Conversations
Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption. Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, weaving together narratives from history, science, art, and personal storytelling.
Episodes
Finding love, compassion and God after a lifetime of drugs and crime
For 40 years, crime was the only constant in Lincoln Lynch’s life, until a prison stint forced him to look inward and change the trajectory of his life for good.His young mum went to prison for dealing drugs when Lincoln was little, and eventually he followed in her footsteps.Lincoln endured periods of homelessness and institutionalised abuse as a teenager, and he became a teen f
Encore: Gina Chick's wild grandmother, and embracing her life as 'an element'
The inaugural winner of Alone Australia on her life as a creative, outrageous, nature-loving misfit who grew up to live through great depths of love and grief. Warning: Discusses the death of a child.In 2023, Gina Chick spent 67 days by herself, in the wilderness of Tasmania’s West Coast, surviving on worms, fish, and one unlucky wallaby.After those 67 days, Gina became the first
Nuking the moon and mirrors in space—man's wildest attempts to control the weather
Nuking the moon, putting mirrors in space and blowing up the Polar ice caps are just some of history's hairbrained schemes to control the weather, an obsession man has had since the dawn of time.As a major heatwave tears through Europe, millions of people are frantically trying to stay cool, or praying for some relief. Their desperation is not new.For thousands of years, human ci
Encore: A brother's insight into the genius of artist David Hockney
John Hockney's memoir gives a rare insight into the unusual life of one of the world's most famous artists.He grew up in the industrial town of Bradford in Northern England and was one of five children in a creative household, led by his iconoclastic father Kenneth, a conscientious objector who always told his children to 'never worry what the neighbours think'.During the war, th
The mysteries, ghosts and healing powers of the Abbotsford Convent
For more than a century, Melbourne's Abbotsford Convent was occupied by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, and the "wayward" girls and orphans they took care of. Patricia Sykes was one of those girls.She was dropped off at the orphanage with her three sisters in the early 1950s after their mother died.Their father couldn't afford to take care of four girls at home, but wanted them
How limitations in life, love and creativity can actually set you free
Science writer David Epstein on why freedom can be the enemy of success and how we can all benefit from less choice, not more.We live today with vastly more freedom of choice than our ancestors.But there’s also plenty of research telling us all this choice is making us more anxious, overwhelmed and less creative.In his book, Inside the Box, David makes the case for how constraint
Encore: The traits I was teased about are now my trademarks
Veteran performer Paul Capsis on his strict upbringing and the strong female role models who helped him stay in school despite the brutality.A powerful and expressive voice, flamboyant physical presence, and mane of dark hair have become his trademarks as a performer.But when Paul was growing up in inner-city Sydney as the child of Greek and Maltese parents, these same qualities
The adoptive mum who now fights to keep families together
Anna Dombkins was 25 years old, when she and her husband happened on a television program about adoption which would completely change their lives. CW: this episode of Conversations discusses adoption.It was a documentary investigating the unimaginable conditions of some orphanages in China.The newly married couple felt compelled to adopt, but because they already had biological
Encore: How not to be a d***head with singer Kasey Chambers
Country music artist Kasey Chambers has spent her life making music and connecting with audiences. It’s what she believes she was put on the earth to do.Growing up Kasey and her family spent much of the year camping and roaming the Nullabor Plain where her dad would hunt for foxes and rabbits.She started singing around the campfire as a little girl and went to sleep to the sound
A race against time to help my friend dying from mesothelioma
James O'Loghlin had only just reconnected with one of his best and oldest friends, Jum Wallner, when Jum received some terrible news. What began next was a high stakes race with a fatal deadline.The two men had grown up in Canberra, where thousands of homes had been filled with asbestos, which was often carelessly installed and removed.Jum himself had grown up in one of these so-
"ELVIS IS ALIVE AND RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT" The story behind the nonsensical Weekly World News
Peter Hoysted, AKA Jack the Insider is back with a look at the humorous and bizarre stories of the newspaper founded in 1979 by a former CIA officer.“174 MPH SNEEZE BLOWS OFF WOMAN’S HAIR”, “BABY BORN WITH TATTOO”, “GARDEN OF EDEN FOUND!”These were some of the fantastical headlines that led the comedic black and white US tabloid, Weekly World News (WWN).Peter Hoysted, AKA Jack th
