ABC Australia

Conversations

A Relationships and Society & Culture podcast

#1 in Relationships · 🇳🇿 #1 in Relationships · 🇦🇺

About the show

Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption. Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, weaving together narratives from history, science, art, and personal storytelling. 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 at the Conversations website.

Newest episodes

Fighting for Country, not King: the real story of Australia's first Indigenous army officer

Nov 11, 2026 52 min

Captain Reg Saunders was the first Indigenous Australian to become a commissioned officer in the Australian Army. He was following a warrior tradition stretching generations back, fighting not for king but for country. He didn't have citizenship in Australia, but Reg led troops and fought in Libya, Greece and Papua New Guinea. He also survived on the island of Crete, living amongst the locals for 11 months during WWII. Reg's exploits in Crete were the subject of family legend. He also later re-enlisted to fight in the Korean War. But when the first biography about Reg was written, it was titled 'The Embarrassing Australian'. James Saunders is Reg's nephew, a Gunditjmara, Wiradjuri and Wongaibon man who heard all about Reg growing up. Recently, with the help of family, James wrote down the truth of Reg's life and service, and how Reg carried forward the legacy of 'The Fighting Gunditjmara', who fought not for king but for country. Fighting for Country is published by Allen and Unwin. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores military history, Remembrance Day, November 11, ANZACS, World War Two, World War One, White Australia Policy, Aboriginal Missions, contemporary history, Crete, Greece, Libya, Palestine, Spiritual experience, family history, ancestry, Veterans, Aboriginal service, service personnel, Korean War, single fathers, brotherhood. 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.

Encore: The detective who led the hunt for Ivan Milat

Nov 10, 2026 50 min

The late Clive Small on how he led the NSW Police task force which helped to put one of Australia’s worst serial killers behind bars. In the 1990s, a series of young people’s bodies were found in makeshift graves in the Belanglo State Forest. After many false leads, precious clues emerged pointing to one man – Ivan Milat. Clive and his team followed an intricate process in carefully piecing together the evidence that led to Milat’s conviction. In 1996, the former road worker was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences for the murder of seven backpackers. Clive went on to become Assistant Commissioner of the New South Wales Police, and was later chief investigator for NSW's ICAC: Independent Commission Against Corruption. His book about the case is called Milat: Inside Australia's Biggest Manhunt Clive Small died last year at the age of 79. This episode was first broadcast in 2014 Further information Milat: Inside Australia's Biggest Manhunt is published by Allen & UnwinThis episode of Conversations explores murder, serial killers, police work, detectives, Ivan Milat, evidence, the backpacker murders, Belanglo State Forest, NSW Police, Clive Small, Paul Onion, murder victims, prison, cruelty, The Milat Family, violence.

Rocker, doctor, flight surgeon – the many lives of Radio Birdman's Deniz Tek

Nov 9, 2026 53 min

Deniz has squeezed more than most into his life. From pioneering punk rock in Australia, to performing improvised neurosurgery aboard a naval ship, to retirement growing Macadamias in Hawaii. Deniz is a founding member of Radio Birdman, Australia’s seminal punk rock band. He was also an emergency doctor in Australia and the United States. But that wasn’t enough for Deniz. He decided to join the U.S Marines as a flight surgeon – a type of pilot who can perform improvised neurosurgery aboard a naval ship. Deniz is also a husband, a father, an adopted member of the Crow Tribe, and most recently, a macadamia farmer. Despite his big story, Deniz has of course made mistakes along the way, in his headstrong and unexpected trajectory through life. Further information Full Throttle is published by Pan Macmillan. This interview was made on Turrbal and Jaggera country. It was produced by Meggie Morris. The Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It covers punk rock, neurosurgery, US Navy, Veteran, First Nations Americans, Crow Tribe, macadamia farmer, advocate, Turkey, Ataturk, Michigan, music, band, The Rationals, rock n roll, UNSW, international students, gigs, Lou Reed, Montana, White Swan

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All episodes

The newest 50 of 2,827 episodes

Fighting for Country, not King: the real story of Australia's first Indigenous army officer

Nov 11, 2026 52 min

Encore: The detective who led the hunt for Ivan Milat

Nov 10, 2026 50 min

Rocker, doctor, flight surgeon – the many lives of Radio Birdman's Deniz Tek

Nov 9, 2026 53 min

How Usman Khawaja changed Australian cricket

Nov 6, 2026 53 min

As the first brown immigrant and the first Muslim to enter the very white world of Australian cricket, Usman Khawaja overcame many setbacks while forging his extraordinary career in the sport. Born in Pakistan, Usman moved to Sydney with his family at four and fell in love with cricket watching his older brothers play. In 2011, Usman debuted for the Australian cricket team in the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG, becoming the first Muslim to wear the Baggy Green.But his journey has been as much about finding a way to be fully himself in Australian cricket as it has been about winning. Usman retired from Test cricket in January, his memoir is called Sabr Further information Sabr is published by Penguin This episode of Conversations explores cricket, Australian cricket team, Test cricket, Pakistan, Muslims, migration, arthritis, family, mothers, marriage, kids, sport, elite sport, Australian sporting culture, sandpaper gate, cheating, intergrity, human rights, injury, retirement. 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.

Encore: Bryce Courtenay's son on his father's many secrets

Nov 5, 2026 50 min

Growing up with brilliant writer as a father, Adam Courtenay slowly became aware of many gaps and untruths in his dad's life story. So he decided to set the record straight, once and for all. When Adam was growing up, he saw his Dad as a hero. Bryce worked in advertising so he knew all the latest, coolest trends, and at bedtime, Bryce told Adam and his brothers amazing stories about his life in South Africa and the Courtenay family’s noble origins. When Bryce went from adman to wildly successful writer with his debut novel, The Power of One, Adam couldn’t have been prouder. As Adam grew older, he became aware of the gaps in the stories his father told so well, and realised just how many lies Bryce had told his family and the nation. At first, Adam tried to ignore the fables and fibs - he wanted badly to believe them because they made Bryce's storytelling so powerful. But when Adam became a writer himself, an author of historical books and a journalist, he needed to champion the truth above all else. Further information My Father Bryce is published by Hachette.

Hags, bears and magic — what fairytales can teach us about modern life

Nov 4, 2026 52 min

Instructions on how to forge a path through a darkening world, according to former neuroscientist and psychoanalyst, Dr Sharon Blackie. Sharon grew up in what she calls the edge lands — on a council estate, near marshes full of migrating birds, next to the chemical factories of North-Eastern England. She was given fairy stories to read that mirrored her own experience in a way — Sharon knew the world was not always a safe place and that little children should be careful. After her violent father left the family, Sharon’s mum turned to alcohol to cope. Through her mother’s recovery, Sharon was introduced to a local recovery centre called The Room where people could get help for their addiction, and there Sharon found a fascinating group of people who promoted her interest in psychology, and a place to belong. After university, Sharon had a fine life on paper — a husband, a well-paid corporate job and a mortgage, but she wasn’t happy and she heard The Call to start a dangerous and unlikely project. Sharon was living in America in 1999 when John F Kennedy Jnr died in a plane crash. She decided she needed to face her longstanding fear of flying and took up lessons to become a pilot, to look death in the face. Sharon says if we heed the messages in fairy stories they can serve us well in life — be courageous, be kind and always share what you have with friends who may help you in the future. Further information Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now is published by September. Read Sharon's newsletter The Art of Enchantment. This episode was made on Turrbul and Jagera country. It was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode focuses on ecofeminism, mythology, fairytales, tatterhood, snow white, rose red, danger, intrigue, sharing, post-hero, women, nature, The Call, facing fear. To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever yo...

