Table of contents for Issue 2 in WellBeing Wild

Welcome to WILD, a new publication for the curious — the thought leaders, belief shakers, paradigm shifters and paradise creators. This issue of WILD is for the world. It’s for those grinding hard against the grain, swimming upstream, standing boldly in the arena, asking the hard questions, challenging the status quo and questioning those in “charge”. WILD is for those who believe wholeheartedly in change, doing everything they can to create it within themselves and the world. It’s for those doing the prickly work — on themselves and the way they live their lives. We’re here to reawaken that surge of wild energy, emotion and inspiration within you. Because, ultimately, we need to reawaken and reimagine the way you live in the world. The world needs you. A more refined…

It seems everyone is talking about fibre when it comes to having a healthy gut. There are many food companies that have jumped on the bandwagon to promote their latest high-fibre product to improve gut health. Yes, consuming fibre is important for healthy digestion, but is it as simple as just eating more fibre to maintain a healthy gut? Inside every human, you’ll find billions of bacteria that live in communities in the gut. The largest community lives in the colon and is commonly referred to as the “gut microbiome”. These bacteria play a role in many important bodily functions, including balancing the immune system, nourishing the gut barrier and regulating appetite and blood sugar levels. The key to having a healthy microbiome teeming with beneficial bacteria is to ensure…

What makes you feel wild or alive? I like to go running outside and nothing makes me feel more alive than getting caught in the rain during a summer storm and feeling the drops on your face. It brings me back into the present moment and gives that exhilarating rush of feeling alive. As for wild, doing the thing you have been putting off for a while or having a new experience. What did you study at Endeavour College of Natural Health? Bachelor of Health Science (Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine). Why did you choose to study at Endeavour? I began studying at another large university but soon learnt this was not for me. I chose Endeavour due to the more personal learning approach and smaller class sizes. There is also…

Firstly, what makes you feel the most wild and alive? Believing that together we have the responsibility and the opportunity to bring about great change. Living outside our comfort zones. A cold ocean nudie swim. Laughing so hard you almost pee. Scaring people from behind the door. Giving it a red-hot go. Living fearlessly. Tell us, how did you came up with the concept of Worn for Good? We met back in 2015 at a volunteer information session for a yoga charity and instantly became friends. We had both worked for not-for-profits and quickly realised we had a mutual interest in women’s empowerment, sustainability and social impact (and a shared sense of humour). We’d often talk about our experiences in the social sector and the issues that systemically affect disadvantaged…

Your friends have asked you to go out with them tonight. The place you’re heading to looks great and you’re excited. Your wardrobe is almost overflowing with clothes but after one quick glance, you have “nothing to wear”. You decide to spend your lunch break at the shops and choose something cheap and fast since you haven’t taken this expenditure into account in your budget. You simply don’t have time to think about where these clothes came from, let alone the ecological impact of your impulse purchase. Unfortunately, this scenario is alarmingly familiar to so many. Once that night out is over, it’s only a matter of time until the cycle repeats itself. This is known as fast fashion: cheap, trendy clothing that will degrade after just a few wears…

At the height of Australia’s tourism season, stretching from late November well into the new year, the bush blackened and the sky turned flame-red. Fire tore through towns and razed the bush, destroying millions of hectares of land and causing mass evacuations across the country. News headlines were a procession of destruction and devastation; many were left without homes and even more without the jobs and income usually generated by tourists. With cancellation rates as high as 70 per cent, millions of dollars lost and surplus stock from a deserted tourism season, several fire-affected towns are struggling to rebuild. Months later, as we edge out of the season of long weekends, as city dwellers resume their term -time routines, it’s more important than ever to look to the plight of…

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 11.1 million Australians returned from short-term overseas trips in 2018. Have you ever wondered about the impact of all that travel? Besides financially boosting the visited country’s economy, travellers leave social and environmental traces behind — good and bad. As the ease of travelling grows and globetrotting becomes more common, a shift to exploring the world more ethically needs to happen — and fast. Here are six ways you can do so. Get to know the locals Accommodation apps such as Airbnb and CouchSurfing have changed the way humans travel. Staying with locals means you can discover their favourite spots for delicious food, fun activities and beautiful views, away from the crowds. When it comes to booking activities, seek out locally…

Being mindful about how you manage your money can have a significant impact on your overall wellbeing and enable you to be more financially creative. Money used wisely — for example to help the people you care about or to build a savings buffer against unexpected crises — can be empowering and increase your wellbeing and happiness. To quote James W Frick, “Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are.” Money mindfulness is particularly useful if you find yourself worrying, unable to relax and come up with creative solutions to your financial situation. When you’re mindful, you’re able to pay attention to the present moment and not get caught up in the stresses of the past or…

Products at NO FACE are Australian sourced and made, organic and vegan, as well as free of fragrance, parabens and cruelty. Why were these attributes important when formulating the range? Being natural and organic is what NO FACE is about as a brand. We are strong enough to say “no” to harmful ingredients such as synthetic fragrances, parabens and [those that endorse] animal cruelty, because we believe that beauty comes from within and by treating our environment and all living beings with kindness and care, we harvest a better future. We have lots of beauty brands from all over the world here in Australia, but we don’t realise that Australia has some of nature’s finest beauty ingredients. By making full use of what we have and learning to cultivate them,…

