Life Matters - Separate stories podcast ABC listen

One in three of Australia's four million children are struggling to read proficiently, according to the Grattan Institute. That's a shocking figure, and one that understandably worries many parents, grandparents and guardians. 

Anne McLeish and Amy Haywood discuss how adults can play a role in supporting kids' education in the home, and what are the best evidence-based ways to teach kids to read.

Shane Jacobson is a beloved fixture of Australian screen and stage, from plunging toilets as Kenny to singing in Guys and Dolls.

He shares his motto for life's great moments, and a lesson from his mum about the perils of embellishing a story.

Much of Australia is having a cold snap right now — with sub-zero temperatures in six different states and territories.

And it can be very nice in those times to curl up in a warm room with a hot cuppa, and forget about the world outside.

Unfortunately, many Australian homes barely keep the cold outside, and that affects our energy bills, which are already high.

Professor Emma Baker discusses what can we do to warm up our homes - both this winter and into the future?

Mid-year can be a tricky time: the weather is colder, the days are shorter, and the summer holidays can feel like they're a long way away. Is there a way we can better support ourselves and those around us from burnout?

Dr Charlotte Keating is a clinical psychologist with a PhD in Neuroscience and she joined Hilary Harper to discuss the evolving field of research around what constitutes burnout, its impact and what we can do to protect ourselves from getting it.
 

Parisa Sekandari came into the world under Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

Some two decades later, the second time they rose to power, her life would dramatically change overnight.

Now a Refugee Advocate and co-creator of the collectives 'Amplify Afghan Women' and 'Community for Humanity', Parisa is one of the 'refugee heroes' fronting the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre's annual telethon coming up on World Refugee Day, Thursday 20th June.

We often think of placebos in a medical context, as control measures for testing the effectiveness of drugs. But can placebos also influence how how things taste, or even how effective certain over-the-counter medicines are? 

Professor Joel Pearson shares the ways in which placebos harness the power of our brain's own belief.