Encore: Darren Hayes on the dark side of his fame with Savage Garden
Darren Hayes rose to fame in the 1990s as part of the musical duo Savage Garden but the scars of his violent childhood nearly ended everything.The band ended up selling 35 million albums and won numerous awards with hits like 'Truly Madly Deeply'.On the surface, Darren had achieved wealth, adoration and stardom —everything he dreamt of as a kid growing up in Logan, on the outskir
Why this private investigator loves the cases others have given up on
Ken Gamble is very good at spying on people doing the wrong thing but perhaps the investigations that have had the most impact are the missing person cases he's taken on pro bono.Ken spent part of his childhood living in a remote outback pub and by the age of 12, he was driving drunk jackaroos back to their stations.When his family moved to the Sunshine Coast, Ken took up boxing
Encore: My eerie week inside Kanye West's Hollywood mansion
Gonzo journalist and writer John Safran on why he decided to squat in a Hollywood mansion belonging to Kanye West.John Safran has made a career out of getting into places he probably shouldn't be, from breaking into Disney Land, to infiltrating fascist strongholds in Australia.A couple of years ago, one of his journalistic expeditions saw him squatting in an abandoned Hollywood m
Rowing against the current—the Australian heroine of the Titanic's 'lifeboat 16'
Everyone knows the story of the Titanic. But one quintessentially Australian story of survival, love and adventure lay dormant for more than a century before journalist and author Lisa Wilkinson raised it from the depths of the Atlantic.Everyone knows the story of the Titanic - the biggest, most magnificent, most expensive ship ever built.It was meant to be unsinkable. But when i
From party trick to pop star — meet Molly Lewis, professional whistler
Molly's niche career began over a decade ago when she entered a whistling competition on a whim and she now performs all over the world. Her music sits somewhere between birdsong and the soundtrack to a film noir.Born in Sydney, Molly moved to Hollywood as a baby before returning to Australia for high school in Byron Bay. Once she realised her talent was more than just a hobby fo
Encore: My adventures on the high seas with a fugitive on the run
Marele Day is a novelist, but as a young woman looking for adventure, she hitchhiked on a catamaran sailing from Darwin to Sri Lanka.The skipper was a Frenchman, named Jean Day, who revealed on board that he had once done jail time for hijacking a plane.What she only found out later, was that Jean was a fugitive on the run from another high-profile crime.Further informationMarele
Algorithms, accountability and the 'manosphere'—empowering men to be the solution
Clinical psychologist and men's mental health researcher Zac Seidler on how boys are being fed increasingly inflammatory content online, and what men can do IRL to offer a version of masculinity that is healthy and vulnerable, instead of hard and dangerous.Many young men are taking a journey on the internet right now which starts with inoffensive self-improvement videos on platfo
Encore: The remarkable life of Professor Richard Scolyer
The former Australian of the Year and pioneering cancer researcher, died from brain cancer on Sunday evening.Richard was a world-leading melanoma pathologist and cancer researcher.After his own aggressive brain cancer was diagnosed in 2023, Richard volunteered to be 'patient zero' in an experimental medical approach, which applied some of the discoveries he and his team had made
How Japanese spirituality can help make everyday life more beautiful
Growing up in Tokyo, Hiroko Yoda never thought of herself as religious, but after her mother died, she began exploring the spiritual traditions of her homeland.She was inspired by the Shinto idea that there are '8 million spiritual beings', animating everything we encounter.In the different practices of Shintoism, Buddhism, and Shugendo, Hiroko found practical means of emotional
Hip Hop, home, and humanity—'trials' on reckoning with his origin story
Dan Rankine (aka 'trials') was the only little Aboriginal boy living in his rural Welsh village when he woke up shaking from a nightmare. That's when he and his mother knew they needed to go home to Adelaide.Dan is now one of Australia's most respected hip hop producers, writers and rappers.Born in Adelaide, Dan spent his early years on the other side of the world - in the rollin
Learning from the mighty matriarchs of the animal kingdom
Erna Walraven was one of the first female zookeepers to work at Sydney's Taronga Zoo in the 1980s. She ignored practical jokes from her male colleagues, like animal dung in her gumboots, and this led to career highlights like travelling the globe to select the zoo's next gorilla patriarch. (R)Erna was born in The Netherlands, to parents who were involved in the Dutch resistance d
Brooke Boney quit her ideal job to pursue her secret dream
