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If there's one thing I've learned about midlife, it's that every day presents a choice: laugh or cry. Preferably laugh, because crying makes you look uglier, gives you a headache and, if you're anything like me, there's a pretty good chance you'll forget what you were crying about in the first place. Which is perhaps why Danni Novytarger has found such a devoted audience. The author, Pilates instructor, menopause coach and content creator has built a loyal following by talkin

Some people leave an impression on you long before you fully understand why. I met Isabelle Fitzgerald many years ago in Narrabeen. It was only a brief encounter and I highly doubt she would remember me, but there was something about her presence that stayed with me. She had a calmness, warmth and gentleness that lingered long after we went our separate ways. At the time, I could never have imagined that more than two decades later I would be sitting down to tell Isabelle's s

If you've ever spent time around new parents, you'll know that advice is rarely in short supply. Between books, podcasts, social media, well-meaning relatives and an endless stream of parenting experts, modern mothers and fathers are constantly being told what they should be doing, how they should be doing it and what they should probably be worrying about next. Yet despite all that information, many parents seem more overwhelmed than ever. According to Anniebelle Vergel de D

There comes a point in life when most people start winding things down. For those of us of a certain age, it often looks like early nights, less sugar, less booze, more supplements and a surprising tendency to discuss gut health with complete strangers while standing in line at Flannerys. Then there are people like Pepperhead, who seem to have realised that the older they get, the louder the call becomes to create, perform and make some noise. The Northern Beaches alternative

If you spend enough time around the Northern Beaches, you start to realise surf lifesaving is about far more than flags, rescue boards and weekends on patrol. For many people, it becomes family, purpose and, sometimes, the thing that unexpectedly changes the entire direction of their life. That was certainly the case for Emanuel Freer. Today, Emanuel works as a casual lifeguard with Northern Beaches Council, volunteers as a lifesaver with Bilgola Surf Life Saving Club and ser

You’ve taken time off work, your bag is packed, you’ve mapped out your travels and you’re ready to let your hair down and enjoy a few well-earned margaritas. But there’s just one thing, and every dog owner knows exactly what I’m talking about. Somehow, whether it’s the sound of the suitcase being dragged out of storage, a shift in routine, or some strange sixth sense dogs seem to have, they just know you’re leaving. Then the guilt sets in and suddenly your doggo’s sad little

Once upon a time, there was a girl called Alisa who sat on the living room floor beside her young children drawing a sparrow for two hours, not realising that tiny moment of creativity, connection and calm would quietly grow into one of the Northern Beaches’ most loved creative communities years later. There were no elaborate business plans, glossy branding strategies or investors sitting around boardroom tables. Just pencils, paper, children and a mother rediscovering someth

There is a strange new and growing genre quietly taking over television and documentaries, and I find it fascinating and frightening in equal measure. It’s the rise of what I can only describe as 'self-surveillance storytelling,' where entire documentaries and crime series are now pieced together almost entirely from people filming themselves. From social media videos, doorbell footage, dash cams, CCTV, police bodycams, ring cameras, selfie videos, livestreams, voice notes, T

While adults are busy panic-buying AI subscriptions, using ChatGPT to write emails they could have written themselves and flooding social media with polished-but-soulless AI generated content, many teenagers are quietly heading in the opposite direction. According to my own teenage daughter and her friendship group, AI is simply not cool. In fact, they see it as lazy, fake, low effort and, strangely enough, even a little insulting. And my honest thoughts? There is hope for us

For decades, chocolate has been sold to us as one of life’s simplest pleasures. A little square of comfort after dinner, a gift at birthdays, a reward during that time of the month or when your heart has been completely broken. But behind the shelves stacked with family blocks, Easter eggs and artisanal truffles, the chocolate industry is quietly undergoing one of the biggest shake ups in modern food history and most people have absolutely no idea it’s happening. Chocolat

At 45, Julia Comodo thought she was falling apart. The Northern Beaches personal trainer and nutrition coach was waking every night at 3am drenched in sweat, exhausted yet unable to sleep. Her emotions felt unpredictable. One minute she was fine, the next she was crying or snapping at people she loved without understanding why. Then came the brain fog. Forgotten words, and names, walking into rooms and forgetting why she was there. “It felt like I didn’t recognise myself anym

In a world where so much of life now feels automated, outsourced and impersonal, even the simplest phone call can leave people feeling frustrated, bounced between departments and asked to remember passwords, PINs and verification codes before ever speaking to a real human being. It can feel completely crazy making and, somewhere along the way, genuine connection and personalised service have started to disappear. That is part of the reason one childcare business is quietly re

There was a time when 'kids being kids' meant jumping off the Narrabeen Bridge, hanging around the skate park until the streetlights came on, phoning someone randomly asking if it was the “Wall family” before hanging up, or occasionally pulling a harmless knock and run before hightailing it like your life depended on it. There was usually some harmless chaos involved and definitely a few annoyed neighbours, but underneath it all there were still boundaries, consequences and a

What started as a spontaneous Covid lockdown idea on a balcony in Newport has turned into one of the Northern Beaches’ sweetest success stories. Five years ago, Adam Brown had never kept bees in his life. Now, he has ten hives, a growing local following and a collection of medals from two of Australia’s most respected agricultural shows. Not bad for what was originally supposed to be a hobby. “It began as a fun thing to do during Covid,” Adam says. “I was sitting on the balco

There is something almost instantly calming about walking into Little Lane Workshops in Warriewood. Maybe it is the scent of candles and paint lingering in the air. Maybe it is the sound of people laughing softly around a table while their hands stay busy creating. Or maybe it is simply the feeling that, for a little while at least, you are allowed to exhale. For founder Sonia, that sense of calm and connection is not accidental. It is deeply personal. Little Lane Workshops w

Most twenty-year-olds are trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Darcy Robbins and Eva Attwood already know. The Northern Beaches sailors are currently campaigning in the 49er FX class, one of the fastest and most physically demanding Olympic sailing classes in the world, with their eyes firmly set on Brisbane 2032. What makes their story even more remarkable is that just a few years ago, the pair were racing against each other as teenagers at Royal Princ

For many Australians, Japan begins with the neon blur of Tokyo, the powder snow of Niseko or the endless stream of social media videos showcasing ramen, cherry blossoms and vending machines. But for Northern Beaches author and Japan specialist Jane Lawson, the real magic of Japan exists somewhere deeper, quieter and far more layered than most travelers ever see. It lives in tiny mountain villages and hidden laneways. In old wooden farmhouses, local markets and fleeting conver

There are moments in life that divide everything into before and after. For Northern Beaches mother, autism advocate and founder of Different Angles, that moment came sitting inside a specialist’s office while holding her two-year-old daughter, Emily. Only months earlier, Emily had been speaking, smiling and connecting with the world around her. Then, almost suddenly, everything changed. “She lost all her words. Every single one,” she says quietly. “She stopped responding to

There are plenty of cafes where you can grab a good coffee, sit for a while and watch the world go by. But every now and then, you come across a place that feels different the moment you walk in. Not because of the menu or the fit-out, but because of the energy. The Mind Cafe in Narrabeen is one of those places. On the surface, it looks like a local cafe. People come in for breakfast, coffee, lunch. But stay a little longer and you start to notice something else happening. Co

It goes without saying that most mums don’t have the time or energy to even cover the basics these days. Between work, running a home and raising children, even finding a moment for yourself, whether it’s just to throw on an avocado face mask or brush your hair before the school run, can feel completely out of reach for most. Which is what makes the cohort of women who choose to volunteer feel almost unbelievable. We’re talking about mums who are juggling all of this and stil