Do you ever go somewhere, and have a strong emotional response to it, such as happiness, nostalgia or fear? Have you ever wondered why we look for meaning in places and develop stories or legends about them over time? Well these behaviours are known as a sense of place. In general, a sense of place describes our relationship with places, expressed through the tangible and intangible aspects of human life: emotions, imagination, sound, touch, smell, and personal experiences. Sense of place can be a niche yet broad term, so the aim of this podcast is to bring together the variety of disciplines & creative individuals that try to understand and explore a sense of place!
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Have you ever wondered why certain places feel more ‘authentic’ or why you seem to be a more genuine version of yourself in a particular setting? It turns out, there might be a psychological explanation for that!
In today’s episode, I chat with Ashley N. Krause, a doctoral candidate from the University of Florida who is studying the psychology of place and well-being. Ashley takes a socioecological approach to understanding how people find meaning in places, and in turn, how places influence people’s meaning in life. One key area of interest for Ashley is the concept of place authenticity - why certain places feel more authentic to us, and what underpins that experience.
During our conversation, Ashley and I delve into what place authenticity means, how it differs from personal authenticity, and how the two concepts influence one another. We explore the impact of time and nostalgia on how we experience places, the role of rootedness and sensory perceptions in shaping place authenticity, and how we can create more authentic feeling environments in the modern world. Plus, we discuss future research areas Ashley is excited to explore.
For more on Ashley:
Academic papers on Google Scholar
The Adventure Patch Company:
A small independent business run by brothers Chris & Dom. They make retro patches that celebrate the UK’s best loved outdoor places & wildlife. They donate over 1% of their total revenue each year to the UK National Parks Foundation which supports work to improve National Parks & programmes to connect communities with these landscapes. Use discount code SENSEOFPLACE at checkout for 20% all purchases! Link HERE
(Recorded March 2025)
Monday Aug 25, 2025
Monday Aug 25, 2025
Lifelines can express many things—from rivers flowing downstream, to the places we call home. They can represent pathways that cross and entwine, and highlight the importance of our co-existence within the wild world.
In today’s episode, I’m joined by writer Julian Hoffman to discuss his latest book, Lifelines: Searching for Home in the Mountains of Greece. The book follows Julian’s move from London, UK, to the mountains above the Prespa Lakes in Greece. While Julian explores his own lifelines the book also highlights the lifelines of other species in our interconnected world.
During our conversation, Julian shares how the move transformed his understanding of home, identity, and connection. We also explore the importance of shelter, and how we can better learn to coexist with wild species. We also touch on the loss of song culture among endangered Australian birds, Julian’s life-changing encounter with a European brown bear, and how humans and animals create culture and a sense of home through movement, memory, and relationships.
For more on Julian:
The Adventure Patch Company:
A small independent business run by brothers Chris & Dom. They make retro patches that celebrate the UK’s best loved outdoor places & wildlife. They donate over 1% of their total revenue each year to the UK National Parks Foundation which supports work to improve National Parks & programmes to connect communities with these landscapes. Use discount code SENSEOFPLACE at checkout for 20% all purchases! Link HERE
(Recorded August 2025)
Wednesday Dec 17, 2025
Wednesday Dec 17, 2025
Adam S. Leslie, author of Lost in the Garden makes his return to the podcast to talk about the lighter (and commercialised!) side of Christmas. We discuss the magic and excitement of Christmas growing up, the joy of tatty decorations and cosy Christmas lights, Christmas music, films, and TV, as well as recurring nostalgia, and the noticeable change in atmosphere between the Christmas and New Year period.
For more on Adam:
Listen to Lost in the Garden: Music for the Book by Berlin Zebra. The track played during the episode (2 mins 6 sec in) was Goodbye Shillings.
Support:
Become a patron of the podcast
For a lovely Christmas Present:
Use discount code SENSEOFPLACE at checkout for 20% all purchases.
Christmas Music Used:
Royalty Free Music from Pixabay
Andy Williams, It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – taken from a Christmas CD.
P.S. Apologies for the few choppy bits of audio in this episode. Adam and I had a few technical issues!
(Recorded end of November 2025)