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PODCAST

Conversations

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

society & culture relationships

All Episodes

0:52:54

Encore: Psychotherapist Philippa Perry says yes to...

Conversations ·

2025/09/26

Phillipa Perry grew in England and as a teenager went to a finishing school in Switzerland where she learnt to ski and speak in a posh accent. But instead of joining the aristocracy she worked as debt collector, a manager at McDonalds and eventually a psychotherapist.Later she married the celebrated artist Grayson Perry, who is famous for his cross-dressing.Philippa says the key to raising children is acknowledging feelings – the good, the bad, and the ugly.Her best selling

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0:51:06

What caring for the dying taught Bronnie Ware about...

Conversations ·

2025/09/25

Bronnie Ware was recovering from burnout when she wrote a blog post reflecting on years working as a palliative carer and the epiphanies patients shared with her as they faced death. It was read by millions and became the basis of her best-selling book, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying.And the lessons Bronnie learnt from her dying patients also helped her confront some darker elements of her childhood and eventually find peace.The book has become a touchstone for many people all

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0:52:00

My father Bryce Courtenay: the charming, charismatic,...

Conversations ·

2025/09/24

To Australia he was a genius adman and best-selling author but behind closed doors Bryce Courtenay was a deeply flawed husband and father. His son, Adam, has tried to make sense of the lies, the ego and the heartbreak.When Adam Courtenay was growing up, he saw his dad Bryce 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

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0:53:00

How this journalist took on a war criminal and won

Conversations ·

2025/09/23

In 2017, journalist Nick McKenzie heard rumours of executions and cover-ups inside Australia’s most elite military unit. For the next eight years, Nick waged an epic battle for the truth to be acknowledged about Ben Roberts-Smith VC.Along with his colleague Chris Masters, Nick began an investigation which hinged on Australia’s most famous, and most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, who served in the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) from 2003 - 2013.By following the

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0:50:27

Encore: Paralympian Christie Dawes is super/normal

Conversations ·

2025/09/19

Christie took up wheelchair racing as a child as part of her rehab after a car crash left her with paraplegia. Sometimes dangerous and always thrilling, the sport helped to restore her sense of self and Christie went on to compete in seven Paralympic Games.But she almost gave up one of her events, the marathon, after a terrifying experience in Boston in 2013. Christie manages to split her time training for races, holding down several jobs, and raising her family.Further

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0:53:09

How I went from being a pregnant, homeless teenager...

Conversations ·

2025/09/18

Claire Parkinson is the daughter of a long-distance lorry driver and her first job was cleaning the urinals at her local Suffolk factory. A stint as a prison officer set her up with stability and responsibility, then she was assigned to protect a notorious murderer. Content warning: this episode contains strong language.As a child, Claire was the apple of her father’s eye and when she got pregnant unexpectedly while a teenager, he could not speak to her at all and the two fell

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0:52:16

265 days alone at sea — the young boat builder who...

Conversations ·

2025/09/17

Tom Robinson was a 14-year-old living in the Brisbane suburbs when he made a promise to himself to become the youngest person ever to row across the Pacific Ocean. Nine years later Tom set off from Peru bound for Australia without a support crew and limited communication.Tom navigated by the stars, made eye contact with a shark and rowed up to 15 hours a day when strong currents pushed him off course.And when his adventure ended, it was in a completely unexpected by perfect

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0:51:00

The secret lives of diplomats: surviving 'bomb...

Conversations ·

2025/09/16

Diplomat Grant Dooley was inside the Australian Embassy building in Indonesia when a bomb went off, killing several people. This was just the beginning of a series of devastating events that Grant had to come to terms with years after moving back home to Australia.In 2004, Grant Dooley and his wife, Kristan, moved to Jakarta with their two young children to start a three-year posting at the Australian Embassy.In September of that year, Grant arrived at the embassy complex for a

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0:13:13

Conversations Live podcast extra: Mel Buttle

Conversations ·

2025/09/12

Sarah and Richard give you a sneak peek behind the scenes of the now complete Conversations Live Tour, Brisbane edition.Comedian, Mel Buttle was one of the special guests who appeared on stage to share some photos close to her heart, and the stories attached to them. Further informationTo see Mel's photos for yourself, head to the ABC Conversations Facebook page.https://www.facebook.com/abcconvos/To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and

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0:52:05

Encore: Candice Fox—How to raise a crime writer

Conversations ·

2025/09/12

As a child, Candice Fox knew her family wasn't what most people would consider normal. Their Christmas included lunch at Long Bay jail, where her father worked (R).At home, Candice's mother Ocean was busy rescuing lost people, injured native animals, and bringing home odd things from the council clean-up.In one 5-year period, Ocean fostered more than 140 children. To escape the chaos of home, Candice would immerse herself in her mum's collection of illustrated true crime

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0:51:48

When Dr Tottman had to run towards her life

Conversations ·

2025/09/11

Dr Charlotte Tottman is a clinical psychologist who specialises in supporting cancer patients. Both her parents had died young from different cancers, so Charlotte always joked she would be next. In 2018, it wasn't a joke anymore.While on a beach holiday, Charlotte found a lump in her breast.When she got her own cancer diagnosis, all of Charlotte’s skills as a psychologist went out the window.She was scared, and angry, and determined to keep going rather than letting herself

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0:52:54

Life after menopause, divorce and death—How this...

