A Bend in the Road

How did one tiny octopus change so many lives?To combat burnout and depression, filmmaker & diver Craig Foster had taken up diving in the icy waters of South Africa's Kelp Forest where he met one very special Common Octopus. A year of observing and filming the octopus' short life later, he sent the film to fellow documentarian Pippa Ehrlich, who crafted the footage into a meditation on the importance of wildlife and a moving tale about her friend and his octopus teacher.Join Roberta as she chats with Pippa about the Academy-Award winning documentary, her work with the Sea Change Project, and some of her favorite advice from Jane Goodall.This episode was originally recorded as part of the Ridgewood Public Library's Reel Voices program on July 14, 2021. It has been lightly edited for clarity.Episode Credits:A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane SimsOriginal Music is written and performed by Diane SimsOur Assistant Producer is me, Elias Rosner Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias RosnerOur Editor is Elias Rosner Our Digital Media producers are Sabrina Garcia and Elias RosnerLogo and Website created by Parker GaidimasVery special thanks to our guest Pippa Ehrlich. My Octopus Teacher is a trademark and copyright of Off the Fence & the Sea Change Project. All rights reserved.My Octopus Teacher can be streamed on Netflix. The film’s tie-in book Underwater Wild: My Octopus Teacher's Extraordinary World by Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck is available at the Ridgewood Library and wherever you get your books. The children’s picture book version Journey Under the Sea comes out this October.Sound effects used include “Underwater Ambience” by Fission9

Olivia Barkley loved diving. She ate, slept and breathed it, so much that her one dream was to get a full diving scholarship at a Division 1 school. After a serious accident on a dive left her with a life-altering concussion, the dream vanished…and then reformed in an unexpected new way.Join Roberta as she sits down with Olivia to discuss how she managed the many different types of loss, how she found a new identity, and what it’s like to run an Ultra Marathon (50km!).And did we mention she sings too?Episode Credits:A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane SimsConsulting for this episode done by Diane SimsOur Assistant Producer is me, Elias RosnerOur Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias RosnerOur Editor is Elias RosnerOur Digital Media producer is Sabrina GarciaLogo and Website created by Parker GaidimasOriginal Music is written and performed by Diane SimsConsulting for this episode done by Diane SimsAdditional consultation from Nancy Carswell and Andrea Panjwani.Thanks to our guest Olivia Barkley for sharing her story–and, yes, for singing for us today. All I Know So Far is written by Alecia Moore, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and Cover Me In Sunshine is written by Maureen Anne McDonald and Amy Rose Allen 

Florence Williams is a contributing editor for Outside magazine and the New York Times bestselling author of Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey (2022) and The Nature Fix (2017). For the unfamiliar, these books ask questions like: Why do the emotional effects of heartbreak manifest physically? and; how can exposure to nature make: us healthier, not only physically but mentally, emotionally, and socially too?In this episode, Florence joins Roberta from her home in Washington, D.C. to discuss these questions, the difficult life changes that underpin them and how, to get us all outside, she claimed Oscar Wilde’s famously generous definition of nature: “Nature is where the birds fly around uncooked.”Episode Credits:A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane SimsConsulting for this episode done by Diane SimsOur Assistant Producer is me, Elias RosnerOur Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias RosnerOur Editor is Elias RosnerOur Digital Media producer is Sabrina GarciaLogo and Website created by Parker GaidimasOriginal Music is written and performed by Diane SimsSpecial thanks to our guest, Florence Williams. For more information about Florence Williams’ books, podcasts, retreats and more, please visit florencewilliams.comSound effects used include "Footsteps, Dry Leaves, G.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

J.D. Jackson is an award-winning audiobook narrator with 400 credits to his name and counting. An 2020 inductee into AudioFile Magazine's Golden Voices Hall of Fame, J.D. has plenty of experience behind a mic. For this inaugural episode of A Bend in the Road, join Roberta as she talks with J.D. about the teacher that changed his life, the process of interpreting books of all genres, and his magic remedy for keeping his voice in top form (hint: it involves a lot of licorice tea.) And who knows? Maybe that recipe will lead to your own bend in the road.Follow us on Instagram @bendintheroadpodcast or at bendintheroad.org for updates and the latest episodes.Credits:A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane SimsOur Assistant Producer is Elias Rosner Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias RosnerOur Editor is Elias Rosner Our Digital Media producer is Parker GaidimasLogo and Website created by Parker GaidimasOriginal Music is written and performed by Diane SimsAudiobooks narrated by J.D. are available to borrow or download at your library and on Audible.