Conversations

When Ray Kelly Snr's grandfather was asked to translate "telephone" into Gumbayngirr, he responded with “muuya barrigi”, or flying breath (CW: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners please be advised this program contains discussion of people who have died. Please take care when listening) To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanow...

Pádraig Ó Tuama survived conversion therapy and exorcism as a young gay man in a church in Ireland, then became a leading peace negotiator and a poet (R)

Carly-Jay Metcalfe lives with cystic fibrosis, and has faced a double lung transplant, a rare cancer and other huge medical challenges. But through it all humour and hope have fuelled her survival (CW: this story discusses organ transplant and donation, drug use and self harm)

Writer Lech Blaine on Peter Dutton, the former policeman who became the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia

Scientist Tanya Latty on how a single-cell organism, slime mould, can solve complex problems in some remarkable ways (R)

What was on the "must-see" lists for tourists in 200 BCE? From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Great Pyramids at Giza, historian Bettany Hughes is your tour guide through the seven wonders of the ancient world

Journalist Marina Kamenev on the changing story of our families in the 21st century (CW: discusses donor conception)

The investigative reporter reflects on her beloved Ringsend relatives and what drives her work holding powerful organisations to account (CW: discussion of suicide and confronting material)

Tom Gleeson discovered and honed his distinctively caustic, laconic style of humour in some unlikely places (R)

Dean Summers became a long-distance swimmer in midlife. Now he swims with sharks, jellyfish and bioluminescence in wild oceans around the world

For writer James Bradley, the ocean is the connective tissue that holds all of life on Earth together. But how did it get here in the first place?

From the rodeo to the dining room table, this is a collection of strange, funny and sombre stories from real families

Glennon was the world's most famous Christian mummy blogger when she fell wildly in love with U.S Women's Soccer star Abby Wambach (R)

Ayesha Jehangir left her rural village to get a better education; she left Pakistan to explore Afghanistan; and she left an abusive marriage to find her place in Australia. But she remains deeply proud of her Pashtun roots

Bri Lee on the brutal series of events which began her life as a writer tackling injustice in our courts, the beauty industry, and in our schools (CW: description of legal processes relating to sexual assault)

Phil Kafcaloudes grew up hearing stories about his legendary grandmother Olga, who became a spy for the British in WWII. When he grew up, he went in search of her story (R)

Jane Fonda's big life has included Barbarella, activism, three husbands, workout videos and hair epiphanies. Now in her 80s, she's devoting her energy to raising awareness about climate change (R)

The oud virtuoso reflects on his path to the instrument, via a stamp collection and an Egyptian movie star When Joseph was 10, his dad swapped an iron and $100 for a second-hand oud at Sydney's Glebe markets.  The oud is a traditional middle eastern instrument – the ancestor of the modern guitar. Joseph had fallen in love with its sound and style when watching the classic films of Egyptian cinema...

Best-selling crime writer Candice Fox has written 17 books. But she also has a second life hurtling around Sydney rescuing stranded wallabies, cockatoos, possums, lizards and frogs

David Goodwin spent years working the graveyard shift at his local service station in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. The grungy work quickly took over his life

Australia's first Pasifika university Professor, Jioji Ravulo was just a boy with the flu when a trip to his father's homeland turned him into a chief

Anton Clifford-Motopi didn't see a face that looked like his until he became a father. And it would take several more years before he learned who he truly was

Ecologist David Lindenmayer first went into the Mountain Ash forests of Victoria in search of the tiny Leadbeater Possum, and he discovered an amazing world of songbirds, rare gliders, and fierce leeches

Football tragic Andy Paschalidis was in his 50s when a dear friend and fellow player died during an over-35s soccer game. The tragedy altered the course of his life   

The former frontman uncovered boxes from his adolescence in his attic, and he was amazed at his early, detailed plans to take over the music industry (R)