Sarah Wilson: I Moved To Paris At 50 Looking For Love
episodePreviously titled “Sarah Wilson: Why I’ve Broken Up With Hope | Collapse, AI & Motherhood” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 5, 2026
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What does Sarah Wilson mean by 'breaking up with hope'?
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Marie Claire presents You're Gonna Want to Hear This. I would have liked to have children. I absolutely love children. I delight in being an aunt. And if anything, I actually feel that the greater, more important role for me right now is to be an aunt. We're going to want to hear that what comes next could be more wonderful and beautiful and more human than we could possibly imagine.
Hello and welcome back. This is You're Going to Want to Hear This, the Marie Claire podcast where ordinary women just like you and me share extraordinary stories. I'm your host, Georgie McCourt, editor of Marie Claire Australia.
How does Sarah define the concept of collapse?
Now, there is a word that I keep hearing everywhere at the moment, and I think it really speaks to the anxiety that so many of us are carrying right now. That word is collapse. I think for a lot of us, definitely for me, that anxiety stems from this creeping feeling that we're under threat from all angles. Climate change is obviously such a big one. Then there's AI and this whole technological revolution that we're living through. It feels like our society is changing so fast and there's so much we don't fully understand and also can't quite control. That is a lot to take in. Today's guest has been sitting with all of this and that idea for a very long time. You're going to meet Sarah Wilson. She is a journalist, author, and activist, and she has spent more than a decade researching collapse, what it means, what it looks like, and perhaps most importantly, how we live through it.
What strategies does Sarah suggest for coping with climate anxiety?
You might know her from I Quit Sugar, but her work has taken a very different turn in recent years. You also might be one of the 500,000 people who's seen Sarah's TED Talk about collapse, But what I find most compelling about her is that she has let go of hope. Yes, you heard me correctly. And what do you do if you don't have hope? Well, I'm going to find out today. We're also going to talk about what's really going on with AI and the tech bros and about how we make decisions, whether that's about work or money, even whether we should be having children when the future feels this uncertain. Sarah is also going to talk about moving to Paris, which she did just before she turned 50. And as a side note, that is a dream of mine.
And I was so fascinated by what she said about it.
What are Sarah's views on AI and its impact on society?
She's also going to talk about what life looks like for her right now and why she has never been happier. This is a conversation that will shift how you see the world. and your place in it. So let's get into it and meet Sarah. Sarah, welcome. How does it feel sitting in the offices at Park Street? You're very familiar with these offices.
Oh my goodness, it's so bizarre walking back in here. I sort of was, yeah, so for anyone who's viewing this and wondering why it is that I'm familiar with the offices, it's because I was the editor of Cosmopolitan.
And I remember, do you know I applied for an internship when you were editor?
Why does Sarah advocate for studying philosophy and humanities?
Oh, and did I not give it to you?
No, you didn't get it, but that's fine. I'm sure it was not my decision.
I've moved on.
Don't tell me twice it's happened to me. Really? People said, I didn't get the internship or I applied to be your assistant. I'm like, oh, God, I'm so sorry. Anyway, yes, it is quite strange, but I feel there's a different energy in here. Back then it was in the days of Kerry Packer, who, you know, would give you kind of these very bizarre instructions, you know, and say, yeah, you can do it, but if you fail, it's on your head.
What are the considerations around motherhood in uncertain times?
And it really was, you know, it was that kind of a culture. But I liked it. I liked that kind of culture.
You must feel like a completely different person from when you were, from who you were then.
Yeah.
Yeah, I do. I do. I mean, in some ways. I think my values are very much the same. I haven't shifted, you know.
How does Sarah reflect on her experiences with pregnancy loss?
I was the only editor that would ride a bike each day to work and I never took any of the free – I've never owned a handbag in my life, ever. And so I was quite – I was not interested in that side of things. So I'm still that person, that's for sure.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What does Sarah Wilson mean by 'breaking up with hope'?
0:04–0:50
2
How does Sarah define the concept of collapse?
0:50–1:47
3
What strategies does Sarah suggest for coping with climate anxiety?
1:47–2:35
4
What are Sarah's views on AI and its impact on society?
2:35–3:08
5
Why does Sarah advocate for studying philosophy and humanities?
3:08–3:37
6
What are the considerations around motherhood in uncertain times?
3:37–3:52
7
How does Sarah reflect on her experiences with pregnancy loss?
3:52–4:31
8
What insights does Sarah share about her life in Paris and midlife reinvention?
4:31–44:26
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from You’re Gonna Want To Hear This
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