Inbox exploding? Calm is just around the corner

Posted on 13 October, 2025

We all know rest is the cure for burnout – but hands up if you’re still sneaking “just one more email” before bed? In a world where doing nothing feels like doing it wrong, proper rest has become borderline rebellious.

Brigid Delaney (you might know her as the co-creator of Netflix comedy Wellmania starring Celeste Barber) knows this better than most. 

A former political staffer and journalist in Canberra, she has spent much of her career charting the modern search for meaning. Along the way, she’s been the crash-test dummy for all things “wellness” – from juice fasts to yoga retreats – before finally landing on something that stuck: philosophy.

Specifically, Stoicism – and its simple but powerful lesson in learning what we can and cannot control. These light-bulb moments inspired her bestselling book Reasons Not to Worry and now The Seeker and the Sage, where she translates ancient wisdom into scroll-proof, real-life tools.

In some exciting news, Brigid is bringing her lived-through lessons (and her trademark dry wit) to the Canberra Writers Festival with two juicy conversations: one on finding calm when the group chat is on fire (Desperately Seeking Stoicism), and another on the very human hunt for healing (Wellness & Cure) with the acclaimed Katherine Brabon (Cure).

Brigid is that rare unicorn who can make you laugh-snort while also questioning your life choices. Her work offers the kind of practical wisdom you’ll actually use – like the Stoic “control test” or the reminder not to label every moment as good or bad, but simply to let it be – and how we can actually do that.

Wellness & Cure

This conversation pairs Brigid with Katherine Brabon, the award-winning author of Cure, a luminous novel about pain, faith, motherhood and the quiet stamina it takes to keep going when “wellness” stops being a hashtag and starts being your daily homework. Guiding the chat is Canberra’s own Susannah Begbie (The Deed), whose sharp, generous questions keep things grounded and human. BTW – Susannah is also a GP – she knows what she is talking about!

Together, they’ll unpack the difference between optimising and actually healing, the role of ritual when routines fall apart, and why humour might be the most underrated recovery tool of all. Think: less “new year, new you” and more “gentle tweaks and honest talk”.

Desperately Seeking Stoicism

Brigid translates ancient wisdom for modern chaos – think work emails, doomscrolling, and the morning school rush. With author and podcaster Kate Mildenhall, she’ll take you on a brisk, practical tour of Stoicism for real life (yes, with kids’ lunches and creaky knees in the mix).  She’ll transport us to a mysterious town said to hold the secret to true happiness.  What lessons will emerge?

Expect bite-sized tools you can actually use delivered with Brigid’s trademark dry wit and Kate’s generous, curious questions. It’s not “be a robot”, it’s “be a human… with better settings.”