Jenny Brockis on The Natural Advantage

Jenny Brockis, author of The Natural Advantage and four earlier books, on why she thinks the evidence for time outdoors has only strengthened since publication, why health professionals are the group pushing back hardest, and what she would add if she wrote the book now. She also talks about the part of writing that has never got easier for her, and the quiet years after a launch.

You have written five books, from the early brain books through Thriving Mind and now The Natural Advantage. Looking back, what could you say in this book that you simply could not have written earlier in that sequence?

I was more confident to speak from the heart and not just my mind to share what I believed most relevant to my reader

Nature has a long history of being treated as a pleasant extra rather than clinical advice. What did you have to do, in the structure and the evidence, to make the case that time outside is essential rather than a nice-to-have, and has that argument held up in the time since publication?

Yes the argument that time in nature is vital to health and well-being continues to hold true and the scientific evidence continues to grow in its support

It’s also becoming even more relevant as our need to adapt to a rapidly warming world necessitates integrating nature into our urban environments to create sustainable and liveable cities

You work with over-stretched professionals and with health professionals heading towards burnout. Since the book came out, what has surprised you most about how those two groups respond to a prescription of time outdoors, and where do they push back hardest?

The health professionals push back because they claim to be too time poor to include lifestyle suggestions ( including time in nature) or are not convinced by the evidence ( despite the quality of the evidence being robust - closed minds!)

Those individuals and organisations that recognise the value of nature in reducing stress, improving mental and physical health, enhanced productivity, creativity and collegiality embrace it fully. There is a growing demand/ expectation for lifestyle principles to be included in the workplace. Not just for the feel good factor - it makes work more pleasant for everyone and goodness knows we spend a lot of our lives in this place we call work - it matters!

What do you understand about the relationship between nature, stress and cognition now that you did not fully grasp when you handed in the manuscript? Is there a chapter you would write differently today?

I would write an additional chapter aimed specifically at using nature in the workplace and for health practitioners themselves to reveal simple practical strategies that have been shown reduce the risk of burnout.

After five books, what do you know about the actual craft of writing one that only arrives through repetition, and what part of it still refuses to get easier?

It never gets any easier ( for me at least) to get my thoughts sorted for structuring the book.

Hence taking 12 months to get started on the next one!

The part that does get easier is to understand who I’m writing for and why they would care enough ( be attracted to) want to read the book that will provide them the solution(s) to the pain they are experiencing.

Information is meaningless unless it is relevant to the reader.

Learning how to write each chapter that flows logically to the next gets easier with practice.

I don’t know that I will ever be satisfied with my writing - it still feels like there is so much that could be done better.

That’s why I need to keep practicing.

Someone has just finished their first book and is bracing for launch. What would you tell them about the years that follow publication, the part nobody prepares you for, and what keeps you coming back to write the next one?

The launch feels so exciting. You’re birthing your ‘baby’

It’s scary and exhilarating

No one tells you the hard part comes after the launch. After the champagne has all been drunk and your supporters gone home, you’re alone bringing up your book child with little to guide you how best to market it or keep it visible.

It’s important to have a plan for how you want to achieve this - perhaps with a PR agent, a keynote, a workshop on your topic, doing guest podcasts, writing articles about your book etc etc

I ask myself - what is it that will draw people to read my book in 5 years or 10 years time because it is still relevant?

Because my mind is forever buzzing with curiosity, I’m often thinking about the next book I want to tackle before I’ve finished the last one!

It’s the joy of writing that keeps me coming back for more.

The Natural Advantage is available from Booktopia, Amazon or Jenny's website.

You can find Jenny at drjennybrockis.com and connect on LinkedIn.