** Please Subscribe, Share and Enjoy the show! ** Time Stamps and Show description Below ** Laura Owen Sanderson is the founder of "We Swim Wild" a non for profit organization that inspires, unites and empowers wild swimming communities and water users to take action against microplastic pollution and other silent contaminates in U.K waterways. Laura, base din Snowdownia, Wales in the U.K., stopped by the virtual studio to share her story of how wild cold water swimming changed her life, taking her from the pain of chronic illness to becoming an advocate for water conservation and her current mission of swimming across all 15 national parks in the U.K. while organizing over 100 volunteers to conduct the largest citizen science water research project ever conducted in the country. Laura’s story is one that shows the healing power of nature connectedness and the ability to return the favour by becoming a defender of the voiceless natural world. Find out more by visiting www.weswimwild.com. Watch the film “Hydrotherapy” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oe5Qnip9Bs&feature=share For full show description check out Blog Articles: https://transnatural-perspectives.med... CONTACT THE SHOW with comments, ideas, interview requests,  funding/advertising propositions...etc Twitter: @TRANSNATURALPOD Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Transnatural... Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/TransnaturalPod Email: TransnaturalPod@gmail.com Donate: Paypal.me/InternationalSuper Music by Fazerklang ************************************************************** 00:03:20 Welcome Laura! What is wild swimming? 00:04:45 Healing Fibromyalgia and inflammation with cold water swimming 00:09:20 Growing up in Snowdonia, disconnecting from nature while teaching &reconnecting for wellness 00:11:25 Laura’s film “Hydrotherapy” 00:14:15 Research on the health benefits of cold wild swimming 00:16:39 The Fear of open water & The surge of wild swimming in the time of COVID 00:18:40 Staying safe while wild cold water swimming 00:20:13 What is the “We Swim Wild” organization? 00:23:20 Citizen Science: mapping micro plastics in U.K. water with The #Waterloggers 00:26:17 #SourceToSea project: Swimming every national park in the U.K. 00:33:30 Silent contaminants & Agriculture Sewage 00:34:15 Initial findings from #SourceToSea project 00:35:30 Citizen Science as a form of activism 00:39:14 Tourism with a purpose 00:43:10 Urban Wild Swimming 00:45:50 Top Tips for getting started with wild swimming in your own local swim spot