Conversations

Conversations
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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.

  1. 8 HR AGO

    Encore: Nikki Gemmell's vivid life of love, grief and reinvention

    From Wollongong to London, via Alice Springs, this is writer Nikki Gemmell on her deeply romantic life, and how she defied expectations to become a famous author. Nikki grew up the daughter of a coalminer father who thought writers were a burden on society, while her mum taught Nikki that only success was worthy of love. So Nikki went above and beyond to prove her beloved father wrong, and to get the attention of her mother through her achievements, publishing 20 books in the process, including the wildly successful The Bride Stripped Bare. Now the mother of four children, Nikki has also been determined to live her own life and raise her own children very differently, being generous with her love and pride for her sons and daughter. Content warning: Please take care when listening as this conversation mentions suicide. Help is always available. If you need to talk, 24/7 crisis support is available from Lifeline by calling 13 11 14. You can also text with them and chat online with counsellors here This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores parenthood, mothers, fathers, attachment, fawning, people pleasing, striving for achievement, accomplishment, writing, books, novelist, coal mining, family separation, divorce, childhood trauma, healing, generational differences, romance, love, mental health, Australian literature. 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.

    53 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    How I went from young delinquent to running a university

    Professor George Williams was uninterested in school, instead spending his time melting down lead to sell to a nearby scrap yard. Then a special primary school teacher gave him permanent detention, which changed his life. Growing up in Sydney, he was the rebellious child of a single mum who worked in a fruit shop to support the family. George was so disruptive at primary school that no teacher wanted him in class. At first he was flabbergasted at the unfairness of this punishment, but with this teacher’s undivided attention, George began to enjoy learning and found that he was smart. His grades improved, and George became interested in studying Law. He has had a long career in Constitutional Law and working in university leadership. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores tertiary education, international students, online learning, lectures, tutorials, the casual workforce, academics, higher learning, lifelong learning, sandstone universities, student debt, HECS, affordable learning and poverty. 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.

    53 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    What leaving my family’s Baha’i faith taught me about love and life

    Brisbane teacher and author, Sita Walker on the strong, religious matriarchs who have helped her weather the storm of family tragedy, divorce and the beauty of a new love. Sita grew up in Toowoomba in Queensland, descended from five powerful women — three aunts, her grandmother and her mum. They were Baha’i women who came to Australia via Iran and India. Tragedy struck the family when Sita was a child, and her matriarchs descended on the home — to cook, clean, and comfort. Sita always saw herself as good Baha’i girl, and she went on to marry a good Baha’i boy and start a family.  When things started to unravel, Sita found herself drifting away from her nightly prayers and accounting for her deeds, and it took a divorce and a new love for her to admit to herself, and her parents, how things had changed. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison. It explores faith, grief, religion, Baha'i, grandmothering, losing a sibling, evil eye, Queenslander, youth camp, marrying young, nightly prayers, falling in love, leaving religion, girl dinner, fiction writing, being a teacher, high school teacher, Mary Oliver and poetry. 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.

    53 min

  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    Remembering Midnight Oil's Rob Hirst

    Rob Hirst, the former drummer for the band Midnight Oil has died at age 70. In 2018 Sarah sat down with Rob for a wide-ranging conversation about music, nature and reconnecting with family (R)

    50 min

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    Encore: Melissa Lucashenko and the story of Edenglassie

    Melissa Lucashenko grew up on the outskirts of Brisbane, where her Aboriginal mother grew plants and her Russian father built an improbable number of sheds in the backyard.  Melissa worked as a motorcycle detailer, a house painter, a prison advocate, and a game show contestant before finding her way as a writer.  Her novel, Edenglassie, imagines life in colonial Brisbane in the 1850s.  In it, she tells the story of the Aboriginal warrior Dundalli who was the last man to be publicly executed in Queensland.  But Melissa also explores contemporary Brisbane, highlighting what she calls the "double vision" of Aboriginal people. Edenglassie is published by the University of Queensland Press. This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison. Executive Producer is Carmel Rooney. It explores colonial Brisbane, Indigenous history and culture, Russian culture, Edenglassie, karate, prison reform, writing, Aboriginal warrior Dundalli, game show contestant, reality tv, house painter, public execution, 1850s Brisbane, history, mixed race families, growing up mixed race. 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.

