The Imperfects

For some people, Christmas Day is the most wonderful time of the year. But for others, catching up with friends and family at this time of the year can lead to pain and sadness and as Dr Emily describes it, an overwhelming feeling of “not-enoughness”. In this special bonus episode, Dr Emily explains where this feeling comes from and why it pops up year after year. But as always she giv...

Dear Men, Please listen to this episode about consent and rape culture. Hugh, Ryan & Josh x On the face of it, this Academy of Imperfection with Chanel Contos may seem like a heavy episode. An episode about consent, rape culture and sexual violence might not seem like an episode that concerns you. That may be true, but if the #MeToo movement taught us anything, it’s that you probably kno...

Gina Chick grew up… different. She wasn’t like the other kids, and they let her know about it. But as an adult she learned to see her “different” as a strength, which led to her most well-known achievement, outlasting everyone else for 67 days in the Tasmanian wilderness to win ALONE Australia. But as you’ll hear, that’s only a part of her story - as is the fac...

As co-host of The Project, Hamish Macdonald has seen and done more than most journalists could ever dream to achieve in their entire career. Before The Project and a stint hosting ABC’s Q+A program, Hamish worked and reported around the world from war zones to natural disasters, winning a bunch of prestigious awards including a coveted Walkley Award in the process. But as he discusses with H...

Menopause, or THE Menopause according to our guest lecturer Dr Louise Newson, affects every woman at some point in her life. That’s 51% of the entire world! And even if you’re not a woman, chances are you know a few of them. Either way, the menopause IS coming. And you better be ready. Dr Louise Newson is a GP and Menopause specialist who is campaigning for better menopause care for al...

We know, we know, we know. ‘Who Do You Desire? is a very click-baity title. But we’re pretty confident that if you DO take the bait (come onnnn), you’ll be nicely rewarded. In this episode, our resident psychologist Dr Emily talks with Hugh, Ryan and Josh about the concept of Mimetic Desire - the idea that whether we like it or not, pure originality is impossible. All of us are b...

Not many of us have won Olympic Gold. And even fewer of us have jumped over a 6m high bar. But Australian pole vaulting champion Steve Hooker has done both. And boy oh boy does he have a story to tell!? That was rhetorical btw, he definitely does have a story to tell. What would you do if you were the best in the world at something one day, and then the next day you suddenly couldn’t do that...

Lewis Hobba grew up idolising Triple J. But despite being chosen as Triple J’s drive-time co-host by the age of 30, and being selected by Andrew Denton as one of Australia’s most creative and talented young performers for the show Hungry Beast, Lewis never felt like he succeeded in anything. In this Vulnerabilitea House, Lewis tells Hugh, Ryan and Josh what it was like behind the scene...

As Australian of the Year, Taryn Brumfitt is making a massive impact on an issue that effects people everywhere… BODY IMAGE. Not only is Taryn a body image campaigner, she’s also a documentarian, having made two docos encouraging us to EMBRACE our bodies, not matter what they look like. We highly recommend you watch them - links below. In this Academy of Imperfection, Taryn talks with...

Tim Minchin is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, and songwriter. He’s probably best known for his music, his comedy, and well… his ‘Matilda: The Musical’… but has it really all been “luck”? Tim talks with Hugh, Ryan and Josh about so many different things in this fascinating chat about art and creativity, family, free-will,...

If you know, you know. And if you do know, you’re just as bonkers excited as we are. Buuut if you don’t know, that’s totally fine too. Those that were able to make it along to our Live On Stage show this year were treated to the debut performance of a song, written and performed by our very own Josh van Cuylenburg. But this song was not without context. In Season 3 Josh shared a...

Eastern Arrernte and Gurindji singer/songwriter Dan Sultan is a 5-time ARIA Award winner and respected stalwart of the Australian music industry. But alongside his creative achievements, is Dan’s struggle with addiction. Dan talks with Hugh, Ryan and Josh about everything from the adversity he’s faced on and off the stage, to the joy he now gets from his young family, and his ongoing l...

