Wild with Sarah Wilson
Sarah Wilson
Sarah Wilson chats wild ideas for a fired up life.The multi-New York Times bestselling author, activist, minimalist and former news journalist who founded the global phenomenon ‘I Quit Sugar’ travelled the world for 10 years (living out of one bag) to explore the freshest ways to live fully…and to save this one wild and precious life we have together.She riffs with philosophers, creatives, poets, scientists (and at least one nun!) on the Big Questions that haunt us. What goes through the mind of a prisoner on death row? How does Sia invent her art? Will we die from climate change and can our rage save us? Is being Australian a mental health crisis? Join Sarah as she wrestles a path to the answers… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
172 snips
Jul 7, 2026 • 1h 18min
INDY JOHAR: "How do we prepare the world for what’s coming?"
Indy Johar, systems designer, architect and founder of Dark Matter Labs, proposes “civilisational optionality” to preserve humanity’s capacity to adapt. He explores climate volatility and infrastructure-scale resilience. He discusses how uncertainty shapes politics, labor, AI, multispecies economies and new coordination systems. The conversation calls for expanding our sense of self and rebuilding media and capital to steward complex futures.
19 snips
Jun 30, 2026 • 1h 4min
SARAH STEIN LUBRANO: How do we change people’s minds about what’s happening to the world?
Sarah Stein Lubrano, neuroscientist and political scientist who studies persuasion and social change, discusses why debate and facts rarely shift minds. She explores how relationships, third spaces like cafés, gateway actions and deep canvassing open people to change. Conversation also covers social atrophy, the role of institutions, and practical ways to build cooperative public life.
44 snips
Jun 23, 2026 • 57min
JOHN SEED: Is Deep Ecology the answer?
John Seed, Australian rainforest activist and deep ecology pioneer who co-created the Council of All Beings. He explores why our identity, not information, must change to reconnect with Earth. Conversation covers turning despair into action, the role of feelings as intelligence, embodied activism that communicates commitment, and simple practices for rewilding our sense of self.
26 snips
Jun 16, 2026 • 56min
JEREMY LENT: Can humans build a (beautiful) new civilisation?
Jeremy Lent, author and systems thinker who champions ecocivilization, discusses pathways to a world based on stewardship and community. He explores fractal flourishing, phase transitions, mutually beneficial symbiosis and real-world models like Mondragón. The conversation highlights how narrative shifts, islands of coherence and pro-social institutions could seed large-scale change.
30 snips
Jun 2, 2026 • 1h 2min
FRANCIS WELLER: “Grief will wake us up”…so how do we do good grief again?
Francis Weller, psychotherapist and 'soul activist' who blends psychology, mythology and indigenous wisdom, speaks about deep collective sorrow. He explores grief as protest, communal practice and a pathway to staying open to love. Short takes cover lost rituals, earth grief, loneliness and practical communal rituals to keep sorrow alive and transformative.
13 snips
May 26, 2026 • 59min
RUTH BEN-GHIAT: How do we create a values-led politic from this mess?
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, NYU history professor and bestselling author who studies fascism, explains how power-hungry strongmen use corruption, staged victimhood and violence. She explores why they rise now, how they erode institutions and ally with oligarchs. She also looks at patterns of nonviolent resistance, boycotts, elite defection and a values-led moral renewal that can rebuild democratic life.
32 snips
May 19, 2026 • 1h 11min
ZAK STEIN: How do we raise kids in a metacrisis?
Zak Stein, philosopher of education and author focused on schooling, technology and global risk. He discusses raising children for a wobbly future. Topics include how tech reshapes childhood, risks of simulated AI attachments, restoring attention and routines, rethinking school purpose, community recovery from screen addiction, and what young people should study to build moral judgement and situational awareness.
8 snips
May 12, 2026 • 1h 16min
MICHAEL MUTHUKRISHNA: Can we cooperate our way out of this? (Warning: a tricky episode!)
Michael Muthukrishna, behavioural scientist and cultural evolution researcher at NYU and LSE, explores how cooperation, energy and institutions shape societies. He discusses cultural norms, energy return on investment, AI’s dual futures, and experiments in cities and policy labs. Short, provocative takes on equality, decline and practical pathways toward collective resilience.
May 5, 2026 • 56min
ECE TEMELKURAN: How to save ourselves from fascism
Ece Temelkuran, an award-winning Turkish novelist and political thinker forced into exile, explores how democracies slide toward authoritarianism and what being "unhomed" feels like. She outlines a seven-step framework for fascism, explains 'cloud fascism' and tech’s role, and speaks about learning survival and belonging from refugees. She ends by calling for humility, love and beauty in political life.
Apr 28, 2026 • 1h 9min
SHELDON SOLOMON: Can we gamify all the denial around us and save humanity?*
Sheldon Solomon, social psychologist who co-developed terror management theory, explores how our fear of death shapes culture. He talks about how mortality awareness fuels tribalism or radical compassion. Conversations cover why death denial drives politics and consumerism, practical interventions for leaders, and everyday practices—like walking, rituals and community—that soften defensive fear and open paths to cooperation.
