Wild with Sarah Wilson

Today we travel to the UK to chat with one of my favourite representatives of humanity. Fearne Cotton is British radio and TV royalty. She began her career age 15 as host of The Disney Club after winning some local competition…and then spent the next 25 years broadcasting to the nation, everything from Top of the Pops, BBC radio1 and 2, the Golden Globes, BAFTAS and a bunch of Royal family things. She's published 10 chart-topping books, including kids mental health books, is on The Prince's Trust, has a 3.4 million following on Instagram and has a podcast, Happy Place, that's had more than 40 million downloads.But I know Fearne only as a friend…and a social media pen pal type friend at that. We send VMs on WhatsApp late at night when we can't sleep and when we're troubled, and we talk about life and humans…not so much our lives…but Big Life.Fearne has just put out a book about living honestly and so I thought it might be a good time to have one of the chats we have at lonely hours but in a visual volley out in the open with you lot.Like me, Fearne is on that constant journey of managing her anxiety and the complexities of life. Which is why I trust her – she doesn't purport to have arrived. Oh, and FYI, in this chat we talk about EMDR, which is a type of therapy Fearne and I have both used. Read more: https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/ Get Fearne's latest book Speak Your Truth herehttps://amzn.to/3p5uRNn Subscribe to my Subtack newsletter https://sarahwilson.substack.com/My Live Nation tour is coming up, get tickets and info: https://www.livenation.com.au/artist-sarah-wilson-1318486 Find out more about Sarah Wilson: www.sarahwilson.comGet your copy of Sarah Wilson's book This One Wild and Precious Life: A hopeful path forward in a fractured world here https://amzn.to/3vs3tf2  Connect on Instagram: www.instagram.com/_sarahwilson_See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ok this is a little bonus we've thrown into the series. Going forward I'll do some random episodes where I go hunt down someone I mention in my books or travels broadly, someone you've got super curious about, to see where things wound up for them. A Where Are They Now with my nomadic encounters as dictated by your intrigue! Many of you who have read This One Wild and Precious Life will recall The Lady in Red and some of you became pretty obsessed with her. ‘Tho, if you've not read my book, this story should have universal appeal.Four years ago, while researching my book, I wound up in Ljubljana, the stunningly quaint capital of Slovenia and the world's only car-less capital city that's been voted greenest city in the EU several times over. I noticed this Lady In Red, a young woman sitting on her own who, for 45 minutes, just sat there with soft eyes in a chosen stillness. She became a social media meme, a story that spread, an inspiration (I've put her image up in my feed again, as a reminder, and for those of you still wanting to get a visual).Anyway, mid-pandemic lockdown I tracked down the Lady in Red (a fun journey in international connecting!) and got her update, asking her all the questions you've wanted to ask of her over the years….I also flag that I'm taking requests to track down other people-of-intrigue via my NEW! Newsletter sarahwilson.substack.com ...this is where I now do the considered connecting I seek (please do subscribe!).Find Lady in Red's image here (I'll also post video snippets of our recent chat)https://www.instagram.com/p/CE6IIlcDdXq/?utm_medium=copy_link   www.instagram.com/_sarahwilson_  If you want to do the hike I did in Slovenia, check out sarahwilsonhikes.comPlease rate Wild and leave a comment on Apple herehttps://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/wild-with-sarah-wilson/id1548626341 Favourite Wild with Sarah Wilson on the LiSTNR app herehttps://www.listnr.com/podcasts/wild-with-sarah-wilson Get your copy of Sarah Wilson's book This One Wild and Precious Life: A hopeful path forward in a fractured world herehttps://amzn.to/3vs3tf2 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish poet and philosopher David Whyte joins Sarah Wilson to discuss the importance of asking beautiful questions. They reminisce about a memorable hiking trip and explore the connection between walking, nature, and poetry. They also delve into embracing silence, navigating the complexity of life, addressing climate change, and the invitation to simplify. This special episode offers insightful conversations and inspiring perspectives.

