Ialways get undressed with my back to the mirror in dressing rooms and this one is particularly small so turning around to face myself will take some tricky manoeuvring. The 8-inch clear Perspex stilettos and the small but potentially fatal pile of discarded clothing at my feet will not make it any easier either.

Bali has long drawn visitors and expats in with its endearing chaos and exotic, tropical vibe. But for Ginette Pearson, it was the vivid local textiles that prompted her return visits, ahead of a more permanent one, armed with only a single suitcase and a sewing machine.

Wholefoods and macrobiotic chef Holly Davis, was busy preserving and fermenting long before kimchi made its way onto restaurant menus, and kombucha became the drink of choice for health nuts. The co-founder of one of Sydney’s most successful wholefoods outlets Iku, Holly has just published her second book Ferment – a homage to her ethos that one of the most primary relationships in our lives is what we nourish our bodies with. And if you’re not enjoying it, then you’re simply ripping yourself off.

Meditation, mindfulness, yoga – the chatter around all this curated relaxation can often leave one feeling, frankly, stressed. And up until recently admitting to being a meditator branded you as being one of those ‘spiritual’ types. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but for others seeking a low-tech, now scientifically backed way to help manage the stresses of life and improve their emotional health, meditation could be just the thing.

I’ve just eaten a litre of vanilla ice cream, a packet of chocolate biscuits, a frozen cheesecake and seven dried figs in less than 40 minutes. But what’s triggered this lack of control, this most recent escape into such short lived anaesthesia? Well, my laptop suddenly gobbled up the two thousand words I’d just written for this article and emotional eating has been a big part of my life for the past 35 years.