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.

Matt & Pascale Buckingham have lived all over the world - from major European cities to the suburbs of Atlanta. But when they discovered Serenbe, they found something that they later realized they had been searching for all along: a tight-knit village on the edge of nature. Since moving, Matt & Pascale have become staples of the community, volunteering on the trails and even managing one of Serenbe’s newest and most popular spots, Nigel’s Frozen Bananas.

In this episode of Serenbe Stories, Garnie and Monica chat with Matt & Pascale about what brought them from England and Switzerland to rural Georgia, how tough times teach you what’s most important in life, and the beauty of both community and solitude.

Show Notes

• Serenbe Events
• Nigel’s Frozen Bananas
• ReadyHer Self Defense
• Focal Point
• Serenbe Business Directory

There’s a certain buzz in the Mado neighborhood these days. Over the past few months, a handful of exciting new retailers have sprung up, from frozen bananas and ice cream to a floral design shop and even a biophilic pharmacy. And, of course, there is Minro Studio. Minro is a beautiful new coffee shop and ceramics studio that the neighborhood has completely fallen in love with. They offer some of the best coffee in town along with pottery classes for kids and adults alike.

In this episode, Monica and Steve chat with Minro owners and Serenbe residents Caroline and Eric about their journey to Serenbe - from Denmark and Rwanda, respectively - how Caroline’s career pivot to pottery happened totally by chance when Eric’s work took him out of the country and the process of opening one of Serenbe’s newest hot spots.

Show Notes

• Minro Studio
• Live as Lions
• Serenbe Holiday Market
• Antipodes Water
• Tap Out Martial Arts
• Serenbe Business Directory
• Serenbe Real Estate
• Serenbe Events

Key Words: Coffee Shop, Cafe, Pottery, Pottery Studio, Ceramics, Creativity, Community, Serenbe, Retail, Small Business, Film, Film Industry, Stuntman

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.

Season 11 of Serenbe Stories kicks off on Monday, October 14. There’s always something new and exciting here at Serenbe, but over the past few months, that feels especially true. From multiple new business and restaurant openings to inspiring visiting artists and residents who are making waves, there is so much to celebrate—and we can’t wait to share a behind-the-scenes with you.

Catch up on the first 10 seasons of Serenbe Stories wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to join us on Monday, October 14 as we launch our newest season. Subscribe and follow so you never miss an episode. Thank you for listening to Serenbe Stories.

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.

Today we have a special bonus episode from the Biophilic Solutions podcast. Monica catches up with Atlanta writer Austin L. Ray to discuss “How I’d Fix Atlanta,” his fantastic essay series he publishes featuring local writers sharing how they would fix Atlanta.

Austin just launched the second collection of essays in a cool zine about the action steps these Atlanta writers would take to improve their city. Topics include increased walkability, wildlife in the city, supporting pollinator habitats, clean energy, and more.

Enjoy this bonus episode with Austin Ray.

Biophilic Soultions Overview
Today’s episode is a great example of using your unique skills to amplify your impact. This week, Monica is chatting with Atlanta-based writer Austin Louis Ray, who has contributed to publications like Rolling Stone, GQ, Creative Loafing, and Eater just to name a few. He is also the publisher of How I’d Fix Atlanta, a seasonal collection of essays from Atlanta natives about the action steps they would take to improve their city. Topics include Biophilic Solutions favorites like walkability, wildlife in the city, supporting pollinator habitats, clean energy, and more.

The conversation today, however, really revolves around how Austin does it: how he finds his writers, how he raises money to pay those writers well, and how he uses the How I’d Fix Atlanta series to build awareness at city council and beyond.

Show Notes

• About Austin L. Ray
• How I’d Fix Atlanta
• Support How I’d Fix Atlanta
• Follow Austin on X
• Purchase Zine: How I'd Fix Atlanta

Image credit: Jason Travis

Over 6 years ago, Collin and Sydney Jones moved with their two young boys from Roswell, Georgia. It was a surprise weekend away for Collin that turned into a home purchase 9 days later. During that weekend, they happened upon a party at the Grange Green, discovered golf cart charcuterie and met a family who encouraged them to tour homes while that family watched their son. Serenbe turned out to be the community they didn’t know they needed. In today’s episode, Steve Nygren and I catch up with the Jones and we not only do we find out what they do for a living, Collin is the President of Westwood One, the largest audio network in America and Sydney is a neonatal and pediatric nurse practitioner at Emory - we also learn that Sydney is becoming a bird watcher, how the resident soccer team has been life changing for Collin and we try to solve the mystery of where did their namesake Halsa cocktail go? Oh, and listen until the end for a bonus story on how Collins' neighbors saved him while on a business trip.

Show Notes

HGTV Green Home
Richard Louv
Westwood One
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Halsa
Nigel’s Serenbe
Birds of Serenbe
Giff Beaton & Serenbe Stories Episode
Cicada Broods in Georgia
Serenbe Real Estate

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.