Hi, everybody. This is Joe Lampel, the Joe Behind Joe Gardner, and welcome to the Joe Gardner Show.

Today, I'm excited to welcome someone whose work sits right at the heart of what we talk about on this show,

the relationship between people, plants, and the natural world. You know that feeling you get after

walking out into the garden and spending even a small amount of time there, our stress levels go down,

our creativity goes up, and we're reminded of that awe-inspiring feeling all around us.

And that's exactly what our guest today, Professor Kathy Willis does with her new book,

Good Nature. It digs into the science behind something gardeners have always felt instinctively.

Overall, good nature is a book about how nature influences human health and well-being,

where plants are the stars of the show.

Suffice it to say, Professor Willis brings the science behind that to life, and it opens up

a whole new way of thinking about the gardens and natural spaces that we

interact with every day. And because we love geek alerts so much on this podcast, you'll be happy

to know this episode is certainly worthy of that. Now, a little bit about Dr. Willis. She is one of

the leading plant scientists and biodiversity experts of our time. She's a professor of biodiversity at the

University of Oxford and the former director of science at the Royal Botanic Gardens,

where she helped advance global research on plant conservation and ecosystem resilience.

So let's get started with my conversation with Kathy Willis, and as we do,

thanks to our sponsor for this episode, The Ultimate Gardening Sheath, just in time for the

gift-giving holiday season. The Ultimate Gardening Sheath is the one piece of gear that truly

changed the way that I garden. After years of juggling my pruners, soil knife, and microsnips, I co-created this

sheath to keep everything secure, comfortable, and right where I needed it, and based on your

feedback, it's done the same for many of you. And with the holidays here, it's perfect timing.

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