The Gamilaroi journalist on the tiny coalmining town that made her and still sustains her, how eating worms led to a job on breakfast TV, and why she's aiming to be a good ancestor in the deep future.Brooke grew up in Muswellbrook, a coal mining town in NSW.She was a smart, high-achieving kid, doing every extra-curricular activity she could fit in.Despite this, she dropped out of
Encore: Australia's TV mum Noni Hazlehurst on her life on stage and screen
The much loved actor has been on Australian TV screens and theatres for nearly 50 years. (R)Noni Hazlehurst comes from a long line of performers, her parents met while they were part of a touring Variety act in the UK, and her great grandfather was a famous child trapeze artist.Keeping children company on Playschool was one of her best known roles, which she had for 24 years.In N
'Angertainment', algorithms and the online outrage industry
Political advisor Ed Coper on the cold-blooded machine that is feeding angry people angry content online to make them even angrier, and what we can do about it.Ed Coper is a political advisor and communications consultant who has worked for the Australian Labor Party, and for progressive lobby groups.Over the past few years, he has noticed what everyone else has - people on both
Luke Bateman on surviving a gambling addiction and the magic of his mum’s love
The former Canberra Raiders player on hiding his fantasy reading habits as a kid in Western Queensland, the joy of doing hard things, and how books brought him back from the brink. Warning: Discussion of suicide.Luke was a sensitive kid, growing up on a cattle station in Western Queensland. He loved being transported by fantasy novels — following the quests, battles and magic the
How a teen father used the local skate park to change the world
Jayden Sheridan was just 17 years old when he found out he was going to be a father, and immediately Jayden knew he needed to give his son better opportunities than he ever had growing up in regional Victoria. (R)In Seymour, which is one of the most disadvantaged postcodes in Australia, Jayden experienced homelessness, substance abuse, violence and a general lack of direction. He
Jimmy Wales says it is possible to have a collaborative, trusting world online
The Wikipedia co-founder has developed seven rules for building trust to create a better world, both on the internet and IRL.Growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, Jimmy was enamoured with his family's Encyclopaedia Britannica.The city was home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre, and the energy of the place gave a young Jimmy a robust enthusiasm for technology and the future.As a
Changing prisoners' minds with Vedic meditation at Rikers Island
Joh Jarvis was a high-flying boss when grief from a terrible loss began to overwhelm her. She tried therapy, exercise and healthy eating. Then she found Vedic meditation, and the experience was 'psychedelic'. (R)Joh Jarvis is a Vedic meditation teacher in New York City.On a regular basis Joh travels to the notorious Rikers Island Prison in the Bronx.There, she teaches meditation
Patrick Radden Keefe digs into the mysterious death of a man posing as a Russian oligarch's son
Staff writer at The New Yorker, Patrick Radden Keefe tells the story of Zac Brettler, who inexplicably changed from a charming and hilarious boy into a money- and status-obsessed young man, who mixed with gangsters and shady businessmen.Patrick's new book begins with the description of a scene that was picked up by a surveillance camera in London in the early hours of a November
Special Collection: Alain de Botton on the true hardwork of love and relationships
The philosopher argues that as a culture, we'd be happier and saner if we re-examined our view of love, because our romantic notions can actually work against the relationships we want most. (R)Alain De Botton's novel from 2016 called The Course of Love challenges many assumptions about falling in love and what comes next.Alain first tackled the subject when he wrote Essays of Lo
Special Collection: Transforming trauma with Gabor Mate
The renowned physician discusses the role of trauma in our lives, showing up as addiction, chronic disease and mental illness, and how recognising his own led to true healing. (R)Dr Gabor Maté was born in Budapest to a Jewish family, just before Nazi tanks rolled into the city.His mother risked handing him to a stranger on the street to try and get him to safety.Many years later,
Special Collection: How I made peace with my mother and our complicated relationship
Diana Nguyen's mother would walk out of her performances at interval in protest of her career, but Diana forged on and in the process healed this mother-daughter relationship. (R)Diana Nguyen knew she was born for a life on the stage when she discovered dancing while staying in a nunnery as a child.Her love affair with the arts, however, fractured her relationship with her mother
Special Collection: An unexpected later in life love story
At 48, Bill Hayes moved to New York. He took up photography, and never anticipated the surprise of falling in love with his neighbour, Dr Oliver Sacks, a neurologist, a naturalist and a university professor. (R)Doctor Oliver Sacks became famous for writing case histories of his patients in books, including The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, and An Anthropologist on Mars.At
