Well Well Well ...: My wellness odyssey from psychics to psychedelics and beyond

by Judith Lucy

From Ayahuasca to Zen, Judith’s hilarious first-hand exploration of what works – and what seriously doesn't – in the wellness world.

Judith Lucy is on the mend.

In 2022, she shocked the world of comedy – and herself – by announcing that she was retiring from stand up.

Interested in the world of wellness since she took up yoga in her early thirties, her plan was to write a fun guide to everything she's tried, from float tanks to meditating with a horse, so that she too could get a piece of that sweet wellness pie.

But then she got sick. In fact, she eventually realised that she was completely burnt out, gave up performing altogether, went on an ayahuasca retreat in the Amazon rainforest and moved back to her hometown of Perth.

WTF?

So as well as a book of all the remedies Judith has road-tested over twenty years, Well Well Well is also a record of her very real attempt to get over burnout and feeling like a used nappy. In among her tales of reiki, sound healing and cryotherapy is a clear-eyed examination of what had been so very wrong with how she (and a lot of us) had been living.

Relentlessly honest and devastatingly funny, Well Well Well might just make you feel better, too. It will most definitely make you wish that you knew a lot less about Judith's bowels.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published September 28, 2026

About the author

Judith Lucy is one of Australia’s most popular comedians. Her work in radio, television, film and her sell out national tours have made Judith Lucy a household name.

She first hit the scene in 1989 as a stand-up but sprang to national prominence in 1993 as part of the cast of ABC TV’s, The Late Show. She did a tour of duty on Triple J and was a regular on Martin/Molloy. Her live stage shows have been what has set Judith apart. Since her 1996 hit, King of the Road Judith has been a regular fixture on the live scene, selling out big rooms with her sharply observed and honest personal monologues.

Judith has also spent time contributing features and columns for the likes of The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and Madison Magazine.

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’m a little bit in love with Lucy. Describing the quackery, the good, the bad and the ugly in search of wellness, which exactly is what? I laughed and I related. I loved her truth.

I don’t watch comedy at all, yet I’ve always noticed with curiosity the self deprecation, the knack comedians have for turning the joke on themselves. Making themselves the joke. Lucy addresses all of this and the elephant in the room: the bad sex, the good sex, the singledom.

What I had no awareness of is the author's traumatic and deeply troubled upbringing. Candid in sharing this with her audience, the scary lack of emotional support and proper attachment to caregivers, and the realisation, culminating over 50 years, that she needed to work it all out.

The counselling, breathwork, and Desperately Seeking Susan vibe in finding a cure to life's ailments reads like a never-ending list. A cure for what was not always known. Putting herself out on a limb continually, trying all manner of things, often through onerous and ineffective means. Ayahuasca in the Amazon, nothing is off limits. What a mess!

Always honest and self aware, the narrative almost reads as peeling back the layers of lifelong hurt in a ridiculously hilarious telling.

I gratefully learned ~

/ self compassion
/ know your values & worth
/ self trust
/ it need not be hard
/ work pressure is not worth your life

Beautifully written, deeply honest and highly recommended. The author's narration was also superb. Sending all the good vibes to Judith right now.

Out now!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending this review copy my way.

[Laura Black Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve grown up on Judith Lucy’s dry, acerbic and relatable humour and laughed myself sick while at the same time, wishing it was possible for female comedians (in Australia at least) to be able to do their thing without having to reveal all of themselves. This self-exposure is something of a trademark for Judith Lucy and Well Well Well puts this skill to good use.

After experiencing a shocking case of burnout, Judith Lucy considers everything she’s tried over the previous twenty years to feel well. I’m glad that she has done some of the stranger things – so I don’t need to. I love the humour and the honesty and I’m so pleased that the answer to gentle wellness is not ghee enemas or psychedelics, it’s things that are more profound – and prosaic.

Chapters take the reader through work, art, nature, time, connection as well as the body and the brain. It’s personal – not everything that works, will work for everyone. Judith comes up with some universals: listen to your body, nurture connection and community, simplify your life, include art in your experience. I love the truth that most things that help are free.

Well Well Well is a quick and easy read. Judith’s openness about her health adventures charmed me and encouraged me to consider some of her crazy ideas. I recommend this if you have health challenges – or even a feeling of generalised ordinariness, or if you are skeptical about the claims of many health modalities.

Thank you so much Judith Lucy and Simon & Schuster Australia for an early copy. Opinions are all my own.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Well, Well, Well… My Wellness Odyssey – Judith Lucy

I have long been a fan of Judith Lucy, so the prospect of accompanying her on a journey through the increasingly bonkers world of wellness was always going to appeal to me.

Judith sets out to investigate the many, many things we are told we should be doing to improve our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. And goodness me, there are a lot of people out there who would like to sell us something in the process.

What I loved most about this book is that Judith approaches the whole business with her trademark combination of cynicism, curiosity and a willingness to make an absolute goose of herself. She’s sceptical, certainly, but she’s also genuinely interested in whether any of this stuff might actually make her feel better.

There are plenty of funny moments, but underneath the humour there’s something rather poignant about the lengths we go to in pursuit of happiness, particularly as women getting older in a world that seems determined to convince us we’re doing it all wrong.

And of course, there’s a rather cruel irony in the timing of this book’s release, coinciding with Judith’s breast cancer diagnosis. Reading about her attempts to improve her health and wellbeing, knowing what she’s now facing, adds another layer to the whole thing. Life really does have a spectacularly rubbish sense of humour sometimes.

I appreciated that this wasn’t simply an exercise in taking the piss out of wellness culture (although there’s plenty deserving of a good roasting). It’s also about trying to work out what actually matters, and recognising that no amount of doing all the supposedly right things can guarantee us good health.

Four stars from me. Funny, thoughtful and reassuringly free of anyone insisting that a green smoothie will solve all your problems.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

#WellWellWell #JudithLucy #BookReview #BookstagramAustralia #SimonAndSchusterAustralia

[hayls 🐴 · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Sass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant relatable and entertaining. Such a wonderful woman. So open and real. Will reread again and again.