The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show

Did you know that women in midlife are the only demographic where alcohol consumption is going up? So My BIG Question this week is around our relationship with alcohol, and how to know when its time for a break.  To help answer this complex question I’m joined by Media personality Maz Compton, who is passionate about helping people discover and embrace their sober curious selves. Maz explains how...

Denise Drysdale, affectionately known as Ding Dong, is an Australian Entertainment icon. The two time Gold Logie winner has been performing since she was a young girl, and shares a deep love with her audiences, in fact Denise says she ‘gets more back than she gives’.  While Denise continues to entertain us on both stage and TV she also happens to be Jess’s best friend, which means this episode giv...

Kamilaroi and Torres Strait Islander woman Nakkiah Lui has many strings to her bow: actor, comedian, playwright, TV host, podcaster, director, storyteller, publisher but none that she identifies more proudly with than writer. Nakkiah is also a fashionista starring on the first Australian cover of the relaunched Harper's Bazaar Magazine.  In this episode Jess and Nakkiah dig deep on her life, f...

Marcia Hines (AM) is a musical treasure with a career spanning five decades. Not only does she entertain us on stage and in music, Marcia has woven her spirit into the hearts of Australians through inspiration, reinvention and the grounding energy she brings as a judge and mentor on Australian Idol. In this episode Jess and Marcia dig deep on where she found her courage and strength as a teenager,...

For this episode I'm joined by singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and proud Gamilaraay man Mitch Tambo. Mitch is passionate about using his voice to stop us from turning our heads away from the pain of his people and instead look at what we can do to make a difference.  But did you know Mitch faces racial abuse on social media every day? This conversation is about his experience, and why we ne...

Shaynna Blaze is an award-winning interior and Television personality, you'd know her from her many roles including The Block which she starred on for 14 seasons. Shayna Is also a passionate advocate for women, co-founding a charity called Voice of Change because of her experience with family violence. Shaynna believes by uniting and amplifying our voices against this harmful behaviour we can...

Amy Sheppard is a singer, songwriter and part of Sheppard, one of Australia's biggest selling bands. Amy is also a body confidence cheerleader, empowering women to embrace themselves ... cellulite and all.  She recently launched her solo career with a country pop EP which makes you want to turn up the music and fall in love with life! You might be surprised to learn in this episode that Amy is...

Broadcaster and Comedian and Meshel Laurie is a force in media! As well working in TV and radio, Meshel is a columnist and accomplished author. She’s also the Queen of podcasting in Australia as not only the voice, but the brains behind some of Australia's most successful podcasts. In this episode Meshel reveals how early trauma has shaped her fearlessness in life as an adult. She opens up abo...

John Edward is the world's foremost psychic medium and author. Over the last three decades, John has helped thousands with his ability to predict future events and communicate with those who have crossed over to the Other Side.  In this episode Jess and John go deep on when he first discovered his psychic abilities, how he receives messages from those who’ve crossed over, and the most powerful...

My BIG question this week is around knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold' em. How do we know when its the right time to leave a job, relationship or even a friendship? In this episode I’m going to share with you some of the big moments in my life when I realized it was time for a change. When instead of going through the motions of doing something where the joy was disappearing, how I...

Sarah Harris is one of Australia's best known journalists and TV presenters. With her special mix of sass and smarts, the mother-of-two has made her mark on Australian screens as a reporter, presenter, and more recently as co-host of The Project, bringing over 20 years of journalism to the desk. Jess and Sarah also happen to be great mates, and in this episode you’ll hear why. Sarah opens up a...

My BIG question this week is around why we still objectify women, regardless of our age. It's something I’ve been thinking about since Martha Stewarts recent Sports Illustrated cover, and want to talk through with you, because giving an appearance related compliment can often be our default when we talk with other women.  But are we tired of this message that our value and sense of self worth...

Pete Murray’s music has been the soundtrack for many of the big moments in our lives. The singer, songwriter and guitarist is one of only a few of our artists with over a million album sales, and is often described as the quiet achiever of Australian music. In this episode Jess digs deep to find out more about the man behind the guitar who was once told he was ‘too old’ for a career in music. Pete...

