Home Podcasts Life Matters - Separate stories podcast
Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

ABC Australia 250 Episodes Jul 24, 2026

Life Matters helps you navigate the big stuff in life: relationships, health, money, work, and the world. With trusted experts and your stories, the show explores what truly matters to you. This podcast features separate stories from the program.

Episodes

Ask Aunty: can you divorce your 'chosen family'
Ask Aunty: can you divorce your 'chosen family' Jul 24, 2026 0:11:57 The Aunties guide our listener through their entangled friendship group when one member of this chosen family isn't pulling their weight.Is it possible to get a friendship divorce?
What you can gain from embracing uncertainty
What you can gain from embracing uncertainty Jul 24, 2026 0:40:15 If you've ever suddenly lost a job, had a surprise health diagnosis or a relationship end, you know what it feels like to grapple with uncertainty.Let's face it, uncertainty is all around us, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. It's an uncomfortable feeling.But what could you be missing out on when fear of the unknown drives decision making?
Why is sauna culture on the rise in Australia
Why is sauna culture on the rise in Australia Jul 23, 2026 0:15:36 Does the idea of sweating with a group of people in a room sound appealing?Well all over the country more people are engaging in the Nordic pass-time of sauna.The popularity has risen due to a push by the health and fitness industry on how this practice can optimise your workouts. But what is behind our fascination with sauna and is it here to stay?
Why more young men are getting a vasectomy
Why more young men are getting a vasectomy Jul 23, 2026 0:18:13 The decision to have, or not have, kids is a big one.New research from Adelaide University suggests more Australian men are making that decision earlier than previous generations.Vasectomies are on the rise — particularly amongst among younger men  — with researchers pointing to everything from cost-of-living pressures to changing ideas about family and parenthood.So are young Au
Playing pirates in Sydney Harbour with 'baba' Malcolm Turnbull
Playing pirates in Sydney Harbour with 'baba' Malcolm Turnbull Jul 23, 2026 0:06:14 From commanding the halls of power to playing hide and seek in the halls of his house, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has a lot more time on his hands now to devote to his favourite activity: playing silly games with his grandchildren.All throughout July we've been introducing you to a new side of prominent Australians as part of the Grandparent Trap series, like "grumpy
Social studies: why gen Z men are finding god
Social studies: why gen Z men are finding god Jul 23, 2026 0:11:46 For decades now, we've been losing our religion.Census data has consistently shown that with each generation, we're less interested in maintaining a relationship with whatever Gods we may have in the past.But new analysis shows that young Australian men are turning to religion at higher rates than their female counterparts.So how widespread and entrenched is this trend, and what'
Raising identical quadruplets
Raising identical quadruplets Jul 22, 2026 0:12:12 There's a one in 700,000 chance of giving birth to quadruplets.And there's a one in 15 million chance that a quadruplet pregnancy will result in four identical babies.Yet that's exactly what happened to a Brisbane woman this month, in a case that has gained global attention. It's an incredible feat of the human body, but what is it like on the other side, raising that many childr
Still friends since primary school? Why some friendships last a lifetime
Still friends since primary school? Why some friendships last a lifetime Jul 22, 2026 0:26:25 Who was your first best friend? Maybe you met in your first year of school, lived on the same street, or spent your weekends playing sport together.For some people, those friendships fade as life moves on. But for others, that childhood friend is still in their life decades later.So what's special about a friend who's known you since childhood? And what makes those friendships la
Work In Progress: is your career stalling because you're too valuable?
Work In Progress: is your career stalling because you're too valuable? Jul 22, 2026 0:11:54 Do you feel like your reward for being good at your job is getting more work? You may have incurred the competence tax.It's when you're so good at your job that you are held back because you're too valuable to lose. How do you recognise if you're being taxed and how can you break out of it?
How balcony solar could bring apartments into the energy transition
How balcony solar could bring apartments into the energy transition Jul 21, 2026 0:17:36 Australia has the highest uptake per capita of rooftop solar in the world. But the adoption isn't spread equally among us. For the 10% of the country who live in apartment buildings, there are calls for a better way to bring these residents into the energy transition.Overseas the solution has been balcony solar systems, but these aren't currently allowed in Australia. So what nee
Building your family through infertility and loss
Building your family through infertility and loss Jul 21, 2026 0:19:36 Author, comedian and cabaret performer Libby Trainor Parker always assumed she would meet the love of her life, have a big family, and live in a house full of children's laughter.And in a way, she got that dream. But it's been a long road, with a lot of heartbreak, infertility, loss and grief.Libby has documented her story of pregnancy loss and building a life after infertility i
Australia is trialling AI traffic lights. How will they change our roads?
Australia is trialling AI traffic lights. How will they change our roads? Jul 21, 2026 0:09:16 Have you ever been stuck at a red light, wondering why you're still waiting when there's nothing coming the other way?Australia's first trial of AI-powered traffic lights will test whether artificial intelligence can ease that frustration by responding to what's actually happening on our roads in real time.A faster journey sounds appealing. But if we let AI decide who gets the gr

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