Encore: An accidental midwife and the business of everyday miracles

Nov 3, 2026 46 min

Lisa Peberdy has been delivering babies for over 40 years, in hospitals and homes, in cities and remote locations and she still cries with joy at every birth.During Lisa's first career as a nurse, she was physically repelled by the notion of childbirth. When she re-trained to become a midwife, delivering a baby unassisted was a great challenge. When Lisa finally did it, she was hooked; and she says she still cries with joy at every birth for which she's present. Lisa's delivered babies in hospitals and homes, in cities and remote locations, all over Australia. In recent years her work has been with cord blood banks, collecting valuable stem cells from the umbilical cord and placenta. These cells may potentially be used later in that person's life to create and regenerate organs, blood, and tissues; and assist their immune system. First broadcast in 2016 Further information Lisa's story features in Paula Heelan's book, Australian Midwives, published by Harlequin Earlier this year Lisa published her memoir The Accidental Midwife This episode of Conversations explores childbirth, delivering babies, midwives, mothers, still birth, adoption, remote Australia, PNG, Timor Leste, hospitals, doctors, fathers, babies, placenta, pregnancy, nursing.

Waleed Aly: Finding real meaning, in the midst of global collapse

Nov 2, 2026 53 min

As we're bombarded with the drumbeat of news that veers from the shocking to the unfathomable, Waleed Aly wants to know, how do we come to grips with this chaos?For years, that is exactly what Waleed Aly has done by writing a series of columns for Melbourne's Age newspaper. Recently he's revisited the columns written during a concentrated period of profound upheaval, to see what they reveal.Waleed hopes to articulate what is revolutionary in this moment but also what is not, to examine our changing relationships with technology and each other; and identifying the things that really matter in life even as the upheaval tries to obscure them. Further information Reasoning With Chaos is published by Allen and Unwin This episode of Conversations explores Donald Trump, US politics, global politics, war, artificial intelligence, anger, protest, global chaos, news, social media, politics, global collapse, China, the United States, Australia, media.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.

Jon Ronson investigates the men looking for purpose in strange, dark places

Oct 30, 2026 51 min

When journalist Jon Ronson visited castle owned by a digital tycoon, it became a portal into a world of disaffected men, grasping for purpose online in a world where traditional institutions are collapsing. He had received a series of texts from his son Joel, after he was lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night, and those texts set him off into an investigation of the modern manosphere. Jon began to investigate the wider ‘man crisis’ – where some are feeling tossed around in a sea of conflicting ideologies of what it means to be a man today. From the death of utopian factory towns to the false promise of YouTube influencer culture, Jon shows us our rapidly changing world like never before, and the men caught in the middle. He found a world drained of purpose, of collapsing institutions, in which a new era of disinhibited behaviour has taken hold of our online and real-world selves. The Castle is published by Penguin. Jon is currently on tour in Australia. He is speaking at The Melbourne Town Hall this weekend. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores masculinity, culture wars, gender wars, Musk, Trump, tech billionaires, Marc Fennell, manosphere, Louis Theroux, Peter Thiel, Hugh Hefner, Dan Bilzerian, Andrew Tate, Chris Mark, the castle, sons, fathers, fatherhood, death threats, murderers, ChaptGPT, AI, Google Gemini, Artificial intelligence, psychopaths, Zuckerberg, Argentina, anger, disenfranchised men, angry men, ICE, United States, Donald Trump, Nerd Reich, politics, silicon valley, gender wars, class war, race war, Louise Theroux, investigative journalism. 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, musicia...

Encore: The teacher who turned non-readers into literacy superstars

Oct 29, 2026 51 min

When school principal Manisha Gazula changed how her students were learning to read, she began an entirely new system which made her an icon of literacy learning. Manisha Gazula is the principal of Marsden Road Public School in the outer south-western suburbs of Sydney. When Manisha first came to the school, less than three per cent of its students were proficient in English reading and writing, which severely limited their options in life. This was for many reasons - some children had never seen a book or held a pencil until they were ten years old, almost all of them didn't speak English at home, many came from refugee backgrounds, and Manisha was convinced that the conventional way of teaching literacy was not working. So she introduced a new system that delivered much more explicit instruction in the elements of reading and writing. It was a controversial change that made her first few years at Marsden Road tough, but the result was a radical improvement in student literacy, and now many other schools are following 'the Marsden Way'. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores literacy rates, Australian education system, NSW education system, public schooling in NSW, state schools, private schools, learning to read, my child doesn't like reading, Indian Australians, career change, motherhood, migrating to Australia, NAPLAN, standardised testing, books, ESL, English as a second language, the Australian curriculum, Marsden method, explicit instruction. 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.

Why is it so difficult to love each other?

Oct 28, 2026 51 min

Psychologist Kerrie Lumbewe on trying to unpack what has happened inside ordinary people that has made loving one another so difficult. (CW: this conversation mentions suicide, please take care when listening) Kerrie Lumbewe is a psychologist who specialises in love and relationships. She spends her days sitting with people as they try and work out how to make things work; to understand how they can be in a partnership and still feel so alone; to make sense of how two people who started out crazy about each other can end up making each other crazy. These people desperately want to stop hurting one another, but are also obsessed with finding someone to blame, or labelling someone else as toxic. Kerrie has witnessed many personal accounts of love and desire, heartbreak, secrets and betrayal. She has seen up close what allows relationships to flourish, or to fold; and how ordinary people can start making sense of love. And Kerrie says our unfettered access to social media in the age of information is drastically changing how we relate to and love each other. Kerrie's forthcoming book is called The Five Fatal Love Errors: How We Protect Ourselves – and Lose Each Other. It will be published in early 2027. If you'd like to learn more about how you love, you can visit Kerrie's website and take a quiz. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores love, relationships, counselling, couples counselling, marriage, divorce, therapy, psychology, break-ups, heartbreak, pursuer distancer dynamic, separation, chase, situationship, modern love, modern relationships, dating apps, dopamine, instagram therapy, weaponising therapy language, Orna Guralnik, Gottman method, love maps, attachment theory, avoidant, anxious attachment, secure attachment, prison psychology, friendship, emotional intimacy, suicide, losing a parent, grief, mental health. To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard F...

Encore: Bonnie Garmus on the spark of anger which began a whole new life, in her 60s

Oct 27, 2026 52 min

When author Bonnie Garmus tried to sell her first novel, it was rejected 98 times, but then at 66, she wrote a novel called Lessons in Chemistry, which sold four million copies around the world. Bonnie had wanted to be a novelist since she was five years old. Decades later, she was a copywriter, an open-water swimmer and a rower when she tried to sell her first novel. After many rejections, she realised it would never be published. One day Bonnie was at work when a male colleague took credit for one of her ideas. In a moment of anger, she then started writing a novel which would become Lessons in Chemistry. Set in the 1950s and early '60s, it tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist and mother who hosts a cooking show that ends up teaching women about a lot more than food. Bonnie was 66 years old when it was published. The book has resonated with millions of readers around the world and inspired men and women to change their own lives. First broadcast in 2024 Further information Lessons in Chemistry is published by Penguin Bonnie's latest book is Peck and Peck This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and Carmel Rooney was the Executive Producer. It explores writing, books, anger, women in the work place, rejection, success, publishing, Lessons in Chemistry, female characters, Elizabeth Zott, motherhood, cooking, chemistry. 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.

Zoe Terakes and the mythic tales of gods, sex and magical transformations

Oct 26, 2026 52 min

Zoe Terakes is a writer and actor with deep family connections to the island of Crete, where their great-grandparents migrated to Australia from. This island is the site of Europe’s first ancient civilisation. Bronze Age Crete had palaces, temples, art, written language and mythology long before the Roman Empire existed, and centuries before the Parthenon was built. When Zoe started reading the mythology of Crete they were astounded by how many of the tales involve mutability, metamorphosis, the transformation of this into that; from human to bird to lion and to human again – and from male to female and from female to male. Zoe has retold some of these wild stories of blood, sex, love, divinity, humanity and magical transformations in their first book. But the trans actor, who underwent their own transformation a few years ago, did not want to sanitise any of these ancient stories to make them more palatable for the contemporary audience. Because, for Zoe, the power and enduring relevance of these epics is found in their tragedy, violence and mess. Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers is published by Hachette. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores myth, storytelling, poetry, art, transgender, non-binary, gender identity, sexual identity, young Australians, Australian literature, Australian writers, acting, television, Marvel Universe, Sydney, Kings Cross, Greece, Crete, Talk To Me, film, Australian film, growing up in Sydney, growing up Queer. 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.

