The Present Day Wise Woman

Transformation has no expiration date. In this episode, we sit down with wellness educator and endurance athlete Heather Rickard (better known as Grannybelle), who didn't even run her first Parkrun until age 58. By 65, she was conquering 100km ultramarathons. Heather joins us to share the raw reality of her recent journey at the Tarawera 100K in New Zealand. From navigating muddy trails and physic...

Stop being invisible. It’s time to say what they can’t unhear. Tamsen Webster is the "Idea Whisperer" behind some of the world’s most powerful TED talks and author of Say What They Can’t Unhear . We explore why the Western world has airbrushed out the Matriarch and how women in midlife can move from feeling invisible to owning the authority they’ve already earned. Tamsen breaks down her...

When a Parkinson’s diagnosis left her husband without answers, Martha Carlin taught herself genetics and chemistry to find them. Now a gut science powerhouse, she joins Jennifer to discuss fixing your "internal engine" to reclaim lasting energy and reject the "midlife decline". We dive into how the microbiome manages estrogen during menopause and how monitoring simple health si...

“They say when a woman reaches a certain age, she starts to disappear. But my guest today knows that being ‘lost’ is often just the beginning of a bigger story. Today, I’m joined by investigative powerhouse Rachel Hartigan. A veteran journalist with over a decade at National Geographic, Rachel has reported on everything from the road to women’s suffrage to complex genetics. The former editor of th...

In this raw, unscripted conversation, Jennifer names what so many midlife women feel but are told to dismiss: you’re not angry or “hormonal”, you’re done. Done with nonsense, over-explaining, soothing egos, and tolerating inefficiency. She explains how the natural drop in estrogen isn’t a problem to fix, but a biological rite of passage that removes the social buffering women have relied on for de...

Stop shrinking. Stop rushing. It’s time to inhabit your authority. In this episode, Jennifer Jefferies sits down with writer, emotion coach, and self-described "Stillness Ninja," Dr. Alice Mackinnon. As the co-creator of the Wise Woman in Residence program, Alice is on a mission to help women move from the exhausting performance of "doing it all" to the quiet, unshakable power...

No one should have to choose between dignity and basic needs.
In this confronting and necessary episode, we sit down with Rochelle Courtenay, the force behind Share the Dignity, the charity that changed how Australia talks about period poverty. What began as a single “check your privilege” moment became a national movement, shifting policy, smashing stigma, and restoring dignity to hundreds of tho...

From the comedy stage to prime-time radio, Wendy Harmer has spent decades using humour and heart to amplify women’s stories and challenge the status quo. In this conversation, she reflects on her journey as a fearless storyteller, from her first nervous open mic night to becoming one of Australia’s most influential voices. Wendy shares the resilience shaped by her childhood, the dynamics of her un...

As the Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, Eimear Burke helps people across Ireland create profound rites of passage that honour both ancient tradition and personal transformation. But she's more than a spiritual guide - she's a captivating storyteller who brings Ireland's timeless tales to life at the very sacred sites where these legends were born. An Arch Druidess...

In this tender and truth-filled episode, Jennifer sits down withDr. Alice MacKinnon — emotion coach, mindfulness teacher, and proud apprentice to the way of the Crone. Together they explore what it really means to flourish from the inside out, to age as initiation, and to embody the calm, grounded wisdom that our world so deeply needs. Alice shares how Emotional Freedom Techniques, mindful movemen...

Burnout did not sneak up on women. And menopause did not suddenly become a problem that needed fixing. In this episode, Jennifer Jefferies cuts through the noise and names what many women feel but rarely hear said out loud. That exhaustion, brain fog, emotional flatness and quiet rage so many women over 40 carry is not a personal failure. It is the result of systems that learned how far they could...

Healing, truth, and what becomes possible when we actually listen to the body. I’m joined by Inna Segal, global pioneer in energy medicine and bestselling author of The Secret Language of Your Body . After years of illness and the stillbirth of her child, Inna experienced a profound personal healing that changed everything. We talk about why the body never lies, how emotions lodge themselves in ou...

Three weeks ago, Beth Hanishewski underwent a double mastectomy. She’s not here for sympathy. She’s here because navigating work, leadership, and relationships in the midst of cancer treatment has sharpened the message she’s been teaching for decades: that real strength isn’t muscling through. It’s quieter than that. It’s choosing your attitude, tending your mindset, setting clear boundaries, and...

