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Wonder Cabinet is an independent podcast from Anne Strainchamps and Steve Paulson, Peabody Award-winning creators of public radio's To The Best Of Our Knowledge. For 35 years, that show brought long-form conversations to 200+ stations nationwide; its interviews are now archived in the Library of Congress.

Episodes feature intimate, long-form conversations with scientists, philosophers, writers, a... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes708Founded15 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PhilosophySociety & Culture

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Artwork for Wonder Cabinet

Latest Episodes

How does a landscape come alive and even feel enchanted? Bestselling author Daniel Mason explores this question in his novels “Country People” and “North Woods.” Both are steeped in the natural history of New England, from its geology to its native p... more

Our obsession with the dream of artificial, disembodied intelligence is deadening our experience of life itself. Melanie Challenger — a philosopher, naturalist and National Geographic Explorer —  says it’s time to let go of the centuries-old human hi... more

What kind of truth can a sacred text offer about the world? Rabbi Geoff Mitelman reads the Torah as poetry — open to multiple interpretations and evoking a sense of transcendence, even magic.

Mitelman is a Reform rabbi and the founding director of S... more

Can you imagine being a tree? Robert Moor has spent years trying—climbing into their canopies, studying their biology and learning to see trees in ways most of us don’t. He considers himself a “tree person.”

Moor believes that when you spend a lot o... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Daniel Mason
Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford; novelist
Stanford University
Episode: Writing an Enchanted Landscape with Daniel Mason
Melanie Challenger
philosopher and naturalist, National Geographic explorer
Author of How to Be Animal; Alive
Episode: Being Alive with Melanie Challenger
Geoff Mitelman
Reform rabbi; founding director of Sinai and Synapses
Sinai and Synapses
Episode: The Power of Ritual with Rabbi Geoff Mitelman
Robert Moor
Essayist and author, In Trees
Author, In Trees
Episode: Tree Thinking with Robert Moor
Reverend Dr. Melanie L. Harris
Professor of Black Feminist and Womanist Theologies, founder of Ecowomanism
Wake Forest University; Ecowomanism
Episode: The Ecowomanist Theology of Rev. Dr. Melanie L. Harris
Christian Wiman
Poet, editor, author of The Dance; teaches at Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School
Episode: Poetry Against Despair with Christian Wiman
Cal Flyn
Journalist, writer and explorer; author of The Savage Landscape, How We Made the Wilderness
Author, The Savage Landscape
Episode: Chasing Wilderness with Cal Flyn (and Gary Snyder)
Philip Goff
Philosophy professor at Durham University
Durham University
Episode: The Conscious Universe: Panpsychism with Philip Goff
Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
Founder of Emergence Magazine, filmmaker, Sufi teacher
Emergence Magazine
Episode: The Spiritual Ecology of Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee

Hosts

Anne Strainchamps
Co-host and interviewer; long-form conversationalist with a focus on philosophy, science, and culture
Steve Paulson
Co-host and interviewer; explores science, philosophy, and culture with a calm, curiosity-driven approach

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 1.4k ratings
  • Lovely title but don’t get it

    I love the idea. listened to every episode but I just don’t get it. What’s the theme. Why these random guests. I loved TTBOOK so want to give it a few episodes. So many podcasts out there so really need this to be more cohesive for a reason to come back. Audio quality of some of the interviews not the best.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Ckpnut
    United States10 days ago
  • Wonderful!!

    I love this podcast. Such intelligent conversations that open my mind.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    In seek of enlightenment
    United States17 days ago
  • Delightful !

    From the team at TTBOOK, I’m never disappointed and often delighted and inspired.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    jeffbelden
    United Statesa month ago
  • Inspiring -my favorite podcast

    The wonder cabinet podcast has never failed to inspire and uplift me and it seemed the same for all. I recommended it to. It is the source of many conversations among my family and friends.

    I'm so grateful for all the ways in which this podcast explores our wondrous world. Both hosts are grounded thoughtful and expansive in their explorations .

    While I listen to many podcasts I haven't yet written a review, but here I felt an important to share as I hope more people find this precious jew... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Claudia JK
    United Statesa month ago
  • Profoundly and deeply satisfying

    When TTBOOK ended, I felt bereft. I had been listening for years. When I saw that Ann and Steve were back with Wonder Cabinet , it was like being re-connected with old friends. Format, content, production, and delivery - absolutely superb. Highlight of my week.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    G Wa
    United States2 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the calm, insightful, wide-ranging inquiries and the focus on wonder and ecological thinking
Thoughtful, human and necessary: deep conversations that create community
Wonder Cabinet is a thoughtful evolution of a long-form interview tradition

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Writing an Enchanted Landscape with Daniel Mason
Q: Daniel, how do you conjure these fantastical elements in your novels?
He describes his process as initially writing a natural story that then reveals supernatural or magical elements, which feels right because the past remains present in the future in his work.
Tree Thinking with Robert Moor
Q: What makes tree thinking a powerful way to understand evolution, beyond a linear narrative?
Tree thinking reveals that evolution is a branching, non-linear process where our lineage emerged from a web of relationships, allowing us to see our ancestors as part of a broader, interconnected ecological story instead of a straight line toward modern humans.
Tree Thinking with Robert Moor
Q: Why did you decide to sleep in a chimpanzee nest, and what did you learn from that experience?
The sleep experiment shed light on how nest-based sleeping among early humans could have influenced cognitive development and emotional regulation, showing that elevated treetop living reduces mosquito bites and increases safety, which may have shaped human evolution.
The Ecowomanist Theology of Rev. Dr. Melanie L. Harris
Q: Last question, what has come to your mind while you've been here at the springs and desert?
The desert reveals the Divine Feminine differently than the lush East, and the landscape teaches through the curves of mountains and colors of mesas, suggesting that transformation comes from a change in perception as much as in space.
Poetry Against Despair with Christian Wiman
Q: Is that anything like what actually happens for you?
He explains that the experience often comes in recollection and through language; moments of awe are felt deeply and then unearthed by writing, rather than being grasped as a clear, standalone event in the moment.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
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Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Wonder Cabinet

What is Wonder Cabinet about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The conversations center on big ideas at the intersection of science, philosophy, and ecology, with a strong emphasis on wonder, awe, and humane approaches to living with the non-human world. Guests range from philosophers and theologians to scientists, writers, and activists, exploring topics such as consciousness, panpsychism, spirituality, the ethics of environmental stewardship, the role of myth and folklore, and the politics of how we relate to landscapes, animals, and ecosystems. The show often blends deep-dive interviews with reflective storytelling, inviting listeners to reframe questions about reality, time, and our place within a living planet. A notable through-line is the attempt to harmonize rigorous inquiry with wonder, offeri... more

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How many listeners does Wonder Cabinet get?

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How many subscribers and views does Wonder Cabinet have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Wonder Cabinet has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Wonder Cabinet?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Wonder Cabinet:

1. Emergence Magazine Podcast
2. Fresh Air
3. The New Yorker Radio Hour
4. City Arts & Lectures
5. Hidden Brain

How many episodes of Wonder Cabinet are there?

Wonder Cabinet launched 15 years ago and published 708 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Wonder Cabinet?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Wonder Cabinet?

Recent guests on Wonder Cabinet include:

1. Daniel Mason
2. Melanie Challenger
3. Geoff Mitelman
4. Robert Moor
5. Reverend Dr. Melanie L. Harris
6. Christian Wiman
7. Cal Flyn
8. Philip Goff

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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