Episode Description:

In this episode of The Alchemy Pod, Karen Darke is joined by adventurer, author, and wilderness dweller Miriam Lancewood for a conversation about freedom, simplicity, and what happens when we step outside the structures of modern life.

Together, Karen and Miriam explore a life lived close to the land: walking, hunting, foraging, sleeping outdoors, and learning to move with the rhythms of nature rather than against them. Miriam reflects on the choices that led her away from a conventional path and into a wilder, more elemental way of being, where comfort is stripped back and life becomes more immediate, physical, and alive.

The conversation moves through wilderness, partnership, solitude, courage, instinct, and the deep intelligence of the body. Miriam shares how living in nature has shaped her understanding of fear, resilience, freedom, and belonging — not as abstract ideas, but as daily experiences formed through weather, hunger, movement, stillness, and trust.

At its core, this episode is about what the wild can reveal in us. It is a conversation about letting go of excess, listening more closely to the natural world, and discovering a different kind of wealth: one rooted in presence, simplicity, connection, and the courage to live by what feels true.

Links:

Connect with Karen and The Alchemy Pod on Instagram.

Keywords:

Miriam Lancewood, Karen Darke, The Alchemy Pod, wilderness, nature, freedom, simplicity, adventure, alchemy, transformation, wild living, instinct, resilience, courage, solitude, belonging, self-trust, partnership, foraging, hunting, New Zealand, nature connection, unconventional life, presence, Thruhike.

Credits:

The Alchemy Pod presented by BLIMP and Thruhike Studios

Hosted by:

Karen Darke

Produced by:

Erica Mellon

Ian Morland

Karen Darke

Katherine van Hengel

Original Songs by:

Lucas William Gardner

Mixed & Edited by:

Ian Morland

Developed in association with:

Zach Carver

Liv von Oelreich

Untethered Productions

Episode Description:

In this episode of The Alchemy Pod, Karen Darke is joined by ocean rower, environmental campaigner, author, and Member of Parliament Roz Savage for a wide-ranging conversation about transformation, courage, and the strange magic that can emerge when life gets difficult.

Together, Karen and Roz explore the many transitions that have shaped Roz’s path—from law graduate and management consultant to solo ocean rower, environmental advocate, PhD student, and politician. Roz reflects on what she calls the “gift of hard times,” sharing how the hardest moments in her life have become a resource: proof that her comfort zone can expand, that fear can be moved through, and that the unknown can become a place of growth.

The conversation moves through ocean crossings, intuition, purpose, politics, nature, and the threads that carry through a life. Roz speaks about the calling that led her first to row across oceans in service of an environmental message, and later to stand for Parliament, where she is now working to bring climate and nature into the heart of political conversation.

At its core, this episode is about how adventure can alchemize fear into clarity, hardship into wisdom, and personal change into collective purpose. It is a conversation about listening for the ideas that both thrill and terrify us, trusting the path as it unfolds, and remembering our deep connection with each other and the natural world.

Links:

Connect with Karen and The Alchemy Pod on Instagram.

Keywords:

Roz Savage, Karen Darke, The Alchemy Pod, ocean rowing, adventure, alchemy, transformation, life transitions, courage, intuition, resilience, gift of hard times, environmental campaigner, climate and nature, Parliament, Climate and Nature Bill, nature connection, purpose, self-trust, collaboration, compassion, connection, systems change, Thruhike.

Credits:

The Alchemy Pod presented by BLIMP and Thruhike Studios

Hosted by:

Karen Darke

Produced by:

Erica Mellon

Ian Morland

Karen Darke

Katherine van Hengel

Original Songs by:

Lucas William Gardner

Mixed & Edited by:

Ian Morland

Developed in association with:

Zach Carver

Liv von Oelreich

Untethered Productions

Episode Description:

In Part 2 of our conversation, sports psychologist Sara Mitchell shifts from theory into practice—working directly with host Karen Darke as she prepares for a return to competitive cycling. What begins as anxiety around breaking another land speed record at the World Human Powered Speed Challenge, transforms into a dialogue about pressure, freedom, and redefining self-care on her own terms.

Together, they explore the tension between commitment and choice, ambition and wellness, rebellion and belonging. Sara helps Karen reframe performance not as losing herself to extremes, but as an opportunity to integrate: to push limits while staying grounded, to pursue goals without sacrificing connection, and to trust that self-care can include adventure, intensity, and joy.

This episode is both deeply personal and universally resonant. It’s about how we hold commitments without losing ourselves, how we navigate fear without shutting down, and how we practice the art of self-trust in the face of pressure.

Links:

Connect with Karen and The Alchemy Pod on Instagram.

Keywords:

Performance psychology, mental resilience, identity, balance, self-trust, intrinsic motivation, reframing pressure, self-care, connection, adventure, cycling, record attempt, Iceland, Sara Mitchell, Karen Darke, The Alchemy Pod, Thruhike.

Credits:

The Alchemy Pod presented by BLIMP and Thruhike Studios

Hosted by:

Karen Darke

Produced by:

Erica Mellon

Ian Morland

Karen Darke

Katherine van Hengel

Original Songs by:

Lucas William Gardner

Mixed & Edited by:

Ian Morland

Developed in association with:

Zach Carver

Liv von Oelreich

Untethered Productions