The frankie Podcast

Facial acne is an expected part of the teenage experience, but no one tells you it can reappear on the path to your 30s. In this episode, Rebecca Varcoe tells us why she wishes her skin would grow up a bit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Naismith gets irrationally angry when someone chews loudly in her direction. The sound of someone hoeing into an apple? Painful. The crunch of milky breakfast oats? A dagger in her back. Apparently, Emily's experience isn't uncommon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wendy Syfret has something to admit: she's jealous of her best friend's baby. She doesn't want to be the baby – she just wants her best friend back.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Need some help whiling away the hours? Fraser Harvey has a few suggestions.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Caro Cooper explains why she's suss on those with a perpetually peppy exterior. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today you'll hear from writer Michelle Law, a proud cheapskate whose penny pinching habits include picking up five cent coins, stealing teabags and toilet paper rolls from hotels, and picking up every free food sample out there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered what it's like to go viral? Well, writer Chris Harrigan got his 15 minutes of fame not long ago. His story involves seagulls. Lots of them. We'll leave it to Chris to explain.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we'll hear from Rebecca Varcoe. Rebecca recently turned 30 and began to question why breaking a rule brings her out in cold sweats.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, you'll hear Emily Naismith talk about why goodbye is the hardest word.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After years of making woolly jumpers for family and friends, expert knitter Lisa Kerr took the plunge and started her own label, Loris. It's a one-woman show, with Lisa planning and knitting each cosy cardigan, jumper and sweater dress right in her very own living room. If you haven't seen them already, Lisa's creations are essentially a socially acceptable way to wrap yourself up in a bright, fluffy blanket and wear it out in public. We caught up with the clever lady to find out more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artist Ruby MacKinnon grew up in a household where painting the walls with water was a normal Sunday-arvo activity. Coming from a line of artists, designers and teachers, it's little wonder she ended up as a designer, illustrator and hand-lettering queen (with a quick stint in film and TV in between). We spoke to Ruby about her childhood heroes, freelance habits and the big business lessons she's picked up along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to photography, today's guest, Dan Soderstrom, is a bit of a jack of all trades. He's shot everything from portraits of folks in their rental homes to touring musicians and really, really, really ridiculously good-looking food – and along the way, he's worked with clients like NAB, Sony Music and Adidas Australia (you may have heard of them). Dan also happened to enter the frankie Good Stuff awards in 2018, so we sat down with the shutterbug to pick his creative brain.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pey Chi, aka Peggy Chin, is the crafty lady lighting up your Insta feed with bright and bubbly characters (often of the four-legged variety). The 2019 Good Stuff finalist is a textile designer by trade, but also dabbles in ceramics, zine-making and illustration. Beneath all her creative work is a desire to radiate positivity – basically, to give us a break from the gloomier side of life. Tune in to hear Peggy talk about dropping out of uni, unexpectedly falling in love with colour and most importantly, her ultimate toastie. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine a sleek diving board made from paper-thin white marble and steel, only it's couch height and built for the sole purpose of holding your bowl of popcorn or glass of wine. That's the project Daniel de Groot entered into the Good Stuff awards in 2018, along with his brother and wife, Anthony and Prue, who make up the furniture design studio Tuckbox. The trio has a passion for bringing simple, thoughtful design into the world, but they're not afraid to mess around with the idea of what furniture could be. In this chat with frankie editor Sophie Kalagas, Daniel tells us how he stumbled into industrial design and why science podcasts inspire his work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we're bringing you a ripper chat with Shantel Wetherall – the presenter and producer of the Hey Aunty! podcast, and a finalist in the 2019 Good Stuff awards. Hey Aunty! features “fireside chats with black women, fems and non-binary siblings who've been there", and is a special space to share stories, have a belly laugh and dive head-first into honest conversations about identity and community. Shantel is all about connecting people across cultures and generations – but we thought we'd spend some time connecting with her, first.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Dynes is a triple-threat director, photographer and composer who you may remember as a finalist from the 2019 Good Stuff awards.  As a graduate filmmaker, Emily's first short film was screened at a world-famous festival – not to mention the string of local and international accolades she's received since – which is pretty impressive considering she's just 24 years old. Tune into our chinwag to hear about how Emily got into the film industry, how she juggles multiple crafts and why she's driven to get more women and marginalised folks behind the camera. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know a conventional plastic toothbrush can take up to 600 years to break down? Yikes! Joel Hanna is a co-founder of Big Little Brush, a venture selling sustainable bamboo toothbrushes that take only a year to decompose. On top of the eco-friendly factor, Big Little Brush channels 100 per cent of profits into primary health programs in Indigenous communities across Australia. In this bite-sized episode, we sat down with Joel (who also happens to be a 2017 Good Stuff awards finalist) to hear about how a dental debacle lead to a change-making social enterprise.