Special Collection: The teenage TV star who feels 'lucky to be paraplegic'
Louise Philip had just scored her breakout role on Australian television, in Bellbird, when a horrific car crash threatened to derail the life she was forging for herself. (R)Louise was 15 years old when she convinced her parents to let her drop out of high school to become an actress.She had just scored her breakout role on Australian television, but within a few months a terrib
Lindy Lee on how Zen Buddhism changed her life and art
As a little girl growing up in Brisbane in the era of the White Australia policy, Lindy lived through the pain of always feeling different but then she began using it as fuel for her art. (R)It took her many years to find the power in what she calls the 'tearing' in her identity.She began to make work based on her own family story, and her Zen practice.Lindy is now one of Austral
Encore: My parents died in a plane crash and what came next
At 25, Peter Goers lost both of his parents after the commercial plane they were travelling in crashed into a suburb of New Orleans shortly after take off.Suddenly, he was required to drop everything to fly to America and identify their bodies, he also spent time the relatives of the other 143 passengers that died in the tragedy.For many years Peter's reaction to losing his paren
The secret obsession of a Supreme Court Justice
For 45 years, George Palmer harboured a secret. He spent every spare moment composing classical music, and then shoving his scores in his bottom drawer. Until one day, almost by pure chance, that music saw the light of day.As a young man, George had dreams of becoming a renowned classical music composer, but when he walked into university, he didn't feel like he belonged in the m
Encore: How to sleep well and what can get in the way
From muscle paralysis and sleepwalking, to the power of our subconscious, Dr Sutapa Mukherjee takes you into the secret world of sleep.Dr Sutapa Mukherjee is a sleep specialist fascinated by how the time we spend awake is built on the hours we spend horizontal, and totally withdrawn from the world. She trained initially as a respiratory specialist, but moved into sleep research w
Moana Hope on a life spent caring for others and re-learning how to love
Former AFLW star Moana Hope has spent her life caring for others, including her dying father and her beloved sister Vinny, who has an intellectual disability. It wasn't until Mo was in her 30s that she realised she needed to learn how to love herself.Content Warning: this episode of Conversations contains discussion of childhood abuse, domestic violence and suicidal ideation.Moan
Prolonged old age, the sandwich generation and biohacking—the realities of an aging Australia
Australians are living longer and longer, which is on one hand a beautiful thing. But on the other, prolonged old age is wreaking havoc. So how might we respond to this new demographic situation we find ourselves in?Lucinda Holdforth is a writer who specialises in looking at what makes good societies flourish, everything from manners to politics and equality.Most recently, she's
Encore: The misfit mammal that defies biological conventions
It was love at first sight, when Jack Ashby first set eyes upon a platypus specimen as a young university student.The introduction set him on a lifelong mission to meet these quintessentially Australian creatures in the wild, and redefine their reputation as "weird" or "primitive".He's met many other animals along the way, coming face to face with an elusive snow leopard family i
Lessons in living, grief and love from the Lebanese Civil War
Antoun Issa grew up quietly aware of a profound grief in his mother's eyes. As an adult, after living and working in the Middle East, he finally knew how to ask her about surviving the Lebanese Civil War.Antoun is a journalist who grew up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, after his parents had escaped the civil war in Lebanon in the 1970s.Growing up in Craigieburn as the baby of
Encore: Colm Toibin on his early life and running away to Barcelona, Brooklyn and beyond
The Irish novelist has always been open to where life can unexpectedly take him, and the excitement that comes with that kind of freedom.Colm Toibin's first big move was from rural Ireland to Dublin after his father died when he was young. Then, it was off to experience the wild hedonism and sexual liberation of post-Franco Spain, a pleasant shock after needing a prescription to
'Propeller vs forearm, croc vs leg': The incredible job of a remote bush doctor
Specialist rural doctor, Damien Brown on dramatic rescues, slow interventions and the cases that moved him, including attending to two badly burnt men after a fuel tank exploded on a remote Queensland cattle station.As a young boy in South Africa, Damien Brown was always interested in science and medicine.His neighbour, the local veterinarian, would let him observe surgery in the
