Podcast Episodes

Encore: author Heather Rose on the grief lodged deep in her body

Heather's brother and grandfather died in a tragic drowning accident when she was 12 and from that day, she began looking for a way to commune with what lies beyond. 

The quest has taken the Stella aw…

Published on 1 month ago

A former army psychologist on ketamine therapy, PTSD and her surrogate twins

Louise O'Sullivan spent 10 years with the ADF, including deployments with the Special Forces in Afghanistan which eventually left her with PTSD, but a bigger battle lay ahead, the fight to save her p…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Dad, Bob Marley and me

After the death of her father, a spiritual moment with the life-size wooden statue of Bob at Nine Mile convinced queer rapper, Jamaica Moana that everything would be alright.

Jamaica was born to the m…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

How a pair of disobedient missionaries invented Australia's most iconic road trip

Tens of thousands of 'van lifers' and 'grey nomads' drive around Australia each year. But the iconic road trip has a surprising origin story involving a pair of missionaries, a retired butcher and a …

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Encore: How Johnathan Thurston became one the greats

Despite being a stand-out young player, many NRL clubs initially rejected Johnathan Thurston because they thought he was too small and wiry but he went on to become one of the best rugby league playe…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

How Aunty Rhonda learnt to cry

Artist, author and Stolen Generations survivor, Rhonda Collard-Spratt, on bush hugs, beehives, emu bumps, and finding peace.

Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt is a Yamatji-Noongar elder and Stolen Generatio…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Why the pendulum swings between democracy and dictatorship worldwide

Dr James Loxton on how modern democracies can crumble as tyrannical leaders take hold, but also how freedom and democracy can rise again, from the Americas to Europe and into Asia.

James grew up in st…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

A bulldog on the ice -- Eric's journey from the South Pole to Outer Space

Eric Philips has always loved cold weather and from young age became fixated on the idea of polar exploration and following in the footsteps of the adventurers he read about in National Geographic.

An…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Encore: Love, sex and the secret life of retirees

Screenwriter Samantha Strauss on her grandmother's vibrant last years in a Gold Coast retirement home where love, sex and startlingly pragmatic conversations about dying were all part of daily life. …

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Making peace and finding laughter in my family's dark past

Reuben Kaye has always known he was going to be a performer and grew up a house that encouraged his love of the limelight.  But in the background was the weight of his family history full of complica…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago