‘By reading these incredible stories, you can learn how these gutsy women got back on their feet. They found a way. You can too.’ – Lisa Curry AO
‘Courageous and inspiring. Raw, real, and honest. The women who bravely share their stories do so with one mission in mind – to help others transform their adversities into flames of strength. – Jas Rawlinson – Best-Selling Author, Speaker & Award-Winning Book Coach
What does a mother from war-torn Ukraine, a survivor of the Port Arthur massacre and a former First Lady of Timor Leste have in common?
Resilience and relentless determination to rise despite devastation and challenges.
Sitting around a metaphoric campfire, women share how they have overcome their worst nightmares – the tragic loss of their children, the coalface of war, Taliban terror, homelessness, violence, illegal imprisonment, disease, divorce, injuries, and more.
While most storytellers are unknown heroes of their personal journeys, others are well-known champions of resilience, including Dr Lucy Hone who opens the book with a foreword, Margaret Cunneen SC, Liesl Tesch AM MP, Dr Kay Danes OAM, Dr Kirsty Sword Gusmao AM and Kobe Steel AM.
Campfire for a Women’s Heart is the second book in the inspirational Campfire for the Heart series. The stories stretch your perception of resilience, restore your pride in humanity and illuminate pathways to happiness for us all.
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‘… a truly inspiring series of stories …’ – Hadleigh Fischer, Founder of Resilience Agenda & Co-founder of Mental Fitness Hub
‘… deeply moving stories … of strength, courage, resilience, and hope …’ Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann AM, 2021 Senior Australian of the Year
‘It is my ongoing personal experience that courage is contagious – and that through the fearless and simple sharing of our own truths that we can collectively create hope and change for others around us.’ Shanna Whan – Founder of Sober in the Country, 2022 Australian Local Hero of the Year, & Marie Claire’s Women of the Year Advocate of the Year, 2022
Dr Miriam Rose, Senior Australian of the Year 2021 –
Campfire for a Woman’s Heart has all the qualities of a yarning circle. Traditionally women came together to share their stories and to practice deep listening. The benefit of listening and sharing our stories is that it lightens the burden that we carry, it also gives the opportunity to learn and grow from other women’s experiences.
Natalie has compiled deeply moving stories in this book, stories of strength, courage, resilience, and hope, despite all that life has thrown at these inspirational women. It is healing not only for them to share their journey but also for anyone who reads it.
Lisa Curry AO –
Everyone experiences grief or trauma in some way. It’s hard, but you never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have left. By reading these incredible stories, you can learn how these gutsy women got back on their feet. They found a way. You can too.
Shanna Whan – Founder of Sober in the Country, 2022 Australian Local Hero of the Year, & Marie Claire’s Women of the Year Advocate of the Year, 2022. –
It is my ongoing personal experience that courage is contagious – and that through the fearless and simple sharing of our own truths that we can collectively create hope and change for others around us.
Hadleigh Fischer, Founder of Resilience Agenda & Co-founder of Mental Fitness Hub –
In a world beset by trouble and concern, Natalie Stockdale has curated a truly inspiring series of stories that show how the human spirit is capable of overcoming great odds. With humour, compassion and uncommon sense, Natalie skilfully navigates the tricky balance of both staying true to the stories of courageous and unique acts of bravery while showing the potential for resilience and overcoming that lies within us all.
Lyn Worsley, Clinical Psychologist and Director of The Resilience Centre –
After reading through these life stories, I am struck by the connections each woman found in the face of deep trauma and hardship. Everyone tells of starting again, rising above, gathering strength, and growing personally as a result. They show that it is not what happens to us but who we are in the process that matters. These stories will stay in your mind and touch your soul as you question the meaning of your own life’s challenges.
Capt Dr Peter Kerkenezov BM Master Mariner (Unlimited), Veterinary Surgeon, Occupational Diver –
Many years ago, I remember an old, very arthritic Greek sponge diver say, “It’s a tough life, Senior”. He was severely suffering and bent over from the consequences of long-term deep diving (dysbaric osteonecrosis) under the Mediterranean Sea. These words have ever since been indelible in my mind and I repeat them quietly to myself almost weekly. Life is tough in many forms and to survive requires bloody determination. Reading Natalie Stockdale’s books that describe some of the dreadful challenges in life that she, and others, have experienced most definitely provides comfort in that we are not alone in this world of, too frequent, physical and psychological trauma. In essence, Natalie and her books radiate an aura of inspiration and calmness that is a necessary ingredient for establishing a balance to our existence. The virtues of kindness, compassion, empathy and understanding are also deeply embedded in these pages. Thank you, Natalie.