Podcast appearances and mentions of Richard Fidler

Sharonne Zaks is not your average dentist. After treating a patient named Anna, Sharonne saw the power relationship with her patients differently. She developed a new branch of dentistry to help care for survivors of sexual assault.Sharonne grew up in a family of dentists, and when she too became a dentist, she developed an empathetic relationship with her patients, never judging them even if they'd avoided the dentist for years.A patient named Anna profoundly changed Sharonne's understanding of a patient's experience in the dentist's chair.Sharonne realised that for those who have been through a sexual assault or trauma, the extreme powerlessness of being treated at the dentist can be highly triggering.Sharonne undertook study into the area, and began a new regime to treat survivors in her own practice.She then began explaining what she'd found about the power dynamic between dentist and patient, to her own colleagues.Further information2025 update: Sharonne regularly presents on trauma-informed care to groups across the dental profession and beyond, including lawyers, nurses, doctors and carers.Trauma-informed dental knowledge and skills have recently been made core competencies for all newly qualified dentists by the Australian Dental Council.You can read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website.This episode of Conversations explores dentistry, Maxillofacial surgery, fear of the dentist, overcoming fear of the dentist, sexual trauma, power dynamics, tooth pain, tooth ache, root canal, medical industry, helping patients, fear of medicine, oral hygiene, avoiding the dentist, dental appointment, finding a dentist who cares, empathetic dentist, pain free dentist.

In the swinging 60s, Anthony 'Ace' Bourke and John Rendall bought a lion cub from a luxury department store. They eventually released him to his natural habitat in Africa. Footage of their emotional reunion in the wilds of Africa nearly broke the internet, decades later.In 1969, Anthony 'Ace' Bourke and John Rendall bought a lion cub for just under £300 from Harrods Department Store.They named the cub Christian, and lived with him as a pet in their Chelsea flat, above a furniture shop.Eventually, Ace and John met the renowned conservationist George Adamson, who agreed to introduce Christian to his natural habitat in Africa as he was quickly outgrowing their inner city pad.Several years later John and Ace went to visit Christian in the wilds of Kenya.The fully grown lion remarkably remembered the men, and was filmed leaping up to embrace them.Some 40 years after that event, footage of their reunion was uploaded to YouTube, and brought the story to a whole new audience.Further informationFirst broadcast April, 2009.John Rendall continued to actively support the The George Adamson & Tony Fitzjohn Wildlife Trust until his death in 2022. Ace Bourke has been a committee member of Australian-based charity, Working for Animals for many years and is writing a memoir. You can hear Richard's full conversation with Ken Wyatt on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website.This episode of Conversations explores viral videos, conservation, charismatic animals, safari, wildlife trade, 1960s, Kora National Park, Kenya, East Africa, travel, animal welfare, epic story, unbelievable story, memoir, books, writing.

Bryan Brown has played more than 80 roles on stage and screen. Raised in working-class Sydney, his talent, hard work, and unmistakable presence have been his ticket to the world.Now in his late 70s, Bryan has had more film and television acting roles than he's had birthdays, and is an instantly recognisable figure on screens around the world.From Breaker Morant and Newsfront to Two Hands and Sweet Country, a huge number of classic Australian films feature Bryan, a testament to his talent, popularity and work ethic. Bryan also spent a period working in America, starring most notably in Cocktail and Gorillas In The Mist, before ultimately choosing Sydney over Hollywood.In the 1980s, working on the American-made series The Thorn Birds utterly changed Bryan's life. He and British co-star Rachel Ward fell in love and married soon after.Their creative partnership has been enduring and they worked on one of Bryan's most recent films, Palm Beach, together - with Rachel directing and co-writing, and Bryan also co-producing.Palm Beach was inspired by a reunion of friends in later life, and a health scare that rocked Bryan's confidence for several years. Further InformationOriginally broadcast August, 2019.You can hear Richard's full conversation with Hank Harlow on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.You can also read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website.This episode of Conversations explores acting, Australian cinema, classic movies, Australiana, Australian kitsch, film history, fatherhood, love, rags to riches, Hollywood,, anxiety, mental health, amateur theatre, theater, Red Dog, men's mental health.

Henrietta Lacks was the first human being that we know of to get close enough to 'immortality' to touch it. She died more than 50 years ago but her cells live on.'HeLa' cells were the first human cells to be grown for research, and have been vital in medical advances since the 1950s.But what fascinated science major Rebecca Skloot the most about these cells, was how little was known about the woman behind the name.So she set out to discover who Henrietta Lacks really was.Further informationFirst broadcast in July, 2010.The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is published by Picador.Rebecca's book was turned into a film starring Oprah Winfrey.You can learn more about Henrietta online.You can also hear Richard's full conversation with Helen Macdonald on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website.This episode of Conversations explores science, science communication, weird science, female scientists, modern history, medicine, medical history, medical research, cells, cancer, curing disease.

Our chefs and cooks and the food that made them — stories from across 20 years of Conversations.Unforgettable sensory moments from childhood are behind the devotion of some of Australia's most well known chefs.From Gary Mehigan's grandfather's secret chocolate stash, to the aroma of the traditional Cantonese broth, made by Hetty McKinnon's mother, wafting from her morning kitchen. This tasting plate of stories about food and cooking also includes stories from Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, Hetty McKinnon, Josh Niland, Jimmy Shu, Maggie Beer and Poh Ling Yeow.This episode of Conversations was produced by Pam O'Brien and Nicola Harrison. The story editor was Michelle Ransom-Hughes. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It was presented by Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The secret lives of parents — stories from across 20 years of Conversations.Espionage, Hollywood scandal, a second family, daring wartime missions, and a deadly weapon — revelations unearthed by adult children delving into the lives of parents long gone.Familial mysteries are some of the most spellbinding in our archives, and this collection features life stories from around the globe, revealed in the hunt for answers.Further informationListen to the full episodes from featured guests Paul Carter, Darleen Bungee, Nadia Mahjouri and Jane Eales.This episode was produced by Anna Priestland, Pam O'Brien, Alice Moldovan and Jenna Koda. The story editor was Michelle Ransom-Hughes and the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski presented the interviews.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Memories, motivation and life lessons from those at the front of the classroom - stories from across 20 years of Conversations.Teachers share stories from their life's work.Facing up to challenging students, sitting alongside a young person in turmoil, making lifesaving decisions for an entire school, and the simple joy of seeing knowledge take root. We celebrate the dedication found in schools across the country by featuring some extraordinary principals and teachers.Content warning:Sergio Rosato's story (from 8-25 minutes) deals with bushfire survival.Brendan James Murray's story contains a mention of self-harm that is not explicit (55-56 mins).Listen to the full episodes from featured guests Manisha Gazula, Sergio Rosato, Lynne Hinton, Eddie Woo, Sarah Donnelly and Brendan James Murray.This episode of Conversations was produced by Stefanie Collett, Pam O'Brien, Jenna Koda, Nicola Harrison and Meggie Morris. Story editing by Michelle Ransom-Hughes. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski presented this interview.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Adventurous spirits take us way out into the world's wild places — stories from across 20 years of Conversations. Travel high in the mountains with Kazakh eagle hunters. Join an endurance horse race across the Mongolian steppe.Feel the edge of darkness, paddling a kayak solo across the Great Australian Bight. These tales of wild landscapes and creatures, of courage and awe, invite you to share the adventure along with some of our many intrepid guests: Palani Mohan, Bonnie Hancock, Chris Watson, Campbell Costello, Sally Henderson and Andrew Harper.This episode of Conversations was produced by Michelle Random-Hughes, Pam O'Brien, Jenna Koda and Meggie Morris. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. Story editing by Michelle Ransom-Hughes. Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler present.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

