Wild with Sarah Wilson

I discovered Jill's story in her viral TED Talk from 2008 (it became the most-watched TED talk ever!) in which the brain scientist describes watching the left side of her brain deteriorate over the course of four hours on the morning of her stroke and how she used her right brain to stay present and get help. I was transfixed. Ever since I've wondered, whatever happened to Jill Bolte Taylor? Did she go back to normal? Is she still living in her right brain and able to experience the “oneness” that spiritualists and quantum physicists can only point to? If so, is she lonely?This chat is one of my favourites in the Wild series and the wisdom Jill shares, I think, is perfectly placed to guide those of us seeking fresh thinking into the New Year.In this chat we get into her how stroke stripped her of her relationships and emotions, understanding the power of each hemisphere of the brain and techniques we can all use to go right and be legitimately and neuroscientifically wilder!You can purchase Jill's booksWhole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our LifeMy Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal JourneyWatch her TED Talk hereIf you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageSubscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversation Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He was the captain of the Wallabies, the only Australian player to be included in World Rugby's team of the decade, but - wildly – retired at the height of his career to devote his life to climate activist projects here in Australia and in Africa. I recorded this interview shortly after David quit rugby and several months before he decided to run as an independent Senator in the Australian Parliament. He won the ticket and has gone on to become an extremely powerful and highly regarded political voice in this country and a bit of a figure of intrigue…how did such an introverted, considered WEAPON OF A FOOTBALL player wind up here? It seemingly makes no sense. This is why I figured many of you would love to listen to this chat (perhaps for a second time) in which he wrestles with how he can best make an impact. It provides some wonderful insight into the thinking that preceded his decision to enter politics.Dave and I became friends talking about activism, Jungian psychology and the meaning of life over Instagram some time back. In this chat, he talks with me about grief, why Australian men aren't waking up, the sadness of facing the climate reality, and – yeah – how to make a wild decision. Dave promised to send a list of the books that have shaped his wildness. He's a man of his word; Living Between Worlds - James Hollis Food Fix - Mark HymanFinding Resilience - Brian WalkerEverything is Spiritual - Rob BellThe Will to Change - bell hooksA Life on Our Planet - David AttenboroughCall of the Reed Warbler - Charles MassyIf you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageSubscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversations Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sia is one of the most gifted and wild creatives on the planet, best known for the hundreds of hit pop songs she's written for herself, Beyonce, Rihanna and Kanye West, and for being notoriously private, rarely doing interviews. This is why I remain so damn chuffed that she agreed to be my FIRST guest here on Wild. I recall being soooo nervous and out of my depth. But also thoroughly enjoying this incredible human’s quirky company.In this chat, Sia gets intimate with me about fostering, why she uses medication to support her art (and keep her alive), and her wild idea - how she, as an artist, “runs with an idea” without apology. Oh, and I make her cry.You can find the details of Sia's film Music, her music and art here. Follow SIA on InstagramIf you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" page Subscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversations Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I share a glorious, wild, life-affirming story in this special episode. Some of you might have read my book This One Wild and Precious Life and remember the bit where I wind up in Mammoth in the Sierra Nevada and rant at a young guy sitting in a vegan smoothie café about his single-use plastic cups (he was drinking several vegan beverages). He takes it well and asks to read a few pages of the book (I was working on the draft of the climate chapter as we spoke). "Wow! Can you put that mind-blasting stuff in dot points?" he asks. I said I would if he quit his stinking single-use habit. I kept my end of the deal (I shoehorned the whole climate catastrophe into bullets!!). And, it turns out, so did he!! It was an adventure to find “Mammoth Dude” because - wait for it - he’s now quit consumption altogether(!), lives off-grid in a trailer in the forest with his dog and... had read my book! This chat brought me so much joy. We cover capitalism, loneliness, leaning into people, the magic of meeting strangers and those margins I put in my books for writing notes in. But the story gets even better…following our chat, Mammoth Dude (Avi Pell is his name) went on to live out one of the life dreams he flags in our conversation. If you want to see the video version of our conversation, and the details of the epic Mammoth Lakes hike I did, as well as the beautiful email convo between Avi and I (clue: he's started a hiking company and I'll be joining him on one of his tours!) I'll be sharing this with my membership community. Join the family at sarahwilson.substack.comYou can grab your copy of This One Wild and Precious Life here.I mention Sylvain Tesson's book Consolations of the Forest, you can get it here.And don't forget to favourite Wild on Apple and Spotify.If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" page. Subscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversations. Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to find peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in one podcast episode? Ha! You 210% can’t. But if there is someone who can provide a vision for it, it’s Palestinian peace broker Aziz Abu Sarah. Aziz grew up in East Jerusalem and lost a brother to the conflict when he was nine when the Israeli military stormed his home in the middle of the night. At 18, however, he turned his hatred around and today Aziz is one of the world's most powerful and connected peacebuilders and cultural educators. He’s a National Geographic Explorer and Ted Fellow and has founded and led countless global conflict resolution organisations including Bereaved Families Forum and the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University and co-founded (with an American Israeli-Jew) the first dual narrative tour company (led by a guide from each “side”). We recorded this episode in Tel Aviv a few days before the recent Israeli election and we cover boycotts, Jerusalem (capital or not) and two wild strategies that *actually* work for most conflicts. Added bonus: Our chat cuts to the very heart of what it means to be human.Aziz’s dual narrative tour business is Mejdi Tours and he ran this tour with Impact SafariHe’s also written a book that shows how to travel as