Serenbe Stories

What does it take to build a healthier, more connected local food system? Chef, restaurateur, and Wholesome Wave Georgia board chair Peter Dale joins Serenbe Stories to discuss the power of food to bring communities together. From his culinary career in Athens to his work supporting local farmers and expanding access to nutritious food, Peter shares why investing in local food matters and how restaurants can help shape a community's food culture.

Show Notes

Keywords: Peter Dale, Wholesome Wave Georgia, Southern Chefs Potluck, local food systems...

What happens when women begin putting themselves first? Documentary filmmaker and author Sara Hirsh Bordo joins Steve Nygren to explore the connection between women's health, self-worth, and the cultural expectations placed on girls from an early age.

Inspired in part by a profound experience in the woods at Serenbe, Sara shares the personal journey behind her book, Autoimmunity and the Good Girls. Together, they discuss the power of nature, feminine and masculine energies, the pressure to be a "good girl," and how embracing authenticity and prioritizing our own needs can transform our well-being.

Show Notes:<...

We’re delighted to kick off Season 14 of Serenbe Stories with poet, educator, performer, and founder of Project VOICE, Sarah Kay. Sarah first discovered spoken-word poetry as a teenager in New York City, performing at the Bowery Poetry Club and becoming one of the youngest ever competitors in the National Poetry Slam. Since then, her work has taken her to TED, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and stages and classrooms around the world. Through Project VOICE, she helps young people discover the power of poetry, storytelling, and finding their own voices.

Sarah’s connection to Serenbe goes back t...

For more than 20 years, Serenbe has been a place where nature, the arts, and community come together. This season, we’re sitting down with people who have made a lasting impact on Serenbe, from artists, chefs, and authors to business owners, longtime residents, and community leaders. We’ll hear the stories behind the people who have helped make Serenbe what it is today and explore the ideas, experiences, and connections that continue to shape this special place.

If you’re new to Serenbe Stories, you can catch up on the first 13 seasons wherever you listen to your favori...

Biophilic Solutions is a podcast all about the connection between humans and nature. In this episode, host Monica Olsen is joined by guest co-host Steve Nygren and climate activist Dr. Katharine Wilkinson to explore what it means to move from climate anxiety to action, the importance of community in times of uncertainty, and the power of intergenerational collaboration in shaping a more hopeful future.

Katharine is an acclaimed writer, teacher, and thought leader who has helped shape the modern climate movement. She’s the author of the new book Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Ca...

Jaimee Seabury of GreenRow joins Serenbe Stories to talk design, sustainability, and the transformation of one of Serenbe’s most beloved spaces. In this episode, Jaimee shares her path in the design world, from working with iconic lifestyle brands to helping shape GreenRow, Williams-Sonoma’s sustainable home brand built around the idea that beautiful spaces can also be thoughtfully made.

The conversation also explores Jaimee’s longtime connection to Serenbe, which began years before this collaboration came to life, and how that relationship naturally led to GreenRow’s reimagining of The Inn at Serenbe’s iconic Lake House. Fro...

Tia Morrill and Jose Nava are the creative duo behind Levie, a boutique branding and design agency known for blending storytelling, design, and placemaking for global clients. But their Serenbe story began long before they ever called it home, nearly a decade ago, when they first discovered the community on CBS Sunday Morning and couldn’t quite shake the impression it left.

At the time, they were building a life in Miami, growing their business, raising their daughter Lola, and immersed in the pace of city life. But after years of long commutes, a growing family, and a...

Dr. Mary Alice Mina is a dermatologist and entrepreneur whose approach to skin health blends clinical expertise with a broader, lifestyle-driven perspective. After years of building a successful, procedure-focused practice in Midtown Atlanta, her connection to Serenbe, first through weekend visits with her family, gradually inspired a shift toward a more intentional way of living and working.

On this episode of Serenbe Stories, Steve and Monica sit down with Dr. Mina to talk about that evolution and the opening of The Skin Real, her more intimate, relationship-driven practice in Serenbe. Designed around time, attention, and a holistic...

From Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Serenbe, Darby Pollock’s story is about finding the balance between wide-open space and true community. After one visit in early 2020, she and her family made the move, drawn to a place where nature, connection, and everyday life come together.

Today, Darby is the force behind Soul Barn at Serenbe, a reimagined equestrian space that goes far beyond riding. What was once a traditional stable is now a dynamic hub for both horses and humans, offering everything from groundwork and riding to meditation and sound baths, all rooted in connection and care...

From global finance to Serenbe’s creative scene, Gary Cassis is redefining what semi-retirement can look like. A native New Yorker with a lifelong love of jazz, Gary spent years building a career in banking and international finance that took him across the world, all while his passion for music and the arts quietly stayed with him.