Kate Ceberano is one of our most celebrated voices. She’s a singer, songwriter, performer, artist, and a self described ‘potent, vivid, Latin girl’ As teens we admired her exuberance and energy on stage, but as Kate reveals in this episode off stage she felt shy, uncool and very self conscious, she simply wanted to be liked. Jess and Kate dig deep on where she draws this pure primal passion from w...

My BIG question this week is around Mothers Day, and why it isn't a Hallmark card for many of us. Mothers day can bring up all sorts of difficult, conflicting, hurtful memories and in this episode I want to talk about why its okay to not buy into the commercial messaging that surrounds it. Mothers Day can increase your sense of isolation, aloneness, and grief, feelings that I want to talk abou...

Designer Camilla Franks is a force of nature. She has a global fashion business with her designs worn by everyone from Robbie Williams, Oprah, Beyonce, and J Lo, through to Jennifer Coolidge in White Lotus.  In this episode Jess and Camilla dig deep on how she was able to shift terror and fear into a sense of power when diagnosed with breast cancer. While cancer was the catalyst for Camilla’s jour...

My BIG question this week is around internet trolls and why their comments still hurt. I’ve received unsolicited commentary about my body for years, and I’ve had enough, it needs to stop.  We know it's easy to say unkind things when you’re anonymous, but isn't it time we all considered the wider consequences of these inciteful words? While I'm hurt by recent words, I’m not broken and i...

Dr. Matt Agnew is best known for his role on the Bachelor, but he's so much more. Matt is an astrophysicist and he's passionate about educating people about the beauty and magic of science. What you're about to hear is one of the most intimate conversations Jess has had on the podcast. For the first time, Matt opens up about his long battle with mental illness, and how disruptive it&#3...

Starting his career as a stand up comedian, Rove McManus went on to create one of the most successful talk shows in Australian TV history ‘ Rove Live’ . He’s been a permanent fixture on our entertainment landscape winning logies, hosting radio, creating The Project, and touring his standby up shows.   But how much do we know about the man behind this incredible body of work? Jess sat down with Rov...

My BIG question this week is around social media filters; Are they harmful or helpful to our self confidence? Are they making us feel inadequate by seeing an airbrushed version of ourselves instead of how we look in real life? And could this be having an impact younger people becoming more obsessed with their appearance? A new trend called the teenage filter is taking this to a new level where use...

Peter Helliar is one of Australia’s favourite comedians, and has been a regular fixture on our TV screens for over 20 years. First appearing on Rove live in 1999, Pete has been entertaining us as a stand up, writer, producer, actor, presenter and author, and makes the difficult business of being funny look dead easy. In this episode we find out how Peter is managing the next stage of his life afte...

Ian Dickson, aka Dicko, is best known for his role as the tough-love judge on Australian Idol, making him a household name and a staple part of Australian TV & Radio for the last 20 years. Prior to Idol, Dicko spent over 20 years in the record industry in the UK. But Dicko is far more complex than the person we tuned into each week. In this episode he opens up to Jess about his addiction to fa...

Since recording Part 1 of their chat with Jess, Deni has been caught up in a public backlash after partnering with Seafolly for a campaign during World Pride.  While the campaign is being proudly celebrated by many Australians for its diversity, others called to boycott the brand. In this episode Jess checks in on Deni, and we hear about the confronting level of online bullying and hatred that bot...

Deni Todorovič  is a queer and human rights activist, an LGBTQIA+ educator, a podcast host and a celebrity fashion stylist.  In Part one of this chat, Jess and Deni discuss what it means to be non-binary and how we can have better conversations around the spectrum of identity. Deni reveals their path to identifying as gender nonconforming, and why it's important we continue asking questions to...

Fashion icon and artist, Jenny Kee helped create an Australian fashion identity. Her Australiana designs became world famous when Princess Diana was photographed wearing her knitted jumper with a koala emblazoned on the front In this episode Jenny reveals the intoxicating night she spent with John Lennon, and shares stories of dressing music icons Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Jimmy Hendrix in 1...