Humans, being. with Lael Stone

This episode starts with dreaming and ends with dreaming - and in between, Luke Bateman takes us through everything that happens when you stop letting yourself do it. Luke played professional rugby league for the Canberra Raiders - 71 first-grade games, thousands of hours of training camps and hotel rooms and locker rooms - and in almost all of that time, he kept his love of fantasy fiction comple...

There's something about a Missy Higgins song that lands in your chest before you've even registered the words. Somehow, she gets to the feeling first - the part of you that you haven't quite found language for yet. Missy's music has been part of the soundtrack to my life for over twenty years, especially in my mothering years. So sitting across from her, I was a little bit in awe. Missy’s so gener...

Amantha calls her AI 'Sunny'. She talks to it on the drive to the gym, like she's chatting to a friend. And it has quietly changed how she works, how she writes, and how she gets the thinking out of her own head. Dr. Amantha Imber is one of the sharpest, most generous humans I know. An organisational psychologist, the founder of Inventium, host of How I Work, the first Australian to win a Thinkers...

The question I get asked the most by parents is, "Does this work?" So this week I sat down with two of the people most qualified to answer it. For the better part of two decades, I have been teaching parents to parent differently. To skip the punishments and the rewards. To look behind the behaviour. To make space for big feelings instead of shutting them down. And the whole time, in the back of m...

There's a version of strength the world rewards – capable, tireless, always fine. And then there's the cost. Gorgi Coghlan is someone I've adored from the moment we met. She's formidable, warm, wildly accomplished, and the kind of person who makes you feel seen immediately. We talk about the imprints that drive us – the little girl who worked hard to be seen by a father whose love came through pro...

"What am I making this mean?" That question might change how you move through conflict with your partner. Because the real work isn't making your partner wrong…it's getting curious about yourself. I wanted to talk about what makes relationships tricky and what makes them actually work, and in this episode, I share my own story; how I went from completely collapsing whenever Mike got upset, to fina...

There's a strange kind of comfort in staying exactly where you are – even when that is hurting you. In this episode, I’m talking with clinical psychologist Dr Emily Musgrove, and we discuss why the familiar feels safe even when it isn't, and what it actually takes to find our way back to ourselves. An imprint I have - from watching the busy women in my family – was that if you're not doing three t...

Libby Trickett surfaced from the pool at the Beijing Olympics, saw the number one next to her name, and waited for the feeling of being enough. It didn't come. Libby is mum to five children, including baby Archie, who was snuggled on her chest throughout our entire conversation. She opens up about postnatal depression after her first daughter, Poppy, about the Father wound that quietly drove her t...

There are conversations that feel like they're about one thing, but they're actually about something else entirely. This one starts with laughter… and ends up in a tender place. Ryan Shelton is such an excellent human. He's one third of The Imperfects alongside Hugh and Josh van Cuylenburg, and a face on Australian screens for the better part of two decades, from Rove to Hamish & Andy . I knew...

I grew up with Ali Daddo on my wall. And like so many of us, I looked at that image and thought - that's it. That's what it means to arrive. What I didn't know - what none of us knew - was that even being the ‘it’ girl comes with challenges. This beautiful conversation really opens up about the pressures we feel as a woman, from the tween and teen years, into motherhood and menopause. We explore A...

What if the story you tell about your body isn’t really yours to begin with? In this warm, honest, and beautifully grounded conversation, I sit down with Steph Claire Smith – co-founder of KIC, model, podcaster, and mum – to explore the imprints that shape how we see ourselves, and what it takes to slowly, gently, rewrite them. Steph grew up in the public eye at a time when the wellness world had...

What if the feelings you’ve spent a lifetime pushing down are the very things asking to be heard? In this solo episode, I want to talk about something people ask me about all the time – what does it actually mean to “do the work”? I recognise that the majority of us grew up in homes where feelings weren’t exactly welcomed. Anger got shut down. Tears got ignored. Mistakes got shamed. And so we lear...

What if the worst thing that ever happened to you turned out to be the thing that taught you how to live truly? In this deeply moving and beautifully honest conversation, I sit down with Lisa Corduff – podcaster, storyteller, entrepreneur, and solo mum to three extraordinary kids – to explore what it means to carry grief, raise children through loss, and still choose joy. Lisa's husband Nick died...

What if the moment that changed your life wasn’t a success story... but a 15-year-old boy dying with his feet planted on the ground, reminding you not to waste yours? In this raw, joyful, and deeply moving conversation, I talk with Tommy Herschell – former Queensland primary school teacher, founder of ‘Find Ya Feet’, and one of the most genuinely human people I’ve had the privilege of knowing. Thi...

What if authenticity isn’t something you find... but something you return to? In this warm, honest, and at times deeply moving conversation, I sit down with Kat John; coach, author, and one of those rare humans who just radiates something you want to lean into. Kat helps people come home to themselves, their hearts, and what really matters. And in this conversation, she does exactly that - for her...

What happens when the voice in your head that's kept you "safe" your whole life starts to get quieter... and you're not sure who you are without it? In this beautiful, warm and deeply honest conversation, I sit down with Josh van Cuylenburg - co-host of The Imperfects podcast (one of Australia's biggest mental health podcasts), freelance filmmaker, visual storyteller, musician, dad of two little h...

Sometimes the challenges in life bear the greatest rewards! In this honest and tender conversation, I sit down with Sarah Pound, nutritionist, recipe writer, author of two best-selling cookbooks, and the creator behind Wholesome by Sarah, where over 1 million followers turn to make food feel effortless and joyful. But this conversation goes way beyond recipes and Instagram. Sarah and I explore the...

What if the thing that triggers you most about your child's behaviour is actually showing you exactly what needs healing in you? In this solo episode, I wanted to lean into something that I've been exploring for nearly 20 years – why parenting feels so hard, and why we react the way we do. Because whilst we all start off hoping we'll be calm and connected, the reality is often frustration, shame,...

What if we stopped measuring our worth by what we achieve, and started remembering who we actually are? In this heartwarming and playful conversation, I sit down with Ben Crowe, Australia's most in-demand mindset and performance coach, founder of Mojo Crowe, and someone who deeply understands that we are human beings first, and human doings second. Ben works with elite athletes and high performers...

What if the very things we judge ourselves most harshly for are actually the doorways to our deepest growth? In this raw and moving conversation, I sit down with Dr Billy Garvey – developmental paediatrician, podcaster, and someone who understands that our struggles aren't problems to fix, but invitations to understand ourselves more deeply. Billy works with children and families navigating neurod...

What does it really mean to belong? And what happens when we're brave enough to step into uncomfortable places to create a sense of belonging for others? In this deeply moving first episode, I sit down with Rana Hussain – founder of ‘Good Human’, broadcaster, board member, and one of the most courageous humans I know. Rana was the first Muslim woman appointed to a national sporting board, and toda...