Life Matters - Full program podcast

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Helping you figure out all the big stuff in life: relationships, health, money, work and the world. Let's talk! With trusted experts and your stories, Life Matters is all about what matters to you.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    The mindset of saying yes and emotions run hot at a school sausage sizzle

    What would happen if you decide to embrace the word yes? Yes to opportunities! Yes to scary invitations! Yes to chances to have fun! Yes! Yes! Yes! Virologist Kirsty Short gave it a go and found it helped her get in touch with what she really wanted in life. Dr Giac Giacomantonio, Brisbane-based psychotherapist, discusses why saying yes can be hard but rewarding. Volunteering at school events is about building community spirit … but it's also about being fast, efficient, and able to work as part of a well-oiled machine at sausage sizzles and cake stalls. Letter-writer Mark is a longtime member of the parent committee at his kids' primary school. And he has a dilemma for aunties Nazeem Hussain, comedian and writer, and Monica Dux, columnist and author.

    53 min

  2. 2 DAYS AGO

    Debating the future of gene-edited meat and supermodel Samantha Harris' meteoric rise

    The conversation about genetically edited meat is evolving.... and so are the rules. Genetically edited animals like fish, cows, and pigs, are being developed for the dinner plate. In Australia, GMO foods were traditionally subject to strict regulation under the national food safety watchdog. But that's changing. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has recently revised its rules. John Gibson is a Professor of livestock genetics at the University of New England and Peter De Kruijff is an online environment reporter for ABC Science. The first Indigenous supermodel, Samantha Harris, got her start in modelling at age 13. Her childhood success stands in stark contrast to her mum's upbringing as a survivor of the Stolen Generations. It's their special relationship that takes centre stage in a book they teamed up to write, called Role Model. There are mental and physical health benefits of a garden. But unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of their own personal green space - a backyard, a courtyard, or even a balcony with potplants. Now, new research has explored the connection between people's ability to garden and their housing situation.They're asking, why isn't gardening space part of the housing crisis discussions? Dr Jonathan Kingsley is Senior Lecturer in Health Promotion at Swinburne University and Jo Heriot is a committee member of the Ceres community garden in Melbourne.

    55 min

  3. 3 DAYS AGO

    The impact of a good book and will your house last the distance?

    Any good book will transport you in some way -- pull you into a mystery, take you to a fantastical land... make you laugh, make you cry. But sometimes a book stays with you long after you finish reading it and changes the way you see the world forever. Bec Sparrow, writer and host of the Birds of a Feather book club, and Fiona Stager, co-owner of three Brisbane independent book shops, share their favourite reads. By 2050, climate change could see over $600 billion dollars wiped from our property market ... and over 1 million homes left "uninsurable". With floods, fires, and extreme heat - we may be forced to abandon some areas, which are becoming too badly affected. And if you choose to stay put - how can you be sure your home will stay standing? Jennice Evans, has felt this first-hand, while Associate Professor Nick Osbaldiston, from James Cook University, and sustainability strategist Lee Stewart share their expert insights. Between 2019 and 2023, one fertility group saw a 220% increase in single women undergoing IVF. What's behind the rise in women choosing solo parenthood? Jacqui Green is a solo mum by choice and David Greening is an Associate Professor with City Fertility.

    55 min

  4. 4 DAYS AGO

    AI and cheating accusations complicating student life and how extreme weather is changing sport

    ChatGPT... Grammarly... Google Gemini...  AI tools have changed student life in the space of just a couple of years. Cheating seems easier than ever before. So, how do teachers monitor AI use, while accurately assessing students' work? Mark McLauchlin is a nursing student who is fighting AI cheating accusations. Dr Jasmine Thomas, Associate Director of I.C.T. Governance and Partnerships at the University of Southern Queensland and Dr Cameron Edmond, lecturer in game development, at Macquarie University's School of computing are both navigating the world of academia and AI. Footy fever is in the air with the AFL and NRL grand finals just around the corner. But that's not the only kind of heat hitting the world of sport. As temperatures rise, so do the challenges for athletes, clubs, and fans alike - from the grassroots to the global stage. Dr Greg Dingle is a Senior Lecturer of Sport Management at La Trobe University and former AFL player Tom Campbell is co-founder of Footy For Climate. It's been almost a week since Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated, and the public commentary has been extreme. There's no doubt the conservative commentator was a polarising figure - in life, inspiring both devotion .. and hatred. Patrick Stokes, lecturer in philosophy at Deakin University, discusses the ethics at play when it comes to the death of someone whose views you disagree with.