Why Anthony LaPaglia is unapologetically irritable

Oct 23, 2026 47 min

Anthony talks about his turbulent childhood in the Adelaide suburb of Beefacres, escaping to a cocaine-fuelled New York in the 1980s to begin life as an actor, and how writing his memoir helped him forgive his parents. Anthony grew up in the suburbs of Adelaide, in a house full of rage, disappointment and violence.He spent as much time as he could alone, reading books, watching classic Hollywood movies, and dreaming of another life.For a while he thought soccer might be his ticket to escape Adelaide, but it turned out to be acting when he moved to New York in the 1980s. Anthony has won a Golden Globe for his work in the crime drama Without a Trace, an Emmy for the comedy Frasier and multiple Australian awards for his roles in films including Lantana and Looking for Alibrandi He was also the first Australian to win a Tony award for his performance in a Broadway revival of the Arthur Miller play, A View from a Bridge. Anthony’s memoir is The Life We ChooseFurther Information The Life We Choose is published by HarperCollins This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores acting, family, Italian migration, Adelaide, selling shoes, soccer, theatre, New York, Hollywood, memoir, therapy, violence, aggression, YouTube, 1980s, divorce, cocaine, Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, movies. 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.

Encore: The incandescent life of fashion visionary Jenny Kee

Oct 22, 2026 44 min

Fashion designer Jenny Kee co-created a whole new era in Australian fashion in the 1970s. But nothing could have prepared her for her own next chapter. Jenny was born in Bondi in the 1950s, and left Australia for London when she was young. She began selling vintage clothes at the Chelsea markets, where she attracted attention for her stall and her brilliant style. When she returned to Australia in the early 70s Jenny met a gifted couturier named Linda Jackson. Together they embarked on a passionate creative partnership which began a unique and utterly Australian art and fashion movement. Their clothes were made in wild colours and beautiful fabric, often festooned with images of native flowers and plants. In the 1980s they took their designs to the world and were feted by Italian Vogue's Anna Piaggi and Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld. In addition to all her achievements in fashion, Jenny's life has also been crowded with dramatic moments. Her life story is even more incandescent than her wardrobe. Further information Help and support is always available. If this conversation has been difficult to hear you can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or chat to them via their website

Learning my family connection to the brutal history of Australia's pearling industry

Oct 21, 2026 51 min

When Edith Wright discovered the turbulent history of her great-grandfathers, who were some of the founders of the pearling industry in the waters off Broome, she knew she had to write down the storyEdith is a Bardi Jawi woman from the saltwater country of Western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula. When she was a little girl growing up in the Kimberley, her dad would tell her stories about his two European grandfathers. Both men were pioneers in W.A's pearling industry, which required the skill - and forced labour - of Aboriginal people. After many years spent researching her dad's stories, Edith has come to a new understanding of her family's complicated legacy. Further information The Burden and the Blessing is published by Magabala Books Read more about the history of the W.A pearling industry This episode of Conversations was produced by Elizabeth Kulas and the executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

Encore: My orgasm induced amnesia and other epic adventures

Oct 20, 2026 52 min

Dasha Ross tells the story of her bizarre brush with memory loss and what happened when she and her husband decided to takeover a rundown beachside hotel in Sri Lanka. Dasha has lived a life full of adventures, from nude modelling in Sydney and making films in Brazil, to renovating a nightclub in Harlem with a baby on her hip. But Dasha's most epic escapades were with her beloved husband John Pinder, including the time the two of them took up a surprising offer to revamp and manage a beachside hotel in Sri Lanka. Things did not go as planned as they battled typhoons, demanding guests and a meddling, possibly murderous, manager. First broadcast in 2024 Further information Dasha Ross' memoir, Big Trouble Coming is published by Valentine Press This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, the executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

Anthony Scaramucci on Trump, getting fired and owning his mistakes

Oct 19, 2026 45 min

Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci on his childhood, becoming a success on Wall Street and why backing Trump was a colossal error.Anthony grew up on Long Island, part of a large Italian-American community and far away from the world of money, power and influence. When he was accepted into a prestigious university, Anthony’s parents put their retirements savings on the line to make sure he was able to go. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he began his career on Wall Street, then into political fundraising as a way to network and meet new clients. Famously, he would come to global notoriety when he was fired 11 days into his stint as White House spokesman during Donald Trump’s first term as US President.Since then he has distanced himself from Trump and the MAGA movement and built a reputation as a sharp observer of US politics.Anthony's latest book All the Wrong Moves: how three catastrophic decisions led to the rise of Trump is published by Penguin. This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores US politics, US history, Italian migration to American, poverty, Pennsylvania, Long Island, sand mining, family, middle class America, working class, elite universities, Harvard Law School, Wall Street, Goldman Sachs, Donald Trump, The White House, getting fired, MAGA, the Republican Party, Barack Obama,

How to keep living when life falls apart

Oct 16, 2026 51 min

When Robin Bailey’s husband and father of their three boys died by suicide, she had to figure out the best way to help her children work through their grief while also managing her own sadness and anger. (CW: this episode discusses suicide, please take care when listening)Robin is one of Brisbane’s best-known breakfast radio hosts, and she’s been in the business for decades. When she was 11, Robin’s father died suddenly, and her mother was left to raise Robin and her sister while forging on with her own career.Decades later another tragedy forced Robin into single parenting, after her husband Tony died by suicide. In the aftermath of Tony’s death Robin was determined to make space for all her son’s feelings and their questions as they worked through their grief. With the help of incredible community of friends, she knitted a family back together which was strong enough to face what came next. Further information Robin Bailey's memoir Flamingos Aren't Born Pink is published by Harper Collins Help and support is always available If you need to talk, 24/7 crisis support is available from Lifeline by calling 13 11 14. More options for mental health and suicide prevention helplines and websites are hereThis episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the executive producer is Nicola Harrison It explores suicide, grief, death, family, marriage, children, depression, mental health, community, counsellors, pastoral care, losing a parent, travel, radio, commercial radio, maternity leave, financial pressure, cancer, terminal cancer, dying at home, single mothers, sons, daughters, weddings.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.

Encore: Inside the minds of the fish who sleep, have friends, and know it's the weekend

Oct 15, 2026 50 min

Dr Culum Brown's work on fish cognition has proven fish have long memories, sharks have friends, and sting rays know it's the weekend. Dr Culum Brown is a leading researcher in the field of fish cognition. He's based at Macquarie University where he runs the Fish Lab — the Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution of Fishes Laboratory. His fascination for fish stems from growing up in parts of south-east Asia, where he would spend every possible hour in the ocean with a snorkel. As an adult, Culum's marine biology studies around the world (including the UK and Finland) have revealed many facts which up-end the basis of our common understanding of fish. His research has shown that even the smallest fish are capable of learning and can retain memories for months. Within schools of fish, there is often a strict social hierarchy which can include forms of bullying. His research into Port Jackson sharks has revealed a lot about their social lives as 'puppies of the sea'. He work has also revealed that sting rays have especially good memories and can distinguish days of the week. Learn more about Culum's work at The Fish Lab. First broadcast in 2020. This episode of Conversations explores