Saul Griffith is a mad inventor, an official “genius” (as per the prestigious Macarthur Fellowship, um, wait for it, for his prodigy of service in the world community) and he has a fix for the climate crisis! Electrify everything! US President Joe Biden vibed with it so much he made the Australian his climate advisor. I first came across Saul on one of my eternal searches for legit climate solutions that bring true excitement and hope to humans.  For years I've wanted to pick apart his wild idea summed up in his new book, written for President Joe Biden, Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook For Our Clean Energy Future. The gist is this: We can get to those 2030 targets required for our survival on this planet, using technology that already exists and if he had to choose a country in the world where it can happen the fastest and with the biggest economic win he'd say, Australia!Saul is a lot of fun, swears a touch (be warned!), rides a bike everywhere, barely wears shoes and rather infamously (according to the interwebs) pointed out the carbon footprint of his underpants in his 2006 TED talk. The Electrify the lot and fast mantra is one I buy into…to a point. We still must consume less…way less. Saul agrees. We are going to talk further...Watch Saul's TED Talk herehttps://www.ted.com/talks/saul_griffith_everyday_inventions?language=en Saul's new book Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook For Our Clean Energy Future is available in the US now, find it here and getting an Australian version soon.Saul would love for you to source a copy from his favourite local book shop in Thirroul:https://collinsbooksthirroul.com.au/p/electrify-an-optimists-playbook-for-our-clean-energy-future-87f36d28-7c27-4d98-b406-c6fe0576ab68?barcode=9780262046237. Explore the exciting world of Saul's inventions and ideas herehttps://www.saulgriffith.com/ Listen to my Ask Me Anything on climate episode herehttps://pod.link/1548626341/episode/39f6573570b3837e65f7a5897d50592f Favourite Wild with Sarah Wilson on the LiSTNR app hereFind out more about Sarah Wilson: www.sarahwilson.comGet your copy of Sarah Wilson's book This One Wild and Precious Life: A hopeful path forward in a fractured world hereConnect on Instagram: www.instagram.com/_sarahwilson_  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British writer Oliver Burkeman has investigated pretty much every productivity hack, mindfulness trick, list-making system and happiness boost we've ever been fed. He concludes, almost none work. Ha!I followed Oliver's column in The Guardian, which he wrote from his home in Brooklyn, New York, for about 10 years and he is definitely my favourite anti-self-help self-help writer!It's been a few years since his last book, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, and just as I found myself asking where Oliver Burkeman was at since quitting his popular column last year, I noticed he had a new book out that makes the startling point - we have a very short time on this planet, about Four Thousand Weeks (also the title of the book).  This is the wild idea we discuss in this episode. Oliver asks life is short, so what are you going to do about it? Here are the references from our chat: The Pomodoro timer app herehttps://zapier.com/blog/best-pomodoro-apps/ Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman herehttps://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/1922147656/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=1922147656&linkCode=as2&tag=sarahwilsonau-22&linkId=314bf030d7fd75b00831808ccfedfcfb Favourite Wild with Sarah Wilson on the LiSTNR app herehttps://www.listnr.com/podcasts/wild-with-sarah-wilson Find out more about Sarah Wilson: www.sarahwilson.comGet your copy of Sarah Wilson's book This One Wild and Precious Life: A hopeful path forward in a fractured world herehttps://amzn.to/3vs3tf2 Connect on Instagram: www.instagram.com/_sarahwilson_  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of COP26, the most important climate conference of our times, I called out to listeners to ask me whatever is on their mind, or in the hearts, about the climate crisis we are living through.My new producer Cassie (lives in Melbourne, interests include rock trivia, the beach and tea) chose some of your questions and played them to me cold. Me (interests include climate trivia!), well, I did my best to answer them based on my slightly obsessed layperson's knowledge and opinions. What is COP? What can I do to make a difference? How do I vote climate? It was pretty rapid-fire, but I promised to include back-up links and references here in the show notes. There are a few…knock yourselves out!Favourite Wild with Sarah Wilson on the LiSTNR app hereFind out more about Sarah Wilson: www.sarahwilson.comGet your copy of Sarah Wilson's book This One Wild and Precious Life: