Episode #198 Sometimes We Need Less Push and More Connection, Amanda Cooke, poet and author of reunion songs.
In the rush to do more, fix more, and be more, we often forget the simplest truth:Sometimes what we need isn’t another push… It’s a hand to hold. A moment to breathe. A reminder that we belong.When I sat down recently with Amanda Cooke—poet, writer, and creator of Reunion Songs—what unfolded wasn’t just an interview. It was a reconnection. A weaving back into something ancient and alive. Something that felt less like conversation and more like song.A song that belongs to all of us.Amanda Cook is a writer, poet and songwriter who grew up wild on Yuggera Turrbal country (Brisbane) and spent much of her adult life in cities far from home. After 25 years away, including six years in the middle of nowhere, she found herself back near where she began—realising that living wildly is not about escaping, but about remembering and reclaiming the life she longs for.Her writing is rooted in everyday freedom, sacredness, mysticism and practical animism. Through poetry and personal essays, Amanda explores what it means to belong—to ourselves, to each other and to the greater web of life. When she is not writing, Amanda is close to home with her family, immersed in books, art, nature, music, poetry or dancing—anything that reconnects her inner and outer wildness.The Beauty of RememberingAmanda describes her book not in chapters, but in song cycles. Because the poems didn’t arrive in a straight line, they emerged like ripples. Whispers. Threads in the greater tapestry of the natural world—the web of life—calling her back to herself.“The name Reunion Songs came from the joy of remembering. Remembering that I belong—not just to myself, but to the Earth, to others, to everything I thought I had lost.”This isn’t just poetic language. It’s a biological truth. We now know through neuroscience that connection rewires the brain. That being seen, supported, and attuned to can restore nervous system balance. Being in nature, or even just thinking about it promotes a sense of calm.Amanda’s poem Restoration Song captures this beautifully:Take off your shoes now, you here in this body— the body of the Earth rising up to meet you, saying yes. This is where you belong. It’s never too late to remember what you’ve been waiting for.What if healing is not something to achieve, but something to allow? What if it’s already here—beneath your feet, within your breath, in the rhythm of your heartbeat?For Educators, Carers & Everyone Holding It TogetherIf you’re someone working on the frontlines—whether in a classroom, clinic, kitchen, or courtroom—this message is for you. You don’t need to push harder. You need a moment of grace. Amanda’s work in youth justice and my own work in neuroscience agree: people are not machines. We are relational, rhythmic beings. And we heal through connection, not perfection. Let Amanda’s words hold you, even if just for a moment:“You’re doing a great job. What you do matters. Let yourself be held too.”If you’re longing for a softer, wiser way to walk through this life, here’s where to begin:Listen to Amanda’s episode Read her poetry collection Reunion Songs (Amazon or ask your local shop) Subscribe to her Substack: Appetite for LivingStep outside. Take off your shoes. Let the Earth say yes to you again.Support the showSubscribe and support the podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/367319/supporters/newLearn more at www.profselenabartlett.com
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