    54 min

  6. 22 JAN

    From drug smuggling and opium dens to marching in the first-ever Mardi Gras—Kate's coming out

    Kate Rowe's life has been full of wild adventures and hard living. But when she found sobriety, Kate discovered something big about herself. CW: This story contains discussion of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault and some strong language. Please take care when listening. Ever since she stepped off the boat at Circular Quay as a 20-something 10-pound Pom, Kate has run fearlessly toward outrageous adventure. As a young woman Kate travelled around Australia picking tobacco, hitchhiking and sometimes spent her weekends running riot in Kings Cross. Then in 1974, she tagged along with some random guys she’d met who wanted to walk across the island of Timor.  From there, Kate ventured into South-East Asia, where she began smuggling bricks of cannabis from Thailand into Nepal. But everywhere she went, Kate took herself with her, and so all kinds of baggage from her early life came along for the wild ride. Eventually a cloud lifted, and when Kate found sobriety she realised something big about herself. Content Warning: This story contains discussion of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault and some strong language. Please take care when listening. How the F*ck Would I Know is published by Power Writers Publishing Group and can be found online. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores trauma, healing, recovery, England, London, disordered eating, eating disorder recovery, substance abuse, addiction, drug trafficking, drug dealing, heroin, opium, alcohol, alcoholism, addiction recovery, therapy, counselling, sexuality, LGBTQI+, queer community, Mardi Gras, 1978, lesbian, women's Lib. 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.

    53 min

  7. 21 JAN

    I was a teenage military officer in the War on Terror. Then I had to make a new life for myself

    Aaron Tait was 18 when he went to war after September 11. His dad's guidance had set Aaron up with the grit he would need as a military officer, but it took him many years to forgive himself for his role in the war. Aaron comes from a long line of Navy men, and all through his childhood he was waiting until it was his turn to get stuck into life at sea. After basic officer training, Aaron moved through the harsh Navy’s Ship’s Divers course. Then, following September 11 he went to war in the Persian Gulf at just 18. Aaron's job was incredibly dangerous. He was boarding and attempting to control illegal Iraqi oil tankers in international waters, and he narrowly avoided death several times. After his service, Aaron found that his ideas about the Navy had changed, and he set out to rectify what he saw as the terrible part he had played in the war. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores Navy diving, Iraq, war on terror, 9/11, pirates, international waters, humanitarian, family love, being a dad, strong dad, broken men, veterans, war veterans, masculinity, toxic masculinity, leaving the military, ADFA, drinking culture, boy dad, travel. 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.

    52 min

  8. 20 JAN

    The secret life of a hostage negotiator

    Hostage negotiation isn't at all like what you see in Hollywood blockbusters. There is no lying, no promise-making, not even any names. Vince Hurley has only one task—trying to make a deep, human connection with a complete stranger. Content Warning: this episode of Conversations contains strong language and descriptions of violent crime. Vince Hurley is a criminologist at Macquarie University and a passionate advocate for ending violence against women. He brings nearly three decades of policing experience to the job. For 29 years, Vince was an operational police officer in the outer suburbs of Sydney, investigating domestic homicides, assaults, home invasions and drug trafficking. In that time, Vince was shot at, stabbed in the hand, and pushed off a building. But his most challenging work was the shifts he pulled as a hostage negotiator. Vince worked for 12 hours at a time, trying to literally talk people off the ledge, or to stop them from committing some sort of disastrous violent act. Hostage negotiation isn't at all like what you see in the cinema. There is no lying, no promises, not even any names. All Vince has to go on is trying to make a human connection with someone without knowing anything about them.  This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It explores policing, police work, violent crimes, police culture, violence against women, domestic violence, femicide, Lindt siege, hostage negotiation, suicidal ideation, terrorism, murder, retiring, academic, universities, Macquarie University, late career change, Western Sydney, educating teen boys, hidden violence, child abuse, cops, police officer. 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.

    51 min
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Hosts & Guests

About

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.

Information

  • Channel
    Conversations
  • Creator
    ABC
  • Years Active
    2005 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2.9K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    Conversations

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