Now at Serenbe, that passion has come full circle. In this episode, Garnie and Monica sit down with Gary to talk about how he’s turned this chapter into something entirely new, not by slowing down, but by leaning in. Thro...

Long before she ever set foot in Serenbe, Brandi Whitney knew it as a place where farm-to-table wasn’t just a trend, but a way of life. After years spent in culinary school, working in kitchens, and building her own restaurant, her focus began to shift, pulling her beyond the plate and toward the source itself.

That curiosity grew into a deeper calling to work the land, connect with the soil, and play a more hands-on role in feeding her community. When the opportunity to join Serenbe Farms came along, it felt like a natural next step, on...

Christina Trifero didn’t exactly plan her way to Serenbe, she followed a feeling she couldn’t ignore. After years working in the fast-paced startup worlds of San Francisco and New York, something started to shift. So she made a bold decision: she sold everything and went looking for a life that felt more aligned, more grounded, and more connected to herself.

That search led her to Serenbe, and after just one visit, she knew she had found it.

In this episode, we sit down with Christina to talk about that leap, from working with comp...

In Serenbe, we often joke about raising “free-range kids”, but it speaks to something real: a childhood shaped by time outdoors, independence, and a close-knit community. When The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt was released last year, it prompted a national conversation around screen time and youth mental health. Many parents here in Serenbe started to take a more intentional look at how their children engage with technology.

What began as a series of conversations evolved into the Let Them Roam pledge, a shared commitment to delay smartphones until age 14 and social media until 16. Grounded in the idea...

In 2002, before Serenbe had a name or a plan, Tim and Lindsey Mosby came down for a weekend at Steve and Marie Nygren’s bed-and-breakfast and never quite left it behind. Living in Candler Park at the time, they were drawn to the slower pace, took a leap on eight acres at a blind auction, and became part of Serenbe in its earliest, most unformed days.

In this episode of Serenbe Stories, we sit down with Tim and Lindsey to reflect on those early years, Taco Tuesdays at the Daisy, art classes in a barn, and a co...

Serenbe is often described as a place that feels different the moment you arrive.

Last spring, the community marked 20 years since its groundbreaking, when that first shovel hit the ground and vision started to become reality. We celebrated with a big resident party – and it felt exactly the way a Serenbe party should: outside in nature on our Grange Green, live music in the air, kids running around, and conversations happening everywhere you turn.

It was one of those beautiful afternoons that reminds you why Serenbe exists in the first place.

And while ev...

,Season 13 of Serenbe Stories premieres Monday, March 16th. Over and over again, we hear the same thing: there's just something different about Serenbe. Is it the thoughtfully designed streets, the miles of trails and protected forests, the fact that you can walk to dinner or to yoga or to the weekly farmer's market? Sure, those things are certainly part of the magic. But if we're being honest, what really makes Serenbe special is the people who choose to live and work here, investing their energy and creativity into the community.

Catch up on the first 12 seasons of...

In this final episode of the Start In Your Own Backyard mini-series, Steve Nygren reflects on the journey of building Serenbe. What started out as an unlikely idea, sparked in a moment of fear and panic is now a living, breathing community where nature and people are woven back together.

You’ll hear from neighbors like Gil Mathis, who traded a corporate finance career for a more authentic life rooted in connection, and Gigi Wilborne, an artist and entrepreneur who has poured her creativity into nearly every corner of Serenbe. You’ll also meet Price Bell, whos...

A lot of what we’ve been exploring on this podcast comes back to an idea known as placemaking: the art of designing spaces that feel meaningful, welcoming, and rooted in community. At its core, it’s about creating places where people truly want to gather and belong.

At Serenbe, that spirit comes alive every day. Visitors might arrive for goat yoga or a stroll through the nature trails and end up moving. A coffee-and-ceramics studio, dreamed up and run by neighbors, has become a beloved local hangout. And community traditions like Porchfest transform front porches into conc...

Food, shelter, walkable streets, even access to nature are all vital ingredients for a thriving community. But on their own, they aren’t quite enough. To truly flourish, people also need beauty, inspiration, and creativity woven into daily life. That’s where the arts come in.

In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard, Steve Nygren explores why music, theater, sculpture, literature, and public art are so vitally important. You’ll hear insights from Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, on how our brains respond to beauty, as well as stories from artist...

Once upon a time, community wasn’t something you had to schedule, swipe for, or search out in a Facebook group. It was simply part of daily life. In this episode, Steve Nygren explores the loneliness epidemic, how our modern world has stripped away built-in community, and what it will take to bring it back.

He dives into how thoughtful design choices like walkable streets, welcoming front porches, and all-important “third places” can help weave back some of the social fabric we’ve lost. And this sense of connection isn’t just for adults. Kids and elders, the booken...