A hopeful path forward in a fractured world hereConnect on Instagram: www.instagram.com/_sarahwilson_  What is COP26?https://drawdown.org/solutionsRenewable energy is cheaper than running existing coalJobs in renewable energy Savings in avoiding climate changeMarkets moving economic costs, Australia's climate inactionLack of climate action cost over 50 yearsGrattan report on gridlock recordshttps://iview.abc.net.au/show/big-dealhttps://theyvoteforyou.org.au Companies pledges to halve emissions by 2030 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Six months ago my friend linked me to an interview with British entrepreneur and troublemaking activist Clare Dubois because he reckoned “she talks your language, Sarah”. I was moved to my viscera from the moment she launched her gloriously, inspired riff.Clare talks a profoundly wild idea that resonates for me:  We are about to send ourselves, as a species, extinct. No one is going to come and save us, but trees might just. Clare is a business coach and founder of the Treesisters reforestation charity and she now lives in California. She's a global leader in arguing that our salvation can be led by businesses embedding trees into every financial transaction. She argues that trees can fix many things... and can teach us how to be boldly human again.Learn more about Treesisters: https://treesisters.org/ Favourite Wild with Sarah Wilson on the LiSTNR app hereFind out more about Sarah Wilson: www.sarahwilson.comGet your copy of Sarah Wilson's book This One Wild and Precious Life: A hopeful path forward in a fractured world hereReferences from this episode:The Overstory - Richard Powers hereThe Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World - Peter Wohlleben hereMartin Luther King Jnr speech about staying awake for the revolution hereThis episode covers some pretty heavy stuff around sexual abuse. If that's something you're not comfortable listening to, I recommend skipping ahead to around the 10 minute mark.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British philosopher and environmentalist Timothy Morton, known for their work with artists like Bjork, Jeff Bridges, and Pharrell Williams, discusses various topics in this entertaining podcast. They talk about the concept of hyper objects in relation to the climate crisis, the importance of hope and responsibility in facing the crisis, challenging ideas of control and separation through caring for nuclear waste, navigating emotions and creating something better, balancing work and love, and exploring the interconnectedness of existence.

Tara June Winch is the Miles Franklin winning author of The Yield and a proud Wiradjuri woman.I reached out to her after seeing her speak on an emotional, all-female panel at the Sydney Writer's Festival earlier this year where she  brought the room to tears with her confronting and - to my mind - true comments about Australian identity; "being Aussie is a mental health crisis”.In this conversation we explore accessing mania as part of the creative process, not having to be broken to be creative, questioning identity and we break down the real meaning of being Australian.Tara is currently living in France working on her next book, unable to return to Australia due to the pandemic. We have been emailing each other - pen pal-style since our chat!Get a copy of Yield by Tara June Winch hereMore info on Tara June Winch: https://www.tarajunewinch.com/Favourite Wild with Sarah Wilson on the LiSTNR app hereFind out more about Sarah Wilson: www.sarahwilson.comTara June Winch's book recommendations from this episode:Too Much Lip, Melissa LucashenkoBila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray: River of Dreams  Anita HeissAfter Story, Larissa BehrendtGhost River, Tony Birch How To Make A Basket, Jazz MoneySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Jud Brewer is a New York-based surfer (yep!) and psychiatrist and neuroscientist specialising in habit change and he's helped thousands of people quit smoking and overcome binge eating. But his latest research treats anxiety like it's any other habit.I reached out to him because I'd tried out his technique and it worked…substituting fretting for curiosity as a meta approach to life!In this chat we unpack one of my own gnarly, ugly anxious thoughts (bit exposing!) using Jud's three-step solution (his alternative to willpowering our way through) and he gives practical advice for how we can all be more curious about our anxiety. Try it!Studies and books and things we mention:Jud's latest book is called Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind and it's out now.Read more about the Harvard study which found we spend 47% of the day ruminating: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/wandering-mind-not-a-happy-mind/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.