Conversations ·

2025/09/10

A few years ago, after a series of crisis after crisis after crisis, Allie Pepper thought she would have to give up high-altitude mountain climbing. This is how she got her groove back.Record-breaking mountaineer, Allie Pepper, is currently in the middle of a project to become the first and fastest woman to climb the world’s 14 tallest mountains – those over 8000m – without the use of oxygen.But just a few years ago, Allie nearly gave up climbing all together after a trifecta of

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0:51:30

Why Dr Ranjana Srivastava tells the whole truth about...

Conversations ·

2025/09/09

Doctors often use euphemisms to dance around the 'C' word. But for oncologist Dr Ranjana Srivastava, how you talk to someone with cancer goes beyond "shadows, lumps and lesions". It's all about compassion and clarity, even when honesty is difficult.Ranjana Srivastava was a young doctor in regional Australia, accompanying her consultant on his late night rounds when she heard a patient say something that stopped Ranjana in her tracks.It was in that moment that she finally knew what

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0:52:13

Encore: Danny Estrin's Eurovision glory and the...

Conversations ·

2025/09/05

Voyager frontman Danny Estrin on his unconventional path from heavy metal to law and on to the Eurovision grand final (R).Danny Estrin is one of the few Australians who knows what it’s like to perform at Eurovision. As frontman for the progressive synth metal band, Voyager, Danny commanded the stage in the 2023 competition, wind machine and all. His musical education started early, on a piano gifted by his babushka and freighted from the Soviet Union to his childhood home in

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0:53:12

How friendship and science set Kathleen Folbigg free

Conversations ·

2025/09/04

Kathleen Folbigg was locked up in prison for decades, wrongly convicted of the deaths of her four children. For years, her childhood friend Tracy was the only person who believed in her innocence. Now they are both telling the story of their herculean fight to overturn Kathleen's conviction. (CW: loss of children, descriptions of life in prison)In 2003, Kathleen Folbigg was locked up in jail for decades, wrongly convicted of the deaths of her four children.One of the only people

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0:46:48

How Alan 'the shit magnet' Playford helped...

Conversations ·

2025/09/03

When you call for an ambulance these days, chances are the officers inside will save a life. But 40 years ago, 80 per cent of Alan Playford's passengers would either die on the way to the hospital, or on its doorstep. This is how he, and his colleagues, changed the face of paramedicine for the better.When Alan Playford first joined the New South Wales Ambulance Service in the 1970s, he would drive an ambulance on his own to all sorts of emergencies.With little equipment, and no

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0:47:12

Why I wrote a musical for my cheeky, charismatic,...

Conversations ·

2025/09/02

Ten years ago, Sydney-based artist HOSSEI took a step back from the art world to care for his sick mother. The more time they spent together, the more inspired HOSSEI became to create something especially for, about, and starring his mum.HOSSEI is an artist with a flair for colour, quirk and unbridled joy.But growing up the only son of a Persian-Australian family, it took years of hard work to convince his parents that being an artist was his destiny.HOSSEI's mother, Nahid, came

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0:52:00

20th Anniversary Collection: Alan Alda on bringing...

Conversations ·

2025/08/30

Hollywood actor Alan Alda has devoted his life to science, by taking his acting and communication skills off the screen and into the laboratory. Alan grew up in a show business family and spent his childhood touring with a burlesque show run by his parents.He eventually made a name for himself in showbiz, becoming well-known and much-loved for his performances in M.A.S.H. and The West Wing, as well as his roles in many Hollywood films.Alan is also famous for his love of science.He

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0:53:18

20th Anniversary Collection: Alan Alda on bringing...

Conversations ·

2025/08/30

Hollywood actor Alan Alda has devoted his life to science, by taking his acting and communication skills off the screen and into the laboratory. Alan grew up in a show business family and spent his childhood touring with a burlesque show run by his parents.He eventually made a name for himself in showbiz, becoming well-known and much-loved for his performances in M.A.S.H. and The West Wing, as well as his roles in many Hollywood films.Alan is also famous for his love of science.He

en

0:05:20

20th Anniversary Collection: The male midwife working...

Conversations ·

2025/08/29

Growing up south of Sydney as one of six boys, midwifery wasn't the occupation Christian Wright expected for himself. At the age of nine, he experienced a vision that gave him a sense of his future in a life of service.As a qualified midwife, Christian spent time in the tiny town of Nhulunbuy, right on the tip of the Northern Territory.He worked with Yolŋu women of remote Arnhem Land to help them birth their babies.Further informationThis interview was first broadcast in March

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