Most of us know that a sedentary, stress-filled lifestyle can take a heavy toll on our wellbeing. Yet when communities are designed for cars instead of people, when fast food is easier to find than fresh produce, and when green space feels totally out of reach, it becomes increasingly apparent that healthy choices are about so much more than willpower.

In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard, Steve Nygren explores why true wellness has little to do with fitness trackers, supplements, or trendy diets and everything to do with the environments we live in. From...

What makes a place feel magnetic? Why do some neighborhoods and buildings leave you feeling inspired, while others feel sterile and disconnected? In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard, we explore how the built environment shapes our sense of joy, connection, and belonging.

You’ll hear from neurologist Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, who explains how our brains respond to beauty and why elements like coherence, fascination, and hominess are essential to creating spaces that feel truly welcoming. Serenbe’s land planner Dr. Phil Tabb and urbanist Diana Lind also join the conversation to discuss how architectural vari...

Access to nature isn’t just a luxury. It's essential for our health, our well-being, and the resilience of our communities. But what happens when the fields, forests, and streams we once knew are paved over by highways, strip malls, and suburban sprawl?

In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard, Steve Nygren explores our deep connection to (and disconnection from) the natural world. From the science of nature deficit disorder to the philosophy of biophilia, from America’s problematic obsession with manicured lawns to the potential of pollinator-friendly and edible landscapes, Steve unpacks how nature shap...

Start In Your Own Backyard is a mini-series about how the choices we make, both big and small, can transform the world around us. For host Steve Nygren, this is personal. Two decades ago, while running through the woods on his beloved family farm, he spotted bulldozers toppling trees for what he feared was another soulless suburban development. That sobering moment sparked a question that changed the course of his life: Isn’t there a better way to build community? One that works with nature, not against it?

The answer became Serenbe, a community built on biophilic pr...

Christina and Jeff Escalante first discovered the transformative power of community during a whirlwind backpacking trip that took them to intentional communities in places like Spain, Israel, and Japan. At the time, they were living in a New York City apartment building where they barely knew their neighbors, a stark contrast that left a lasting impression.

Fast forward a few years to the height of the pandemic. Christina was finishing her medical residency in Philadelphia, and the couple began searching up and down the East Coast for a new place to call home. Their commitment to the...

Josh Green is an Atlanta-based journalist whose work has appeared in prominent publications such as Garden & Gun, Atlanta Magazine, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Urbanize Atlanta, where he covers the city’s evolving real estate landscape and development trends. Josh first visited Serenbe with his family all the way back in 2013 – and while he recognized its promise, he also saw that this budding community still had a long way to go. Since that first visit, he’s had a front-row seat to Serenbe’s evolution and he’s written extensively about the urban planning and archit...

If you’re a longtime listener , you already know that Serenbe is more than just a place - it’s a nature-based model for living that inspires others to challenge the status quo, embrace optimism, and reimagine their communities. And along the way, many people discover they’re reinventing themselves, too.

Steve Nygren would be the first to tell you he’s learned a great deal over his 20-year journey as an “accidental developer.” Now, he’s sharing those insights in a new book, Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where We Live with Radical Common Sense. It’s a call to...

Jennifer Band and Josh Hiller spent 13 years living in London—including a full year in lockdown—before making the move to Serenbe in 2021. As parents of two young children, they had been thinking about returning to the States for some time, but hadn’t quite found a place that felt right. That changed the moment they discovered Serenbe. It offered the perfect blend of what they loved about European life—walkability, a strong sense of community, vibrant energy—paired with the space and ease of suburban living in the U.S.

A few years in, Jen and Josh have...

Spring has officially arrived in Serenbe and the community is in full bloom. Despite the haze of pollen, residents are eager to embrace the outdoors, whether they’re digging into garden beds or hitting the trails.

In this special episode of Serenbe Stories, Serenbe’s Director of Landscape and Natural Resources Thomas Peters joins Monica for a conversation about all things Spring. Thomas’s dedication to ecological stewardship shines through in his thoughtful approach to land management, from implementing natural pest control methods to using prescribed burns that revitalize the ecosystem and support the growth of native specie...

When Natalie and TJ Aldridge first discovered Serenbe in early 2016, it felt like fate. While planning their wedding nearby, a friend suggested they direct guests to the Inn . So they decided to check it out -- and that first visit absolutely changed everything. Looking for a place to live after their wedding and ready to leave city life behind, they learned the Textile Lofts would be finished just in time. Nine months and a wedding later, they became some of Serenbe’s youngest residents.

In this episode of Serenbe Stories, Monica and Steve catch up with TJ an...

Jack Kidd first heard about Serenbe as a movie-obsessed teenager growing up in Peachtree City—and from the first moment he visited, he knew this was a place where he wanted to spend more time. Fast forward a decade, and Jack is now on his third role in the community: he’s worked as a host at The Hill, in Guest Services at The Inn, and now he’s the Office Manager for Serenbe Real Estate. Unofficially, he’s also Serenbe’s most in-demand pet sitter, with a schedule so full that he practically lives here all summer. 

