Serenbe Stories

In seasons 1 & 2, we heard from Steve Nygren and his personal journey of creating Serenbe, his vision for the future of community and we spoke to many of the people integral to Serenbe's success.Our next season, kicks off Monday, April 27, with an entire new set of guests and stories. We will move beyond Steve's story to talk with people who have experienced Serenbe - people who have visited, reported on or have deep relationships over the years with us. Our guests are journalists, influencers and entrepreneurs and all believe in a more hopeful future with nature at its core.Months ago when we started planning this season, we had no idea what the future held and that we would be in lock down together. We believe there's never been a better time to talk about living a well life connected to the natural world and our guests all agree. So tune in to hear their stories and perspective on Serenbe starting Monday, April 27 and enjoy the 3rd season of Serenbe Stories.Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.

Tom Reed considers himself a "start-up guy" not a politician, in fact he's been on the Inc. 500/5000 List 3x for different startups, but moving to Serenbe offered a unique opportunity to lead "start-up city" of Chattahoochee Hills as mayor. Ask yourself, How do you thrive financially while mindfully preserving? How many developers live in the city they've built? Imagine creating such an amazing quality of life that you're willing to stay, and your children and grandchildren live there too. That's the message Tom has taken forward in developing Chattahoochee Hills, and working with other mayors to revitalize and preserve the beauty of south-Metro Atlanta.People + Organizations MentionedThe Blue Eyed DaisyThe Inn at Serenbe Capri Blue CandlesInc 500/5000John GrahamCongress for the New UrbanismChattahoochee Hill Country AllianceCity of Palmetto Bob Simpson CH2M Hill Bouckaert FarmAerotropolis Alliance Deana Holiday IngrahamMARTAStep off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.

Ned and Janice Peek were the first people Steve Nygren met when he moved to Chattahoochee Hills, and their table was the first he went to when he needed help protecting their shared rural paradise. Rodney Peek, their son, was on the first City Council after Chattahoochee Hills was incorporated, and his children are the 7th generation in their family to be born and raised in Chattahoochee Hills. The Peeks and Steve look back at a time when the Nygrens were the "city folk" moving next door, and tell stories about life in the country.Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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's guest, artist Tom Swanston, is regarded as Serenbe's first artist-in-residence, though he was a Serenbe resident before there was an official program. In fact, Tom was an integral figure in creating AIR Serenbe, which is the artist residency division of the Serenbe Institute. In this episode, Tom regales us with stories about finding his own farm south of Atlanta, what it was like to find his calling in the arts, and how Serenbe has inspired him to be the artist he is today.Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.

Chad Epple says he's been a civil engineer since he started building tree houses as a kid. As the VP of Southeastern Engineering, he brought a creativity and willingness to join Steve in changing the rules to design Serenbe the way neighborhoods were built 75 years ago. In this episode, Chad and Steve look back at a time when Serenbe was only woods and remember what it was like to work with the land to maintain Serenbe's natural beauty while adding in modern infrastructure. People & Organizations MentionedBiomimicry - The design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes.Bouckaert FarmsBoulder CreekChattahoochee RiverLands ProjectFlight Path: The River Beneath the World’s Busiest AirportGabion Bridge - Gabions are wire mesh baskets/boxes compactly filled with rocks or soils. ... These rock-filled baskets are often used as retaining walls for highly erosive materials, bridge abutments and outlet aprons.The Hill RestaurantMado HillsideOld 4th Ward ParkPhotogrammetry - The science of making measurements from photographs.Proctor CreekProfessional Engineering LicensingSmith Hanes StudioSoutheastern EngineeringDr. Phillip James TabbUnmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) - A drone is an unmanned aircraft or ship that is guided remotely or autonomously. UAV stands for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, something that can fly without a pilot onboard.Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.

On this episode of Serenbe Stories we talk with Robert Rausch, the man who created the works of art that are Serenbe's street lamps, sidewalk benches, bike racks, and even trash cans. We talk about Robert, Steve Nygren, and famed landscape architect Ryan Gainey collaborating to create Serenbe's original branding, and how Robert and Steve have continued finding ways to bring art and creativity to community, turning the ordinary to extraordinary.Step off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.

