Casting off the trappings of modern life, they immersed themselves in cultures that have hardly changed in centuries. The result was a fascinating series that challenges every preconception we have about ourselves.

Modern Lives

The women featured in Tribal Wives were all feeling wrung-out by their lives. Lana Inglis was a recovering alcoholic deeply troubled by her past. Yvonne Power was a single mum of three ground down by the nine-to-five routine. Andy Wraith was a driven woman whose relentless pursuit of success had left her rudderless. Single teacher and life coach Dionne Braham despaired of finding a partner. Sass Willis lived a jam-packed life but was still suffering from losing contact with her mother at 13.

Finding Space

Karen Morris-Lanz escaped a violent marriage and carved a new life for herself as a BlackBerry-addicted business woman and mother. But she was so busy being successful that she lost sight of who she really was. After a month with the Waorani tribe, deep in the Ecuadorian jungle, Karen learned the value of allowing herself space to relax.

Balance Good, BlackBerry Bad

"The whole experience has helped me balance my past, giving the bad things that had happened to me less weight on the scales. This leaves more room for good things to happen," she explains. Karen learned something else in the jungle, too: you don't have to hard-wire yourself to the Internet to survive. "I don't have a BlackBerry now," she declares. "They rule your life."