Dr. Pamela Robinson is an academic and playwright whose work investigates best practices in sustainable agribusiness – and crucially, her research centers the lived experiences of farmers, producers, and other actors across the value chain. She earned her PhD from Case Western University in 2024 and now, she’s turning her award winning dissertation into a play.

Serenbe first came into Dr. Robinson’s orbit a few years ago when she was working with local communities and she has returned many times in the years since, both as a visitor and as an attendee at the Biophilic Leadership Summit. For a few weeks this past Summer, Dr. Robinson worked on her play while in residency at the Art Farm and her ties to the community grew even deeper.

In this conversation, Steve and Monica chat with Dr. Robinson about the intersection of nature and the arts, how creativity lifts academic work, and why Serenbe just might be one of the best places to close your eyes and listen to the birds.

Notes

• Serenbe
• Biophilic Leadership Summit
• The Art Farm at Serenbe
• What is Appreciative Inquiry?
• Rodale Institute
• Soil Health
• The Biomimicry institute
• Birds Georgia
• PhD Student Pamela Robinson Presents at 3-Minute Thesis Competition
• The Juilliard School

Serenbe Stories is a podcast about making an impact, building a better life, and the extraordinary power of nature and community. Follow Serenbe on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Jeny Mathis hardly needs an introduction to Serenbe residents – but for everyone else, her impact on the community can’t be overstated. Jeny teaches yoga, facilitates labyrinth walks, tutors students at the Terra School, organizes the community for causes dear to her heart, and so much more.

Jeny’s Serenbe Story began with a family Thanksgiving trip in 2013. Although she was initially a bit nervous about whether or not our internet reception would pick up the all-important holiday football games, she quickly fell in love with the community’s emphasis on unstructured time in nature. Famously, at the end of that trip, she walked into the Real Estate office and burst into tears before she could even get a word out.

We interviewed Jeny’s husband Gil on Season 9 of Serenbe Stories and heard all about the personal transformation he experienced after discovering this community. Now, it’s Jeny’s turn.

Show Notes

• Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
• Changing Careers & Changing Your Life with Serenbe CFO Gil Mathis (Serenbe Stories)
• Art That Opens Hearts & Minds with Gail O’Neil and Curtis Patterson (Serenbe Stories)
• Embracing Small Town Living & Telling Your Own Stories with Amy Mass (Serenbe Stories)
• Serenbe Yoga
• The Class
• EarthCraft-certified Organic Life House teaches Atlanta agrihood residents about healthy living (Inhabit)
• Art Farm at Serenbe
• Serenbe Events Calendar

Serenbe Stories is a podcast about making an impact, building a better life, and the extraordinary power of nature and community. Follow Serenbe on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Abi Shinstine’s introduction to Serenbe began as many Serenbe Stories do: a google search for “cool places near me.” Since that fateful search in 2017, Abi has become Serenbe’s jack of all trades: she has worked as a server, bartender, and manager at The Hill, office manager at Serenbe Real Estate, and finally, in her current role as our first-ever Chief of Hospitality. It’s a big job, overseeing all aspects of Serenbe guest-facing businesses from restaurants to farm tours to getaways at the Inn.

In this episode of Serenbe Stories, HR Director Stephanie Coyne sits down with Abi to get an inside look at all things hospitality, Abi’s deep love of travel and restaurants - spoiler alert, she’s been all over the world, and we take a peek into Serenbe’s elusive department of mysteries.

Show Notes

• The Inn at Serenbe
• The Farmhouse
• The Hill
• Austin’s Cocktailery & Kitchen
• Halsa
• Serenbe Real Estate
• Serenbe Events Calendar
• Formula1 Racing

Serenbe Stories is a podcast about making an impact, building a better life, and the extraordinary power of nature and community. Follow Serenbe on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn.