show this to my family and my friends and the people around me, maybe it helps them feel like it's a little more accessible to them to start asking the questions for themselves. And so that's really the journey is like how again, back to that humanity factor. It's like, how can we bridge these gaps for each other and work on ourselves to then essentially work on each other, like our relationships and our abilities to show up better for ourselves as well.

Ryann 16:50

Yeah, I mean, I couldn't have said it better myself because I think that the only thing we have control over, I know that the only thing we have control over is us and how we show up. And I think it sounds like you're being an amazing example of the change you want to see in the world, you know, and that's all we can do, you know, as humans is just be what we want to see more of. And so you're making that accessible to your family, should they choose to, you know, hop on board with that and making it more accessible to community if they choose to hop on board. And I think just that example is enough in itself. The them choosing to hop on board isn't doesn't even matter because it it that choice still is so positively impactful, you know?

Speaker 1 17:40

And I also, and it won't look the same. And I think that's what's important too. Like it might not look exactly identical to how I'm choosing to kind of explore, but as long as it's prompting them to explore something, like this journey has reminded me how it is, yeah, like just so powerful for me to have been on this journey and see my friends and family being on their own personal development journeys and what they want to work on and what they want to aspire to share about their art and their experiences. So I'm just happy to even be able to share space with people who are open to hearing about, you know, these benefits and hopefully just using it for their own benefit and using it in a way that resonates with them.

Ryann 18:18

Yeah. Let's talk about education a little bit. So one of the ideas that I'm obsessed with lately is I'm getting ready to teach a leadership class to a group of girls who are in first through fourth grade. And I'm just so excited about, you know, passing, and it's we think leadership, and it's this like girls are bossy, or you have to be loud or you have to be assertive. And I think it's like this traditional model. And so I'm really taking it to this heart-centered model of what is your innate creative ability? Because everybody has one. How do you feel, you know, joy, bliss, calm in your heart? This is where we lead from, right? So if you could get into a room with elementary school-aged kids, what would you teach them? What would be your class that you would teach these kiddos?

Speaker 1 19:08

My goodness. I think the first thing that comes to mind immediately is breath work and meditation. Because I think when you learn how to do that, you again, it it breath work and meditation couples a lot of different aspects. It couples like the emotional regulation, it couples taking a beat and being reflective. Again, a lot of these things that in a fast-paced world, we don't always make space for. And so I think if you can teach youth how to first kind of internally recognize the world within them to then better recognize the world around them, that in itself is a tool that they will probably be grateful for very early on and into their adulthood. Because, you know, we and in my personal life, I've experienced anxiety and different kind of elements that had I known a little bit more about meditation and breath work sooner, I think I would be very grateful for that. But when I did learn about it, it changed my life completely. Like as soon as we can help children grasp these concepts, it is a simple concept of like feeling how the breath moves in your body. What is that? How does it make you feel to breathe at a slower pace? How does it make you feel when you're breathing more rapidly? Because there is pranayama practices that do require faster-paced breath, and they ignite different pieces of you. Like the igniting of a faster-paced breath is to make you build heat in your body and kind of explore what heat feels like. But then there's the cooling of like having a slower breath. And so just that in itself is a science experiment and feels very, you know, just something that every child child should experience. And so I would immediately turn to meditation.

Ryann 20:48

Can you imagine learning how to meditate or breathe properly when you're like a kid? It's it sounds revolutionary and in many ways it is. And also it's just so simple and basic, it almost boggles my mind that every single elementary school up and down my block and yours isn't doing it. That's a vision in my lifetime that I hope will change. I really do.

Speaker 1 21:14

Health and wellness in school systems and especially in our public education system is so underacknowledged and could benefit from, you know, just a more worldly perspective, in my opinion. Um, so yeah, I I also dream of the day where, you know, my nieces and nephews, you know, come home and are like, yeah, we meditated in class today.

Ryann 21:34

I'm like, that's amazing. What do you hope people are gonna walk away with when they read your book?

Speaker 1 21:39

Your character and your journey of self-development and identity is the most long lasting event of your life. Like, this is something that will continue to evolve and be a part of you forever. And the earlier you can acknowledge that who you are truly does impact. what you can, you know, how you journey through any of these obstacles or any of these new milestones that you experience. Like, I just want people to feel that that is the most integral part of their journey. And I just hope that we acknowledge that that's so much more important than anything so that we can kind of show up better for ourselves, show up better for communities, and be curious and just be open to adventuring and be open to picking up a new, you know, hobby of like looking at the world around us and being curious about the different shapes of leaves and how that shape of leaf makes you feel. Do you like it? Is it pretty to you? What about it is pretty to you? Like just have that childlike curiosity forever. Like I'm hoping that I can ignite that forever within myself. I'm hoping I can inspire others to feel that way. And so with this book I also have been saying like I actually think adults should read it too. Like I think like we could all benefit from this story of just reminding ourselves what truly matters and what really matters to you and how we can kind of help spread that message to young minds around us.

Ryann 23:08

And where can we get the book So it's available on Amazon Teachings of the Great Outdoors with my name Danisha Dumournay. Thank you for showing up and being brave and courageous and stepping out and doing the thing that was called to you. Thank you. Thank you for creating space for me to share and for this lovely conversation. I really appreciate you