About

A family’s journey into simplicity, generosity, and joyful change—one story, one step, one shared meal at a time.

Watson Family next to fire 2021

Perhaps There’s More to a “Good Life” Than Having it All

We’re a family of four on a journey—not just across borders, but through ideas. We’re exploring how people are living more fully by consuming less, connecting more deeply, and realigning with purpose. In 2026, we’ll begin a low-impact adventure through Asia. But the real journey is already underway: learning from others, rethinking what we value, and creating space for joy, contribution, and change. Check out our blog to follow along.

Living More

  • Positive Emotion: Not the thrill of the new, but the quiet joy of presence—laughter around a meal, a shared sunset, a morning ride.
  • Engagement: Being immersed in what we’re doing—whether that’s fixing something, learning a skill, or simply walking without distraction.
  • Relationships: Slowing down to really see each other, to build trust, to reconnect with family, community, and strangers-turned-friends.
  • Meaning: Living in line with our values—serving, giving, and contributing to something beyond ourselves.
  • Accomplishment: Progress that feels real—learning to navigate the wind, grow a tomato, or hold a difficult conversation.
  • Health: Choosing food, movement, sleep, and nature over screens, stress, and speed—and inviting our kids into that rhythm.

…With Less

  • Endless busyness and productivity pressure
  • Debt and financial pressure
  • Consumption and waste
  • Isolation and loneliness
  • Assumptions about how we measure success, progress, and happiness

Our Core Messages

Vietnamese children participate in games with Australian volunteer (2006)

Generosity is powerful and effective: Effective giving meaningfully improves the lives of both giver and receiver. Our family has been giving generously for many years and aims to uncover the impact that has had in person. We encourage others to also give what they can, not just as a one off, but as a way of life.

Living simply brings joy, resilience, and freedom. Living with less isn’t about going without or making deliberate sacrifices. It’s about making space for what matters: connection, creativity, contribution, and community. This is not just a nice sentiment, but well documented by research.


Discovering a Different Way

All over the world, individuals, families, and communities are finding new rhythms or rediscovering old. They are growing food together, repairing and sharing, rethinking education, and building resilience through local knowledge and mutual aid.

We’re seeking out these stories. We”ll’re documenting people and places that reflect the values of Living More With Less: from regenerative farms to urban repair cafés, from unschooling families to zero-waste communities. We’ll share what we learn through our blog, videos, interviews, and real conversations—amplifying the good that’s already happening.

The Journey – Local and Global

Watson family cycling in Brisbane

We believe the best ideas already exist, many very close to home. So before we leave, we’re diving into conversations with those in our own community who are already making change—repairing, growing, giving, sharing, simplifying.

Then we’ll hitchhike, set sail, cycle, walk and/or ride toward others across Asia, meeting people living different versions of the same story: a life grounded in purpose, generosity, and joy. We’ll go slowly, minimising our environmental impact and staying long enough to learn and contribute where we can and reconnecting with communities we have supported from afar since visiting Asia in 2006. This is a journey of listening, not leading, of learning and of sharing.

If you are already part of a family or community focused on living more with less or you relate to the message and have noone close to share it with, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch to share your story or collaborate.