ALANA BAYLEY

Film: The True Cost

This is the film that inspired me to start Banabae! I had been working in fast fashion throughout my 20’s and early 30’s. I knew that I was working in an industry that was extremely questionable both ethically and environmentally. Seeing this film brought all of that into focus for me. I was truly shaken after watching it for the first time and knew from that point I needed to make some changes. I think it is a film that everyone should watch! We are all consumers and should all understand the true cost of the clothing we wear. All the way down the supply chain.

Book: Stolen Focus. By Johann Hari

Could not put this book down! It is all about what Hari calls the ‘Attention Crisis’. I love how he interwove his personal story of living device free with examples of exactly how our phones, along with other distractions affect on our day to day cognitive function.  These distractions have a disastrous knock on effects for our health, freedoms, and the future of our planet. A book that may scare you a little a first but also offers a light at the end of the tunnel with solutions via the fight for legislation against surveillance capitalism, as well as personal tips to help claw back our focus. A book I feel every parent needs to read!

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BRIDIE QUINN

Book: This One Wild And Precious Life. By Sarah Wilson

I loved Sarah Wilson’s earlier book - First We Make The Beast Beautiful. So I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest book, This One Wild And Precious Life. It definitely didn’t disappoint. The book really encapsulated a lot of what I’d been feeling for some time but couldn’t put into words. I’ve made so many notes around the pages since first reading it, and I’ve gone back and read it multiple times. The book weaves through topics like the climate crisis and our overall disconnect from our natural environment and each other, consumerism and endless scrolling. It has inspired me to be more mindful as a consumer, to put my phone away, get out in the great outdoors, and become more active in seeing the change I want to see in the world.

Film: 2040. By Damon Gameau

I saw this at the cinema with a friend of mine around the time when I started to feel a lot of concern around our changing climate. The documentary shows a much needed positive view of the future, rather than doom and gloom, and was really what I needed at that time as a new mum. The documentary explores what our future would look like by 2040 if we ramp up the existing technologies we have today to help us out of the climate crisis and create a path forward. 

Podcast: Turia Pitt Is Hard Work

Turia is an old mate of mine. We grew up together on the South Coast, and she’s truly an inspiring woman. In her podcast, Turia Pitt is Hard Work, she chats with a diverse range of people who share their stories of courage and resilience. Turia engages with her guests with humour, honesty, and her unique brand of down-to-earth wisdom. I find all the episodes uplifting, but I particularly enjoyed her chat with Julia Gillard as they touched base ten years after The Misogyny Speech. 

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JEN BOUDREAU

Book: The Girl Who Fell From The Sky.  By Emma Carey

I read this entire book in one day. Emma Carey writes beautifully in this story of what could have ultimately been her demise. After falling 14,000 feet from the sky in a skydiving accident in her early 20’s, Emma is left a paraplegic. She tells her recovery and coming of age story with grace and I have never felt more inspired to live each day to the fullest. Jump in the sea, eat that full-sugar, full-butter cookie and get outside and run, walk and jump. This quote will always stick with me - “If you can, you must.” Bringing us back to what matters - the beauty of the moment that is NOW.