
8.1K
Downloads
81
Episodes
I study animal behavior and I’ve had a bird’s eye view on how reconnecting with nature helps us live better lives. #WildConnection is a fun, engaging, and informative podcast hosted by me, Dr. Jennifer Verdolin, aka Dr Jen. No subject is off limits. You can expect a splash of humor and passionate conversations about humans, other animals, and how we are all connected. Episodes are released on Sundays. #WildConnectionPodcast is hosted by Podbean and available wherever you get your podcasts. Host: Jennifer Verdolin Twitter and Instagram @RealDrJen Get in touch and tell me what you want to hear more about info@jenniferverdolin.com
Episodes

4 days ago
4 days ago
This episode features Dr. Susan B Eirich— author of Whispers from the Wild: An Invitation Stories from the Rescued Wild Animals of Earthfire institute. Susan’s work in Reconnection Ecology invites us to see animals not as ‘other,’ but as beings with whom we share this planet in a profound and reciprocal way.
Check out the incredible work of the Earthfire Institute here and learn more about Susan on her website
If you are digging the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also follow the show on Twitter: @WildConnectPod
You can also follow me on
Twitter: @realdrjen
Instagram: @readrjen
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RealDrJen

Monday Feb 03, 2025
Xenophobia with George Makari
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Monday Feb 03, 2025
George Makari is the author of a recent book titled Of Fear and Strangers: A History of Xenophobia. He is also a psychiatrist and historian, who is the Director of the DeWitt Wallace Institute of Psychiatry: History, Policy, and the Arts,Weill Cornell Medical College, where he has a clinical practice.

Sunday Jan 19, 2025
Wild Souls with Emma Marris
Sunday Jan 19, 2025
Sunday Jan 19, 2025
Today we have science writer and author Emma Marris here, and we’re going to be talking about her amazing experience and her book, Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World.
You can keep up with Emma by visiting her website
If you are digging the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also follow the show on X: @WildConnectPod
You can also follow me on
X: @realdrjen
Instagram: @readrjen
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RealDrJen

Sunday Jan 05, 2025
Having Hope with Ami Vitale
Sunday Jan 05, 2025
Sunday Jan 05, 2025
Today I am lucky enough to talk to award winning photojournalist and filmmaker Ami Vitale who’s works will move you and compel you to reconsider your relationship to nature. Most recently her not for profit Vital Impacts collaborated with the Jane Goodall Institute to celebrate women photographers, specifically, 90 of them in honor of Jane Goodall turning 90 last year. It was launched on April 1st 2024 and ran for 90 days. Vital Impacts is just one of the incredible concrete actions Ami has taken to create change and I’m thrilled to have her on the show hoping she will also inspire you.
Check out her website https://www.amivitale.com/ and keep up with her on Instagram: @amivitale
You can also keep up with us
If you are digging the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also follow the show on Twitter: @WildConnectPod
You can also follow me on
X: @realdrjen
Instagram: @readrjen
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RealDrJen
Song Credit: Kichwamba High School Music Dance and Drama Club featuring The Krunk Movement (Queen Nairobi, 412SHxM, Chell E, Amina Rasid, and DJ Loveasy). Produced by DJ BKB.

Sunday Dec 22, 2024
Who is Dr. Jen with Guest Host Logan
Sunday Dec 22, 2024
Sunday Dec 22, 2024
This episode the interviewer becomes the interviewee as I am interviewed by my very talented intern Logan. We cover everything from how I got started to where I am headed. Please join us as we kick off Season!

Sunday Sep 01, 2024
Killer Whales_Throwback with Hanne Strager
Sunday Sep 01, 2024
Sunday Sep 01, 2024
A throwback to an episode from July 2023 where I talked with orca biologist and author Hanne Strager.
As you may have heard Orca's off the coast of Spain have been "misbehaving" and scientists are struggling to find a good answer to why they are attacking boats. A New York Times article that was published on August 27th, 2024 proposes a new theory.
I don't really agree. Do you? Feel free to leave a comment.

Sunday Jun 02, 2024
A Land Ethic with Stan Temple
Sunday Jun 02, 2024
Sunday Jun 02, 2024
As we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of A Sand County Almanac and the 100th Anniversary of the designation of the Gila Wilderness Area, I talk with Dr. Stan Temple, Senior Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison about the evolution of Leopold's perspective and his lasting contribution to the modern conservation philosophy of the United States.
You can connect with the foundation in several ways
https://twitter.com/AldoLeopoldFdn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/aldo-leopold-foundation/
And of course you can connect with me, your host on Twitter or Instagram @RealDrJen and follow the podcast on Twitter @wildconnectpod

Sunday May 05, 2024
Cicada Invasions with Dr. Floyd Shockley
Sunday May 05, 2024
Sunday May 05, 2024
Right here in the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Southern portion an invasion is coming. Not of aliens, of cicadas. Brood 19 and 13 have begun emerging and they haven't come out of the ground together in 221 years! Even though I recorded this episode in 2021 during Brood 10's emergence, it's worth rebooting because periodical cicadas are unique to the U.S.
The guest is entomologist Dr. Floyd Shockley, who is the Collections Manager for the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Him and I talked all about these true bugs and the importance of museum collections. You can follow him on Twitter @Beetle_Guy
And you can connect with the museum @NMNH
If you want to hear one of the seven species of cicadas sing their love song check out this link.
One of many cookbooks is the Cicada Cookbook and you can find it on Amazon.
If you are digging the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also follow the show on Twitter: @WildConnectPod
You can also follow me on
Twitter: @realdrjen
Instagram: @readrjen
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RealDrJen
There is also a YouTube Channel where you can find a range of videos, some of them tied to podcast episodes, including one about this year's historic emergence. You can watch that here.

Sunday Apr 28, 2024
We Loved it All with Lydia Millet
Sunday Apr 28, 2024
Sunday Apr 28, 2024
This week rounds out Earth Month and I am talking with writer and conservationist Lydia Millet. Her new book, We Loved it All, takes you on a journey through her childhood and yours at the same time. It's more than a memoir though. It's a gift, a gift full of stories about how other animals are part of the fabric of our lives.
We talk about many things in this episode, from her work at the Center for Biological Diversity and the attention needed on rapid loss of biodiversity to how stories connect us to each other and the personhood movement for other species.
Join this interesting, thought-provoking, and engaging conservation and drop a comment if you have a perspective you'd like to share.
You can pick up a copy of Lydia's book anywhere that books are sold but support local book shops by ordering your copy from Bookshop
You can keep up with Lydia by connecting with her on her website or on social media
You can keep up with me at
or on Twitter and Instagram @RealDrJen
Follow the podcast on twitter @wildconnecpod and check us out on YouTube at Wild Connection TV.

Sunday Apr 21, 2024
Earth and Soul with Leah Rampy
Sunday Apr 21, 2024
Sunday Apr 21, 2024
As we continue to celebrate Earth month, tune in to my conversation with author Leah Rampy. In this episode, we talk about her new book, Earth and Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos. Not only is it a heartfelt discussion, but I hope it will invite you to reconsider how you interact with the natural world and inspire you to make that a bigger part of your life (if it isn't already!)
If you want to keep up with Leah and purchase your copy you can visit her website: https://www.leahmoranrampy.com/
If you want to be part of my conservation and education work, you can head over to www.jenniferverdolin.com and sign up for my newsletter or www.wildconnection.org where you can also donate to support the various projects I'm doing. All donations are tax deductible.
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram @RealDrJen or check out Wild Connection TV on YouTube.