When Dennis Creech started Southface, energy wasn't even a part of the environmental conversation. He knew it would be one of the most significant issues our society would face, and in this episode he talks about the positive effects of green building and how Atlanta is leading the nation in reducing energy and water demand. Dennis also tells us about the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design on Georgia Tech's campus, and how it's changing the global conversation on conservation.Definitions, People + Organizations MentionedGreen Prints Ray C. AndersonRocky Mountain Institute1996 Summer OlympicsEnergy Star CertificationEarthCraftLEEDHomebuilders AssociationHowie FrumpkinBosch NetZero HouseAgnes Scott CollegeEmory University GA Tech U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings ChallengeSplit Incentive- Split incentives are a barrier to the deployment of energy efficiency measures in buildings. Split incentives occur when those responsible for paying energy bills (the tenant) are not the same entity as those making the capital investment decisions (the landlord or building owner). Living Building- A living building generates all of its own energy, captures and treats its water, and operates cleanly and efficiently in harmony with nature. Net Positive- A business standard aiming to provide restorative and positive impacts on people, planet, and society.  Equity in Building Design- Diversity in design and consideration in public spaces including restrooms, private activity spaces for nursing mothers and safe public spaces for school-aged children. Kendeda FundKendeda BuildingSouthfaceStep off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.

We are so glad that the Nygrens incorporated art into Serenbe, and today's guest was a major part of making that possible. Today we talk with John Graham, the founding executive director of the Serenbe Institute is engaging the metro Atlanta area, and the future of art and culture in this community. Definitions, People + Organizations MentionedSandra StorrarGarnie NygrenJanice BartonSerenbe FellowsTom SwanstonGail FosterDaren Wang Decatur Book FestivalPhyllis BleiweisMark MyklebyBiophilic Institute Acton Academy at SerenbeChattahoochee Hills Charter School South Fulton Area Initiative Hartsfield-Jackson International AirportGrady Hospital MARTA Florida PhilharmonicSerenbe InstituteMidtown Alliance Tomlinson Graham GroupSeattle Symphony OrchestraOregon Symphony OrchestraDallasBlue Eyed DaisyShelton StanfillAtlanta Symphony OrchestraTom TomlinsonWoodruff Arts Center Symphony HallAtlanta BalletTerminus Modern Ballet TheatreKennesaw State UniversityAIR SerenbeStep off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.

In today's episode, we talk with UGA professor Alfie Vick about eating plants, taking biophilic principals to all communities, environmental ethics and his deep understanding of the Southern Native American tribes. He talks about how their history, culture, and practices are an example in living a balanced life in-tune with nature. Alfie also talks about the thousands of native plant species in Georgia and designing natural spaces such as the Children's Garden at the State Botanical Gardens in Athens, Georgia and Serenbe's own medicinal garden and he's also working on a future Serenbe neighborhood. Definitions, People + Organizations MentionedCreek NationChoctawChickasawSeminoleAtlanta BeltLineAuburn University Rural StudioKoons Environmental Design Richard LouvSmithsonian InstituteBob QuinnUGA Office of Global EngagementWoodland EraNature Deficit DisorderU.S. Research Geological SurveyMadoUniversity of Georgia College of Environment & DesignGeorgia Botanical GardenGreen Build TourLEEDECOSChattahoochee HillsChattahoochee NOWChattahoochee River Shannon Kettering Kerry BlindFulton County Economic Development RFPEthnobotanyCherokee NationWilliam Bartram Thomas PetersTrail of TearsStep off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.

You might not see the connection between biophilic design and national security, but today's guest outlines how communities like Serenbe are imperative in our global defense strategy. We're excited for you to hear Monica Olsen and Steve Nygren's conversation with Colonel Mark "Puck" Mykleby. Puck talks about meeting Phyllis Bleiweis and coming to Serenbe, where he bonded with Steve Nygren over biophilia and pushed for the establishment of the Biophilic Institute. Puck also talks about the economics of sustainability and how his company, Long Haul Capital Group, is putting dollars toward propelling walkable communities. As he says, our smart growth at home can become our smart power abroad.Definitions, People + Organizations MentionedSerenbe FellowsPhyllis BleiweisCongress for New Urbanism Special Operations Command at the Joint Chiefs of StaffAdmiral Michael Glenn Mullen Captain Wayne Porter - The National Strategic NarrativeCongresswoman Jane Harman National Security Act of 1947 Department of DefenseCentral Intelligence AgencyGeorge Frost KennanBiophilic InstituteAlexis de Tocqueville The New Grand StrategyCharles Darwin's Survival of the FittessThe New America Foundation Case Western Reserve University The New Grand Strategy Adam SmithLong Haul Capital GroupOregon Museum of Science & Industry Water in Flint, MichiganRodale Institute's SE Research CenterChildren & Nature NetworkDavid W. OrrStep off the treadmill of life and book a stay at the Inn at Serenbe. Use code Serenbe Stories when you book online or over the phone and receive 10% off your stay!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.