How I decentred men and fell in love with my friends instead of another f*ckboy

Oct 14, 2026 53 min

Broadcaster and author Dee Salmin on how her parents' epic love story and dramatic relationship shaped her understanding of love and men; and how she eventually found healthy romance in life. When Dee was growing up in Perth, her father, a great Russian ballet dancer, was ‘the man of the house’. Life at home, and every choice that Dee, her siblings, and her mum made revolved around his whims and his moods. Dee worshipped her parents and all the opportunities they fought for her to have, so she grew up thinking that is what healthy love looked like. She sought out a similar dynamic in her own relationships as she got older. Dee had just moved to Melbourne for her dream job, working on Triple J’s sex and relationships program The Hook Up, when she found herself living alone in lockdown. During that time, Dee got to know herself outside romantic relationships and began the process of dismantling what she thought she knew about love and hook-up culture. For three years, she went ‘boy sober’ and spent time getting to know herself, instead of another Lothario who played guitar. She fell in love with her friends, and the life she’d made for herself. And then, her father, who had done his own self-reflection, suggested the whole family sit down together so he could apologise and heal. It's Not Love, Actually is published by Pan Macmillan. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores sex, love, relationships, dating apps, hook-up culture, intergenerational trauma, parenting, healing relationship with parents, self love, self worth, self esteem, modern dating, boy sober, abstinence, books, writing, ballet, Russia, Soviet Union, Berlin, Germany, shot gun wedding, falling in love fast, red flags, green flags, dating slowly, car crash, friendship, romance, hopeless romantic, self-help books, Darcy Moore, Collingwood, AFL, dads and daughters. To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Rich...

A little girl with a life split in three — how Mimi made it [PART II]

Oct 13, 2026 49 min

Mimi Kwa tells her family’s saga, featuring her dad — the thirty-second child of a wealthy Chinese silk trader, and her mum, who survived decades of undiagnosed schizophrenia, and Mimi's glamorous other life in the intoxicating hubbub of Hong Kong. Mimi presented the news on ABC and Channel Nine, and worked in the newsroom for more than 20 years. Today she has four children with her loving husband, John. This is all a long way from Mimi’s early life in Perth, where she managed backpackers’ rent and cleaning toilets at her father’s sprawling youth hostel from the age of eight. Then she would shuttle over to her grandparents’ house in the suburbs, where her mum, who lived with chronic schizophrenia, would do her best to love Mimi, despite her paranoia. Mimi had yet another life, in Hong Kong, where she would visit her relatives, and stay with her loving, steady, glamorous Aunty Theresa, who adored her. Mimi had to synthesise all these parts to grow herself up and become what she had always wanted to be: on telly, reading the news. And once she succeeded in her dream of journalism, she would need all the strength she could get when she unknowingly ambushed Russell Crowe at the airport. Further information Help is always available. You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, text on 0477 13 11 14, chat online, or speak to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter at 13 YARN (13 92 76). House of Kwa is published by HarperCollins ABC Books. This episode was made on Gadigal country. It was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison. It covers Hong Kong, World War II, Japanese occupation, occupation, Perth, Mandarin Gardens, racism, trauma, grandparent carers, mental health ward, ECT, big age gap, Channel Nine, cadetship, Russel Crowe, Gladiator, Romper Stomper, contested will, inheritance, suing family, reconciliation, forgiveness and gratitude. To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah...

A little girl with a life split in three — how Mimi made it [PART I]

Oct 12, 2026 48 min

Mimi Kwa tells her family’s saga, featuring her dad — the thirty-second child of a wealthy Chinese silk trader, and her mum, who survived decades of undiagnosed schizophrenia, and Mimi's glamorous other life in the intoxicating hubbub of Hong Kong. (CW: Discussion of mental illness and suicide attempt) Mimi presented the news on ABC and Channel Nine, and worked in the newsroom for more than 20 years. Today she has four children with her loving husband, John. This is all a long way from Mimi’s early life in Perth, where she managed backpackers’ rent and cleaning toilets at her father’s sprawling youth hostel from the age of eight. Then she would shuttle over to her grandparents’ house in the suburbs, where her mum, who lived with chronic schizophrenia, would do her best to love Mimi, despite her paranoia. Mimi had yet another life, in Hong Kong, where she would visit her relatives, and stay with her loving, steady, glamorous Aunty Theresa, who adored her. Mimi had to synthesise all these parts to grow herself up and become what she had always wanted to be: on telly, reading the news. And once she succeeded in her dream of journalism, she would need all the strength she could get when she unknowingly ambushed Russell Crowe at the airport. Further information Help is always available. You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, text on 0477 13 11 14, chat online, or speak to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter at 13 YARN (13 92 76). House of Kwa is published by HarperCollins ABC Books. This episode was made on Gadigal country. It was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison. It covers Hong Kong, World War II, Japanese occupation, occupation, Perth, Mandarin Gardens, racism, trauma, grandparent carers, mental health ward, ECT, big age gap, Channel Nine, cadetship, Russel Crowe, Gladiator, Romper Stomper, contested will, inheritance, suing family, reconciliation, forgiveness and gratitude. To binge even more great episodes of t...

Mick Fanning on surfing, punching a great white shark, and losing three brothers

Oct 9, 2026 51 min

Mick won three world surfing titles, and famously fought off a great white shark in South Africa. But his life out of the water has been threaded through with devastating loss, after the death of his three older brothers. (CW: loss and grief) Mick Fanning grew up on the Gold Coast in a raucous, loving family of five kids, raised by his mum Elizabeth, a nurse who worked night shift. He and his brother Sean were talented young grommets who dreamed of becoming professional surfers. Then at 16, Mick got a phone call. He was going to be sponsored by Quiksilver, to the tune of $30 000 a year. The money was enough to change Mick's life, and he was able to help his mum out financially for the first time. But just as Mick's star was on the rise, his family suffered the most devastating loss. His brother Sean was killed in a terrible accident on the way home from an 18th birthday party. After being out of the water for a time, Mick started surfing again, and soon began to rise up the ranks. Eventually he would win three world titles. But so many of the career highs were threaded through with grief, as Mick and his family endured the premature deaths of two more of his brothers, Peter and Ed. Peter died unexpectedly, and Ed died after a cut on his leg from a coral reef in Madagascar. In 2015, Mick was catapulted into a kind of fame he never wanted when he punched a great white shark which grabbed his leg rope, live on TV in the middle of a surfing contest at Jeffrey Bay in South Africa. More than a decade on Mick has retired from surfing, and he's leaning into the many joys of raising his young family with his wife Brianna. All Heart is published by Simon and Schuster. Help and support is always available by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14. They are available 24 hours a day. This episode of Conversations was produced by Elizabeth Kulas. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores surfing, shark attacks, WSL, World Surf League, Margaret River Pro, Bondi, Newcastle, J Bay,...

Encore: A family story of growing up poor in Outback Queensland

Oct 8, 2026 52 min

Journalist Rick Morton on how his mum raised three children in poverty and the class disparities in Australia. Rick's family come from the vast country of Outback Queensland, near the Birdsville Track. His grandfather, George Morton, was a wealthy landholder and he ruled over his family like a tyrant. When Rick was little, a terrible accident was followed by the break-up of his family and Rick, his mum, and his two siblings were driven out of the family home into crippling poverty. This led Rick to think deeply about the true nature of poverty in our country, how hard it is to thrive when you're bumping along from week to week. After high school he decided to get into journalism and became a social affairs writer at The Australian newspaper. Rick's memoir is called a 100 Years of Dirt This episode was first broadcast in 2018. Further information Rick now lives in Paris and writes about his life in a newsletter called Nervous Laughterhttps://rick-morton.ghost.io/100 Years of Dirt is published by MUP

My poo transplant, ayahuasca trip and other wellness quests

Oct 7, 2026 49 min

Judith Lucy is one of Australia's most loved comedians. Recently after years of tummy troubles, burnout, and a complicated relationship with alcohol, she began her mission to work on her health, in earnest. As well as being a beloved comic, Judith is also the author of four books and the presenter of several television series. For decades Judith has been busying herself with project after project after project, to distract herself from sitting with the truth of where her workaholism, insomnia and dicey relationship with alcohol was coming from. It took Judith a long time to realise she was a chronic workaholic, and to admit she was suffering from burnout, despite the clues being there all along. After feeling unwell for some time, Judith started delving into the multitude of wellness options out there. Well, Well, Well is published by Simon and Schuster.Since recording this interview with Richard, Judith Lucy has revealed she's been diagnosed with breast cancer. In a video message this week, Judith told fans she is in shock but doing ok and fortunately her cancer is not aggressive.We wish Judith all the best for her surgery and any future treatment. This episode of Conversations was produced by Elizabeth Kulas. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores health and wellness, wellness scams, wellness influencers, psychedelics, mental health, substance abuse, alcoholism, AA, family trauma, adoption, grief, deaths, comedy, gut health, faecal transplant, poo transplant, Australian comedy, relationships, love, betrayal, depression, workaholism, workaholic, bad trip, Gabor Mate, 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.

