THE BLOG

The science and stories of living well

This blog started as a journalist’s search for answers about what keeps us well, from mindfulness and food to sleep, relationships and mental health. It still is. You’ll find a mix of the best available evidence, interviews with leading experts and stories from real people. But lately I’ve been less interested in just knowing what works and more interested in making it happen, in our homes, our schools and our communities.
– JOURNALIST AND FILMMAKER WORKING AT THE INTERSECTION OF STORY AND IMPACT
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The Mindful Myth: It’s Not Actually About Relaxation

As a health journalist who writes about the science of the mind-body-health connection and who’s interviewed countless scientists on the subject, you would have thought that when I started making my new documentary about mindfulness, I would have known a thing or two. But just a few weeks into the endeavour I came across a … Read full article »

The Truth About My “Whole-Food” Life: Time pressure, tradeoffs, and the burden of pleasing others

The blurb on the recipe book promised it all; “In the follow-up to her amazing chart-topper… Ella makes it easy to prepare delicious food for you, your friends and family, whatever the occasion.” The occasion was my son’s third birthday and with 30 guests due to arrive on my doorstep to help us celebrate, Deliciously … Read full article »

50 Shades of Crappy: The Power of “Emotional Granularity”

At the risk of sounding like I’m whining about my #firstworld problems; this morning was nothing short of crappy. With thanks to two small children who had broken my sleep throughout the night, I woke up feeling crappy. With thanks to a freezing house not suited to Sydney’s mid-winter weather, I got out of bed … Read full article »

The Surprising Things Said By Four Mind-Body Health Experts

When the conference director of Happiness and Its Causes asked me to host a panel discussion between experts on deepening our mind-body connection so that we can lead healthier lives, I was delighted. It’s a topic I’m dedicated to raising awareness about and the lineup was terrific. There was Michael Mosely – the famed English … Read full article »

There’s a Good Reason Meditation Is The Fastest Growing Health Trend

I sat on the stage looking out at an audience of psychologists, mental-heath workers, educators, academics, and everyday folk looking for reliable ways to live better in this crazy, busy, mixed-up world. The event, which was called “Mind The Hype: Is Meditation All It’s Cracked Up To Be?” was hosted by the University of Melbourne … Read full article »

What To Google When You Get Sick (And How To Think Like A Journalist When You Do)

A friend of mine recently had a particularly nasty gastro bug that landed her in hospital. She sent me a link she’d found after googling her ongoing post-hospital symptoms. The online article was written by a blogger who had experienced a very similar illness to my friend’s and whole-heartedly prescribed a recovery path for others, … Read full article »

Why Healthy Habits Are Overrated

This year I set myself an ambitious goal to be eating a completely whole-food diet by the end of the year. At a time when experts are increasingly concerned about the impact of junk food on our health, I wanted to see if was even possible to learn to cook everything from scratch while leading … Read full article »

Are You Wasting Money on Vitamins?

Normally people discover they’re iron deficient during a visit to their GP that was prompted by feeling unusually fatigued. I learned abut my anaemia in slightly more unusual way. During the production of my new film about mindfulness I had a team of scientists tracking my biological markers as I meditated every day for a … Read full article »
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My projects

Raising Superheroes

A mother’s search for answers to the youth mental health crisis leads her across the world, to a truth she did not expect to find, and into a fight she never expected to join.
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My Year of Living Mindfully

My Year of Living Mindfully is the new feature documentary from journalist and filmmaker Shannon Harvey. Overwhelmed with insomnia and an incurable…
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The Connection

ABOUT THE FILM The Connection is a feature documentary that uncovers the latest science in mind body medicine and proves we have much more to say a…
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The Whole Health Life

“In The Whole Health Life Shannon Harvey writes with real heart, relentless honesty, journalistic insight and broad understanding. On top of all th…