A collection of some of the best moments from actor and writer William McInnes — celebrating 20 years of Conversations.The voice of actor William McInnes is unmistakable, whether in larger than life TV roles; or as himself, telling true stories. A firm favourite of Conversations' listeners, this episode is a collection of highlights from his many appearances on the program.You'll enjoy William's rendition of a Perry Como classic; hear him wax lyrical about the mayhem and magic of family life in Australian suburbia, circa the mid-to-late 20th Century; and be drawn in by his hilarious and heartfelt shaggy dog stories about raising his children as a single dad, after the death of his wife Sarah Watts. Listen to William's full episodes on fatherhood, Australianisms and Christmas.This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and Michelle Ransom-Hughes. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

When Mick Doleman was a boy, all he wanted to do was to go to sea. At 18 years old, he got his chance, crewing on a freighter called the Blythe Star. But within hours, he was shipwrecked in the freezing, wild Southern Ocean off Tasmania with no chance of rescue. 50 years later, he's telling his story.

Writer and journalist Daniel Nour on the pressures of his vivacious Egyptian-Australian family, and 'inviting people in' instead of 'coming out'.Daniel grew up in Sydney's Sutherland Shire, the only son of Egyptian migrants.He dearly loved his parents, who taught him how to stand up to bullies, drove him to Tournament of the Minds competitions, and helped him buy his first car, but he could never be his whole, true self around them.For most of his life, Daniel was in denial about being gay, despite his raging crushes on handsome film characters like cartoon Aladdin and the Scorpion King, played by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Daniel even very briefly contemplated life as a priest in order to escape the familial pressure to marry a woman and give his parents grandchildren.But after a confidence-boosting trip to Egypt, and then an embarrassing, dishonest appearance on national television, Daniel was finally honest with himself.Further informationHow to Dodge Flying Sandals and Other Advice for Life: An unreliable ethnic memoir is published by Simon and Schuster.Daniel is a member of Sweatshop Literacy Movement, you can keep up to date with his work at his website.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores migrant stories, multiculturalism, coming out, Coptic Orthodoxy, protestant church, faith, religion, homosexuality, Arab-Australians, racism, first generation Australians, growing up in Sydney, Cairo, writing, books, family dynamics, body image, male body image, masculinity, gym culture, diet culture, memoir.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Sister Clare Nolan was the head of nursing at St Vincent's Hospital when the HIV/AIDS epidemic reached Australia. She met with politicians, brothel workers and gay activists in the same room to work out how to save the men under her care in Ward 17 South.Clare was 21 years old when she entered the convent, against her mother's wishes, joining the Sisters of Charity novitiate to prepare for life as a nun.Clare had already completed her training as a nurse, and so she didn't want to join a contemplative order, closed off to the rest of the world.Clare wanted to take care of the sick and marginalised as a nurse, and as a nun, and so she became a 'walking sister'.Sister Clare quickly rose up the ranks, becoming the director of nursing at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, right as the HIV/AIDS epidemic reached Australia.Clare found herself in meetings with politicians, immunologists, brothel workers, gay activists and Catholics, working together to figure out how to save the hundreds of patients who came under her care in Ward 17 South - the first and only dedicated HIV/AIDS ward in the country.Further informationYou can learn more about the Sister's of Charity of Australia and St Vincent's Health Australia online.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

When there's a plane crash, a bomb blast, a flood or a pandemic, Lucy Easthope's phone starts ringing. This is how she stays cheerful and trusts her gut in the face of never-ending disasters. (R)When Lucy was 10 years old, she was at home with her dad watching a Liverpool Football Club match when all hell broke loose.The Hillsborough Disaster, as it came to be known, was a fatal crowd crush that killed almost 100 people and as Lucy and her dad watched it all unfold on the television, she remembers him shouting, "Someone needs to sort this!"That formative experience inspired Lucy to go on to become what's called an 'emergency planner' or 'disaster specialist'.When a plane crashes, a bomb explodes, a city floods or a virus spreads across the planet, Lucy's phone begins to ring and she springs into action.Lucy's speciality is the care and return of personal items to grieving families, through which she's learned that a cup of tea and truthfulness are as important as DNA testing.Further informationWhen the Dust Settles is published by Hodder & Stoughton.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer was Carmel Rooney.It explores natural disasters, floods, famine, starvation, plane crashes, train crashes, mass death, tsunami, Bali, Japan, tube bombing, stadium crush, mass panic, disaster relief, survival, mental health, coping mechanisms, high cortisol, adrenaline, Grenfell, pandemic, terrorism, terror attack, Lismore, tornado, covid, ebola.

Felicia Djamirze grew up in the criminal underworld, then became a beauty queen. But her life outside the pageant circuit was mired in the world of drugs, bikie gangs and violence (CW: graphic discussion of domestic violence and crime) Felicia Djamirze is a counsellor, an advocate for women's justice, a three-time Miss Australia winner and a convicted drug trafficker.Felicia grew up surrounded by drug abuse and crime in a rough part of Sydney. Her family was marked by addiction and connections to the criminal underworld.As she got older, Felicia attracted a lot of attention for her looks, eventually finding the world of beauty pageants, which she thought was her way out.But behind the scenes, Felicia's life was far from glamorous.While living with a partner who was in a bikie gang, she survived severe domestic violence. Then, during her next relationship she was caught up in an horrifically violent encounter with the Queensland Police when they burst into her home to arrest her partner for dealing meth.Felicia admitted her involvement and was convicted for drug trafficking. In the aftermath, she retrained as a counsellor and mental health advocate. She now aims to use her experiences to help others find a way out of the justice system and re-enter, unashamedly, into the real world.Further informationContent warning: this episode of Conversations contains descriptions of domestic violence. Help and Support is always available.If you are experiencing Domestic Violence 1800 Respect is available 24 hours a day on 1800 737 732.For support with PTSD in Australia, Lifeline (13 11 14) and Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467) offer crisis support.Felicia's book Accessory is published by Affirm Press.This episode of Conversations was produced my Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores crime, conviction history, police brutality, bikies, meth, substance abuse, epic origin stories, family dynamics, relationships, prison, outlaw motorcycle gangs, arms dealing, ice, Russian mafia, Hells Angels, Bandidos, Rebels, Comancheros, Finks, and Mongols.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

David Goodwin spent years working the graveyard shift at his local service station in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. The grungy work quickly took over his life (R).He took the job to support his university studies, but working overnight made study impossible and soon the work took over.From his brightly lit perch behind the anti-jump wires, David saw a collection of very strange people come through the auto-doors.There was the man dressed as a giant bee, a woman who offered to pay for her fuel with a half-eaten pizza, and a psychotic man covered in blood. There were self-appointed wizards and speed-addicted truckies, as well as football hooligans who loved singing. The unusual work changed David from a shy and naive teenager into someone with more street smarts, but it also thwarted his true ambitions for years. Further informationSERVO is published by Hachette. Content Warning: This episode of Conversations contains discussion of drug use.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris.It explores gritty cities, grungy, writing, books, dreams, psychedelics, shrooms, mushrooms, travel, strange jobs, odd jobs, Melbourne's underbelly, memoir, origin story, finding yourself, young men, growing up, raising boys, forging your own path, shiftwork, student job.