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're talking to Kate Forsyth, co-founder and creative director of Good Day Club – a vintage furniture hire and event styling business based in Melbourne. Kate is a self-confessed expert at stacking unstackable chairs, and designing and styling the raddest non-traditional weddings you can imagine. Think bright colours, neon signs, and snazzy velvet lounges instead of hard wooden pews. She's also mastered the drum part of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, so overall, she's a bit of a bad-arse.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruby was a music finalist in the 2019 Good Stuff awards, impressing the frankie team with a gritty, heart-wrenching tune called “Your Mum”. The South African native (who now calls Australia home) plays a bunch of instruments, including classical piano and guitar, and her dark, moody folk sound has been compared to musicians like Regina Spektor, Margaret Glaspy and Joni Mitchell, no less. She's also a pretty top-notch chick to chat to, as it turns out – have a listen to see for yourself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to our new bite-sized podcast series, Long Story Short, where we introduce you to 10 excellent entrants from the frankie Good Stuff awards. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sheena Chundee is a woman of many talents. A dancer and choreographer, business owner and sound engineer all rolled into one, Sheena's careeer is ever-evolving.  In this ep, we find out: Who to listen to (and who to ignore) if you want a creative job What it's like dancing at the Royal Opera when you're a kid Following your passions Being your own boss lady (and learning to let go) Making arts accessible for as many folks as possible Having longevity in a career that normally ends in your 20s See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Susie Jones is a commissioning editor of documentaries at SBS and all-round TV expert who has more than a few words of wisdom for anyone who wants to score a job in show biz.  Listen to this ep if you want to know about: Working in TV in Australia and the UK How to turn work experience into an actual paying job What it's like working for Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley  The importance of ‘crappy' jobs Why being a sticky beak can be good for your career How your uni project can end up on the ABC Why Rockhampton in Central QLD is such an inspiration See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We chat to Roz Campbell, social entrepreneur and founder of Tsuno, about using design to do good in the world (and help fight period poverty). Listen to this ep if you want to know about: The power of googling Starting a business when you're still at uni Crowdfunding do's and don'ts DIY marketing Accidentally becoming a period campaigner What it's like having a garage full of pads See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jo Walker talks to Penny Modra, owner and operator of The Good Copy – a writing school, publisher and one-stop shop for folks who like to read and write. Listen to this ep if you want to know about: How to make money as a writer (it happens!), Starting your own mag Loads of good and useful tips for writers Starting a business (eek!) Getting up super early in the morning Being nervous but doing it anyway And some great grammar tips too See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Art and illustration judge Jeremy Wortsman runs the creative production and representation studio Jacky Winter. In this chat, he tells us what it takes to make it in the world of visual art, and how no mistake is impossible to recover from. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to our community judge Grace McQuilten, ambition and talent are nowhere near as important as determination and persistence. Listen in to our convo to find out how to launch a social enterprise that can make a real difference. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our writing and podcasts judge is the one and only Benjamin Law – journalist, TV screenwriter and teller of filthy jokes. Hear how Ben made a name for himself in the industry and how he goes about juggling so many creative projects at once.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beci Orpin is synonymous with cool design. She's also our design judge in the 2018 frankie Good Stuff awards. In this interview, she tells us how she makes time for her career and kids, and where her distinctive haircut came from. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're pretty chuffed to have Marc Fennell judging the video category of this year's Good Stuff awards. He told us all about his broadcasting career, the lessons you can learn from angry people online, and what makes a movie special. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fashion designer Jenny Kee is a living legend – and our Good Stuff fashion judge. In this interview, she reminisces about her creative partnership with Linda Jackson, and explains how she went about making stuff that was truly original. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Small business judge Tess McCabe is a wearer of many hats: graphic designer, publisher, marketing superstar and sharer of wisdom. She breaks down what you need to know to get started in business and how to deal with procrastination. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you think you need to get formal training to learn your craft, think again. Our photography judge Luisa Brimble is completely self-taught and gave us the down-low on making it as a cookbook and magazine shutterbug. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music means everything to Myf Warhust, which is why we asked her to judge the music category of the Good Stuff awards. She explains what makes a song stand out from the pack and how musos can go about sustaining a career over the long haul. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our craft judge in this year's Good Stuff awards, Pip Lincolne, is basically a crafty fairy godmother. She told us about ditching the public service to pursue a creative life, and the importance of watching MacGyver while making cute stuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The frankie Good Stuff Awards are here! So we sat down with each of our wonderful judges to discuss where they came from; how they got to where they are today; and to gather a bit of creative advice. To listen to all the interviews and enter the awards, go to www.frankie.com.au/goodstuff See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.