a force for peace  I ran a bunch of other interviews with peacebuilders while I was there, which you can find on my substack And here are the organisations employing the dual narrative approach that I promised to list:Combatants for Peace Bereaved Families Forum Interact International Hands of Peace Healing Across the Divides Creativity for PeaceTech for PeaceIf you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" page Subscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversations Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seth Godin never does anything the normal way. The prolific marketing guru and disrupter joins us here on Wild for a second time to chat about what he describes as the most important project of his life, a crowd-created Climate Almanac, created by a 300-person army of scientists, artists and teachers from 41 countries who turned around the 97000-word book in 120 days. The wild idea we wrestle with in this episode is the very act of not doing climate activism the normal way. We talk about ditching activism and plastic recycling, ratcheting up capitalism (!!) and how to market discomfort as “sexy” (as many of you know, this is where I feel so much progress gets stuck – a resistance to leaving the capitalist cocoon of convenience). Activists and the Concerned ‘n’ Frustrated – this is an episode for you. It is peppered with pithy elevator pitches and helpful factlets about leaf blowers and patio heaters. Connect with the whole Carbon Almanac project here or purchase the book hereListen to the Kim Stanley Robinson episode that we reference hereYou can listen to my first Wild chat with Seth hereIf you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageSubscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversationGet your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this thought-provoking discussion, Bayo Akomolafe, a Nigerian-born poet and author known for his insightful explorations of post-humanism and eco-feminism, challenges us to rethink our relationship with the world. He proposes that the chaos of climate collapse invites us to embrace uncertainty rather than seek quick solutions. Bayo encourages slowing down, reflecting on our interconnectedness, and becoming 'fugitives' who thrive amidst disorder. His poetic insights and metaphors spark a radical reimagining of resilience and meaning in tumultuous times.

This episode continues the fascinating-slash-frightening journey I’ve been on with you, to understand what we should prioritise as we face potential existential end times. Today’s guest, Harvard researcher and philanthropist Holden Karnofsky, brings the AI, effective altruism, longtermism and anti-growth debates together with the clarion call: “This is our moment, this century is make-or-break, pay attention people!” It’s not an idle or hysterical call, it’s one that Holden has researched extensively and is backed by global leaders in the space. As some background: Holden founded Givewell, the charity evaluator that has raised more than $US1billion for charities that have saved more than 150,000 lives (Bill Gates, Sam Harris and the now disgraced billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried use it) and Open Philanthropy investigates more speculative causes. So if this is the most important century, what does it mean for us? What are our responsibilities? What’s going to happen? Buckle up, says Holden, because, “we live in wild times and should be ready for anything to happen”. Here’s the "most important century" blog post series we talk about.I also flag Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. As well as this Vice article about how scientists can’t explain how AI works.You might also want to go back and listen to the episodes with Peter Singer on effective altruism, Will Macaskill on Longtermism and Elise Bohan on misaligned AI and transhumanism......If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" page. Subscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversation. Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater and more carbon emissions than ALL international flights and ALL maritime shipping COMBINED. If nothing changes, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget. Ex-Vogue journalist and founder of The Wardrobe Crisis (the book, podcast and academy) Clare Press joins me to wrestle the quandaries: Is vegan leather ethical? Are recycled plastic leggings green? What labels are legit carbon neutral? Does the stuff I donate to St Vinnies just go to landfill? (Yup.) Is it true when I return something online it goes to landfill and not back on rack? (Double yup!). I wanted to do this episode to set the truly shocking facts straight and share the tangible better options, but also to posit the wild idea of redefining fashion style in a new, far more creative way. Dig in!Check out The Wardrobe Crisis, the book, podcast and academy of courses Follow Clare on instagram We discuss an Atlantic article about returning online purchases, you can read it here. Clare’s Recommendations:The scorecard/resources for finding “good” brands: The Or Foundation, Oxfam’s Naughty or Nice, Fashion Revolution and Baptist World Aid Guide. The book to read: Loved clothes last by Orsola De CastroThe recycling app: UpparelThe influencer to follow: Maggis ZhuThe documentary to watch: 'Slay' The label: The Social Outfit in Newtown based in Sydney, or check out the sister organisations in Melbourne and London. I mentioned that Kay Montano in London had recommended a 1951 film The Man in the White Suit .....If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" page. Subscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversation. Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a young Australian human rights lawyer and barrister who has been at the centre of the most era-defining legal cases in the world. She has represented Julian Assange since 2010. She led the Amber Heard case. She worked on the case against the CIA’s drone strikes in Pakistan and a case against the Catholic Church over child sex abuse. She was also a legal adviser to The New York Times in the Murdoch phone-hacking scandal and regularly fronts up to the International Court of Justice and various UN human rights bodies representing the poor, oppressed, the maligned. Her name’s Jen Robinson, and she grew up in a low-income family in the small rural town of Berry, proudly schooled in public education and went on to be a Rhodes scholar and to work alongside Geoffrey Robertson and George Clooney’s wife Amal. Jen and I get mighty fired up about …speaking up...speaking up as an act of vitality and antidote to depression. We also cover why we want our friends to send their kids to public schools, the inside take on the Assange case, what we need to know about the Amber Heard case (big slap in face for me) and her new book, How Many More Woman, which shares how women can beat the legal system at its own game (and speak up!).You can now purchase Jen’s book, How Many More Women hereFollow Jen on Twitter .....If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" page. Subscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversation. Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.