Oh, and d...

A strong local food system isn’t just about what’s on our plates—it’s about fostering resilient communities and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come. This belief has always been at the heart of Steve Nygren’s vision for Serenbe and the surrounding community of Chattahoochee Hills. And now, Lily Baucom is helping shape the next chapter.

As the Executive Director of the Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and a board member of the Chattahoochee Hill Country Conservancy, Lily is deeply invested in the future of local farming. Last year, she authored a comprehe...

Marilyn Specht grew up in Atlanta and always kind of knew of Serenbe, but it wasn’t until years later that she saw it as more than just a weekend retreat. During a weeklong visit – while her oldest child attended Camp Serenbe – Marilyn and her husband were completely drawn in by peaceful walks through the woods and idyllic evenings picking blueberries by the green. Two months after that visit, the Specht family had made Serenbe their home. 

But Marilyn’s connection to Serenbe goes way beyond just living here—her role as Director of Sustainability Integration at Smithgroup...

Elaine Dinos and her family first found Serenbe all the way back in 2011, when they started coming down for events and weekend trips while living in Atlanta. However, it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that things really shifted – and what started out as another brief getaway turned into a life-changing, transformative experience. Within just a couple of days, Elaine and her husband Shep enrolled their kids in school and made an offer on a house. And even though they kept second-guessing themselves, their hearts knew this was the place they needed to be.

In this episode of S...

Get ready, we’re coming back — Season 12 of Serenbe Stories premieres Monday, March 10th.

This season, we’re exploring what makes Serenbe truly extraordinary: the people. What is it really like to live here? What sets Serenbe apart from ordinary developments? From passionate residents and  business owners to groundbreaking artists and changemakers, we’re taking you behind the scenes to share their inspiring stories.

Catch up on the first 11 seasons wherever you get your podcasts, and join us on Monday, March 10th for a brand-new season packed with stories of creativity, community, and impact. Subscribe and follo...

In 2019 Mehrnush Saadat was waiting to see a physician to treat a herniated disk and back pain, when her friends suggested she explore CBD and THC pain relief options. Though initially a bit skeptical, she was blown away by the results – and her sober(ish) journey began. With regular movement, reduced alcohol intake, and a little push from her new pain remedies, Mehrnush felt the stress from her busy law practice melt away – and in 2023, she opened Soberish, Atlanta’s only non-alcoholic bottle shop and cannabis boutique. 

The concept proved wildly popular and now, just over a year la...

When health and wellbeing is built into the very fabric of a community, traditional development gets turned on its head – and as it turns out, living somewhere that makes you feel good is in high demand. Wellness real estate is the fastest growing sector of the 6 trilliondollar wellness industry.

This week on Serenbe Stories, we’re thrilled to share a recent interview from the Global Wellness Conversations podcast featuring Serenbe founder Steve Nygren – referred to here as the “godfather of wellness real estate” – alongside Chuck Heath, the founder of Ameyalli in Deer Valley Colorado, and wellness icon Deepak Chopr...

After years of commuting between major cities - London to New York, New York to Atlanta, Atlanta to Los Angeles - Natalie McGrath & Simon Hawkins finally decided to plant roots down South. In 2020 – a year that changed everything for so many people – they visited Serenbe for the first time and fell in love with the English countryside feel. Six months later, as their friends started leaving the city, they made an intuitive decision to buy the 2020 Serenbe Showhouse. 

Even though Natalie & Simon are a bit more settled now, they still travel on a weekly basis - for work...

Tony Cuviello and April LaCerra were living in Colorado and seriously considering a move to Asheville, when April’s interest in regenerative farming led her to Serenbe. Serenbe’s emphasis on biophilia and wellness immediately resonated with April – and with Tony on board, they packed up their car and moved here without ever having visited. 

Now, April & Tony are the owners and operators of Allchemy: A Biophilic Farmacy. Located in the heart of the Mado neighborhood, Allchemy is a health, home, & wellness retail space that redefines the traditional pharmacy experience by carrying products that meet a rigorous set of...

Austin’s Cocktailery + Kitchen is the latest addition to Serenbe’s lively culinary scene, offering refined cuisine and expertly crafted drinks with a special focus on hard-to-find spirits and – in true Serenbe fashion – locally sourced botanicals. With a dining room reminiscent of 1920s European cocktail lounges, walking into Austin’s is like stepping into another world – and that’s why today, we’re so excited to be speaking with the talented design duo behind these dramatic and beautiful interiors. 

Amanda Dashwood and Jillian Rooker are the creative force behind Rook & Dash, an Atlanta-based full-service design firm that they founded toge...