If you’re less interested in fitting in and more interested in living in alignment with who you actually are now, this one’s for you. Today I’m joined by Inessa Love, co-founder of Sassy Silver Surfers, a movement born from a quiet refusal to shrink. Inessa didn’t take up surfing to prove anything. She took it up because something in her said now. Not louder. Not faster. Just truer. This conversat...

Dr Alice MacKinnon, a Doctor of Adult Education and longtime storyteller, explains why the stories we choose to share in our elder years become some of the most powerful tools for connection, healing, and wisdom. We explore: Why wisdom stories, not outrage, are what the world is starving for How reclaiming the matriarchal voice is cultural repair Why deep listening creates real safety and generati...

What started as a meme has become a muzzle. The word Karen is now used to shame women into silence, to make us doubt our right to speak up. In this raw, no-BS episode, Jennifer calls out how this label keeps women small, and how changing our self-talk, language, and even scent rituals can help us reclaim power from the inside out. It’s time to retire the mockery and rise as women who use our voice...

She packed the caravan, took the dog, and didn’t ask for permission. Anne Martin chose aliveness after loss. After the death of her husband, she listened to the quiet voice that said now and travelled Australia solo with her dog Rosie - not to prove anything, but to live. Confidence didn’t come before the journey. It grew because of it. Anne is a rock and roll dancer, teacher, and founder of Tiny...

The art of listening deeply. Professor Jackie Huggins AM FAHA is one of Australia’s most respected elders, and this is a conversation that asks us to slow down and listen properly. A proud Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru woman, she is an author, historian, and lifelong advocate whose work has shaped national conversations on truth-telling, reconciliation, and Indigenous women’s voices. As co-author o...

Catherine McGregor AM is one of Australia’s sharpest strategic minds, a decorated military officer, war historian, and fearless public intellectual. With over three decades of operational service across the Army and Air Force, including command in Timor-Leste, she has advised Chiefs of the Army, shaped national defence thinking, and earned the Order of Australia. Today, she brings that same clarit...

Today’s Wise Woman is internationally acclaimed author Anna Funder — the brilliant mind behind Stasiland, All That I Am, and Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life. In this powerful conversation, we dive into women, work, and the invisible labour that keeps the world turning. Anna shares how her background in human rights shaped her writing, why telling women’s untold stories matters, and what resis...

Bold isn’t loud, it’s grounded. Jennifer reframes boldness as a gentle, steady presence rooted in truth, not theatrics. Drawing on cross-cultural insights and the science of psychological safety and self-compassion, she reveals why calm leaders create braver teams. With simple, Bare-Arse-Minimum practices, she shows how soft boundaries, steadiness, and compassionate ambition build real courage. Ge...

For Jin Hee, saying “no” isn’t selfish, it’s the foundation of real self-care. After studying naturopathy and aromatherapy in Australia, she returned to Korea as a pioneer, blending Western personalised care with Korean traditions and later developing MannaTouch™ and Brown Iris Kinesthetic Aromatherapy Point Therapy. She opens up about the emotional load Korean women carry, the loss of traditional...

You’d think after decades of speaking to rooms full of people, I’d be bulletproof. But standing on that TED red dot — my knees shook. My heart was in my throat. My inner critic was loud: “Who are you to say this?” “Don’t mess it up.” And my wise woman whispered back: “Do it scared.” Fear isn’t weakness. It’s proof you care. It means what you’re about to do matters. That day, fear became my teacher...

In a world full of noise, hype, and broken promises, the brands that last are the ones that create experiences people actually feel. And no one understands that better than Neen James. For over two decades, Neen has helped global icons stand out by doing something deceptively simple and incredibly powerful, prioritising focus, presence, and real human connection. Her research into the luxury minds...

The Piedmont Raging Grannies turn protest into performance art, using humour, harmony, and a whole lot of grit to shake the world awake. Aprons on, bonnets tied, voices loud, they fight for peace, justice, and equality with sass, satire, and zero apologies. They’re living proof that activism doesn’t slow down with age… it just gets funnier, braver, and far more unignorable.   Introduction to the R...