As a boy, Dr Rangan Chatterjee saw his Dad work day and night as a doctor before he succumbed to severe auto-immune disease. After his father's death in 2013, Rangan had an epiphany about his own futureLearn more about Rangan's books and podcast at his website.Rangan is currently touring Australia, speaking in Sydney on Thursday 17 July and Brisbane on Wednesday 23 July.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris and presented by Sarah Kanowski, the executive producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores health, doctors, GPs, lifestyle medicine, Gabor Mate, Schwartz, IFS, therapy, stress, anxiety, success, family, overwork, modern life, diet, nutrition, exercise, simple medicine, glucose, lupus, grief.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Zach was still a teen when he was scouted by the AFL in Ireland, beginning a great adventure in Australia, where he fell in love and unexpectedly became a dad. On his way home from training, a 24-year-old Zach would have to pull over on the side of the road to cry before he got home to his young family.Zach Tuohy was just 17 years old when he was scouted by the Carlton Football Club at a Gaelic football tournament in his home country of Ireland.He did two trials for the club before taking the plunge, leaving his family behind in Portlaoise and moving to Australia to become a professional footballer, first for Carlton and then for the Cats in Geelong.By the time Zach retired from the AFL in 2024, he had accumulated an astonishing 288 games, a premiership title, a loving Aussie wife and two beautiful sons.But Zach's great Irish-Australian adventure wasn't always a dream run.He struggled as a young, first-time dad, and didn't know who to turn to.On the way home from training, Zach would feel compelled to pull over on the side of the road and cry, alone in his car before coming home to his young family, pretending everything was ok.Further informationThe Irish Experiment is co-authored by Catherine Murphy and published by Simon and Schuster.Keep up to date with Zach's post-footy exploits on his Instagram page.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris and presented by Sarah Kanowski. Executive Producer is Nicola HarrisonIt explores the AFL, Carlton, Geelong Cats, Premiership, Grand Final, West Coast Eagles, fatherhood, post postpartum depression, postnatal depression in men, young fathers, migration, Irish in Australia, Aussie Rules, hurling, grandma's love, relationships, raising children, life after sport, professional athletes, Sydney Swans, Grand Final, footy.

After a lifetime of nursing and midwifery, Janty Blair discovered her funny bone in her late 50s, following a serendipitous Bumble date (R)Janty's father, Bob, was a staff sergeant in the Australian Army, and so she grew up moving around the country.Home for Janty, a Butchulla, Mununjhali and Woppaburra woman, was really Hervey Bay in Queensland, where she would go on trips every year to visit her aunties, uncles, cousins and grandparents, all of whom were stomach-achingly funny.While Janty loved performing in the school musicals, she was quite a serious child and didn't find her funny bone until later in life.Instead of following her childhood dream of becoming an actress, Janty became a nurse and then a midwife.But in her 50s, Janty went on a serendipitous date.Two days later, she was performing in her first stand-up open mic night, and just a few months later she was crowned the winner of the biggest First Nations comedy competition in the country.Further informationYou can keep up to date with Janty's tour schedule by visiting her website.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations explores NAIDOC week, comedy, black comedians, military life, the Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, Wayne Blair, hospital, medical profession, health industry, birthing, motherhood, military family, Aboriginal, Indigenous, First Nations, online dating, dating in your 50s, Byron Bay, bumble, Sapphires, Jessica Mauboy, deadly funny, blak humour.

Leah Purcell grew up in a small town caring for her mum Florence. Her options after graduation were nursing or working at the meatworks. But after a push from her meatworks boss, Leah defied her own expectations for herself (R)Leah is now an acclaimed actor, playwright, and stage and film director.She grew up in the Queensland country town of Murgon. Although she came from a big family, it was just her and her mum for most of her childhood.Her dad lived in town, but didn't acknowledge her as his daughter.Leah's mum Flo was well respected. For a time she was the only Aboriginal woman allowed in the lounge area of the pub, which was a whites-only zone.Leah grew up with her Aunties and Uncles yarning around the kitchen table, and became a vivid storyteller herself.When she left school, it was expected she would go to work in the local meatworks, or become a nurse.But one of Leah's bosses at the meatworks refused to give her a permanent position, because he'd seen her in the local high school musical. When he told Leah she had a real talent, it helped change Leah's idea of herself.And so after her mum passed away, Leah left her small town.In Sydney she set off on her path to becoming an actor, a playwright and eventually a film director.Her first play 'Box the Pony' was inspired by her mother and grandmother's life story, and it became a huge hit.Today Leah is recognised as one of Australia's most important voices in the performing arts.Further informationLeah was awarded an Order of Australia in 2021 for her services to the performing arts. She released her feature film, The Drover's Wife in 2022. Leah played the lead role and also wrote and directed the film.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations explores parentification of children, children raising parents, mixed families, racism, rural Australia, family dynamics, writing, books, plays, theatre, Andrew Denton, fathers and daughters, NAIDOC, Aboriginal, Indigenous, talent, film industry, acting, love, origin stories, life story.

Bundjalung man, Jack Manning Bancroft's scholarship to a prestigious Sydney University college showed him a rarefied world that shocked him, and he used his childhood grit to channel his energy into a world-changing project.Jack's mother is Bundjalung artist, Bronwyn Bancroft. Growing up in inner-Sydney, he was intimidated by her artistic drive and threw himself into sport, because that was the only way a young Jack thought a man could have influence in the world.When he was ten the family moved to Bundjalung country to spend time with his mum's side of the family. The local kids refused to accept that Jack was Aboriginal. He escaped into fantasy books and wrote long letters home to his dad, Ned Manning, in Sydney.Jack received a scholarship to St Paul's College at the University of Sydney and vowed to use his opportunity to increase the number of Indigenous kids at university.The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) was born and Jack has since used his position to forge connections between communities to foster understanding across the world.Further informationWatch Australian Story featuring Jack and his partner, Yael Stone on iview.Listen to Jack's dad, Ned Manning, on Conversations in 2022.This episode of Conversations was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. The presenter was Rudi Bremer.This episode of Conversations touches on Aboriginal culture, mentoring, changing the world, personal story, epic life story, family dynamics, Aboriginal excellence, grief, loss, depression, failure and painting.

