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In this episode of “Grounding,” season two, host Sarah Aronson talks to Peter McDonough—director of the Climate Change Studies Program at the University of Montana—his students, and another educator at the intersection of climate change and mental health at UM, Jen Robohm, about the dissonance of climate change. Aronson explores this friction in order to better understand the times we’re living in, and how to live well in spite of compounding stressors. Though there might end up being more questions than answers this season, it’s clear that the answer to the central question, “Are we alone?” is unequivocally, “no.”

As the planet warms, the impact of rising temperatures extends beyond physical discomfort. In this episode, host Sarah Aronson works towards understanding how heat interacts with our bodies, minds and society.

In the second episode of ‘Grounding: Conversations on Mental Health and Mother Earth,’ host Sarah Aronson and guests work to understand how air pollution and wildfire smoke impact how we feel, connect with each other and our surroundings, and, in one guest’s case, how we translate that understanding into art.

In this episode of “Grounding,” season two, Sarah Aronson talks to Renee Lertzman and Panu Pihkala, two experts in the field of climate emotions, who offer models for processing our feelings as well as understanding why we assume people don’t care about the environment when they actually might. Aronson explores how language can be helpful in identifying what we're feeling. She finds that sometimes we live with experiences, but we can't quite wrap our heads around them. Language, and even foreign language, can help ground us. To this point, Aronson and Pihkala discuss one of Aronson’s favorite Finnish words: “lumiahdistus,” or the feeling of longing for snow, without certainty that it will fall.

Listen to Episode 02 guest Priya Subberwal read their untitled poem about wildfire, followed by a short conversation between Priya and ‘Grounding’ producer Lauren Korn.

In this episode of “Grounding” season two, Sarah Aronson talks to Hannah Dusek and Jonathan Marquis, two artists who turned to their respective media—dancing and drawing—to help them make meaning during the climate crisis. Aronson’s been searching for names for our feelings, like “dissonance” and “the myth of apathy.” It turns out that a lot of people have experienced these sensations but just haven't been able to name them. Sometimes, when words aren’t enough, Aronson, too, turns to art to face the dissonance that comes with watching a world she loves change—complex feelings that are intensified as animals, plants and glaciers disappear.

In the third episode of ‘Grounding: Conversations on Mental Health and Mother Earth,’ host Sarah Aronson and guests explore the ways that the younger generation is looking toward and looking forward to their futures on this changing planet.

Need to reset your nervous system? In material cut from “Episode 03: Youth,” guest Leslie Davenport tells Sarah Aronson about “The Doggy Shake,” an effective grounding exercise to use when you—whether you are young or just young at heart—are outside of your “window of tolerance.”

In the fourth and final pilot episode of ‘Grounding: Conversations on Mental Health and Mother Earth,’ host Sarah Aronson is joined by ‘Grounding’ producer Jake Birch and guests to explore caregiving in this time of climate change.

Listen to the full conversation between ‘Grounding’ producer Jake Birch and psychotherapist Rebecca Weston.

As part of her conversations for “Episode 03: Youth,” ‘Grounding’ host Sarah Aronson speaks with Victoria and Anders—two students in Livingston, MT who work with the Green Initiative and Park County Environmental Council with Alecia Jongeward as their mentor.