A Podcast of One's Own with Julia Gillard

Julia talks to Anne-Marie Imafidon, who was one of the youngest people to ever graduate with a Master’s degree from Oxford. She’s now a computer scientist with a passion to inspire the next generation of young women in STEM. They discuss growing up in a family of high achievers, what it’s like working in the made dominated area of STEM, and how we can revolutionise women’s representation in scienc...

With only days to go before the US Election, Julia speaks to Clare Malone, a Senior Political Reporter with data driven news site, FiveThirtyEight on what we can expect to see when ballots are counted. Clare explains the current state of play – what is the data telling us about who will win the presidency, what might happen on election day and in the weeks and months after, and how things look for...

Julia speaks to Jennifer Palmieri who was Communications Director on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential campaign and has been on the frontline of US politics for the last 20 years. They discuss the upcoming US election and whether or not we can trust what the polls are telling us this time around. Jennifer speaks about the way gender is influencing voters and voting outcomes, and reflects on how...

Julia speaks to Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, lawyer, activist, and all-round force to be reckoned with. They discuss how Shola managed to complete so many degrees while raising her children, why your first role model should be yourself, and reconciling faith with feminism. Shola also talks about how injustice spurs on her campaigning, and the importance of making the most of every opportunity you’re g...

In an episode recorded in the studio back in March, Julia talks to journalist and writer Helen Lewis about her book,  Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights , which uncovers the more unpalatable, imperfect sides of the pioneers who achieved some of the greatest gains for women throughout history. She explains that we need to see these women in all their nuances and imperfections,...

Julia talks to Georgie Harman, CEO of Beyond Blue, Australia’s leading mental health support organisation, about the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on mental wellbeing. Georgie, who’s currently living through the lockdown in Melbourne with her dog Lola, talks about what’s getting her through the days (and the “Zoom Doom”), how she supports her team as well as the Melbourne community, why men and...

Julia talks to historian Professor Clare Wright about the forgotten women from Australian history. They discuss how the women who won the vote in Australia influenced the rest of the world, the importance of increasing visibility of women’s leadership in a country where there are more statues of animals than women, and why telling women’s stories from history is crucial to achieving gender equalit...

Julia talks to former political advisor and comedian Ayesha Hazarika. They discuss the similarities between comedy and politics these days (“there’s barely a cigarette paper between them”), fighting to push equality policies up the agenda in male dominated environments, and why politics and policy will never change until women are better represented in the “power behind the throne”, as special adv...

In a special episode marking 2020 as the Year of the Nurse, Julia talks to Anne Marie Rafferty, President of the UK’s Royal College of Nursing and Professor of Nursing Policy at King’s College London. They discuss the incredible sacrifices nurses have made during Covid-19, why the heavily female-dominated profession is so undervalued, and how the pandemic should mark a turning point in how we trea...

Julia talks to British writer Reni Eddo-Lodge. Author of the award-winning book ‘ Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race ', Reni discusses the importance of intersectionality, how we move beyond a ‘white feminism’ which prioritises certain women’s voices above others, and why she’s calling for liberation rather than equality.  If you enjoyed this episode or any others, plea...

Julia talks to Regina Benjamin, the 18th Surgeon General of the United States, who was appointed under President Obama. Regina shares her concerns over Covid-19’s disproportionate impact on ethnic minority populations, how she rebuilt her solo rural medical practice following its destruction by Hurricane Katrina, so she could continue treating a community 80% of whom are below the poverty lin...

Julia talks to Katharine Viner, the the first female editor-in-chief at T he Guardian and one of few women to have edited a national UK newspaper. In a recording made before the Covid pandemic hit, they discuss whether journalists have diversified beyond the “posh men in suits” who dominated when Kath first entered the profession, how the newsroom is adapting to new ways of working that benef...

Julia talks to two-time Academy Award winning actor Cate Blanchett about telling women’s stories through film, the importance of diversity in creating compelling and surprising art, and her decision to play staunch anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly in new TV series, Mrs. America , which tells the real-life story of the fight to pass the US Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. They also discuss Hollyw...

Julia talks to Dr Hannah Fry, perhaps the UK’s best-known mathematician. They discuss Hannah’s 2018 BBC documentary Contagion, which predicted the coronavirus crisis with uncanny accuracy, and the lack of female representation among the scientists advising the UK government during the pandemic. Hannah also talks about the importance of getting more women and girls into mathematics and how to...

Julia talks to Sally McManus, the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions in its 90-year history. Sally discusses trying to gain acceptance in a male-dominated environment, leading the fight against unequal pay for women and learning to be herself, whether others like it or not.  If you enjoyed this episode or any others, please  rate and review us &nb...

Julia talks to Professor Dame Sally Davies, the first and only woman to serve as Chief Medical Officer for England. They discuss the UK government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis, how she provided advice on healthcare crises, and why she wouldn’t stand for it when she was labelled with the gendered term the “nation’s nanny”. This episode was recorded remotely during the coronavirus crisis. If yo...

Julia talks to Emma Watkins, aka Emma Wiggle, the first and only woman to be part of Australia’s hit children’s entertainment group the Wiggles. She talks about dealing with backlash when she became the first female Wiggle, how she connected with mothers all over the world when she developed the painful condition endometriosis, and how she encourages children to be themselves, free from stereotype...

Julia talks to Cambridge Classics Professor and TV historian Mary Beard, who discusses the first recorded examples of misogyny in Ancient Greek mythology, fighting back when told she was “too ugly” for TV and why we need more women professors.  If you enjoyed this episode or any others, please  rate and review us  on your preferred podcast provider. It really helps us reach more lis...

The Guilty Feminist Deborah Frances-White talks to Julia about the power of podcasting in making women’s voices heard and why women need to rid themselves of unnecessary guilt that holds them back. Frances-White believes her confessional and collaborative show, which is one of the most popular podcasts of all time, in which guests share the ways they’ve “failed” as feminists, can play a role in bu...

Leading Australian actor Asher Keddie opens up about the pressure fame has brought, the toxic culture around celebrity and her drive to support women in front of and behind the camera. She talks to Julia about the value of telling female-focused stories to open up conversations on gender equality, and her hope for a gender equal future in TV, as women's confidence and representation grows in her i...

UK Conservative MP and Britain’s first ever female Secretary of State for Defence, Penny Mordaunt, talks to Julia about her military upbringing, the challenges women disproportionately face in politics, and how her briefs as International Development and then Defence Secretary opened her eyes to the way empowering women helps solve world challenges.    If you enjoyed this episode or any...

In the first episode of series two of A Podcast of One’s Own,  Julia talks to leading academic and Indigenous activist Professor Marica Langton. As the Foundation Chair in Australian Indigenous Studies, Distinguished Professor and Associate Provost at the University of Melbourne, Marcia has spent her life spotlighting the inequalities faced by Aboriginal Australians, especially women and girl...

A special end of year round-up of some of Julia’s favourite moments from A Podcast of One’s Own this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode recorded live from King's College London, Julia talks to Hillary Rodham Clinton about the barriers to women’s equality world-wide, how she came back from that election defeat in 2016 and The Book of Gutsy Women , her new book written with her daughter, Chelsea. Earnings from the podcast will go back into funding for the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, fu...

Recorded midway through the UK general election campaign and two weeks before the birth of her first child, Labour MP Stella Creasy found time to talk to Julia Gillard about her life in politics, fighting to win abortion rights for women in Northern Ireland – at the cost of personal abuse that put her life in danger, and how parliament needs to change to become truly gender-equal.   Ear...