    55 min

  5. 5 DAYS AGO

    The complex steps needed to protect koalas and why men with eating disorders face an added challenge

    Koalas are cuddly, world-famous, and deeply woven into our national identity. But behind the cute image is a species in crisis. Last week the NSW state government announced a major move: a Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast. A nationwide chlamydia vaccine rollout is also coming. Dr Christine Hosking, Conservation Planner & Researcher at The University of Queensland, and  Dr Stuart Blanch, Conservation scientist with the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia, debate whether these steps will help our national treasures. Eating disorders can affect anyone, and anyone can have body image concerns... but the stereotype remains that it's an illness that mostly affects women. This is despite the fact that an estimated one third of people with eating disorders are male... a number that's rising, according to eating disorder charity the Butterfly Foundation. Because of this stereotype, men often face an added challenge...  treatment is typically focused on women. Dr Richard Knight is a social worker and researcher who has lived with an eating disorder and Richard Newton, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Monash University, has worked with people with eating disorders for more than 40 years. ABC Radio National has launched its Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Over the next few weeks, you can vote for the books that you believe belong on the list. We're asking some notable readers to tell us about the book that changed their life. This week, we spoke to Take 5 host Zan Rowe.  Indoor farming, where rows of fresh produce are stacked in vertical towers, could be a viable way to insulate homegrown food from our rapidly changing climate. Australia's biggest fully automated vertical farm is looking to expand next year. So, what role could farming up - instead of out - play in our food futures? Paul Gauthier is a Professor of Protected Cropping at the University Queensland and leading researcher in vertical farming.

    55 min

  6. 11 SEPT

    You've been diagnosed with ADHD, now what?

    So, now you know! You have ADHD! But, what comes next? Is there a way that you, and those who love you, can “do life” that better suits your ADHD brain? Journalist and author Matilda Boseley and psychiatrist Dr Sunil Reddy share how to make households, workplaces, relationships and day-to-day life as ADHD-friendly as possible. And what do you do when you're stuck between your best mate and your best mate's wife? Aunties Nelly Thomas and James Findlay step in to help letter-writer Tom move forward when thing go wrong in his close friend's marriage.

    53 min

  7. 10 SEPT

    Retail workers facing abuse and why phone scams are targetting Aussies

    Dealing with angry and abusive customers has become part of the job for many retail workers in Australia. Some retailers have introduced measures like body-worn cameras, extra CCTV and duress alarms to improve safety. But the problem has become so serious that this week a major independent supermarket chain said it's considering closing stores because of violent customer behaviour. Retail workers Megan Sheather and Gabbi Colloff share their experiences. Professor Gary Mortimer, retail consumer behaviour expert, QUT Business School, explains why retail work is so fraught nowadays. Scams these days are pretty sophisticated. And given the number of ways they can get to you, social media, email, text message, it might feel almost quaint to get a scam phone call. But people lose more money to phone scams than any other method of contact, with Australian victims losing over $107 million dollars this way last year. Kathy Sundstrom is the National Manager of Outreach & Engagement at IDCare and Dr Kate Gould who leads the Monash Cyberability project, explain why scams are so prevalent. In our regular segment My Two Cents, we ask those questions you'd rather not answer about money. Comedian and former triple j breakfast host Matt Okine shares why sometimes it's ok to make money decisions with your heart, not your head.  Ballerina Cappuccina, Chimpanzini Bananini, Bombardiro Crocodilo ... do these names mean anything to you? If you know what I'm talking about, you've probably got a tween in your household because they're the latest batch of online memes designed to waste time and turn your brain to mush. It's been labelled brainrot...  Essentially, material designed to waste your time... And it's not just tweens. We're all guilty of it occasionally. Dan Woodman, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Melbourne, explains the appeal behind the scroll.

    55 min

  8. 9 SEPT

    Treaty promises to "reckon with the past" and what's it like to reunite with an old friend?

    Three decades after a federal treaty was first promised - but never materialised - Victoria has introduced the first ever treaty legislation into its parliament. It has been a hard won battle for First Nations people, and this landmark Victorian process has survived where others have fallen in the wake of the failed Voice referendum. Katie Kiss, Kaanju and Birri Widi woman and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner joins Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, Bundjalung woman and co-founder of advocacy organisation Common Threads, to discuss what this means for the rest of the country. Research shows most of us would love to reconnect with old friends, but only one in three of us actually takes that step. So what holds us back? Psychologist Christine Bagley-Jones discusses how can we start welcoming old friends back into our lives. If it seems like everyone you know is running a marathon or a half-marathon, you're probably not mistaken. Last week, the entries opened for Brisbane Marathon and recently, the Sydney Marathon attracted huge crowds.  Every Australian city now boasts run clubs - some people are even using them to find a partner. Dr Lloyd Rothwell, Sports Management Researcher at the University of Technology Sydney and Erchana Murray-Bartlett, ultramarathoner and run coach, talk about why running is having a moment.

    55 min
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About

Helping you figure out all the big stuff in life: relationships, health, money, work and the world. Let's talk! With trusted experts and your stories, Life Matters is all about what matters to you.

Information

  • Creator
    ABC listen
  • Years Active
    2005 - 2025
  • Episodes
    1.5K
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    Life Matters - Full program podcast

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