Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be brutal.  One day, your friends are just there, your routines are familiar and you know where you fit. Then suddenly, you leave school and everything changes.  This phase of life has always been hard, but something has changed. Recent research shows rates of social isolation have nearly doubled over the past two decades, with younger generations e...

There's no question that technology is changing the way we interact with the people around us. Gone are the days of calling up a restaurant to book a table for dinner — there's an app for that.  And it may be affecting our speech, too.  Over the last couple of decades, the average number of words we say out loud each day has dropped year on year. Between 2005 and 2019, researchers in the US found...

Tutors are often the people who step up when your kids are struggling in their education. But AI is shaking up the industry, with two tutoring companies recently announcing they have been forced to close.  One of the owners said while AI might not offer a higher quality tutor, it is hard to beat on value for money.  So what does the future of tutoring look like, and can an AI really replace a huma...

How would you rate your relationship, if you had to give it a score out of five? According to the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, most of us are pretty satisfied, giving an average response of 4.3. The data suggests relationships are even better if you earn roughly the same amount of money, share the household chores evenly... and don't have kids. So why a...

When new neighbours threaten the harmony of a quiet cul-de-sac by persecuting a precious pooch, it's time to ask aunty.

When you really think about it, friendships are a strange kind of relationship. You're never going to marry them, but they'll be front row at your wedding. They're not family. But somehow, our closest friends show up for us the way family is supposed to. A good friend can change your life. A bad one can ruin it.  Sure we all want friends who are funny, smart, loyal and kind, but we also want them...

It's becoming easier to holiday with your pets in Australia, with at least one major airline now allowing small animals on planes and accommodation booking sites offering "pet-friendly" filters. But even if you find a motel or campground your pet can come to, what about the hikes, museums, cafes and restaurants, can they actually enjoy the holiday like you can? 

Where are your kids right now? If you're one of the 80% of parents using a child locating app weekly, you know their exact coordinates every minute of the day.  Which can be extremely handy and provide peace of mind, but it's a far cry from your own childhood where you roamed through the world without being surveilled. So what are the ethics of these apps and can it hinder a child making their own...

Our suburbs are home to an incredibly diverse population.  But when you look at Australia's urban sprawl, it can feel like someone simply hit copy and paste. The upcoming Future Suburb Symposium, hosted by the University of Melbourne, wants explore how to transform our suburbs from 'stubbornly generic, repetitive, and under-serviced', to places that are inclusive, exciting, and better reflect the...

New research shows that 3 in 4 people fail to achieve their physical activity goals, so is it time to ditch the step counts? Researchers are suggesting that having 'open goals' with no set specific target is a good alternative which can build to longer more sustainable changes. 

If you're one of the 3.9 million Australians living with migraines, you know exactly how debilitating they can be. But even though you know this, you probably have to do some convincing of the people around you. The condition is not just misunderstood, it's also under-estimated. Just this week the Australian Health and Welfare Institute estimated two in three people with migraine don't even have a...

Picture your childhood home for a moment.  What details can you still remember? The colour of the kitchen cupboards? The view from your bedroom window? Your secret hiding spot? Lifelong memories are shaped by the daggy laminate benches and cracked vinyl couches of our childhood homes. Why does the home you grew up in stay lodged in your heart for life?

This is a book club with a delicious difference. Instead of reading the same book and then coming together to discuss it, members of Cookbook Club Naarm cook dishes from the same cookbook, then come together to enjoy the meals together. With millions of recipes just a click away online, what is it that makes a cookbook worth reaching for time and again? 

The kids are out of the house and finally you have time for yourself to do what you want. But suddenly the home where all those memories are kept feels empty and a bit too quiet. How can you adjust to life as an empty-nester and prepare for when that time comes?

As part of Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books countdown, Life Matters has invited prominent Australians to share their favourite Australian children's book.  Libby Trickett was just seven years old when her mum first read her a classic Australian chapter book about a little girl having a very boring day. Years later, she's held onto the message about finding creativity in quiet moments, and...

They say life's short, but it's actually getting longer.  By 2066, life expectancy for Australian women will have jumped from 86 years to nearly 90. And from 82 to 86 years for men.  The number of Australians aged 85 and over will triple in the next 40 years. So how do we make sure those extra years of life are lived well?

You either have a messy friend, or you ARE the messy friend.  Papers all over the desk, shelves bursting with knick-knacks, a car interior that requires pulling on a HAZMAT suit before entering. It can be a chaotic dynamic. So is messiness something that's just part of your personality, or is it a habit we can control - or at least try to improve? And why is it something we strive for anyway? Is t...

If you are starting to notice signs in your loved one that have you concerned, how do you start the conversation? Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia and a new survey reveals less than half of people living with dementia receive a diagnosis in the first year. What are the things to look out for and how do you approach having this vital conversation?

If I asked you to define the words "copium" or "promposal", would you need to reach for a dictionary? Lucky for you, the largest dictionary in the United States has you covered for this particular slang. They're just two of more than 1400 words added to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary last week. Even though this may as well be French to you, these words are important to someone, somewhere. B...

Competition can feel baked into everyday life. Work meetings feel like they should come with score cards. Kids sport is full of frustrated parents with kids who seem like they would rather look up at the sky and bird watch than play. Open social media, scroll through snaps of an incredible round-the-world trip for a friend's 50th birthday. You didn't know you'd lost that competition, but you sure...

When a minor infringement can tank an entire friendship, was it ever that serious? Is it a relationship worth patching up? We call in the aunties.

The story of the Gallipoli campaign is a key part of our national identity. The ANZAC history has been commemorated in plenty of media over the decades but a new video game has raised some questions. What role does conflict play in creating national myths and why are some wars commemorated more than others?

"The people building AI earnestly believe it could kill us all by the end of the decade." That's a direct quote from 27-year-old Jacob Coxon. He used to train AI models at Anthropic, one of the world's biggest AI companies, before the existential dread forced him to quit. Days later, the CEO of Anthropic said autonomous bots could take over the internet within six to 12 months. AI doomsday? Add it...

Whether it's netball, hockey, soccer or footy, if you've got sporty kids, you're might be entering finals season at this time of year. Have you noticed whether the tension on the sidelines has ramped up as the games get towards the pointy end? Recent research from Flinders University looking into adult sideline behaviour in junior sporting leagues has found while it's all fun and games at the youn...

Poetry has always been a pure, earnest and powerful way for humans to express themselves. And in 2026, as our lives are increasingly filled with generative responses, it may offer the ultimate form of AI resistance.  A recent UK study revealed that 24 per cent of people aged eight to 18 read poetry at least once a month, with 18 per cent writing their own prose in their free time.  So what's behin...