For Jack, it’s progress, not perfection when it comes to his battle with gambling addiction. This one is a slightly different episode for The Imperfects. Jack isn’t a celebrity, or an expert. But he is a person with imperfections, just like everyone else. And Jack has been kind enough to share his all-too-familiar story with Hugh, Ryan and Josh. Jack discusses his crippling battle with...

Dr Emily is back - and once again proving why she is increasingly becoming the most popular person on The Imperfects. This Emisode is all about a fundamental part of Positive Psychology… the beautiful idea that OTHER PEOPLE MATTER. Now, you’re probably thinking… of course other people matter, right? Seems pretty obvious. But here, Dr Emily explains what it is about ‘other...

To only say that Brooke Blurton was on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, would not only be a crime to Show Notes, but a huge disservice to you. As Hugh, Ryan and Josh quickly discover, that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what makes Brooke the inspiring, resilient, game-changing, youth-working, breath of fresh air that she is. While Brooke does touch on her Bachelor and Bachelorette exp...

Penny Moodie first shared her OCD story on The Imperfects in 2020. Since then, we and she have been flooded with incredible feedback from OCD sufferers who finally felt seen. Now Penny is back because she’s written an incredible book about OCD called The Joy Thief and it’s out now (link below). In this beautifully moving episode, Penny talks openly with Hugh, Ryan and Josh about some o...

Food is such a mystery. Well, I mean, it’s the stuff we eat when we’re hungry, we know that much. But there are so many mysterious things ABOUT food. Like… What actually are healthy foods? What are good fats? Is meat good for you? Is orange juice really that bad? And can food truly be as effective as medicine? Professor Tim Spector has done all the research, written books (link...

Whether it was Family Feud or whether it was the weather, Grant Denyer has been a larger than life fixture on Australian TV for 25 years. But it hasn’t all been big smiles and Gold Logies. In this raw and vulnerable chat with the most joyous man on the telly, Grant opens up about his past dependence on the pain medication (OxyContin) that he needed after suffering a serious injury that broke...

Monica. Chandler. Rachel. Ross. Phoebe. Joey. We all love Friends. But what about friendSHIPS? Why are our friendships so important to us?  In this episode, Dr Emily explains everything - our different types of friends, why they matter SO much, and what it is about someone that makes us like them? (Spoiler alert: it’s got nothing to do with how impressive they are) To listen to Will McM...

Myf Warhurst is an icon. An Australian icon. Everyone, we have an icon on our podcast. From Spicks & Specks to Triple J, and Eurovision to Bluey… oh and doing a whole show about menopause… HER menopause… Australia has LOVED Myf Warhurst for a long, long time. You might even think it’s impossible to love her more, well just wait until you hear her honesty and vulnerab...

For 20 years, Osher Günsberg has been one of Australia’s most famous and successful TV/radio/podcast personalities. Since hosting the wildly popular Australian Idol, to handing out roses on The Bachelor (and SO MUCH in between), there aren’t many showbiz stories that rival Osher’s sustained success. But if we’ve learned anything on this podcast, behind every perfect st...

While our guest might humbly refer to his heroics as “that thing in Thailand”, it was in fact far more significant… In 2018, the world was gripped by the terrifying story of thirteen boys who were miraculously saved from inside a Thai cave. Maybe you’ve seen one of the billion docos made about it, or the Hollywood film directed by Ron Howard. As you probably already know,...

The phrase, “That’s triggering” or “I’m triggered”, has become more and more common. And while people are triggered by an event, or a topic, or even a scene in a TV show, what does it truly mean to be ‘triggered’? And should we really be avoiding triggering topics, or should we be exposing ourselves to them? In this extremely helpful episode, Dr Emil...

Christie Whelan Browne is one of the funniest (and most talented) people in Australia. If you know, you know. She’s won multiple awards and done everything from stage and musical theatre, to TV drama and comedy… and most recently Dancing with the Stars. But it’s her journey, before the #MeToo movement (and continues today) that’s making the biggest impact. Christie has rar...

Laura Henshaw has achieved a lot. Not only is she an author, law graduate and podcaster, but she is the CEO and co-founder of the wildly popular and successful health & fitness app, KIC - which she started and still runs with friend, and former Imperfects guest, Steph Claire-Smith. But behind her success, Laura still worries what people think of her. And in this Vulnerabilitea House, she vulne...