Reflecting Rachael Finch’s philosophy on wellness and mindfulness, B.O.D by Finch represents peacefulness and natural beauty inspired by the Australian lifestyle. With every detail considered, you’ll feel stylish, supported and better in B.O.D. Explore the ranges at www.bodbyfinchapparel.com B.O.D by Finch prize pack includes over $400 worth of B.O.D clothing: 2 x Leggings 2 x Crops 1 x Jumper To join the Wild family, call 1300 303 414 or visit wellbeingshop.com.au to take up this launch offer and quote the code WBW02 Being Wild is for the curious – the thought leaders, belief shakers, paradigm shifters and paradise creators. It’s for those going against the grain, swimming upstream and reawakening the wild within. 4 ISSUES OF Wellbeing Wild magazine RRP $48 PLUS Go in the draw to win over $400…

Utter the word “sober” at a social event and you can almost guarantee head-turning, questioning looks. And who’s to blame them? Drinking whenever the opportunity presents itself is so normalised that to decline an alcoholic beverage seems somewhat suspect. Waving away the bottle has traditionally signalled you were either recovering from an alcohol problem or (pregnancy and religion aside) just a virtue-signalling health freak who doesn’t know how to have a good time. “Not drinking? Why? Do you not want to have fun?!” But sobriety is no longer a discussion confined to discreet meetings in dank community buildings. A new generation of sort-of, temporary teetotal crusaders has emerged, whose attitude towards the sauce is somewhere between temperance leader Wayne Wheeler and rap-starturned- rum-ambassador Lil Wayne. To them, sobriety is something…

What makes you feel wild? Larrissa: At the moment, I love nonlinear movement — basically moving my body to find pockets of stagnation or emotion that I can then let my body move through and release. It’s crazy to discover all the stuff stored in my body and how loose and free I feel when I allow myself to really go there with it. Miriam: I feel wild and alive when I’m in the elements, especially when they are a bit extreme! I recently climbed over a snowy mountain in -4ºC and then went on a surf trip with really big, challenging waves. Both of the experiences made me feel invigorated and alive. What is Sol Cleanse and when did it all begin? Sol Cleanse is an organic cleanse offering.…

byronyoga.com…

Back in late 2016, when I sat in front of a wildly overenthusiastic travel agent booking my flights from London to Sydney with the last £800 in my bank account, I was picturing three months’ worth of solo lunches and a mountain of paperbacks to keep me company. The idea of making friends hadn’t occurred to me. It certainly wasn’t why I was making the 30-hour journey across 17 time zones. But three months of paperbacks quickly turned into six and more than two years later, I’m still here. A walking cliché of the English ex-pat fallen in love with the warmer climes down under. And in case my story wasn’t hackneyed enough, I fell in love for real. So it was that Sydney turned from a temporary getaway into…

How did Outland Denim begin? In 2008, I went to the cinema with my wife to see the film Taken, a fictional film inspired by the very real $150 billion illicit trade of human beings. It was my first introduction to the world of human trafficking. I later had the opportunity to travel to Asia with an anti-trafficking group and saw first-hand what it was like on the ground and how human traffickers prey on vulnerable young girls. I learnt that once a girl has been rescued and integrated into her family or community, a sustainable career path is vital for securing her future. It was from here that the foundations of Outland Denim were placed as an avenue for training, employment and career progression for women who have experienced,…

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been curious about the concept of having children. As a philosopher at heart, I pride myself on taking a leaf out of Socrates’ book and questioning the status quo. Having children is a part of life; a rarely questioned given — and those who challenge this biologically motivated milestone are often dismissed as selfish and strange. But as the axis begins to tilt and we start to question our desire to reproduce, from both a personal and ethical perspective, we wonder if unleashing more humans upon the world is really in everyone’s best interest. Philosophers have been pondering procreation for eons, and these days there’s a whole philosophy, known as anti-natalism, dedicated to the idea that having children is actually wildly unethical.…

If there’s one activity I can really get behind, it’s manifesting. I believe that if I want to be a rocket scientist, I can be. If I want to beat Elon Musk at a game of Sudoku, I can. If I want to create the world’s largest rice mosaic, I can. And before you say, “I want some of what she’s smoking”, I’ll quickly let you know that I’ve just finished drinking a tall glass of the Tony Robbins Kool-Aid. And I’m very, very into it. The dude is a steel-bending, mindshaping, reality-shifting powerhouse. One thing the big man says is that “whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life”. Reading between the pearly white veneers, I think what…

When did the Bank Australia journey first begin? In 1957, as the CSIRO Co-operative Credit Society, can you believe it? Since then, we have had credit unions and co-ops merge together to eventually become Australia’s first customer-owned bank in 2011, as Bankmecu. In 2015, we changed our name to Bank Australia. You are a bank owned by your customers. Tell us what this means. Being customer-owned means we act in our customers’ best interests, not external shareholders’. Most other banks are “investor- owned”, which means they are owned by, and answer to, external shareholders (who don’t even have to be customers). These banks need to focus on making profits for their shareholders, which is often prioritised over what’s best for customers. It’s important to know we’re accountable to our customers…

