WellBeing Wild

Wild is a feeling; a state of being. It’s that swell of energy that strikes you like a hot spark spat from a blazing flame. It’s when a surge of inspiration pushes everything else aside, causing you to stop, pause and contemplate. It’s with you in that moment of stillness as you breathe in the landscape of a new wilderness or cityscape. It’s the reason your backpack is full, ready for an adventure whenever the possibility arises. It’s the blisters on your feet after a hike through the mountains and the salt sticking to your eyelashes after an ocean swim. We will be with you as you wrestle with university degrees, careers, money worries, babies and anything else life throws at you. We will remind you to nurture your wild. To find it, taste it, touch it and embrace it. We’re here to guide you back to the wild light raging within you — and we won’t leave your side.

dearest you,

love letters from issue twelve

Wild You

The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner • Grace Tame is many things: 2021’s Australian of the Year, activist, advocate, child sexual abuse survivor and now author. She’s also a person with a three-dimensional story like any other — coloured with trauma, yes, but also love, joy and connection. In her memoir, The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner, Grace tells her story on her own terms. Prepare to laugh, cry, feel blood-boiling rage and, ultimately, recognise parts of yourself in the extraordinary woman that is Grace Tame.

Women. Life. Freedom: Fighting for Iran • The women’s uprising in Iran is facing a violent crackdown and not enough is being done by the Western world. Elaine Mead speaks to Iranian refugees to find out what you can do to help.

Why our early relationships matter • The care we receive as children echoes through our relationships into adulthood; psychologists call this “attachment theory”. WILD’s resident clinical psychologist Rachel Samson describes how the theory can explain and improve how we function in our adult relationships.

The silent epidemic • The Covid-19 pandemic has been the biggest health crisis of our generation, but there is a silent, invisible side-effect lingering that threatens to become a health crisis in itself — loneliness.

Les vacances • You can’t help but feel light and uplifted when you look at Agathe Marty’s illustrations. Her summer-soaked works of shells, palm trees and women donning striped shirts and swimsuits are wholly relaxing, transporting you from screen to summer holiday in an instant. We sit down with the French illustrator and pattern designer to talk travel, collaborations and launching her own brand.

From the inside out • Author Kay Kerr was diagnosed with autism in her late 20s. She describes it as both wonderfully healing and an emotionally exhausting time. In the seven years since, Kay has written three YA books that explore the interior worlds of her coming-of-age autistic characters. Here, she talks about the rocky road that led to her diagnosis, parenting an autistic daughter and her new book, Love and Autism.

Mum knows best • In a world of information overload, a mother’s intuition remains a trusted guide. If you’re pregnant and feeling overwhelmed by the stats and facts, slow down, tune in and pay attention to your body.

All the flavours of crying • There is no emotional or physical roller-coaster quite like the birth of your first baby. Those first six weeks can feel like a test of endurance more than anything else. Author and skin care founder, Zoë Foster Blake, reflects on the astronomical upheaval that was the first three months of her son’s life.

Do you know what you’re really eating? • The demand for convenience has given rise to artificial additives, many of which have been shown to have harmful health effects. Nutritionist, Chrissy Harada, uncovers the most commonly used additives, so you can...