Encore: Why I became a teacher at the school where I was bullied

Oct 6, 2026 51 min

A portrait of one teacher and his class as they journey through the ups and downs of a school year. Brendan James Murrary has been a high school teacher for more than ten years and although his own experiences at school weren't great, he ended up taking a job back at the school where he was a bullied and unhappy student. During his time as a teacher he's seen hundreds of kids move through the same hallways and classrooms - boisterous, angry, shy, big-hearted, awkward - all of them on the journey to adulthood. He's also discovered that what makes a good teacher has more to do with generosity and empathy than he first realised. His memoir The School is both a tribute to the teacher who inspired him and a celebration of the kids who shape his career. First broadcast in 2021 The producer was Nicola Harrison and the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. Further information The School is published by Pan MacMillanThis episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores teaching, high school, bullying, school refusal, self harm, anxiety, teachers, mentors, empathy, generosity, regional high school, students, classrooms, support, mental health. 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.

Richard Glover on the strange, hilarious and heartbreaking rules of Australian parenting

Oct 5, 2026 52 min

The instructions found in endorsed baby books over the last century could be, with hindsight, bizarre or cruel. And were most often given by “experts” with no children of their own. Journalist and broadcaster, Richard Glover tackles the changing landscape of parenting advice. He looks back at his own experience of being parented, which included having his ears sticky-taped while growing up in Papua New Guinea, and draws on modern day grand-parenthood to highlight the marked differences in how we raise our children. Richard has delved into the archives to draw out the strangest, sometimes hilarious and rather heartbreaking pieces of parenting advice given to Australians over the last century. He finds advice on toilet training babies when they are weeks-old, and recalls the rich and practically disappeared language of corporal punishment. Further information How to Ruin a Child: A journey into the alarming, hilarious and ever-changing advice given to Australian parents is published by HarperCollins. This episode was made on Gadigal country. It was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison. It explores caning, the cane, smacking, discipline, raising boys, raising girls, Truby King, family planning, Marie Stopes, eugenics, empire, blame the parents, sleeping through the night, breastfeeding, birth, childbirth, bonding, cuddling, skin on skin, manipulative baby, Hobbes, Rousseau, routine for baby, awake window. 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.

Monica McInerney's five year rollercoaster ride

Oct 2, 2026 52 min

The author on the diagnosis that floored her and the gifts that got her through harrowing treatment — including a cat named Nicholas. The Australian-Irish author was last on the program in 2020. She reflected on her childhood by the railway tracks in the Clare Valley, South Australia, where she grew up with her band of brothers and sisters. After she recorded that interview, Monica received a cancer diagnosis. International borders were closed due to covid, and Monica found herself staying in a tiny unit with her mum and a cat they named Nicholas. She didn't see her beloved husband John for almost a year. Monica was prescribed a chemotherapy drug known as the 'red devil', and lost her thick, lustrous hair. And she survived. It was 18-months later, back home in Dublin, when Monica could finally confront what had happened to her, and start to climb out of the deep anxiety and depression that marked her experience. Further information When Sullivan Met Lola is published by Penguin Random House. This episode was made of Turrbal and Jaggera lands. The producer was Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores grief, cancer, Invasive ductal carcinoma, breast cancer, aggressive cancer, novels, characters, dread, anti-anxiety medication, antidepressant, near death experience, book tour, death of a sibling, chemo, support system, friends, chemo presents, large family, sibling love, long distance relationship. 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.

Encore: The pilot shot down by enemy fire and how he survived

Oct 1, 2026 52 min

RAF pilot Frank Dell parachuted into Nazi occupied Holland after his plane was hit by cannon fire and with the aid of courageous Dutch families and resistance fighters he got out alive.As a teenager, Frank saw the Battle of Britain played out in the skies above his village in the south of England. He joined the RAF and piloted a De Havilland Mosquito on bombing raids into Germany. In October 1944 Frank's plane was shot out of the sky and he parachuted into Nazi territory. Frank witnessed extraordinary scenes as he walked his way through the countryside into occupied Holland. It was there he joined the Dutch Resistance, and his war shifted to the fields, hay sheds and village lanes of the Netherlands. This episode was first broadcast in 2014. Further information Frank Dell passed away peacefully in 2022 at the age of 98. His family say that Frank had fond memories of meeting Richard and the chance to tell his story on Conversations. A photo of Richard and Frank was included in a memorial sideshow at his funeral. Mosquito Down (by Frank Dell with Brett Piper) is published by Fighting High This episode of Conversations was produced By Michelle Ransom-Hughes and the Executive Producer was Pam O'Brien. It explores WWII, RAF, Nazi occupied Holland, Dutch resistance, the Battle of Britain, cannon fire, parachute emergency, support, survival, undercover, Nazi Germany, rescue, history, memoir, bombing raids, De Havilland Mosquito, 1944 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.

Magda's mum, the tragic secret, and the moment of grace

Sep 30, 2026 52 min

When Magda Szubanski discovered what had happened to her mum as a child, she began to see her in an entirely new light (CW: discussion of sexual abuse, please take care when listening) Magda released her first memoir a few years ago, to widespread acclaim. It was the story of how Magda unearthed the life story of her Polish-born father and his role as an assassin during WWII. Magda's now written her second memoir which hinges on the life story of her charming and funny Scottish-born mother, Margaret. Magda had a complicated and deeply loving relationship with her mum, who sometimes lashed out at her daughter in devastating ways. Two years after Margaret died, Magda found out a tragic secret about her life. The revelation explained so much, and Magda later began to re-examine specific events in her own childhood with a new understanding. Content warning: this episode of Conversations contains discussion of childhood sexual abuse. I Can't Tell You But I Will is published by Text Publishing. This episode of Conversations was produced by Elizabeth Kulas. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores Australian actors, Australian comedians, Australian television, Australian cinema, Kath and Kim, mothers and daughters, childhood abuse, child on child abuse, sexuality, queerness, queer actors, gay marriage referendum, intergenerational trauma, coming out, famous lesbians, Sharon Strzelecki, Gina Riley, Jane Turner, Babe, Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet, Heath Ledger, youngest children, cancer diagnosis, Mantle Cell Lymphoma, Maggie Smith, memoir, writing, books, Australian literature, family origin stories, nervous system, fight, flight, freeze, fawn, Catholic school, George Orwell, mental health, university, shame, pray the gay away, suicidal thoughts, LGBT rights, same-sex marriage, George Miller, domestic violence, violence against women, group think, free bleeding, activism, Madrid, Spain, grief, Catholicism. To binge even more great episodes of the Conversation...

