Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

If you went to high school any time before the 2010s, you probably had to endure some truly mortifying lessons on the miracle of life.  Sex education has come a long way in recent years, but research suggests we're not exactly nailing it yet. A recent survey of Australian school teachers found more than half had no formal training in sex and relationships education before becoming a teacher, and m...

Divorce has been on the decline in Australia in recent years, however new figures show the number of divorces increased in 2025. No-one gets married expecting to divorce, but the reality is it happens. And while a "good" divorce might be hard to imagine, it is possible, according to divorce coach and author Karen McNenny. The end of Karen's own marriage forced her to rethink divorce as a tool for...

You probably chose to listen to this episode out of your own volition. We make hundreds of choices every day, because free will gives us the power to choose the direction of our lives. But, is that really true? Does free will really exist?  And if it doesn't, what does it mean for our sense of humanity?

When children's author Jacqueline Harvey became "Nanny Jac" to her step-daughter's gorgeous son two years ago, it brought a totally new kind of love into her life. 

Do you ever catch yourself scrolling on your phone and think 'I am on this device far more than I should be'? The desire for a return to the offline world has led a group of people to organise The Summer of Ludd in New York City. It was an eight-day festival with 120 events promoting human connection in the spirit of the original Luddites of the 1810s, who were skilled textile workers that resiste...

When you picture a witch, the image that springs to mind usually involves women wearing pointy hats and flying around on broomsticks. The reason why lies in a 15th century book. Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) was a manual for how to hunt, torture and execute women accused of witchcraft, and was the catalyst for witch trials that killed thousands of women across Europe.  The University...

When was the last time you used a physical map to find your way? Or drove across the city with a street directory balanced precariously on your knees? In this age of navigation apps, you can simply enter an address and a robotic voice will plot the course and guide you straight to your destination. But if your phone dies, or the satellite technology fails, would you be lost without it? We meet two...

"You can be anything you want to be!" It's a message many of us heard growing up — perhaps you've said it to your own kids as well. But when we're told we can do whatever we set our minds to, does it inspire ambition, or leave us feeling pressure to achieve something extraordinary? How can we encourage big dreams without creating impossible expectations?

The number of Australians who smoke regularly has fallen to a historic low, with just 5.6 per cent of those over 14 identifying as daily smokers.  The data, from the Australian Insitute of Health and Welfare, provides the best indication of smoking rates that we have. But with the increase in the black market trade for tobacco, do we still have a clear picture of what's going on?

In the vast history of the universe, a human lifespan is a mere blip. But long after our bodies are gone, signs of the lives we lived will remain.  Postcards sent across the seas, photographs of treasured times spent with loved ones, and the seemingly ordinary objects we use in our day-to-day lives.  A new exhibition at the State Library of Victoria is exploring the idea of memory, and how the mun...

Grandparenting can come at a time of life where your old identities no longer fit. You're thinking about retirement, your grown kids have their own thing going on, and the things that used to fill your days are no longer occupying as much time as they once did. One thing you've been telling us about - especially the grandads out there - is how much this has been a time to reinvent yourself. Is thi...

True crime content has become a mainstay of popular culture, but the rise in fascination also comes with its risks. Last week an inquest in Queensland into a nearly 40-year-old murder case heard from a woman who confessed she tried to solve the crime herself. She acknowledged what she had done was reckless and said she'd been influenced by podcasts about the cold case. So how could this impact the...

If one more person compares Renee Vincent's life to the tradwife movement, she says she'll start throwing some sourdough. Renee is a rural mum, cattle farmer and homeschooler — and while she can see how her life might echo a "traditional wife" role, she says being a stay-at-home mum on a farm doesn't make her a tradwife. She says there's a big difference between taking on a traditional role, and f...

If you've ever suddenly lost a job, had a surprise health diagnosis or a relationship end, you know what it feels like to grapple with uncertainty. Let's face it, uncertainty is all around us, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. It's an uncomfortable feeling. But what could you be missing out on when fear of the unknown drives decision making?

The Aunties guide our listener through their entangled friendship group when one member of this chosen family isn't pulling their weight. Is it possible to get a friendship divorce?

For decades now, we've been losing our religion. Census data has consistently shown that with each generation, we're less interested in maintaining a relationship with whatever Gods we may have in the past. But new analysis shows that young Australian men are turning to religion at higher rates than their female counterparts. So how widespread and entrenched is this trend, and what's driving it?

The decision to have, or not have, kids is a big one. New research from Adelaide University suggests more Australian men are making that decision earlier than previous generations. Vasectomies are on the rise — particularly amongst among younger men  — with researchers pointing to everything from cost-of-living pressures to changing ideas about family and parenthood. So are young Australians rethi...

Does the idea of sweating with a group of people in a room sound appealing? Well all over the country more people are engaging in the Nordic pass-time of sauna. The popularity has risen due to a push by the health and fitness industry on how this practice can optimise your workouts.  But what is behind our fascination with sauna and is it here to stay?

Who was your first best friend?  Maybe you met in your first year of school, lived on the same street, or spent your weekends playing sport together. For some people, those friendships fade as life moves on. But for others, that childhood friend is still in their life decades later. So what's special about a friend who's known you since childhood? And what makes those friendships last?

There's a one in 700,000 chance of giving birth to quadruplets. And there's a one in 15 million chance that a quadruplet pregnancy will result in four identical babies. Yet that's exactly what happened to a Brisbane woman this month, in a case that has gained global attention. It's an incredible feat of the human body, but what is it like on the other side, raising that many children all at the sa...

Do you feel like your reward for being good at your job is getting more work?  You may have incurred the competence tax. It's when you're so good at your job that you are held back because you're too valuable to lose.  How do you recognise if you're being taxed and how can you break out of it?

Have you ever been stuck at a red light, wondering why you're still waiting when there's nothing coming the other way? Australia's first trial of AI-powered traffic lights will test whether artificial intelligence can ease that frustration by responding to what's actually happening on our roads in real time. A faster journey sounds appealing. But if we let AI decide who gets the green light, how d...

Author, comedian and cabaret performer Libby Trainor Parker always assumed she would meet the love of her life, have a big family, and live in a house full of children's laughter. And in a way, she got that dream. But it's been a long road, with a lot of heartbreak, infertility, loss and grief. Libby has documented her story of pregnancy loss and building a life after infertility in a new book.

Australia has the highest uptake per capita of rooftop solar in the world. But the adoption isn't spread equally among us. For the 10% of the country who live in apartment buildings, there are calls for a better way to bring these residents into the energy transition. Overseas the solution has been balcony solar systems, but these aren't currently allowed in Australia. So what needs to change in h...

Christopher Nolan's star-studded interpretation of ancient Greek epic The Odyssey has just hit cinemas, and if it's got you dreaming of a Mediterranean holiday, you're not alone.  Planning your travel itinerary around the places your favourite stories are set is known as literary tourism, and although it's nothing new the rise of BookTok seems to have supercharged the trend.  So what's behind this...