A journey to help thousands of horses and revive an ancient tradition
Filmmaker Kasimir Burgess travelled to Mongolia to follow two young men on their gruelling journey to bring 2000 horses to safer pastures during an exceptionally brutal winter.For centuries, the herders of Tsakhir Valley in Mongolia have protected their horses from the harsh winters by nominating their bravest young men to move them.But the ancient practice has been forced to sto
Encore: David Malouf on growing up in Brisbane and his life of letters
Award-winning Australian author, poet and essayist David Malouf died last week at the age of 92, he spoke with Richard in 2014.The first son of a Lebanese family, David spent his early years in South Brisbane, his vivid memories of life as it was then are captured in his classics, Johnno and 12 Edmondstone Street.Although his father played representative rugby league and was a c
Matt Bevan on the history you think you know
The ABC journalist explains how competing, overlapping narratives and outright myths form our understanding of events of the past, featuring an impersonation of Winston Churchill talking about a lemon tree.Matt presents and writes the ABC TV show and podcast “If You’re listening”, where he says he explains the world’s most important stories while hiding in his basement from assas
Encore: My year circumnavigating Australia on a surf ski
Bonnie Hancock got the idea to paddle around Australia after she stumbled on a book in her local library, the wild adventure ended being a gruelling 12,700 kilometre journey took almost a year to complete.Along the way, Bonnie met sharks, crocodiles, and sea snakes, she battled unrelenting seasickness and some serious storms. She also met some fascinating characters and saw the w
The improbable life of 'The Pinching Padre', a vicar with a thirst for adventure and ethical theft
Professor Daniel Reynaud on the incredible true story of an assuming vicar who turned out to be the most decorated military chaplain in Australian history, who had at one point lived his life on the edge.During World War Two, a self-effacing man named Walter Dexter served as the vicar of a church in West Footscray.Walter was in his 60s and his attempts to take up a career as a fa
Surviving White Island and what happened next — Stephanie Browitt's story
At 23 years old, Stephanie Browitt willed herself to stay awake long enough to survive a volcano eruption on New Zealand's Whakaari / White Island. More than six years later, her resilience and sanity remains as strong as ever.The rescue mission to White Island in November 2019 was led by three civilians, who immediately flew from the mainland, as the emergency services deemed th
Sandi Toksvig's bright side
The Danish-British author, broadcaster and comedian recalls her unusual early life with glee, including how she came to be holding the hand of Neil Armstrong’s assistant at NASA’s headquarters on July 20, 1969. (R)Sandi’s interest in the world was stoked from a young age by her father, Claus, who was Denmark’s first Foreign Correspondent, and who was incredibly famous in his home
My year with the real Rudolf Nureyev — a volatile but vulnerable genius
When the world's most famous dancer offered a young sailor a job as his assistant, Blue Robinson thought it was a joke at first. But what followed was the most fascinating and formative year of Blue's life.Simon 'Blue' Robinson grew up sailing and playing rugby on the idyllic island of Jersey, between England and France.In his 20s, he went further a field, first to London and the
Encore: How I came to work with the lions who live in trees
Alex Braczkowski is a big cat expert and for years he's been following a rare group of tree-climbing lions, including the charismatic, enigmatic, three-legged Jacob.Alex fell in love with animals by accident, he'd just been expelled and while his parents were trying to find him a new school, they made him use his time wisely by volunteering at the Johannesburg Zoo.From there he w
My best friend was killed by her ex-husband — this is the message I want men to hear
Hannah Clarke and her three children were killed in an horrific attack that shocked Australia but for Dave Kramer their deaths were personal, he was friends with Hannah and had witnessed her relationship up close.Dave's own childhood exposure to domestic violence had blinded him to some of the signs that Hannah and her kids were in danger.After Hannah's death, Dave began the diff
The story behind Sydney’s Luna Park and its impact on the city
Author Helen Pitt has written a history of the iconic fun park and it's a tale bound up with con men, crooked cops, and developers who have long wanted to snatch up the prime piece of waterfront real estate.Millions of people have happy memories of walking through the teeth of the gigantic face on the edge of Sydney Harbour but it wasn't the first Luna Park in Australia, that hon
Encore: What I learnt about Australia as an Outback GP
When Sonia Henry signed up to work as a GP in a remote mining town in the Pilbara, the experience changed almost everything she believed about Australia.An unfortunate romantic entanglement just before her final exams left her questioning everything, just as she was about to qualify as a doctor.To escape her life in Sydney, she signed up to work in some of Australia's most far-fl