Encore: The Olympic swim coach who spat on a silver medal, and how it changed him

Sep 29, 2026 52 min

Laurie Lawrence's obsession with winning Gold started when he was a small boy growing up above the Tobruk Pool in Townsville. When he became a coach, he had an epiphany about the nature of victory. When Laurie was a child, he had a chronic lung condition that meant he had to sleep sitting in a chair. Doctors advised his parents that an operation was necessary, and part of one of his lungs was removed. After the operation, Laurie's father took over the management of Townsville's Tobruk Pool, and the family lived in an apartment overlooking the lanes. In 1956 the Australian Olympic team came to the pool to train there. A short time later, Laurie's mother fled the marriage and took her children to live in Brisbane where she ran a boarding house 'full of inebriates'. Laurie grew up to become a teacher, and won a place on the Australian Rugby Team. Then he moved back to Townsville to start a new career as a swimming coach. In 1970, a 13-year-old girl Laurie was coaching named Helen Gray won a silver medal at the Queensland Championships. When she presented him with it, Laurie spat on the medal and threw it over the pool fence. What he did that day eventually saw him ask himself big questions about the meaning of victory in the pool. Learn more about Laurie Lawrence at his website. Read about Laurie resources and programs to keep kids safe in the water: Kids Alive is supported by the Federal Government; World Wide Swim School is for teachers, parents, coaches and swim schools. Laurie has also released a new online interactive baby swimming resource. This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison. Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores sports, sporting life of Australia, being competitive, Australian Olympic team, drownings in Australia, why everyone learns to swim in Australia, equitable access to water, winning at all costs, learning to swim, when should my child learn to swim, Australian icons. Rugby Union, Wallabies, Australian sporting ico...

Caring for my fiercely strong-willed father

Sep 28, 2026 52 min

Kim Huynh on his family's remarkable journey from Vietnam to Australia. And taking on the role of carer for his fiercely strong-willed father, Thiet. Kim grew up in Canberra, arriving in Australia with his family as refugees from Vietnam. Like many migrant children, Kim is a very driven person and has taken on a lot of responsibilities in life. He is an academic, an ABC broadcaster, an author and a father. And when his 80-year-old father had a serious stroke, Kim also took on the role of carer. He had to find a way to help look after his dad, with whom he was living, continue working, bringing in an income, and help raise his own son. As he continued to care for his father, Kim had to come to terms with the conflict between his dad's increasingly frail body and his still-fierce willpower; the same willpower that got his family to safety some 45 years earlier. As a carer and a father, Kim has also had to navigate the complexities of giving his whole self to the people he loves, while still feeling like he wasn't doing enough for anyone. My Old Man and Me is published by HarperCollins. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores family history, family origin stories, carers, stroke, Vietnamese refugees, Vietnamese in Australia, Vietnamese boat people, refugee crisis, migration, political asylum, fall of Saigon, Vietnam War, re-education camps, Indochina refugee crisis, Hoa people, fatherhood, intergenerational trauma, the body keeps the score, epigenetics, books, writing, memoir, taking care of your parents, fathers and sons. 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.

Stories from our elders: how Jane Fonda changed her life in her third act

Sep 25, 2026 44 min

The legendary actress Jane Fonda on her activism, her hair epiphanies and why older women are often fearless. Jane has lived her entire life in the public eye, as the daughter of acting aristocracy. Her father Henry Fonda was a Hollywood legend by the time she was born. Jane grew up to study acting with Lee Strasberg, and Marilyn Monroe was a classmate. But behind the public adoration, Jane was battling some big personal demons, including bulimia and the legacy of a shocking family tragedy. In her 30s she began re-assessing her life and work, and became a leader of the anti-Vietnam War movement, earning her the nickname of Hanoi Jane from the American Press. After the Vietnam War ended, she remained committed to political activism, so she released a series of work-out videos to help fund change in America. After two more marriages, Jane had an epiphany about her 'third act' of life. She decided to devote it to helping change the world, and now at 88 years old, she is still spending much of her time raising awareness about climate change and other social issues. This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison. Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores Hollywood, Hollyweird, celebrity culture, activism, climate change, the climate crisis, women's rights, women's empowerment, second wave feminism, intersectional feminism, Dolly Parton, 9 to 5, Gracie and Frankie, tech bros, oligarchs and billionaires, life lessons, old school Hollywood, Hollywood royalty, motherhood, parenting, Donald Trump, blacklist. 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.

Remembering Angry Anderson: rock n' roll animal and incurable romantic

Sep 24, 2026 47 min

Iconic Australian musician, actor, youth advocate and charity ambassador Angry Anderson has died at the age of 79. Angry spent 50 years in the music industry with his legendary rock band, Rose Tattoo, and the band was due to return to the stage this month for another Australian tour. But Angry was much more than a raging rock n' roll animal. He was an incurable romantic, despite his violent childhood in Melbourne. He was a loyal, devoted father of four, and Angry was always a friend to the little guy. You can read more about Angry Anderson's remarkable life at the ABC News website. Originally broadcast in January 2007. Angry's youngest son, Liam Anderson, died in 2018. This episode of Conversations explores Australian music, celebrity deaths, cardiac arrest, Obituaries, fatherhood, childhood abuse, pub rock, Countdown, musical controversies, Sharpies, modern fatherhood, substance abuse, television, Australian television, Kylie Minogue, Neighbours, Ray Martin, politics, Australian icons, Australian legends, Australian kitsch, RIP Angry Anderson. 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.

Stories from our Elders: My passionate friendship with a rebel poet

Sep 23, 2026 51 min

Alison Hoddinot was one of the first Australian women to study at Oxford University, but one of her lecturers, J.R.R Tolkein, refused to take on a woman PhD student. Alison was born in Tasmania in 1931. As a young woman she won a scholarship to study at Oxford University. But when she arrived, none of the male professors including J.R.R Tolkien, would take on a woman PhD student. Back in Tasmania Alison became great friends with the poet Gwen Harwood. The two shared recipes, letters, and the challenges of combining work and motherhood. During their friendship Gwen shocked the nation when she used acrostic sonnets to pull a wild hoax on The Bulletin magazine in 1961. First broadcast in 2018 Further information In 2022 Alison Hoddinot passed away after a short illness Women, Oxford and Novels of Crime and Gwen Harwood: Idle Talk - Letters 1960-1964 are published by Brandl and Schlesinger Read more about Gwen and Alison's friendship and their letters

Stories from our Elders: the chef who taught 37,000 Australians how to cook

Sep 22, 2026 51 min

Elizabeth Chong didn't cook her first meal until she was a newlywed. Six decades later, the owner of a cooking school specialising in Chinese cuisine, she had taught more than 37,000 people how to cook. Chef, author and teacher Elizabeth Chong was born in China's Guangdong Province in 1931. When her heavily pregnant mother was expelled from Victoria under the White Australia Policy in the 1920s, the whole family returned to China. Years later her family returned and a young Elizabeth was free to roam the closed Queen Victoria Market on Sundays with her siblings. With fresh, fragrant and plentiful Chinese food at home, Elizabeth didn’t cook her first meal until she was married. Since then, she's made it her mission to raise the profile of Chinese cuisine, something she's done by teaching more than 37,000 people how to cook. In 2024, Elizabeth retired from teaching people how to cook, in her early 90s. This episode of Conversations was produced by Alice Moldovan. Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores refugees, refugee Australians, multiculturalism, monoculture, migration, immigration, Chinese history in Australia, Chinese cooking, Chinese food, families, dim sim, recipes, family recipes, Australian Chinese food, life advice, life advice from our elders, family dynamics, family separation, marriage, divorce, Masterchef, Australian cooks, famous Australian chefs, Australian cuisine. 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.