Lech Blaine with the strange true story of his childhood, shaped by love, religious zealotry, and four wildly different parents. CW: descriptions of foster care and child removal. Lech grew up in a big family in country Queensland, where his dad Tom ran pubs for a living. He had six older siblings, who had come to the family as foster kids before he was born.It was a happy, knockabout, sports-obsessed childhood. But in the midst of all the love and warmth, Lech's mum Lenore lived with a creeping sense of dread.She knew that one day, the troubled biological parents of three of the children in the family would appear in their lives.Michael and Mary Shelley were Christian fanatics wandering from place to place, in and out of jail and psychiatric hospitals, and notorious for stalking politicians and judges.One evening, when Lenore was at home with some of the children, Mary Shelley knocked on her door, changing the family's life forever.This episode of Conversations explores family, origin stories, adoption, foster care, religion, Christianity, mental health, mental illness, family dynamics, parenting.Further informationAustralian Gospel is published by Black Inc.Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14.This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and presented by Sarah Kanowski.It explores family dynamics, origin stories, adoption, foster care, religion, Christianity, mental health, mental illness, parenting, blended families, biological children, adoption, Australia, books, writing, journalism, memoir.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Lech Blaine with the strange true story of his childhood, shaped by love, religious zealotry, and four wildly different parents. CW: descriptions of foster care and child removal. Lech grew up in a big family in country Queensland, where his dad Tom ran pubs for a living. He had six older siblings, who had come to the family as foster kids before he was born.It was a happy, knockabout, sports-obsessed childhood. But in the midst of all the love and warmth, Lech's mum Lenore lived with a creeping sense of dread.She knew that one day, the troubled biological parents of three of the children in the family would appear in their lives.Michael and Mary Shelley were Christian fanatics wandering from place to place, in and out of jail and psychiatric hospitals, and notorious for stalking politicians and judges.One evening, when Lenore was at home with some of the children, Mary Shelley knocked on her door, changing the family's life forever.This episode of Conversations explores family, origin stories, adoption, foster care, religion, Christianity, mental health, mental illness, family dynamics, parenting.Further informationAustralian Gospel is published by Black Inc.Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14.This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and presented by Sarah Kanowski.It explores family dynamics, origin stories, adoption, foster care, religion, Christianity, mental health, mental illness, parenting, blended families, biological children, adoption, Australia, books, writing, journalism, memoir.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

For journalist Kate Halfpenny, moving to a beachside town during Melbourne's lockdowns seemed like the perfect way to unwind and escape her huge mortgage. Then she had to contend with the triple whammy of perimenopause, her husband's alcoholism and distance from family and friends.For the first time in her life, Kate had an empty house, no job commitments and no city life to distract her.She was able to indulge daily in her love of boogie boarding and surf-side walks with her dog, Maggie.One day at the beach, Kate saw her elderly father struggling in the surf.Kate's husband Chris was in the water next to him, but was acting strangely and couldn't manage to haul him out of the dangerous water.That evening, Chris confessed his alcoholism to Kate and the couple faced the inevitable decisions they would have to navigate, together and apart.Further informationBoogie Wonderland is published by Affirm Press.This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations deals with good divorce, Melbourne covid lockdowns, seachange, addiction, alcoholism, supporting an alcoholic, women in media, perimenopause, midlife, being alone, boogie boarding and relationships.

Hannah Diviney made history in 2022 when she became the first person with a disability to film a sex scene for Australian television. Then she went viral when she confronted both Lizzo and Beyonce over an ableist slur in their song lyrics.When Hannah was growing up, the only people she saw on TV who used a wheelchair like her were Paralympians or in Road Safety ads.Hannah spent a lot of her childhood feeling lonely and left out, though she was sure she wanted to be a writer when she grew up.She was still at pre-school when she realised that names on the front of books belonged to the people who had written them.It was also around this time when Hannah became aware that her body didn't work in the same way as her friends at childcare.Hannah has since started the Krazy Kosci Klimb, which supports young people with Cerebral Palsy to climb Australia's highest peak.Hannah always knew representation was important for young, disabled people like her to be reflected in pop culture and to belong.So she wrote to Disney, requesting they create their first princess who uses a wheelchair.That petition secured Hannah's first job in journalism with Mamamia — at the age of 15.She has since made history, becoming the first person with a disability to film a sex scene for Australian television.in 2022, Hannah went unexpectedly viral for confronting musician Lizzo about an ableist slur in her song lyrics.Several weeks later, Beyonce used the same slur, and Hannah realised she had to take on the biggest pop star in the world.Further informationHannah's collection of autobiographical essays, I'll Let Myself In is published by Allen & Unwin.This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Hollywood actor Tim Pocock was tricked by his dying, devout mother into undergoing gay conversion therapy. After she died, Tim finally learned how to be himself, without fear and self-loathing.Tim grew up under the thumb of his charismatic, pious mother.He went to a school with links to the controversial, secretive and conservative Catholic organisation, Opus Dei.There, he desperately tried to hide his sexuality, and was ruthlessly bullied for his musical and stage talents.Despite Tim's success in Australian opera, television, and in Hollywood blockbusters, he continued to harbour many secrets about himself and his family.One day his mother, who loved Tim deeply in her own way, and who was dying from ovarian cancer, convinced her only son to come with her to therapy. Instead of finally being able to talk about his struggles, Tim found himself being tricked into gay conversion therapy.For the last few months of his mother's life, he went to be hypnotised by a 'Catholic psychologist' every week, until eventually she died, and Tim was set free to learn how live by and for himself.Further informationThe Truth Will Set You Free: Growing up gay in Opus Dei is published by Hachette.You can stream the Four Corners report into schools with ties to Opus Dei, which features Tim, on ABC iview.The Pared Foundation's full responses to questions from Four Corners can be read here.Opus Dei Australia provided Four Corners with this statement.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris and presented by Richard Fidler. The executive producer is Nicola Harrison.This episode explores sexuality, LGBTQI+, homophobia, family dynamics, books, writing, mother-son relationships, shame, the Church, infidelity, cancer, death, grief, losing a mother, acting, a career in acting, memoir, epic life story, origin story, Marvel, Wolverine, Cyclopse, Dance Academy, Tangara, Redfield.

American novelist Ann Patchett reflects on Frank, Mike and Darrell, the men who made her, going a year without shopping and her power to make herself invisible (R)Ann Patchett is an acclaimed American novelist and the owner of an independent bookstore in Nashville.Ann has had three fathers — Frank, Mike and Darrell, who have each provided her with material or motivation for her writing.In 1974 Frank signed up for a subscription to the “100 Greatest Books of All Time” from the Franklin Library, every page complete with gilded edges, and a sewn-in satin-ribbon bookmark.Once all three fathers had died, Ann could finally see what they had given her throughout her life — strength, adoration and acceptance.In her new book, Ann weaves the stories of her fathers into a book of essays about going a year without shopping and becoming dear friends with Tom Hanks' assistant.Further informationThese Precious Days is published by Bloomsbury.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations explores fatherhood, fathers and daughters, male role models, writing, Tennessee, growing up, origin stories, personal stories, parenting, life story, family dynamics, America, United States, grief, death, loss of a parent, writing, books, bookstores.