Why my father was abandoned and the empathy I now have for his mother
Jane Messer grew up with a loving father who never really understood why as a child his mother left him and his older sister at a boarding school, so she decided to find out the full story and prove that he was in fact, loved.Her father Michael was born in Berlin in the years between the two world and to escape Nazi Germany he was sent to live in England as a child.There were a f
Encore: The hidden corners of Emma's Hong Kong — fishing villages, beaches and ancestral graveyards
Novelist Emma Pei Yin ran away from Hong Kong as a teenager to start fresh in Australia. But she found herself repeatedly drawn back home whenever she put pen to paper.Emma grew up in England and Hong Kong. But her life in Hong Kong wasn’t so much about the neon skyscrapers as it was about her family’s ancestral village, tucked away in the New Territories.Emma spent her school ho
'The century of foundlings'—what Cynthia found when she went looking maternal family secrets
Writer Cynthia Banham on discovering the shocking truth about her great-grandmother, reckoning with buried family secrets, and the criticisms mothers face from others and sometimes most harshly, from themselves.Cynthia Banham grew up hearing the story of her great-grandmother, Natalina, who had supposedly been orphaned in Italy in the 19th century.But when Cynthia became a mother
Spotting the psychopaths, sadists and narcissists in our lives and how to get rid of them
Toxic people are around us in our workplaces, our families and our dating lives. Research psychologist Leanne ten Brinke is here to tell you how to spot them, and get rid of them from your orbit.Leanne ten Brinke is a research psychologist whose special area of expertise is what she calls 'dark personality types'.These are particularly cruel, malicious, manipulative people who la
Encore: How his ex-wife's hidden letter changed everything for Teddy Tahu Rhodes
Born with a magnificent voice, Opera star Teddy Tahu Rhodes fought against his destiny for years until a letter he'd been avoiding reading changed everything (R)
The GP clinic for patients often overlooked by society
Dr Nada Andric wants to improve the health of people who are marginalised in the community and their access to healthcare.She works at the Reverend Bill Crews GP clinic, a place where people who might be completely off the database of society can get help.Whether they're facing homelessness, dealing with mental health issues, addiction, or simply don't have a Medicare card or pas
Encore: Bo Seo on good arguments and the power of disagreement
Two-time World Debating champion Bo Seo on how love and listening can improve how we disagree, so we're not at each other's throats online and offline (R).When Bo was 8 years old, he and his parents migrated from Korea to Australia. Bo was a quiet boy and sometimes felt overwhelmed at school. But in Year Five, something happened which changed his life: one of his teachers introdu
Exploring loss, love and meaning with psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz
Stephen Grosz has welcomed people into his office for more than 40 years, and believes our greatest task in life is to see ourselves and others with more clarity, in order to live more easily and with more please.Stephen has sat with people as they have shared their darkest fears, strangest dreams and their most explosive love affairs.Through thousands of hours of these conversat
When the magical worlds of Alice Springs and Prague collided
Writer Tanya Heaslip on swapping life on an Alice Springs station for the fairytale streets of Prague, and the remarkable parallels she found between these two magical worlds.Tanya was in a pub in London in 1989 when she watched on the television as the Berlin Wall came down.She was the tail end of a solo backpacking trip, which didn’t quite live up to what she’d imagined it migh
Encore: Remembering cultural leader and storyteller Rhoda Roberts
The late Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung Nation Rhoda Roberts lived through great loss and grief, in the midst of becoming one of Australia's most influential cultural leaders in the arts (R). Content Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this episode of Conversations includes the names and voice of someone who has died, used in accordance
Burnout and the 'Bureaucrapper' — how Nick went from the edge of homelessness to helping others
Nick Orchard on how a tough childhood, mental health issues, couch surfing and hip hop have helped him learn how to help others recover from burnout and impostor syndrome.When Nick was growing up, his mum struggled with her mental health and when he was on a date as a teenager he got the worst call of his life, and went to be with his mum when she needed him most.Nick turned to t
Encore: The real life story behind 'Looking for Alibrandi'