Stories from our Elders: Bryan Brown's road from Bankstown to Hollywood

Sep 21, 2026 48 min

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. In our week of stories from our elders, we begin with the life of Bryan Brown. Now aged 79, 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 years in Hollywood, starring most notably in Cocktail and Gorillas In The Mist, before ultimately choosing Sydney over a life in America. 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, forming a romantic and creative partnership that has endured ever since. More recently, Brian has found a new career writing crime novels, including The Drowning and The Hidden. This episode of Conversations was produced by Michelle Ransom-Hughes. Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores acting, Australian cinema, classic movies, Australiana, Australian kitsch, film history, fatherhood, love, rags to riches, Hollywood, anxiety, mental health, amateur theatre, theatre, Red Dog, men's mental health, love, farming. 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 radical history of personal computing—looms, coding, beige boxes and AI

Sep 18, 2026 53 min

Mel Huang Buntine on how computers started entering our homes, and the beige box of a machine that changed her own life. Personal computers are so ubiquitous now, it's hard to imagine a time when computers were inaccessible to everyday people. For decades, computers were the size of rooms, and they were used for specialist tasks like processing large data sets for researchers, or sending men to the moon. But by the 1980s computers had become smaller and more affordable, and people started bringing them into their homes. From this point on, how everyday people interacted with technology changed forever. Mel Huang Buntine is a designer and technologist who was gifted her first computer as a tween in 1990s Melbourne. Mel lived in a multigenerational home with her mother, her grandparents and her great-grandmother, all of whom had escaped the Cambodian genocide as refugees. They couldn't understand why Mel was obsessed with this machine, but it completely opened up Mel's world and changed her life. Now with anxiety growing around AI, surveillance and mega tech companies, Mel is trying to get people to understand the history of computers and how they work. She hopes this will give back to people a sense of agency over machines, rather than feeling powerless to the opacity of algorithms and large language models. Radical Computing is exhibiting at the National Communication Museum in Melbourne from 19 September 2026, until 21February 2027. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores technology, artificial intelligence, Facebook, Instagram, social media, coding, making a website, HTML, CSS, PS5, playstation, games console, computer games, desktop games, Apple iOs 27, Mac, Macbook, Mac versus PC, IBM, Commodore 64, Steam Frame, iPhone, smartphone, dumb phone, Steve Jobs, Jack Tramiel, computer race, home appliances, toy market, super computers, science and technology, future of computers, techno optimist, t...

Encore: Vickie's turbulent life in and out of prison, and how she reclaimed her power

Sep 17, 2026 51 min

Prisoner advocate Vickie Roach spent decades in and out of jail but after studying for her masters degree, she helped change the story for thousands of other prisoners. When Vicki was just two years old, she was given a police record, which enabled authorities to place her into the custody of a family she didn't know. She grew up under the strict religious rule of her adoptive mother, whom she clashed with frequently. Vickie left school at thirteen. It was that year she met her birth mother for the first time, and discovered she was Aboriginal. Decades of trouble followed, including numerous prison terms. Vickie's also known periods of stability, such as after winning back her son after a long-running custody dispute. In 2007, Vickie was awarded her Master's degree while serving her final prison sentence at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Victoria. She was also the sole plaintiff in a ground-breaking legal challenge to the High Court, which returned some prisoners the right to vote. Today, Vickie continues her work as an advocate for the rights of women in prison. Content warning: episode contains mentions of violence, suicide and drug use Further information Vickie appears in ABC TV's You Cant Ask That - Domestic Violence (survivors) episodeVickie was joint winner of the 2017 Tim McCoy Human Rights Award Adoption resources and support Jigsaw Australia - search and contact Find and Connect - support for former residents of children's homes, orphanages and institutions Post-Adoption Support Benevolent Society AustraliaForced Adoption services Government support services website or, contact the Forced Adoption Support Service in your state or territory, call 1800 21 03 13 Australian Adoptees NetworkFor immediate support, you can call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 46 36

My dad Jim Henson, the creative genius behind 'The Muppets'

Sep 16, 2026 51 min

Growing up Lisa Henson and her siblings spent a lot of time in their father's workshop and studio, watching puppets get drawn, sculpted and brought to life. Jim Henson first started messing around with puppets as a teenager, and not long afterwards he began collaborating with his wife Jane. Together they founded Muppets Incorporated. Puppets became a way for Jim to share his extraordinary imagination with the world, and he went on to become one of the most influential creative minds of the 20th century. His legacy includes Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and the movies The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth. Jim’s creations, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and the Cookie Monster remain recognisable and beloved around the world. Jim Henson died in 1990, but the Jim Henson company is still owned by the family, and his eldest child Lisa is now the CEO. Further Information The Jim Henson exhibition at QAGOMA in Brisbane is on until April 2027 Make, Believe, Magic, The worlds of the of the Jim Henson companyThis episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake and the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores Jim Henson, Lisa Henson, puppets, The Muppets, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, creativity, puppetry, The Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, television, animatronics. Frank Oz, Sesame Street, children's television, Sam and Friends, creativity, technology, Jane Henson, Harvard University, England, The Creature Shop

Encore: What happened when I tried MDMA therapy

Sep 15, 2026 52 min

Author Rebecca Huntley used supervised MDMA therapy to help her with complex PTSD and the legacy of childhood trauma. Rebecca's public life as a broadcaster, an author and a social researcher made her well-known to many Australians. But in private, Rebecca spent years grappling with complex PTSD and childhood trauma. At 50, while walking the Camino, she realised that despite decades of therapy, she was still living with a roiling anger about what had happened to her as a child. She decided to undergo MDMA therapy delivered by an underground healer. Further Information Rebecca Huntley's book Sassafras is published by Hachette. Since 2023, psychiatrist in Australia have been authorised to prescribe MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. You can read about some of the complications of how MDMA is prescribed here.

Healing intergenerational trauma and epigenetics—the children of the Third Reich

Sep 14, 2026 48 min

Catrine Clay with the story of the children of Nazi perpetrators and Holocaust survivors came together under extraordinary circumstances to come to terms with their dark past. In the early 1990s, historian and author Catrine Clay was working at the BBC, making a documentary about a woman named Renate. Renate had been born in Germany in 1941, and grew up in the postwar years as the sole child of a single mother. When Renate asked her mother about her missing father, she was told he had been an important general in the German forces, who had been imprisoned by the Russians. But that wasn't the truth. Renate's father was actually a Nazi war criminal of the highest rank, and she had been conceived as part of an experiment to produce Aryan children for the German fatherland. Catrine and Renate travelled through Germany and Eastern Europe to find the truth about her father and the home she'd been born into. Eventually, they go to Israel, where Renate comes face to face with the children of Holocaust survivors. There, they bond over their shared attempts to find a way forward, out of the silences and hidden fears of their parents' dark pasts. Children of the Third Reich: Three pasts three futures is published by Hachette. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison It explores World War II, history, family trauma, intergenerational trauma, holocaust survivors, Aryan super-race, experiments on humans, genetic experiments, SS soldiers, the body keeps the score, Epigenetics, psychology, suicide, mental health, mental illness, healing, Jewish history, reconciliation, German history, Nazis, reckoning with the past, family secrets, absent fathers, Israel, Palestine, forgiveness, humanity, Hitler, war criminal, war crimes. 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...

Comedian Urzila Carlson regrets nothing

Sep 11, 2026 52 min

Urzila Carlson grew up in South Africa. Her father threatened the family with a gun when she was 6, and he walked out on the family soon afterwards. Urzila's mum, who she describes as a 'warrior woman', raised Urzila and her sister. When she was in primary school, one of Urzila's teachers taught her a big lesson about regret, which has stayed with her for life. Urzila moved to New Zealand in 2006 to begin working in advertising. One day a group of her co-workers persuaded her to perform at a local open mic night. Within a year she had become a professional comedian in Australia and New Zealand. Further information Watch Urzila's latest comedy special Watch Urzila's TV sketch show on ABC TV This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and the Executive Producer was Pam O'Brien. It explores South Africa, comedy, family, domestic violence, alcoholism, Afrikaans, racism, violence, home invasion, stand up comedy, confidence, body image, migration, New Zealand, Australia, memoir, siblings.