In April 1980, a group of armed men invaded the Iranian Embassy in London, taking hostages, and issuing demands in the name of a cause almost no one had ever heard of.The 'Group of the Martyr', a collection of Iranian Arabs, wanted independence for their province of Iran, but their demands were impossible for the British Government to meet, and so the then-little known Special Air Service (SAS) were told to plan an invasion of the building to rescue the hostages.They had taken 26 people hostage, including staff, visitors and a police officer named Trevor who was guarding the building at the time of the attack.What followed was a six-day siege, that was eventually broken by the SAS.Their storming of the embassy galvanised the world, as people watched it all unfold on live television.Historian and author Ben McIntyre takes a deeper look at this dramatic siege and rescue operation, uncovering the real, powerful story of ordinary people responding as best they could to lethal jeopardy.Further informationThe Siege is published by Penguin Random House.This episode was recorded live at the 2025 Sydney Writers' Festival.It explores Iran, Tehran, terrorism, violence, threats, diplomacy, rescue missions, epic history, western democracy, dictatorship, foreign affairs, global politics, east vs west, occupation, war, civil war, BBC, journalism, live television, media ethics, Afrouz, MI5, Hyde Park, surveillance, Stockholm Syndrome, Mustapha Karkouti, Syria, Operation Nimrod, Jassim Alwan al-Nasiri, Abbas Lavasani, murder, execution, Saddam Hussein, Iraq, Iran-Iraq War, the Middle East, history books, writing.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Liz Cameron was 18 years old when a stranger approached her in a book shop. It was the beginning of her induction into a cult, and it was an experience Liz barely survived.The process of brainwashing happened gradually, first came the love-bombing and the allure of finding a new purpose in life. Then came the isolation from friends and family, along with sleep deprivation, overwork and sexual manipulation.Liz was one of the many women chosen to become a kind of bride for the leader of an infamous Korean religious group.It wasn't until she became critically ill, that her family were able to get the help she needed to escape and to begin the process of being deprogrammed.Liz Cameron's memoir is called Cult Bride: How I was brainwashed and how I broke free.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Jennifer Leake.This episode of Conversations touches on cults, brainwashing, religious groups, eating disorders, sexual manipulation, deprogramming, sexual assault, sleep deprivation, family, recovery, healing, trauma, biography, psychology, Providence, JMS, Jesus Morning Star, Pastor Joshua, Jung Myung-seok.

If you're an avid podcast listener, you've likely heard one of Richard Fidler's Conversations. For 20 years he's been chatting with people from all walks of life, making the Conversations podcast one of the most popular in Australia. So as they mark this big 20th birthday, I thought it'd be fun to flip the mic on Richard. Because his story begins long ago, as a founding member of the Doug Anthony Allstars, and host of Race Around the World. In 2016 Richard published his first non fiction book Ghost Empire, and since then has written three more (Saga Land, Golden Maze, and The Book of Roads and Kingdoms).He is a curious soul, a master storyteller, and you're about to relish in his tales.T. Rex – Get It OnJoy Division – InterzoneThe Violent Femmes – Blister in the SunCocteau Twins – Carolyn's FingersBig Star – Kanga Roo

Author Katia Ariel tells the story of Ephraim Finch, a man synonymous with death in the Melbourne Jewish community. He started life as Geoffrey William, the son of a butcher, who would go on to become a master builder before his life became unrecognisable to him.Several years ago, Melbourne author and book editor, Katia was invited to write Ephraim's biography.Katia was already familiar with his name.She had seen the way mourners uttered his name and felt a sense of calm and ease within their sorrow, because they trusted Ephraim as a master of death who would know how to lead them through the world of mourning.Ephraim started life as Geoffrey William Finch, the son of a butcher in the working class suburb of Ashfield in Sydney in the 1940s. He learned his love of reading from his pop, who would come home from his job at the abattoir and read Oscar Wilde's work over a cigar on the porch. From a young age Ephraim felt an ineffable pull toward monotheism and converted to Judaism, along with his wife, Cas, after the pair met as teenagers at the Wagga Wagga Royal Show.Eventually he was drawn to his vocation — the sacred and quiet ritual of preparing bodies for burial. And he became the go-to man in Melbourne, where over his career he has buried more than 10,000 people.Further informationFerryman: The life and deathwork of Ephraim Finch is published by Wild Dingo Press.Katia's first book, a memoir is called The Swift Dark Tide, published by Gazebo Books.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan.This episode of Conversations touches on death, grief, mourning, burial, Judaism, Jewish, chevra kadisha, Ephraim Finch, Melbourne, Orthodox Judaism, conversion, Jewish conversion, Wagga Wagga, Herman Wouk, deathwork, funerals, epic life stories, origin stories, loss, reflection and biography.

Professor Lorimer Moseley is neuroscientist, who specialises in the complexities and mind-boggling nature of pain - what it is, why it exists, how it works and when it can go wrong.For most of us, pain is a fundamental part of being alive, and staying alive and yet none of us will ever experience the exact same pain as someone else, which makes it incredibly difficult to understand.Every day, we stub our toes and burn our tongues. Some of us break bones and suffer from more serious illnesses and conditions.What you feel when your skin is broken or a ligament is torn is there to tell your brain to be careful, that something is wrong and needs to be protected.But what happens when doctors can't find any damage? When the tissues in your hips or the pictures of your brain seem perfectly fine, but still, there is agonising pain that refuses to leave you alone?Lorimer was a physiotherapist who came to this very specific neuroscience after his own experience with chronic pain, following a pretty gruesome sporting injury that by all accounts had been fixed by surgery.He realised that as he was learning more about how changes in the body are detected (like temperature and pressure), and communicated as pain to the brain through the central nervous system, his own chronic pain started to diminish.Since then, Lorimer has published hundreds of papers and several books on the topic, in his pursuit to help people also dig themselves out of the hellish cruelty of chronic pain.Further informationYou can find more resources from Professor Moseley about tackling persistent or chronic pain online at TameTheBeast.orgFind out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.The Executive Producer of Conversations in Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Meggie Morris and presented by Richard Fidler. It explores persistent pain, migraine, arthritis, neurology, psychology, distrust of the medical system, pain relief, hypersensitivity to pain, doctors who believe you, chronic conditions, endometriosis.

