Episodes

Back in November, we invited the Parks and Restoration Next Level Leader Community to an exclusive meetup with Jessica DeAngelo, author of the new book The Wild Advantage: Why Your Brain on Nature is Your Boldest Business Mov...

Are you trying to sell a plan… when what people really need is a vision? In this episode, Chris and Jeremy dig into why vision—not strategy documents, timelines, or step-by-step plans—is what actually gets people to care, to ...

Why do we cut cedars out of prairies? Why do we thin trees in forests and oak savannas? Why do we burn? For many of us, the answers to those questions are fairly straightforward. But some people think about land management on...

Change isn’t just hard—it’s biologically, psychologically, and culturally designed to be hard. In this episode, Chris and Jeremy break down why teams resist change, especially in legacy organizations like parks, conservation ...

Are you still leading with the habits that got you promoted—or the ones that will actually move your team forward? This week Chris and Jeremy unpack “What got you here won’t get you there” through an ecological lens. Just lik...

In this episode, Chris and Jeremy take a lesson from nature — and from beavers, specifically — to explore what happens when we try to do work we weren’t built for. Using Patrick Lencioni’s Six Types of Working Genius framewor...

Sometimes, productivity doesn’t come from adding more—it comes from taking things away. In this episode, Chris and Jeremy explore the law of subtraction through lessons from oak trees, prairies, and leadership. A fascinating ...

What’s stronger than strategy? Culture. In this episode of the Parks and Restoration Podcast , Chris and Jeremy dig into why culture has to be every leader’s top priority—and why even the best plans fall apart without it. Thr...

What happens when the people protecting our natural resources are running on empty? In this episode of Parks and Restoration, Chris Lee and Jeremy Yost tackle an uncomfortable truth: the very passion that drives us to protect...

How do you eat an elephant? Most people say, “one bite at a time.” But what if you invited 45 of your friends and turned it into a barbecue? That’s exactly what happened in Iowa’s Loess Hills when multiple agencies came toget...

What if the way you recognize your team could make or break their motivation to stay? Or screen them from burnout? In this episode, Chris Lee and Jeremy Yost share the SPF² Framework—Specific, Personalized, Fast, and Frequent...

What can parks and natural resource leaders learn from military operations, professional athletes, top performers, and Pixar? How to build effective feedback systems. In this episode, Chris and Jeremy dig into the power of Af...

Struggling to get qualified interns to apply for your conservation or parks program—let alone relocate from across the country? Recruiting great interns in parks and natural resources is harder than ever, especially when you'...

What keeps you showing up to work when the politics are messy, the budget is tight, and the trail never really ends? In this episode of Parks and Restoration , Chris and Jeremy explore the power of purpose—your WHY—and why it...

In this episode, I explore how onboarding isn’t just about filling out forms and handing over keys—it’s about shaping culture, boosting retention, and setting your team up for long-term success. Whether you're bringing on sea...

Back around the first of the year, I was a (co)guest on the Outliers Edge Podcast hosted by Niiamah Ashong. We discussed some of my "leadership through the lens of ecology" ideas, how it's not good to go it alone, and much mo...

There's an effort in the Iowa Senate to repeal what would be the most impactful funding mechanism for parks and conservation that has ever existed in the state of Iowa. Iowa's Water and Land Legacy fund, also known as IWiLL i...

In this episode, I chat with John Fullbright who has one of the craziest life stories of anyone I know. A lifelong adventure guide currently residing in New Mexico, he recently led a nighttime whitewater rescue the likes of w...

Some of us are lucky enough to have great mentors in our professional lives. This is the story of one of mine. When I first became Director, I saw one of my board members, Jim Garnjobst, as difficult. Argumentative. Contraria...

I'm joined by sustainability consultant Kenny Oleson for an insightful discussion on clean energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability. This episode covers, among other things, the Clean Energy Districts of Iowa program, pr...

Lora Friest is no stranger to big goals. Early in her career, she played a key role in the state's largest watershed project - an effort to clean up the Upper Iowa River. Now as a tourism liaison with Travel Iowa, she's helpi...

Warren County Conservation Director Zach Hall isn't afraid to explore the more esoteric side of our industry. After chatting with him at a conference this summer, I knew I wanted to get him on the show to do just that. In thi...

The fight against invasive species seems to never end. Natural resource managers need to deploy every tool possible to stay ahead of the game (or catch back up, as the case may be). One tool in the toolbox is not man or machi...

After a couple month hiatus, Parks and Restoration is back! In this episode, I chat with Adam Shirley, CEO of Iowa's County Conservation System. We talk about upgrades to the MyCountyParks.com website and the role we as park ...