Encore: Meg Washington on the magic of music

Sep 10, 2026 48 min

The singer-songwriter on her early introduction to musicals in Port Moresby, how singing became a form of speech therapy for her stutter and also a path into her life’s work. Meg Washington was born in a musical home in Port Moresby, where her parents had met as Australian expats. Meg and her sister spent a lot of their time watching classic Hollywood musicals and also down at the local yacht club where their dad DJ'd every Saturday night. Singing became something Meg was encouraged to do herself after she developed a stutter as a little girl. And eventually it grew from a therapy into a thrill. Meg's stutter was something she did her best to disguise while building her career as a singer and songwriter in Australia. But after going public about her speech impediment in a TedX Talk, Meg realised she no longer cared about hiding who she was. This honesty led to a whole host of exciting new opportunities – including becoming the voice of Calypso in Bluey, and making a film with her husband based on the iconic Paul Kelly song, “How To Make Gravy”. More information This episode was produced by Meggie Morris. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores Papua New Guinea, DJ, filmmaker, being expelled from high school, creative arts, performance camps, eisteddfods, Rodgers and Hammerstein, love at first sight, quick wedding, spirituality, Christianity, Brisbane. 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.

Louise Adler on why she questions everything

Sep 9, 2026 47 min

Louise Adler has been one of the biggest and most controversial names in Australian publishing for decades. This is the story of how she fell in love with the world of books.⁠An asthmatic child, she spent most of Melbourne’s winters in bed with nothing else to do but read novels. But it wasn't until her parents intervened in Louise's obsession with Enid Blyton’s boarding school series that her deep pleasure in the world of books began in earnest.⁠Shaped by her family's story of surviving World War Two, Louise grew up in questioning everything. She was 15 years old when she went to her first Vietnam moratorium and was locked up for her role in the protests.⁠ She travelled to Israel at the age of 17, which was a transformative experience for her.⁠⁠Back in Australia, Louise began her career in publishing, backing some unconventional and headline-grabbing authors from Tony Abbott and Mark Latham to Louise Milligan and Mick Gatto.⁠Louise was Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week from 2023, until the dramatic collapse of the 2026 festival.⁠ This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It was recorded live at the Byron Writers Festival. It explores writing, writers, books, Australian literature, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Israel, Palestine, Anti-Semitism commission, Judaism, WWII, Holocaust survivors, Adelaide Writers Festival, Byron Writers Festival, freedom of speech, Australian literary scene, origin story, Auspol, politics, big ideas, memoir, love, marriage, safe spaces, Grace Tame.

Encore: The beautiful questions your intellectual mind can't answer

Sep 8, 2026 51 min

Acclaimed poet and philosopher David Whyte has come to believe a single line of poetry is enough to change your life. David grew up amongst the moors and fields of West Yorkshire, with an English father and an Irish mother who had a gift for lyricism and language. He started writing poems at just seven years old, but it wasn't until he was working as a guide in the Galapagos Islands that David truly understood what poetry was and what it could do for us. A near-death experience there prepared him for life as a poet by teaching him to pay attention to what lay right in front of him at any given time. For David, the power of poetry lies in its unmatched ability to meditate and focus on what's right in front of us, whether it's a mountain, a loved one, or our own reflection. First broadcast in 2025 Further information David's latest collection of poems and essays is Consolations II, published by Canongate. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores, poetry, poems, near death experiences, mothers, sons, family, Ireland, meditation, Zen, love, heartbreak, anxiety, time, happiness, the Galapagos Islands, family, grief, memory, spirituality, Christianity, language, England.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.

Black ops and human shields—the secrets on board Flight 149

Sep 7, 2026 52 min

Why were 400 civilians allowed to fly into a war zone as Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait? What really happened to them when they were held as hostages? And why has the British government fought for so long to keep it all a secret? Stephen Davis is an investigative journalist who has been following a story, within a story, within a story for more than 30 years. It starts on 2 August, 1990 when a British Airways plane landed in Kuwait for a scheduled stopover. There were nearly 400 passengers and crew on board, mostly British, who had no idea they were flying straight into Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. Instead of refuelling and then carrying on to Madras, the people on board were taken into Iraqi custody, ferried to various hotels and strategic locations around Kuwait, and then Baghdad, deployed as human shields in an unfurling international conflict. Used like chess pieces by Saddam Hussein's men, their experiences would scar them for the rest of their lives, but eventually they would point the finger at their own government's role in their fate. Because Flight 149 should never have landed in Kuwait, and the reasons why it was allowed to fly into a war zone were covered up for more than three decades. Stephen's sources pointed him to a secret British black ops mission that embedded nine operatives on that same civilian flight. The Secret History of Flight 149 is published by Bonnier Books UK. Around 100 passengers and crew of Flight 149 are suing the UK Government and British Airways for “deliberately endangering” them, claiming they knew Iraq had invaded Kuwait before the plane landed. A preliminary hearing was held last November in the High Court in London. Both sides are still battling over procedural issues before a full trial can begin. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores the Middle East, geopolitics, President Bush, Gulf War, Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, invasion, oil, world economy,...

From the Nazis to the Stasi, how ordinary citizens live through extraordinary times

Sep 4, 2026 55 min

Historian Katja Hoyer was born in 1985, under the old regime of the GDR and grew up in the 1990s, watching many former East Germans struggle in the years after reunification. Learning about the Nazi era was a big part of her education but Katja left school feeling unsatisfied about what she’d been taught about the period when the Nazis rose to power. She knew about all the big political moments, but not much about the lives of ordinary Germans and how they responded to the dramatic changes that unfolded around all around them. So Katja the historian traced the lives of residents in the town of Weimar from 1919 to 1939 to examine how a cultural hub of democracy transformed into a Nazi stronghold.Further information Weimar: Life of the Edge of Catastrophe is published by Penguin. Katja's earlier book is Beyond the Wall: East Germany 1949-1990 Learn more about Katja Hoyer on her website This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake and the Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison. It explores German history, the rise of the Nazis, Weimar, the Weimar Republic, Adolf Hitler, the Stasi, secret police, the Berlin Wall, Communism, Fascism, World War II, East Germany, the GDR, democracy, Jewish persecution, Buchenwald, concentration camps, Carl Weirich, Nazi era history, the rise of the Nazis. 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.

Encore: The family secret which inspired 'The Teacher's Pet'

Sep 3, 2026 51 min

Journalist Hedley Thomas grew up knowing that his grandmother Gladys had vanished in the sea off Sydney in the 1950s. The mystery of what happened to Gladys helped to inspire his hit podcast 'The Teacher's Pet'. Hedley has had a storied career in journalism which has seen him win many Walkley Awards and expose a lot of corruption and dodgy dealings. But it has also placed Hedley and his family in harm's way. In 2002 Hedley and his wife Ruth were at their home when bullets were fired into their bedroom. The shooter was never found, and Hedley grappled with PTSD after the event. A couple of decades later Hedley returned to a story which had stayed with him for years. It was the about a woman named Lynette who had gone missing from her home in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Hedley's podcast about her story became a massive hit. Five years after 'The Teacher's Pet' began, Lyn's former husband Chris Dawson was convicted of her murder. Despite his recent appeals, Dawson will spend the rest of his life in jail for Lynette's murder. Recently, Hedley has started talking about the family secret which helped inspire the podcast when it first began. Further information Help and support is always available. Beyond Blue provides 24/7 support on mental health issues. Hear Sarah's conversation with Lynette's daughter, Shanelle Dawson. The episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison, the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores family, journalism, domestic violence, police investigation, murder, The Teacher's Pet, true crime, true crime podcast, Lynette Dawson, Chris Dawson, Shanelle Dawson, PTSD, home invasion, secrets, prison, Northern Beachers of Sydney, mothers, grandmothers, Walkley awards, justice, cold case. 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 aut...

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Podcast details

Created by: ABC Australia
Status: Active
Latest episode: Nov 11, 2026
Episodes: 2,827
Release period: Daily
Avg. episode length: 50 min
Explicit: No
Language: English

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