What happens when a man can't stop his drive and desire for more? Author Andrew O'Hagan dissects the pitfalls of more money, more success and more applause (R)Andrew O'Hagan is the author of several highly acclaimed novels.His most recent book is a sweeping portrait of modern-day London, a city ‘levitating on a sea of dirty Russian money'. The main character, Campbell Flynn, is much like Andrew himself: a public intellectual who escaped from the Scottish council estate he grew up in and came to London to enjoy great success.But success, a big house, a loving family and expensive habits are not enough.Campbell is a man riding for a fall, and there will be many spectators at the final hurrah, when his life comes tumbling down. Further informationFirst Broadcast May 2024, and recorded at the Melbourne Writers' Festival.Caledonian Road is published by Allen & Unwin.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Defence analyst Hugh White says Australian leaders are in denial about how dramatically the world has changed, and need to get a grip on the deep, troubling forces propelling us into a new order of world power.The balance of global power has changed dramatically over the last 25 years.Even in the last five years, so much has happened - the pandemic, AUKUS, the war in Ukraine, a change of government here in Australia, Donald Trump's return to the White House, and all the tumult that has followed over the past six months.According to defence analyst Hugh White, we are quickly heading into a post-American world.However, Australia's defence assumptions remain based on a world which America built for us, where the United States is still a predominant world power that is heavily invested in Asia, and in us.Hugh says political leaders in Australia are in denial about all of this, and need to get their heads out of the sand, accept the the world as we knew it is passing away, and redefine our relationships with powerful nations including the United States and China in order to make our way in this new world.We've done it before, with the United Kingdom in the post-World War II years, and we need to do it again, Hugh says.Further informationYou can read Hugh White's essay, Hard New World: Our Post-American Future, in the June issue of the Quarterly Essay.If you're interested in more episodes like this one, have a listen to Richard's recent conversation with Marcel Dirsus about tyrants and dictators on the ABC Listen App, or wherever you get your podcasts.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Jennifer Leake and presented by Richard Fidler.This episode of Conversations explores nuclear war, Russian expansionism, Ukraine, Putin, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Los Angeles protests, riots, political landscape, Lauren Tomasi, ANZUS, Asia-Pacific, Xi Jinping, Taiwan, invasion, California, the decline of the West, National Guard, law enforcement, ICE.

Dr Jayashri Kulkarni on her Indian-Australian upbringing and her groundbreaking research into women's hormones and mental health (R)Jayashri Kulkarni's family moved from India to Australia in 1961.They found there were no Indian grocery stores, few spices of any kind, and plain yoghurt wasn't available.But the Kulkarnis adapted to their new home, teaching their neighbours how to cook Indian food, and encouraging Jayashri's love for studying.Jayashri became a doctor, and during her training as a psychiatrist she became fascinated by the relationship between women's hormones and mental health.She's since been at the frontline of groundbreaking research, which challenged many of her colleagues and ended up helping women all over the world.Further informationFirst broadcast in February 2024.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Tamar Cranswick and presented by Sarah Kanowski.It explores female health, medical research, menopause, perimenopause, hormonal health, female medical research, migration, studying medicine, depression, anxiety, gut health, why don't doctors listen to women, gender stereotypes, underrepresentation in medical research, gaslighting in women's health, women's pain, motherhood, stress, psychiatry, reproductive health, hormonal birth control.

When journalist Cheng Lei was detained by Chinese state security agents, she thought would be freed within the week. Instead, she was held on absurd espionage charges for more than three years, much of that time spent in isolation.When Cheng Lei moved back to the country of her birth after the dramatic opening up of China to the world, she was a part of something exciting and historic.That all changed after Xi Jinping came to power, and Australia's relations with China deteriorated.In this first episode of a two-part series, Lei explains how eventually, she found herself detained on bogus espionage charges, and held for more than three years in a Chinese detention centre.For the first six months of her detention, Lei was isolated and alone except for the rotating female guards who stood over her 24 hours a day.Lei was not allowed to speak to these guards, she was forced to sit on the edge of her bed for 14 hours a day, she had to ask permission to do anything, she was not allowed to close her eyes and intermittently she was taken to a room, tied down in a chair and interrogated about allegedly sharing state secrets with foreigners.Lei learned how to ration books, she practised German vocabulary, wrote scripts in her head and thought of her two children to stay sane under torturous conditions.Further informationCheng Lei: A Memoir of Freedom is published by HarperCollins.Cheng Lei: My Story is a documentary made by Sky News Australia. It is available to stream at SkyNews.com.au.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Meggie Morris.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations explores CCP, Covid, propaganda, communism, paranoia, Marise Payne, Scott Morrison, family separation, career changes, jail, justice system, Chinese Communist Party, embassy, diplomatic relations, CCTV, state broadcaster, media, television, news anchor, single mothers, trade, tariffs, books, writing, motherhood, parenting, Tiananmen Square, personal stories, origin.

In 2008 Nathan Dunne was night swimming in Hampstead Heath in the middle of winter when a psychological catastrophe struck him. He felt his sense of self split in two, and an unbearable pain overtook him. He couldn't work out what had happened to him, and neither could the doctors.CW: This discussion contains sensitive mental health details and mentions suicide.Nathan was driven to attempt suicide, and endured years of misdiagnoses from doctors and medications that didn't work.Nathan didn't have the words to describe the confusion, pain and splitting of self he was experiencing.For years, water was the symbol of his undoing.When Nathan returned home to Australia and his parents' care, his mum gave him a copy of his grandfather's war memoirs.Here, Nathan found a link that showed him the healing qualities and the beauty that were possible in water.Eventually, Nathan found a doctor who could explain his symptoms and finally give them a name — depersonalisation.Further informationIf you need help, you can phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.When Nothing Feels Real is published by Murdoch Books.Read more about dissociative disorders and depersonalisation on the NHS website.Read about dissociative disorders and depersonalisation specifically in relation to young people on the Orygen website.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan.

Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason on what it takes to keep up with her seven children — all of them gifted classical musicians (R).Kadiatu is a former English academic and the mother of seven extraordinary children.All of them are gifted classical musicians.Her eldest daughter, Isata wrote and performed her first piano concerto at the age of eleven.Her son Sheku mastered the cello and performed at the royal wedding of Harry and Megan Markle.Every day the seven Kanneh-Masons, who range from early teens to the mid-twenties, fill the family home with glorious, sometimes chaotic, music.This episode of Conversations explores music education, classical music, accessibility to music, Isata, Braimah, Sheku, Konya, Jeneba, Aminata, Mariatu, piano, violin, cello, orchestra, state school, public education, big families, motherhood, fatherhood, prejudice, mixed race families, music is for everyone, how to learn the violin, gifted children, raising gifted children, gifted and talented.Further informationHouse of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons is published by Oneworld.Kadiatu's newest book, also published by Oneworld, is called To Be Young Gifted And Black.