Melina Marchetta grew up in Sydney in a close-knit Sicilian family, but she never wanted to be seen as 'that Italian girl'. Years later, she drew on her story to write an Australian classic (R).Growing up, Melina lied about the fact she was forbidden to go out on the weekends, and instead told her friends she had to attend lots of weddings.At 19 years old, she visited Italy for t
The giant spacecraft on its way to Jupiter's icy moon
Tracy Drain is Chief Engineer of the Europa Clipper, a NASA spacecraft currently travelling to Jupiter on a journey that will take six years.Europa is one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, and scientists believe there could be an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust.Having water would make Europa one of the best places to look for signs of life in the solar system.Tracy Dra
The secret life of a matchmaker—love, listening and telling the truth
Together with his husband, Vinko Anthony runs a matchmaking agency for gay men looking for the type of enduring commitment and love that they found. As part of his role as matchmaker, Vinko shares what he's learnt about love and listening through the ups and downs of his own relationships.Vinko grew up on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, where he spent a lot of his childhood with
Encore: falling in love with a charming fake farmer
Stephanie Wood was new to online dating when she met a sweet man named Joe. But within weeks, she realised 'farmer' Joe was not who he claimed to be (R).Stephanie was a successful and well-travelled journalist when she met a sweet man named Joe online.They spent many romantic weekends away and discussed a future where they would live together in the country.But after months of hi
Encore: The barber who helps boys become good men
Charles Lomu on being privileged to see love in action in his grandparents, how a spiral into grief and anger led him to periodic detention, and how cutting hair today helps him steer young men away from a dark path (R). When Charles was born, he was lovingly given to his grandparents, in the Tongan adoption custom of pusiaki.He lived a gentle, religious life in Tonga, and saw lo
Encore: After triple zero — a paramedic's tale
Benjamin Gilmour describes the hectic work of saving lives, and what it's like to bring people back from the brink of suicide. (R)Ben was been a paramedic for twenty six years and was based in inner Sydney for more than a decade.A regular working week for Bondi's ambulance crews would see them called out to cardiac arrests, drug overdoses, domestic disputes, and to suicides.Their
Anna the anxiety coach on surviving a roller coaster accident and healing her nervous system
When Anna Ferguson was a little girl she was badly hurt in a roller coaster accident. Although she made a full physical recovery, emotionally everything was different, and for many years she couldn't understand why she remained either angry or numb.Anna was 10 years old when she went with her family to the Melbourne Royal Show.Anna was excited to ride a roller coaster for the fir
Iran's position of power in the Strait of Hormuz
Military strategist Jennifer Parker on the story behind the biggest disruption to oil supplies in world history, happening now in the Strait of Hormuz.The narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf has a particular geographical importance to the world, as the land on one side belongs to Iran, and the country has a history of using it to pressure its enemies in times of conflict.A quarte
Encore: How Jenny upended the Australian way of death
Jenny Briscoe-Hough on the uncomfortable truths which saw her set up Australia's first ever not-for-profit funeral home (R).After her mother died, Jenny Briscoe-Hough had an epiphany about the business of funerals.Although her family brought in their own flowers and had a simple service, the bill came to $11,000. A short time later, Jenny began thinking about setting up a not-for
Deciding on a big, bold life
From wearing red stilettos on her first day of university and travelling solo into rural Egypt, to relocating to the United States with four kids in tow, Margie Warrell created her own life for herself off the dairy farm.Margie grew up on a dairy farm in Victoria, the eldest daughter in a big Catholic family. It was assumed she would either enter the convent or marry a farmer. Bu
Encore: Tony Birch — op shop fever and old Fitzroy
Writer Tony Birch with tales of his Fitzroy childhood including his grandmother Alma's 'op shop fever', his love for pine cones and blankets, and the macabre holiday he lived through when he was 5 years old (R).Tony grew up in inner city Melbourne in the 1950s and '60s.His grandmother taught him to waste nothing. So Tony and his siblings would scour the streets for bottles, lead
The ordinary and extraordinary lives of women, artists and mothers
Writer Drusilla Modjeska has built a career exploring the extraordinary lives of pioneering women writers and artists, who have never stopped asking important questions about gender, freedom and expression.Drusilla was born in England right at the end of the Second World War.She was raised to be a well-behaved and self-effacing young woman, in a very conservative time in history.
