Start In Your Own Backyard
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 principles, sustainable living, and the idea that well-being starts in the everyday spaces where we live, work, and connect with others.
Through stories, guest experts, and personal reflections, Start In Your Own Backyard invites listeners to find their own sense of agency. Whether it’s rethinking your diet, running for school board, planting edible landscapes, or advocating for change in your city, the podcast explores what it means to take action right where you are.
With a strong belief in the power of optimism, even when things feel tough, this series shows how each of us can create ripples of positive change.
The question is simple: What gifts do you bring? And are you ready to use them?
Want to dive deeper? Steve’s book, Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense, comes out on October 7th, 2025, and is available for pre-order now wherever you get books. Part memoir, part guidebook, it offers a blueprint for building sustainable, connected communities, places where wonder exists in the everyday and people of all ages can truly thrive.
Start In Your Own Backyard
Where Wellness Grows
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 walkable streets and nourishing food to sacred geometry and a deeper connection with nature, the design of our communities profoundly shapes our health and happiness.
You’ll hear from thought leaders like Dr. Phill Tabb on building in harmony with nature, Maria Rodale on the importance of cooking and eating real food, and Professor Alfred Vick on the power of edible landscapes. Along the way, we look at how Serenbe’s organic farm, trail system, and intentional design offer a model where wellness is woven into daily life.
If you’ve ever wondered why the wellness industry leaves us chasing solutions that rarely last, or how our communities themselves can be reimagined to support better health, this episode offers a new perspective on what it means to truly thrive.
Show Notes
- Pre-Order Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Steve Nygren
- Start In Your Own Backyard Substack
- Learn more about Serenbe
- Serenbe Stories Podcast
- Serenbe Urbanism: A biophilic theory and practice of sustainable placemaking by Phillip James Tabb
- About Keith Critchlow
- Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden by Maria Rodale
- Aflie Vick Eats Plants (And Talks Environmental Ethics) on the Serenbe Stories Podcast
Keywords: wellness, community design, Serenbe, biophilic design, walkability, local food, edible landscapes, sacred geometry, health and environment, sustainable living, intentional community, nature connection, regenerative design, public health, placemaking, real food, holistic wellbeing, everyday wellness, trails and green space, healthy communities, Phillip Tabb, Maria Rodale, Alfie Vick, Steve Nygren
Now through October 12, order a copy of Start In Your Own Backyard and you'll receive a tote bag, keychain and signed bookplate from Steve Nygren.
Get a Start In Your Own Backyard Book Bundle Today
Pre-Order from your favorite bookseller, send in your receipt and we'll mail you a book bundle as our gift.