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 buy condoms in Ireland.Since then, he's journeyed to Sudan, Los Angeles, New York and beyond.Wherever Colm goes, he keeps a running list in his head of tiny details — observations of seemingly mundane encounters, an offhand comment or the cut of a lady's suit on a train.Every now and then, these details bubble up in Colm's memory and another of his well-loved novels, like Brooklyn, Nora Webster or The Master, is born.This episode was produced by Meggie Morris. Conversations Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. Presented by Sarah Kanowski.It explores film adaptations, death of a parent, grief, Ireland, homophobia, growing up gay, Catholicism, epic adventure, John Crowley, Nick Hornby, Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Julie Walters, Dublin, immigrant experience, the Irish immigrant experience, family separation, origin stories, falling in love, books, writers, novels, life-story, family dynamics, reflection, loss, funny, comedy, repression, orgies, condom prescriptions, journalism, foreign correspondents.Colm's latest novel Long Island is published by Pan MacMillan.He was in Australia as a guest of the Wheeler Centre, RMIT, Melbourne Writers Festival and Sydney Writers Festival.

When Hilde Hinton was on the cusp of adolescence, her mother died. For years she protected her younger siblings from the truth about their mum.Despite the great grief of her mother's shocking death when Hilde was just 12 years old, there was also a sense of relief for Hilde. She shielded her younger siblings, Samuel and Connie Johnson, from the truth of how and why their mother died.But when Connie also died, decades later of cancer, Hilde was propelled into writing her first novel, in between shifts as a prison officer.Her debut book, The Loudness of Unsaid things, was intensely autobiographical.While Connie never got to read the book, Hilde's brother Samuel finally 'met' their mother through Hilde's writing, and learned all that his big sister had done for them growing up.Now, from her home in Melbourne, where people who need solace freely come and go, Hilde explores in her writing the ordinary things that make life extraordinary.This episode was produced by Meggie Morris. Conversations Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. Presented by Richard Fidler.This episode of Conversations explores mental health, suicide, grieving, grief, death, mothers, single fathers, bipolar, mothers with mental health issues, mental health hospitals, institutionalisation, prisons, writing, books, novels, siblings, Love Your Sister, nuns, Australian Story, childhood cancer.Further informationThe Opposite of Lonely is published by Hachette.You can watch the episode of Australian Story, which features Hilde's brother, Samuel Johnson, online at ABC iview.

Sean Sweeney on the complications and joys of growing up as a a hearing child in a deaf family, using Auslan, a distinctively Australian sign language.In his twenties, Sean rebelled against the deaf world, and began to look for a new life in the hearing one.But after eighteen years, he returned. He found work as an interpreter at TAFE, and he met his future wife.In 2019, Sean became well known for interpreting from English to Auslan for Australia's Rural Fire Service during Australia's Bushfire Emergency.The episode of Conversations explores family, Auslan, interpreting, bushfire emergency, family, CODA

Marcel Dirsus is fascinated by the treadmill of tyranny: how dictators gain power, how they stay there and how they fall. This is his blueprint for bringing an end to authoritarianism.With democracies seemingly faltering worldwide, political scientist and writer Marcel Dirsus is putting tyrants under the microscope to better understand how they rise and how they fall.Years ago, Marcel took a break from his university studies and travelled to central Africa, where he took a job in a brewery.One day, while walking to work, he heard shots fired and an explosion in the distance as the military was launching a coup.The experience terrified him, and drew him into a study of tyrants — the dictators and despots who make life miserable for so many people on the planet.While they project an image of strength, guarded on all sides, and surrounded by people who do their bidding, Marcel says they live in fear.For the road to power is often flanked by the road to revolution.These men know a mass uprising, an assassination, a mutiny or a foreign invasion could end their reign at any moment, and who, or what will take their place?In investigating the long history of tyrannical leaders, however, Marcel has found a renewed optimism for Western Democracy.How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive is published by Hachette Australia.Marcel is appearing at the Sydney Writers' Festival on Friday 23 May.This episode of Conversations explores Putin, Xi Jinping, China, CCP, Russia, Trump, global politics, dictatorships, democracy, voting rights, election results, the new world order, Stalin, Hitler, famous leaders, Churchill, politics, books, writing, history, war, civil war, Africa, USSR, Elon Musk, Gaddafi, golden gun, torture, Libya, Syria, control, Machiavelli, monarchs, Al-Ghazali, East Germany, Congo, academia, what to study at university, coup, the elite, power systems, Cold War, Bashar al-Assad, Ukraine, surveillance, Roman Empire.

The bestselling Irish author grew up on a farm set on “50 acres on the side of a hill”. Growing up, she witnessed a harsh, misogynistic country that convinced her she would never marry. Claire shares what she has learned about writing from a litter of newborn piglets.Her works Small Things Like These and Foster have both been made into movies.Claire's stories often take place in the landscape where she grew up — the farms and small towns of Wexford in Southeast Ireland.Claire was the youngest of six children, and when she was born their farmhouse had no running water and few books.Instead, Claire fell in love with horses.As a small child she would go to the wood with her brother, who was a lumberjack.Amongst the chainsaws and workmen, little Claire would drive a harnessed horse from behind, to the roadside, to help clear the heavy trees. And as she grew older, she developed a fierce determination to live life on her own terms.This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. Presented by Sarah Kanowski.This episode of Conversations touches on marriage, Magdalene laundries, contraception, Ireland, Catholicism, big Irish families, horsemanship, starting brumbies, skewbald Connemara pony, New Orleans, writing, literary prizes, farms, personal stories, epic life stories, family dynamics and modern history.Further informationListen to Sarah's interview with Queensland horseman, Ken Faulkner.

The writer had a complex relationship with his mother, whose professional reputation built a wall between them, but also saved his life more than once while working as a war correspondent.Peter Godwin was born in Zimbabwe when the country was still under colonial rule.His English mother was the only doctor for thousands of kilometres and early on, Peter realised that he came second to her patients.When Peter was little, civil war broke out at home and so he was sent away to boarding school, and then conscripted by the army when he was still a teenager.After his service, Peter became a journalist and while on the ground, his mother's professional reputation saved his life more than once, including the time he was kidnapped while reporting in Somalia.As he grew older, Peter came to see his mother in a new light, and he finally learned the real reason she and his father had emigrated to Africa in the first place.This episode of Conversations explores PTSD, war correspondence, journalism, colonialism, the British Empire, Africa, Civil War, the United Kingdom, mothers and sons, the death of a sibling, grief, occupational hazards, mental health, grief, memoirs, biography, origin story, epic, adventure, conscription, boy soldiers.Exit Wounds is published by Allen&Unwin.

Psychiatrist Warren Ward treats patients who are severely ill with eating disorders. Understanding the mystery of human nature has driven him since he was a young doctor.Warren Ward's patients are often critically ill with diseases like anorexia.Warren says asking someone with anorexia to eat is like asking an arachnophobe to put their hand in a jar full of spiders.As a psychiatrist, Warren uses psychotherapy to help his patients.He encourages those with an eating disorder to approach their mental illness as one part of their whole self.His interest in the mystery of human nature informed his study of philosophy, and led him to examine the love lives of philosophers.Lovers of Philosophy is published by Ockham Publishing.This episode of Conversations explores mental illness, bulimia, orthorexia, anorexia, EDs, Eating disorders, disordered eating, how to help a loved one with an eating disorder, psychology, psychiatry, philosophy, romance, heartbreak, love life, relationships, inpatient treatment, mental health hospitals, feeding clinics.