Share with us your love for the ocean and surfing. Surfing and the ocean have been a huge part of my life from the very beginning. I began surfing the nose of my dad’s surfboard at the age of five and grew up in a family and community of surfers. Most days after school, we were on the beach and my father threw me in the deep end, taking me out to the reef breaks off Nusa Lembongan [Indonesia] from a young age. My very first job was filming for surfing coach Martin Dunn. He and my parents supported me to open and operate the Saltwater Surf School while I was in Year 12 and studying psychology at university. Where has surfing taken you? Surfing has taken me around the…

The fast-paced world of the 21st century is placing high demands on humans all the time. Without realising it, your day-to-day habits may actually be wreaking havoc on your body. How? Because your cortisol levels are constantly peaking. While a certain level of cortisol is normal and plays an important part in your body’s’ functions, becoming aware of how your everyday choices influence your stress levels can play a huge role in both your mental and physical health. What is cortisol? Cortisol, a hormone produced and secreted by the adrenal glands, which helps maintain blood sugar levels, balance hormones, manage inflammation and provide energy to the body. It goes back to our ancestors, long before Instagram and matcha lattes were around and we were just fighting to survive. Your body…

What are some of the things that make you feel wild? Travelling through the countryside, out and about with my family and our two labradoodles, exploring new places and delighting in simple outdoor pleasures, sunshine, fresh air, good food and exercise. My self-esteem rises when, as a therapist, I can help people through painful episodes, listen to and observe their responses as they discover there is hope for a less painful level of activity in their daily lives. What are three tips you would share with someone considering a career in natural therapies? 1. Check to see if the training you want to do is recognised by professional associations. 2. Determine if it’s a therapy eligible for health fund rebates as this may attract more clients to your practice. 3.…

Take a plunge into the ocean. The water is warm, the current steady and the waves gentle. On the inner edges of the Great Barrier Reef, it’s hard to dive or snorkel without being acutely aware of what you are immersing yourself in: the underwater reality of climate change and reef decay. You see it on the news, hear about it in political debates and understand the worldwide crisis of “the reef is dying”. But what’s really happening? The Great Barrier Reef has been evolving for more than 20 million years and has been an intrinsic part of life and culture for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for an estimated 40,000 years. It’s the largest living organism on the planet, spanning 344,400 square kilometres of the ocean and…

Aries March 21–April 19 April to July has you focused on how you relate to the world around you. It’s a time for study, travel and spirituality — a time of seeing the world around you as a mirror to your soul. As Mars (your ruling planet) moves into Pisces on the 13th of May, expect a time of diving deep into your dream life and soul connection, driving you slowly towards eclipse “month”, which starts with a Sagittarius Full Moon Lunar eclipse on the 5th of June and finishes with a Capricorn eclipse on the 5th of July. This eclipse season will see the universe taking the wheel and directing your focus towards travel, wellbeing and your career. During this period, you’ll see how these three areas are linked.…

Lush lashes My speckly hazel-coloured eyes are bordered by dark, long and thick lashes and, although framed by two chunky brows that make the John Howard’s eye-caterpillars look refined, I still consider myself lucky in lashes. My beauty routine is fairly non-existent but as I had three consecutive weddings coming up, I decided to get a little pampering. Keratin Lash Elevate is one of brow-queen Amy Jean’s signature eyelash treatments. As I walk into the sunlit salon, Monique Deveney greets me with a smile and we begin chatting. “Semi-permanent brow and lash treatments have broken new ground in terms of time-saving beauty,” the Queensland director shares. “You can take a dip in the ocean and still surface from the salty water with beautifully arched brows and long, luscious lashes. It’s…

Restorative yoga is the perfect antidote to a busy day. While vinyasa yoga, flow yoga, hot yoga and power yoga have many benefits, attending a class in the evening can often feel like consuming a double espresso. Restorative yoga, on the other hand, is more akin to a soothing turmeric latte with home-made almond milk and cacao sprinkles! Byron Yoga Centre has seen a steady increase in the number of students attending its restorative yoga training over the years. Among them are yoga teachers looking to increase their skill set to cater to the growing trend of more relaxing yoga classes, but also signing up are non-yoga teachers wanting to learn how to create a nourishing home practice. The benefits of restorative yoga Restorative yoga is a wonderful medicine for…

Endeavour College teaches what the world wants to feel Endeavour College of Natural Health is the leader in natural health education and research, producing the experts that keep the world well. Offering courses in naturopathy, nutrition, acupuncture, myotherapy, complementary medicine and remedial massage, Endeavour College is the best at it, because it’s all it does. endeavour.edu.au Access unique gut health insights with Microba Your gut microbiome — the community of bacteria living in your gut — is as unique as you are. It can influence your overall health and be fueled by the very food you eat. You can explore your own gut bugs and what they are doing with Microba Insight — a home testing kit that’s analysed in an Australian lab. microba.com Beach Health Retreat Beach Health Retreat…