Claude Robinson developed a heroin habit as a young man, and spent years in jail. In 2006 he began to turn his life around for good. (CW: descriptions of drug use, addiction, and crime) (R)Claude Robinson is the manager of Rainbow Lodge, a home in inner Sydney for men just out of prison. Claude knows the place well because nearly 20 years ago he was sent there himself.Claude was a heroin addict who had taken to crime to pay for his habit and wound up in a minimum security jail. But after he assaulted a prison guard, he ended up in one of Australia's toughest jails - Goulburn Correctional Centre. While Claude was inside, his father died, and he found out that he had inherited $60,000.It was a chance to start a new life when he got out of prison. But instead, he and a girlfriend checked into a hotel in Kings Cross and bought some backs of heroin. Within weeks, all of Claude's inheritance was gone.In 2006, Claude was back in prison when he decided to finally change his story. He got off drugs, went to TAFE, and started working his way back to Rainbow Lodge, where he helps men who have walked a similar path to his own.Help and support is always available: The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015.Learn more about Rainbow LodgeRead about Australia's Justice Reform Initiative's campaign Jailing is Failing This episode of Conversations discusses drug use, substance abuse, addiction, crime, mental health, toxic masculinity, manhood, fatherhood, parenting, turning your life around, getting clean, rehabilitation, rehab, intervention, AA, NA, sponsors, inheritance, heroin, methadone, ice, meth, illicit substances, incarceration, recidivism. 

From relationships and loneliness, to indecision and burnout, Jemma Sbeg is your guide to navigating your 20s, and looking back on that decade with a new perspective.When Jemma Sbeg started recording a podcast in the back of her Subaru about her quarter life crisis, she had no idea just how many people she would reach.But other people her age were desperate for guidance through their 20s - a decade a lot of us romanticise before we get there, and after we leave.It's a decade of massive growth for humans, when we make big decisions about relationships, careers and our own identities, but Jemma felt like she had no idea HOW to make the right choices.She had studied psychology at university, and so looked to psychological research papers to help her and her friends navigate attraction, heartbreak, friendship, imposter syndrome, career anxiety, burn out, mental health and living a happy life.Jemma's biggest lesson is realising while time is finite, we do have so much of it to "figure it out", and chances are you'll still be working many things out in your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.Person in Progress: A Roadmap to the Psychology of Your 20s is published by Hachette Australia.Jemma's podcast is called The Psychology of your 20s.If you liked this episode of Conversations, you might also enjoy listening to Doctor Hilton Koppe on his experience of PTSD, journalist Ros Thomas on her research into loneliness or psychologist Dr Tracy Westerman on psychology in remote Australia.This episode of Conversations explores psychology, podcasts, research, books, writing, anxiety, TikTok, social media, ADHD, self-diagnosis, growing up, how to survive your 20s, stay at home dads, heartbreak, mortality, death anxiety, social anxiety, university, what to study, how to get over heartbreak, first loves, building a career in media.

Winnie Dunn was a teenager when the Chris Lilley character 'Jonah from Tonga' became a national joke and as a Tongan Australian the stereotype made her feel uncomfortable.Despite being born into a big Tongan family in Western Sydney, Winnie felt conflicted about her heritage growing up.But over time her understanding of what it means to be Tongan evolved, and at the age of 28, Winnie became the first Tongan Australian to have a novel published.Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia's most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more on the Conversations website.

Jamila's craniopharyngioma had been growing for years, unbeknownst to her. In hindsight, it was her son who gave the first clue, when he stopped breastfeeding overnight at 11 months old.Today Jamila is an author, a broadcaster and the deputy managing director of Future Women, dedicated to achieving gender equity in Australian workplaces.A few years back, her life was on a powerful trajectory — she had been the chief of staff for a federal MP, written best-selling books and was a regular guest on TV panel shows.Then in 2017, she realised something was wrong with her health.At first she wasn't worried. Then, at 31 she was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma — a rare and recurring brain tumour.When Jamila left the world of the well, her life changed completely, in funny, strange, and harrowing ways.Jamila's book Broken Brains: For anyone who's been sick or loved someone who was is co-authored with Rosie Waterland and published by Penguin Random House.This interview was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations' EP is Nicola Harrison. The presenter was Richard Fidler.Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia's most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more on the Conversations website.

Whale and dolphin researcher, Barry McGovern's love of sea creatures started in Clare, Ireland, when as a child he met the county's solitary, friendly dolphin, named for the singer Dusty Springfield.Barry grew up in a tiny surfing village where he knew all the bird calls off by heart.His interest in animal science led him to Edinburgh Zoo, where he fed cassowaries and regularly, accidentally spooked a flock of Chilean flamingos.He assisted on a mammal research trip in Namibia, where he learned just how many people are required to take biopsy sample from a giraffe. Eventually he settled on whales, and he learned the lesson that while animals can be lots of fun to study, they come with a heavy research load, and not much time spent out in the wild.Barry has been slapped in the face by a whale's tail and watched mother humpback whales squirt-feed their calves breast milk like cottage cheese. And he couldn't be happier. Today, Barry works at the Pacific Whale Foundation, Australia. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations' EP is Nicola Harrison. Presented by Sarah Kanowski.Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia's most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more on the Conversations website.

After a caesarean section on his labour ward went catastrophically wrong, Adam Kay took a radical inventory of his entire life. CW: traumatic childbirth, eating disorders.Adam was not far off qualifying as an obstetric consultant in the United Kingdom, when he decided he couldn't be a doctor any longer.He couldn't face ever again experiencing the tragedy of death during childbirth, nor could he understand the blunt response from his boss in the aftermath, and so he quit doctoring altogether. After a period of grief and depression, Adam reassessed his goals, his dreams and his relationships, completely up-ending the conventional life he had felt backed into.He turned to the diaries, which he had kept throughout his seven years working in hospitals, and became a stand-up comedian, then a television writer, an acclaimed author, the executive producer of a wildly popular TV series based on Adam's book, and most recently a father.CONTENT WARNING: This episode of Conversations contains accounts of traumatic childbirth and of disordered eating, which may distress some listeners.Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.Find out more about the Red Nose counselling services available to parents who have lost a child by calling the Red Nose Bereavement Support Line on 1300 308 307.If you or someone you know needs help with disordered eating, the Butterfly National Helpline is available on 1800 33 4673.This episode of Conversations explores studying medicine, the medical system, Medicare, overworked doctors, young doctors, junior doctors, obstetrics and gynaecology, delivering babies, careers, disordered eating, sexuality, marriage, LGBTQI+, fatherhood, surrogacy, mental health, comedy, touring, music, university life, should I study medicine.This Is Going To Hurt is published by Pan Macmillan.Undoctored is published by Hachette.Adam's debut novel, A Particularly Nasty Case, will be published by Hachette in August.You can stream the television series based on Adam's first book, This Is Going To Hurt, on ABC iView.Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia's most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more on the Conversations website.